Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
He shook his head. “I do not want you here alone.”
Tem had no rebuttal for that. After what happened with Rowe earlier, she could hardly argue she’d be safe. “What will happen at the meeting?” she asked.
Caspen cupped her hip with his hand. Despite telling her she should leave, he didn’t seem eager to get rid of her. “My recent…exploits…will be discussed.”
Tem thought of the golden claw around her neck. Surely, the quivers would have plenty to say about the fact that Caspen had proposed to a human. And there were also the murders of Jonathan and Christopher to contend with.
Tem shifted even closer. “Will you get in trouble?” she whispered.
Caspen’s lips skimmed her shoulder. “Perhaps.”
Tem climbed back onto his lap, touching just the tip of her finger to the head of his cock, which was already hard. “What will happen to you?”
“That is up to the king to decide.”
Tem paused. “I thought you were the Serpent King.”
To her surprise, Caspen chuckled softly. “Only humans call me that. It has no bearing on my actual title.”
This was news to Tem. Everyone referred to Caspen as the Serpent King. He was a legend-the entire village had talked about him since before Tem was born. There wasn’t a single girl eligible for the training who didn’t know his reputation.
“In that case.” She angled her hips, lowering herself onto his cock. “What is your actual title?”
Caspen waited until she was fully seated before answering. “I am the son of the king.”
Tem was a little too distracted by the way he felt inside her to fully absorb this information. But as she slowly began to slide herself up and down his cock, she managed to focus enough to say, “So…you’re a prince?”
Caspen was equally distracted. His fingers were wrapped tightly around her thighs, guiding her movements. Eventually, he answered, “Yes. I am a prince.”
Tem let that revelation sink in for a moment. It was absurd. She was involved with not one but two princes. At the same time. It was nothing she could have ever predicted for herself.
But she would marvel at that later. Right now, there was only one prince she wanted.
Caspen let her set the pace, kissing softly up her neck as she rode him. Tem used his shoulders to steady herself, gripping his warm skin while establishing a rhythm. She loved having sex like this: slowly, intimately. Caspen liked it too. He gazed at her with unfiltered adoration, pulling her closer every chance he could. His hands touched every part of her, brushing up her hips to caress her breasts, holding his palms flat so she could press her nipples against them each time she arched her back. He understood her implicitly, without being asked. He knew she wanted to gain experience-to learn what her body liked-to use him to do it. There was no ego when it came to her pleasure. Both of them wanted her to enjoy it.
Tem was getting close. Her clitoris was tender; her nipples were hard. She was thrusting quickly now, riding him desperately, eager to come. Caspen’s fingers wound around the back of her neck. His other hand gripped her ass, yanking her hips against his in rapid succession.
That was all it took for her.
“Caspen,” she cried.
That was all it took for him.
Their climaxes fused together, rushing forward in a ferocious wave that threatened to drown them both. Tem would never get used to this: the raw exchange of energy that only sex could draw forth. They clung to each other, gasping, as the tide of their union flowed between them. Their faces were an inch apart. Tem brushed the tip of her tongue over his bottom lip, tasting the shadow of his venom. She bit him lightly, pulling his lip into her mouth.
Harder, Tem.
She clamped down, drawing blood. Caspen let out a rough grunt but didn’t pull away. It felt natural to Tem-she wanted to taste every part of him. She already had his venom inside her. Why not his blood too?
Tem gently sucked his lip. When she drew away, she watched in fascination as the wound healed itself, just as Caspen had done for her.
He smiled. “Did you like that?”
She nodded.
“Good.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“But I hurt you.”
His smile only widened. “You can do anything you like to me, Tem. Trust I will enjoy it.”
There was no mistaking the desire in Caspen’s eyes. Tem watched it slowly fade as his pupils shrank and his eyes became golden once more. He pressed a light kiss to her shoulder.
“I will walk you out,” he said.
Tem wanted to protest. She wanted to stay here with him forever. But she also knew that he had more pressing things to do-things that might affect their future. She supposed she had better let him do them.
Tem slid the claw back in. Caspen walked her out.
When they arrived at the head of the trail, Caspen pulled her into his arms and held her. They stood there, clasped together, his body the only thing keeping her warm.
“Will you tell me how the meeting goes?” she murmured against his chest.
“Yes,” he murmured back. “But it will run quite long. Probably until morning.”
“Wake me up.”
“No.” He shook his head. “You need sleep.”
Tem didn’t bother protesting. He was right; she needed sleep. It had been a harrowing twenty-four hours, and her adrenaline was running low. The thought of her cozy cottage bed was exceedingly appealing, and the thought of falling asleep even more so.
Caspen must have sensed this, because he kissed her on her forehead and said, “Go, Tem.”
Tem went.
On the walk home, she realized she had no idea whether she was still in the competition-she’d left the castle before Leo had announced the final five girls. Now her heart performed a nervous swoop as she considered what the future might hold. She was one step away from being engaged to Caspen. But what if the council punished him? Or worse, punished her? Tem knew nothing of the ways of basilisks. If there were ramifications for an engagement such as theirs, she had no hope of predicting what they might be.
And then there was Leo.
What must he think of Tem? A student in love with her teacher. She would have to leave the competition if things progressed with Caspen. Her exit would undermine the entire elimination process. It was unheard of.
Or was it?
A conversation came back to her suddenly, striking her with the force of lightning:
“Has anyone ever left?” she asked.
“Once,” Caspen said. “But she was not my student.”
Why had that former student left? Tem wished she knew. She wished for a lot of things-for the council to approve her engagement, for Leo to forgive her, for her mother to live a life of leisure. But these were not wishes that would be granted tonight. For tonight, all Tem could do was go home and sleep. So she did.
The roosters crowed her awake.
Tem savored a few moments alone in the kitchen as she watched her mother tend to the garden. The festival would surely resume tonight. The Passing of the Crown was in a few days, and the proper buildup would need to commence. Tonight’s event was a significant one: the prince would kiss each of his remaining prospects in front of the entire village, during which the villagers would vote for their favorite girl. The voting was simple: whoever the crowd cheered for loudest was the winner.
On its surface, it seemed like a way to include the villagers in the elimination process. Whoever the prince picked would eventually be their queen after all. The subjects of the kingdom deserved to have a say in who ruled them. In reality, it had little to no bearing on who the prince actually chose. It was all for show-nothing more than a way to appease the crowd and make them feel as if they had a voice. For Tem, the chicken shit girl, it was just another public humiliation. That was if Leo hadn’t already eliminated her.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.