Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
Leo’s eyes were already on her as she ascended the steps, and Tem couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. Was he angry? Or simply sad, as Gabriel had said?
The crowd was getting loud again; it seemed they couldn’t stay calm for more than a few minutes at a time. Unlimited mead tended to have that effect. Their cheers only grew as the girls lined up in a row and Leo extended his hand to Vera, who was first in line. She took it eagerly, following him to the front of the stage. The crowd roared as they faced each other. Realization dawned.
Leo was going to use each kiss to decide who to eliminate.
It was even worse than the podiums. Was Tem about to be eliminated in front of the entire village? She couldn’t imagine anything more embarrassing. Perhaps she should have expected this. The royals were heartless after all.
A sharp knife of jealousy twisted Tem’s stomach as Leo placed his hands on Vera’s waist. She remembered the prince’s words from last night, whispered through a haze of hurt:
Am I to share you?
She was not the only one being shared. Leo had his own advantage in their silent battle of wills; he was not fully in her grasp, and she was an idiot to think he ever had been. Tem didn’t care that they were in public; she wanted nothing more than to run forward and rip Leo’s hands off Vera. Instead, she watched as he leaned in and kissed her straight on the lips.
The cheer of the crowd was deafening.
It was no surprise: Vera was the village favorite. Adored by every man, envied by every woman. Tem could never hope to compete with such undeniable allure. The kiss was short-but passionate-and when they finally broke apart, the cheer lasted for so long that Leo had to hold up his hands in protest, waving the crowd down to a reasonable level before reaching for the next in line. Leo kissed girl after girl. The crowd roared on.
The knife twisted deeper with every kiss.
By the time Leo got to the second-to-last girl, he didn’t even bother looking at her. Instead, his eyes bore straight into Tem’s as he leaned in. She held his gaze as they kissed, determined not to look away-determined not to let him faze her. It didn’t matter that everyone was watching. It didn’t matter that the crowd was cheering for the girl who was currently in Leo’s arms. Tem didn’t like watching him kiss anyone else. And she certainly didn’t like the way he was flaunting it in front of her. It was especially unfair given the lengths she’d taken to keep her connection with Caspen a secret. Tem had never used that to make Leo jealous. Maybe she should have.
By the time Leo was headed her way, Tem was angry.
Only one thing would make her feel better. One thing would make Leo remember who they were to each other. Tem was glad Caspen was no longer in her mind. He didn’t need to see the way she grabbed Leo’s shoulders and yanked him closer. He didn’t need to hear the moan that escaped her throat as she pressed her lips hungrily to his. Immediately, she could feel his cock growing hard. Tem wanted to touch it.
Instead, she kissed Leo with everything she had, allowing herself to give in to temptation, allowing herself to feel something for the human prince. After all, wasn’t that what Leo wanted? For Tem to want him? Maybe she didn’t want him in the same way she wanted Caspen; maybe her connection with Leo wasn’t ethereal and otherworldly and magical the way it was with the basilisk. But it was real. It always had been. There was no denying that Tem was drawn to Leo just as he was drawn to her-that they needed each other in a way that couldn’t be defined.
Leo wasn’t perfect. And Tem liked that.
His body folded against hers, his fingers lacing deep into her curls. The slightest hint of whiskey lingered on his tongue. Tem drank it in-drank him in.
Leo kissed her for far longer than he kissed the other girls. There would be no mistaking his preference for her now, if there was ever a question to begin with. When Tem finally drew away, Leo barely let her go. His slate-gray eyes were inches from hers, and she saw nothing but victory in them. She knew the prince loved a challenge-that he viewed Caspen as a competitor, an opponent, and Tem as the prize to be won. She knew she’d given him exactly what he wanted. But perhaps, for once, it was what she wanted too.
“We kissed for too long,” she whispered.
“Impossible,” he breathed. “I’d kiss you forever if I could.”
It was then that Tem noticed the crowd was silent.
There were no cheers for her like there were for Vera-no frenetic roar of approval. The villagers had one vote to cast, and it was not for Tem. There were only two people clapping for her: Gabriel and her mother. She couldn’t pretend to be surprised.
Leo didn’t acknowledge the silence. He simply guided Tem back to her place in line, pressing a kiss to her wrist before dropping her hand and turning to the girl beside her.
Leo leaned in, his angular face tilting to the side as he said, “Sorry, darling.”
The girl stepped back in horror.
Tem flashed suddenly to her first night at the castle, when Leo had eliminated the girls in the exact same way. Everyone watched in silence as he walked farther down the line, stopping in front of a girl with red hair who immediately started crying. She fled the stage before he even had a chance to speak. Leo stood still for a moment, staring at the empty spot before him. Then he turned once more to the crowd.
“Thank you for your vote.” He glanced at Vera, who preened insufferably at the end of the line. “Rest assured your voice has been heard.”
The crowd cheered again. Several mead glasses met their deaths on the cobblestones. Without another word, Leo descended the stage to join his father, whose face was a mask of rage. Tem could only imagine what Maximus was thinking. To watch his son favor the town pariah was surely cause for fury. The king would not take kindly to Leo’s insolence. It would strain their already fragile relationship and put Tem straight in Maximus’s crosshairs-somewhere she had no desire to be. But these were worries for another time.
For now, mercifully, the show was over.
Tem filed off the stage with the other girls before finding her way back to Gabriel. He handed her a glass, which she immediately downed.
“I’d give it an eight,” Gabriel said.
“Excuse me?”
“Your form,” he said. “Eight out of ten.”
“My form?”
“Bit too much tongue for me, but I suppose the prince might be into that. Next time, stand on your tiptoes. Otherwise, he’s a touch too tall for you.”
Tem let out an incredulous laugh as she realized he was rating her kissing. She knew it was just a way to distract her from her poor showing with the crowd. Gabriel always knew how to make everything better. Tem never had a lot in life. But she’d always had him.
They spent the rest of the evening standing at the edge of the crowd, playing a drinking game where they took a sip whenever Vera fluttered her eyelashes at someone. Eventually, Tem’s mother appeared by her side.
“It is getting late, my dear.”
“Of course, Mother. See you at home.”
Her mother shook her head. “I am staying in the village tonight.”
“Oh.”
Tem had forgotten that her mother was tending to the butcher’s young daughter while her parents were out of town. The crowd’s silence loomed once again in Tem’s mind. How had it felt for her mother to witness Tem’s public disgrace? A slick thread of guilt tightened her throat. It was an old wound, split open again.
On a whim, Tem embraced her mother. They rarely touched in such a way. Tem could count on one hand the times they’d held each other for longer than a brief moment. If her mother was surprised, she didn’t show it. She simply tucked her head against Tem’s shoulder and squeezed her back.
When they drew apart, Tem said, “See you tomorrow, Mother.”
Her mother gave her a small smile. Then she left.
“In that case.” Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Horseman?”
Tem sighed. They hardly needed to drink more. But her mother wouldn’t be home, and she couldn’t go see Caspen. What else was she supposed to do with her evening?
“Horseman.”
They stumbled to the bar together. When they reached it, people were already trickling in from the festival. Gabriel pressed a kiss to her cheek. “First round’s on me.”
Tem didn’t protest.
She slid into their favorite booth, ignoring what felt like everyone’s eyes on her. No doubt people would be talking about tonight’s events for a long time.
Her thoughts returned to the conversation with Caspen and the one condition under which his quiver would accept their engagement. What kind of condition could it possibly be? And what “matters” did he have to attend to in the meantime? A wave of annoyance swept through Tem. She wasn’t over the fact that he’d cut off their connection with no warning. It was unacceptable that he chose to exercise his power in such a one-sided way. They couldn’t have a proper relationship if he didn’t communicate with her. Tem was always in the dark, always the last to know. It had to stop.
Gabriel slid into the booth and handed her a beer. “Here you are, dearest.”
“Thanks.” She managed a smile. They clinked their glasses and took a sip together.
“You know.” Gabriel leaned closer. “Old Steve is looking pretty good tonight.”
“Not another word.”
“I’m just saying. If it doesn’t work out with the prince, you can marry him. I bet he likes a bit of tongue.”
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.