Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
Tem nodded. She was trying to remain calm, but her stomach wasn’t cooperating.
“Do I need to…bring anything?” She didn’t know what else to ask.
Caspen shook his head. “No. But do not exert yourself today. You will need your strength.”
Tem nodded again. Before she could begin to worry, Caspen kissed her. They kissed slowly, and by the time they drew apart, Tem was wet again.
“I wish I could stay with you,” she whispered against his lips.
“Soon,” he whispered back.
Tem dawdled through her farm work, trying not to think about tonight. Her mother was gone, running an errand in the village, so at least she didn’t have to visit Vera. But on a day like today, Tem would have welcomed the distraction. Her chores were done early; there was nothing to do but worry. When her mother returned, they spent the afternoon together in the kitchen, mending their winter cloaks. Hours passed in silence, and Tem’s mind spun.
Her thoughts wandered to her very first night in the caves-how the girl in front of her had run screaming back down the path. Tem wondered where that girl was now and whether she regretted fleeing from her fate. She remembered what her mother had said to her that night after she’d spread oil on her thighs: They will give you courage.
Tem could use that courage now.
“Mother?” she asked.
Her mother looked up from her sewing. “Yes, dear?”
“Do you still have the ylang-ylang and sandalwood?”
Her mother frowned. “Yes. Why do you ask?”
Tem hesitated. They were well into the training process; there was no reason why Tem would need the same thing she’d needed on her first night in the caves. Yet she felt much the same as she had that night: like everything she’d ever known was about to change.
“I…need courage tonight.”
It was all she could say without revealing anything else. Her mother’s frown deepened, but she didn’t ask any more questions. Instead she set her sewing aside and retrieved the amber glass vials, motioning to Tem to lift her skirt. She spread the oil gently on each thigh, and Tem felt immediately calmed by the contact. It reminded her why she was doing this: for the people she loved.
“Thank you,” she whispered when her mother was done.
In response, her mother kissed her on the cheek.
The walk was cold and windy.
Tem hunched her shoulders against the autumn chill, hurrying her way to the base of the mountain. Caspen was already waiting for her in the warm darkness of the cave, and he took her hand in greeting, brushing his lips against her wrist. Tem followed him to his chambers, and they sat on the edge of his bed. Instead of initiating sex like they normally would, they stared at each other in anticipatory silence. Caspen squeezed her hand in his.
“You do not have to do this.”
Tem rolled her eyes. “Don’t say that to me.”
“Tem.” Caspen pulled her closer, forcing her to look him in the eye. “I will say it until the very last moment, so you know you have a choice.”
But Tem just shook her head. Because she didn’t have a choice-not really. She was on a mission now, one that Caspen couldn’t possibly understand. It wasn’t just about him. Or her. Or even Leo. This was about the future of the kingdom, and Tem would not falter now.
“I’ve made my choice,” she said.
Caspen gave her a small smile. “So stubborn,” he whispered.
“You should know that by now.”
The small smile grew. “That I should.”
They lay in bed for a while longer, watching the fire and talking about anything other than what was about to happen. Finally, it was time to go. When Tem began to stand, Caspen stopped her. He tugged at the bottom of her dress.
“There is no need for this,” he said.
Realization dawned.
“I’m supposed to go…naked?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“Basilisks have different rules than humans do.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We are sexual creatures.”
“I know that already.”
“What I mean to say is that we are…open.”
“What do you mean by ‘open’?”
“Out there”-Caspen nodded his head at the doorway, beyond which Tem knew lay the winding passages-“if a basilisk chooses to wear their human form, they will not burden it with clothing.”
Tem frowned. “You’re saying they’re…naked…all the time?”
Caspen’s mouth twitched. “That is exactly what I am saying.”
“So everyone just…sees everyone else?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“Because it does not matter to them, Tem. You do not matter to them. To a basilisk, the human form is inferior to our true one. The human obsession with privacy is not one the basilisk shares or understands. They do not respect your body.”
Tem bristled. “Does my body not deserve respect?”
“Of course.” He pressed his lips to her shoulder. “Of course it does. But there is no need for clothing when you will be removing it anyway.”
Tem had no argument for that, so she pulled off her dress.
They walked together through the winding tunnels, deeper beneath the mountain than Tem had ever gone before. It was completely dark except for the occasional torch, and Tem had to rely on Caspen for guidance. He held her waist, directing her every time they came to a fork in the passageway. Eventually, they stopped in front of an ancient pair of wooden doors. Caspen pushed them open.
The auditorium wasn’t at all what Tem expected.
It was lined with torches and circular in shape, with rows of stone benches that sloped gently down toward an enormous stone statue. Tem craned her neck to look up at it. When she realized what she was looking at, her heart stopped. She turned to Caspen.
“You said the ritual was in an auditorium.”
“It is.”
She pointed at the statue. “Then explain that.”
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.