Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
“Tem.” His voice came back to her, its urgency increased. “Please answer me. Are you in any pain?”
She could only nod.
At her response, Caspen sat up. He placed his palm flat on her stomach and closed his eyes. There was a cool pulse, and suddenly the aches disappeared. Tem felt immediately better physically, but she knew he could do nothing for the emotional exhaustion that clouded her brain like smoke.
“Caspen,” she whispered. “Was I enough?”
He opened his eyes, looking at her with boundless reverence. “You were more than enough. You were extraordinary.”
Her lungs felt as if someone were squeezing them. “But when we came back here…”
She trailed off. Caspen had carried her back to his chambers after the ritual was over. The memory of the journey was blurry, but Tem knew she hadn’t imagined the blond female basilisk who’d sneered at her in the darkness of the tunnel, and she certainly hadn’t imagined what the woman had said to Caspen:
“A mate who must be carried to bed like a child, bleeding and broken. Is this who the prince deems worthy?”
Caspen had snapped immediately back, “The king deems her worthy. An honor you cannot claim.”
The exchange lasted mere seconds. But the words were seared on Tem’s heart, and she knew she would never forget them.
Caspen’s eyes held hers. “That was nothing, Tem.”
“It was the truth,” she said quietly.
“It was nothing. Jealous words from a jealous soul.”
“Who is she?”
Now Caspen looked away.
She grabbed his chin, pulling his face back to hers as she said, “You don’t get to keep secrets from me.”
He met her eyes. The unsaid portion of her sentence hung in the air between them: Not after what I just did for you. Caspen knew it was the truth just as much as Tem did.
He let out a long breath before saying, “Her name is Adelaide. She belongs to the Seneca quiver. We have…history.”
Tem knew as well as anyone what “history” meant. It meant they had slept together and that Adelaide had satisfied him more than Tem ever could.
“Did you love her?” Tem whispered.
“No.”
She looked him in the eye, and she knew he was telling the truth. But that didn’t make it hurt any less. “Then why is she so angry?”
“Our values do not align.”
“How so?”
Caspen sighed. “Must we discuss this, Tem? You have just been through-“
“Yes. We must.”
He sighed again, looking down at her in exasperation. “Adelaide does not believe basilisks should mate with humans. As a whole, the Senecas do not support it. She has…reservations…about our union.”
“She hates me.”
Caspen rolled his shoulders. “She does not know you well enough to hate you. But yes, she…is not fond of you.”
“She is fond of you.”
“No. I promise you, Tem. It was not like that between us.”
“Like what?”
“Like how it is with you and me. It was never real.”
“But it was physical.”
For what felt like the hundredth time, Caspen sighed. “Yes, Tem. It was physical. But it did not matter. She did not matter. If you choose to be upset over everyone I have ever slept with, there will be no end to your jealousy.”
Tem recoiled. At her reaction, regret flashed across Caspen’s face.
“I do not say that to hurt you. It is merely the truth.” He paused, and his thumb brushed over her hip bone. “You know who I am.”
Yes. Tem knew who he was. He was a prince: the future king and the most desired prospect under the mountain.
“She’s a better match,” Tem whispered.
“No. She is not.”
“She’s a basilisk.”
“That does not make her a better match.”
“But-“
“Tem.” His hand squeezed her hip. “Would you mate with a man simply because he is human?”
“We don’t call it mating.”
Caspen let out an exasperated breath. “I am making a comparison. Just because she is a basilisk does not mean we are compatible.”
They both fell silent. His words made logical sense. But there was no logic in her emotions, and it was impossible for Tem not to feel insecure.
“What can I say to make you believe me?” Caspen whispered.
Now Tem sighed. There was nothing he could say, and they both knew it.
“Tem,” he continued. “You have the king’s blessing.”
She gave him a look.
“And you have mine.” He pressed his lips to her shoulder. “I am in awe of you.”
Tem allowed a small sliver of pride to slip through her. She knew her body would bear the consequences of last night for a long time. But it had been worth it.
“Will your quiver accept me?”
Caspen kissed her skin again. “If they know what is good for them.”
“When will they make their decision?”
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.