Filed To Story: Between Two Kings: A Split or Swallow Book PDF Free
Tem almost laughed. The thought of going down a line of twelve men was preposterous.
Nothing about this was straightforward. But she understood how it seemed that way to Adelaide, how, in her mind, riding one cock after another was the best way to test their worth. Tem had stopped trying to find reason within their customs a long time ago. Now she simply took it as it came and tried not to lose her mind.
“Once you have completed the final tier, your heart will make its choice.” Adelaide said.
“I will choose Caspen.”
“You may. Or you may choose someone else.”
“How can you say that?”
“The tournament is bound by Kora’s magic-it is meant to reveal ultimate truths, to allow fate to run its course. While the outcome is technically determined by you, it is not entirely your choice.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The main tenet of basilisk culture is that we cannot lie. The tournament will force your heart to reveal its truth. It will call to your best match. No one, not even you, can know ahead of time who that will be.”
“You’re saying that it could call to Rowe.”
“To Rowe, to Apollo, to any of the twelve contenders. Anyone is a possibility.”
Tem couldn’t fathom how her mind could want Caspen to be the winner, yet her heart might call to someone else. What if it called to Leo? But Leo wasn’t even a basilisk-he didn’t reside under the mountain; he wasn’t part of the tournament at all. Or perhaps he was. She loved him, and she had crested him, and they had yet to consummate it. Perhaps that bond would draw her to him. Before she lost her nerve, Tem asked, “Can the heart call to someone who isn’t a basilisk?”
Adelaide gave her a careful look. “I…do not know.”
Dread sat in Tem’s stomach. She probably shouldn’t have asked that.
“I can understand how this may seem frightening to you,” Adelaide said. “But to us, this is a momentous occasion. It will be the first tournament in decades. Everyone is looking forward to it.”
Everyone but Tem.
“Temperance,” Adelaide said gently. “You have nothing to fear.”
But of course she did. Tem had everything to fear. If the point of the tournament was to reveal ultimate truths, there couldn’t be a worse time for Tem to reveal them. She was keeping too many secrets, holding too many lives in her hands.
Before Tem could ask anything else, Cypress appeared beside her.
“Addy,” she said. “There you are.” Her gaze fell on Tem. “Would you mind if I borrowed her? I will bring her right back.”
“Of course.” Tem waved her hand. She’d kept Adelaide far too long anyway. “You should go. Enjoy yourselves.”
Cypress beamed. Adelaide gave Tem one last reassuring smile before disappearing into the crowd. Tem had no choice but to wander the cavern alone, drinking elixir and watching the festivities. She was surrounded by basilisks, all of them touching each other, all moaning in collective desire.
Eventually, it became too much. There were too many bodies, too many sounds.
Tem walked until she reached the lake, letting out a sigh of relief the moment her feet met the water. The deeper she waded, the farther the relief spread. Eventually she was swimming along the edge of the lake, passing grottos clustered around the perimeter. Tem didn’t have to look inside to hear that they were occupied. By the time she reached an empty one, her arms were growing tired. Silence fell as she reached the gaping entrance. A moment later her feet touched stone, and she walked out of the water onto a thick layer of moss. The grotto was tall; she could stand easily with plenty of room. Stalactites hung in glistening points above her, tiny droplets of water seeping from their points.
“All alone again, Temperance?” a voice boomed from behind her. “We really must stop meeting this way.”
A voice came from behind her, but Tem didn’t have to turn around to know whose it was. Apollo immediately entered her mind.
You are without your chaperone.
Is that what you call Caspen?
What else should I call him?
He’s your brother, isn’t he?
That he is.
Tem turned to see Apollo stepping out of the water, his eyes on hers. He was already on his way to being hard. Tem tried not to stare at his cock, which was staring right back at her.
Apollo smirked.
I always tell you: you may look if you wish. It does not bother me.
Tem was perfectly aware that it didn’t bother him. She could see it in the arrogance twisting his cheeks.
Nothing bothers you.
He raised an eyebrow.
Is that what you think?
That’s what I know.
Apollo approached her slowly, his footsteps steady despite the uneven terrain.
What else do you know, Temperance?
The question was a challenge, and Tem was not in the mood to rise to it. I know you shouldn’t be talking to me.
Talking to you is hardly a crime.
The way you talk, it is.
Another smirk.
Do you wish for me to stop talking? We could do something else instead.
No.
Her protest was weak. She knew it, and Apollo knew it too. He had nearly reached her side of the grotto. The air was warm-thick and humid-and Tem was having trouble breathing.
Shall I tell you what I know?
I have a feeling you’re going to anyway.
Apollo stopped right in front of her. He was shorter than Caspen but still far taller than Tem. She had to crane her neck to look up at him. I know you like it when I talk to you this way.
Tem remembered the last time she’d seen Apollo-how he’d made her come in less than ten seconds, his body pressed against hers as the sun rose above them.
Caspen wouldn’t like it.
That is not my problem.
Tem sighed. It was about to be hers.
And where is my dear brother tonight?