Page 17 of Split or Swallow

“Take it,” he said.

She looked down at his palms, which cradled something resembling a claw. It was smooth and curved, thick on one end and tapered to the size of a finger on the other. She took it in her hands, feeling the hardness of it. It might be made of stone.

“What is it?” she asked, lifting it into the light. It was warm to the touch, and heavier than it looked. She studied the curve of it, fascinated by its smoothness.

“It does not have a name,” Caspen said. “At least, not one in your language.”

“What is its purpose?”

“It will connect us while we are apart.”

“How?”

Caspen stepped closer. “You will keep it inside you.”

“Inside me?”

“Yes,” his eyes traced back down her body, landing between her legs.

Tem understood. Her blush returned.

“It should fit perfectly,” he said.

Tem looked up at him, and she was surprised to see his eagerness.

“Do not tell anyone you have it. And do not show it to anyone. It is for you, and only you.”

He stared at her with an intensity she didn’t understand. She could only nod; his gaze was too strong. She looked down at the claw.

“What will it be like?” she whispered.

“Warm,” he said. “It is the exact temperature of my human form.”

Tem nodded.

“It will feel good,” he continued. “I will make sure of it.”

“How?”

“Like I said, it will connect us. I can make it…pulse.”

“Pulse?”

He smiled, and she melted.

“When it pulses, you will know I am thinking of you.”

Tem stared at the extraordinary thing. She turned it over in her hands, feeling its weight, noticing the way it shone, as if it were made of starlight. She couldn’t believe it was formed from his very essence. Tem had never seen magic like that before.

“Try it,” Caspen’s voice broke her from her thoughts.

She looked up at him.

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

This morning, Tem couldn’t have imagined doing anything like this. But after what happened in the last hour, she felt a bravery she wasn’t used to, and knew she was capable of following his command. So she sat back down on the ledge, once again spreading her legs in front of Caspen.