Page 191 of Split or Swallow

Caspen sighed.

“There is more. You will sleep with me as well as my father.”

Tem stared up at him.

“At the same time?”

“No,” Caspen said quickly. “One after the other. My father has seniority, so you will be with him first. Ideally, you will bring him to climax. If not, then the ritual is already over. If you succeed, you will sleep with me next. It is imperative that both my father and I finish quickly. If it draws on, he is less likely to give his blessing. In both cases, we will come outside of you.”

Tem frowned.

“Why?”

“To present proof to my quiver. That way there can be no question of your achievement.”

Tem processed this information. She had no idea there would be so many rules.

“Is that all?” she whispered.

“Nearly. If you succeed in both cases, you are worthy of my father’s blessing. Should he decide to give it, you and I would go to a designated suite.”

“A suite? What happens there?”

Caspen sighed.

“Well?”

“We would be expected to…celebrate the king’s decision.”

“Celebrate how?”

The pause lingered.

“Oh for Kora’s sake,” Tem cried. “Just tell me, Caspen. Tell me all of it, right this second, or I’m walking home.”

Caspen didn’t protest. He simply said in a monotone:

“We would celebrate by having sex. Continuously.”

“Continuously?”

“Yes. The closest comparison I can make is to what humans call a honeymoon. It is customary for the new couple to sleep together until midnight. If we do not, my father could revoke his blessing.”

“He could revoke it at any time?”

“Yes.”

“But how would he know if we didn’t sleep together until midnight?”

Caspen answered in the same quiet tone:

“The suite is public, just like the ritual. Everyone will be watching us.”

It was incomprehensible—the whole thing. There was nothing in Tem’s mind except pure, unfiltered disbelief, and it threatened to consume her in an unstoppable wave. She felt the sudden need to sit down.

“Is that all?” she breathed.

“Yes. That is all.”