Page 200 of Split or Swallow

Bastian lowered his hand, and the hiss quieted. He turned to Caspen, and although he said nothing aloud, Tem knew they were speaking to each other using their minds.

Without warning, her calm faltered.

Caspen was supposed to be controlling her emotions—she shouldn’t be able to feel the anxiety that suddenly erupted in her chest as her heartbeat quickened into a frantic canter. Tem couldn’t tell whether the feelings were hers or Caspen’s. Anxiety turned to fear—the same fear she’d felt when she’d visited Caspen’s mind just last night. Without warning, Tem heard a single sentence of their exchange:

I will not allow it.

The words were spoken by Caspen, and when he said them, Bastian’s brow furrowed.

Tem froze in place as a flash of anger passed over the king’s face. His reply was swift:

You will do as I say.

Just as uncertainty began to twist her stomach, the king turned to her. He held out his hand, and the moment he did so, the wave of calm returned.

Tem looked at Caspen. He nodded. As if on autopilot, she raised her hand and placed her palm gently on the king’s, directly over his cum. His fingers wrapped around hers, lifting her arm high into the air. The second he did so, the hiss of the crowd returned.

Caspen’s face split into a proud smile. Not a word had been spoken, but she understood that she had done the impossible.

Tem had earned the king’s blessing.

Bastian dropped her hand before retreating into the audience. The hissing grew louder—it was all Tem could hear, reverberating through her like a tidal wave. She looked at Caspen, and when his eyes met hers she saw a wild mix of concern, desire, and fierce pride. She knew he was worried for her, but she also knew how meaningful this moment was for him—for them.

“It is our turn now,” he said, his voice low. “Can you go on?”

She nodded again. The ritual had barely begun; the king’s blessing was only half the battle. Tem knew she was ultimately seeking the approval of Caspen’s quiver, and that they would make their decision based on everything that would happen after she slept with the king.

“You are in charge, Tem. I will follow your lead. What do you wish for me to do?”

Tem had only one answer:

“Just kiss me.”

Caspen kissed her, and the moment he did so, Tem felt herself unwind. There was no ritual, no audience, no king. There was only Caspen, who she trusted unequivocally with her body and with her heart. They kissed as if they were the only two people in the room, and they may as well have been. His hands dipped to the back of her thighs, lifting her onto the edge of the altar. He remained standing as his cock slid inside her.

Tem.

Caspen.

He felt so good. He felt so right. He felt like home.

Tem knew she could make Caspen finish—she’d done it a hundred times before. But this time they needed to be quick. So she sent him vision after vision of her touching herself—alone in her room, where he had never been—sometimes using the claw, sometimes using her fingers, showing him what she did when they were apart. She replayed her moments of climax again and again, knowing they would overwhelm him—knowing they would push him straight to the brink.

It pushed her there too.

“Caspen,” she moaned. Just his name—nothing more.

Caspen pulled out of her immediately, his shoulders hunching forward as he finished into his palm with an urgent groan. Before Tem had time to breathe, he slapped his hand hard against her hip, sliding it all the way down her thigh and leaving a wet, slick streak for everyone to see.

There was no mistaking the approval of the audience. Their collective hiss had become deafening. Tem finally tore her gaze away from Caspen and looked out into the crowd.

Her mouth fell open in shock.

“Caspen,” she gasped. “What’s happening?”

Caspen followed her gaze.

The basilisks were all having sex.