Page 258 of Split or Swallow

He released her. The claw was solid inside her. Tem welcomed its weight.

Thank you.

Caspen stroked her clitoris, just once.

Of course, Tem.

They kissed again. Finally, Tem broke away.

I have to get back to the farm.

He buried his face in her hair, and she knew he was smelling her scent.

I want you to stay.

You know I can’t.

He only held her tighter.

Please, Tem. Stay.

His request surprised her. There was a hint of desperation in his voice—of deep-seated longing. It was almost as if the closer they became, the more he was scared of losing her. Tem wanted to reassure him. But their relationship was not the only thing at stake. Tem had other people she loved now—other people to protect. Caspen could protect himself.

No.

He released her with a sigh.

They walked together through the passageway, and when they reached the head of the trail, Caspen pulled her against him again. He kissed up her neck, biting at her earlobe.

“Caspen,” she yelped. “You have to let me go.”

He only held her tighter.

Tem went still, allowing him to hold her. This was a different version of Caspen than the one she was used to—this version was not aloof, not secretive or harsh. This Caspen openly yearned. This Caspen needed her.

Something had changed between them at the lake, when their minds had combined. It felt as if he’d left a piece of himself with her, and Tem realized it was possible that he had. And perhaps she’d left a piece of herself in return. She had no idea what magic had occurred in that cavern under the mountain, no clue how deep their connection now went.

“Caspen,” she whispered. “Let me go.”

He let her go.

Tem returned to her cottage a changed woman.

The farm no longer looked like home. Perhaps it never had been. Whether Tem’s future lay in the castle with Leo or in the caves with Caspen, she knew for sure it was no longer between these wooden walls.

Her mother was away, delivering the eggs. Tem spent the day doing chores, watching the hours tick slowly by. Caspen sent her pulses—too many to count. Tem savored them. She’d missed carrying the claw inside her, and now that she had it again, it was as if part of her had slid back into place. She experimented with sending pulses back, practicing the same thing she’d done in the cavern with intermittent success. It turned out Tem wasn’t quite used to her power just yet. At one point, she sent a pulse so strong that Caspen roared in pain, shouting a word in a language she’d never heard.

Sorry.

His pain subsided, replaced by wary amusement.

It is no matter, Tem. You do not know your own strength.

I didn’t mean to hurt you.

I am not hurt. That was merely…a surprise.

Tem smiled. She sent him several more surprises that day.