Page 320 of Split or Swallow
“Kora. You always do what you want, Tem. You never think.”
This was going nowhere. Tem had to get them back on track.
“Just talk to him. Please. Do it for me.”
Tem knew perfectly well that it was the last thing Caspen wanted to do. But he also owed her this—for all the things he’d kept from her. He couldn’t be angry that she’d done something without asking him, and he knew it as well as she did.
After an endless pause, he said:
“There is nothing I would not do for you.”
Without another word, Tem turned.
Caspen followed at a distance, staying two steps behind her. Just before they reached the cave, Tem saw that his hands were balled into fists.
“Caspen.”
He looked down at her. She touched his arm gently.
“Please,” Tem whispered.
For a long moment, he didn’t react. Then he uncurled his fingers, letting his hands hang loose at his sides. They entered the cave.
Leo was leaning against the wall, but straightened when he saw them. He immediately glanced at Tem before looking at Caspen.
A long moment passed, and Tem held her breath. Leo said nothing—he seemed resolved to let Caspen take the lead. It wasn’t until Caspen dipped his head in Leo’s direction in the barest form of acknowledgement that Tem finally let out her breath. It was good enough for her.
Tem stepped between them, spreading her hands in what she hoped was a neutral gesture.
“Both of you have been told that the other is the enemy,” she said quietly. “But that is a lie.”
The two princes stared at each other, neither of them speaking.
“I’m living proof that you can coexist,” Tem continued. “If you want peace, you need to break the cycle.”
Caspen tilted his head, and Tem thought he might say something. Instead Leo was the first to speak:
“I understand you may have…reservations about me,” Leo said, addressing Caspen directly. “But I can assure you we are on the same side.”
Caspen let out a dry, incredulous noise.
“Tem has informed me of my father’s actions,” Leo went on as if Caspen hadn’t made a sound. “They are appalling, and they should not go unpunished. I’d like to help with that, if I can.”
Caspen still hadn’t spoken, and Tem was starting to wonder if he was ever going to.
Leo continued doggedly:
“You may not trust me, but Tem does. And I know you value her opinion.”
Caspen blinked.
Then he looked at Tem.
They held eye contact for an endless moment, and Tem felt the gaping void where their connection used to be. Caspen finally broke his silence:
“The only opinion I value is my own,” he growled.
The two men stared at each other. Caspen’s hands were slowly balling back into fists, and Tem rushed to break the moment before things got worse:
