Page 59 of Split or Swallow
Leo smiled. “There will most certainly be food.”
“Great.”
“Is that the key, then?”
“To what?”
“To you. If I feed you, will I earn your favor?”
“I’m not a horse, Leo.”
Leo let out a deep laugh.
“Clearly not.”
Tem rolled her eyes and promptly changed the subject.
“You father seems…intense.”
Leo’s laugh turned bitter.
“That’s the kindest way I’ve ever heard him described.”
“How would you describe him?”
True, unfiltered pain flashed across Leo’s face. He leaned back in his chair, arching his neck to look at the stars. Tem let the silence sit, studying the tight angles of his jaw. Finally, he whispered:
“Heartless.”
He dropped the word with such aching bitterness that a chill shot down Tem’s spine.
“Leo.”
She said his name softly, in a way she’d never said it before.
Leo met her eye, and for a moment, Tem saw his facade drop. She saw that the cocky prince was only a boy—a boy with a strained relationship with his father. She wondered what had happened between them, and if he would ever tell her. Tem wanted to ask more. But Leo gave a dismissive flick of his fingers and said:
“I don’t want to talk about my father.”
His face slid back into a smirk. It was clear the moment was over.
Tem sighed.
“Then what do you want to talk about?”
“You, of course.”
“What about me?”
“What do you like to do for fun?”
Tem blinked.
She hadn’t expected such a casual question from the prince. She didn’t really have hobbies, at least not like normal people did. The farm took up most of her time, and when she wasn’t helping her mother, she was at the Horseman with Gabriel. She decided to simply state the truth:
“Drink.”
Leo smiled.
