Page 69 of Split or Swallow

His cock felt unbearably rigid; it was becoming impossible to take him all the way down her throat. He seemed different than earlier—harder, somehow—as if there were metal beneath his skin rather than muscle and bone. Tem remembered that he had told her to use her hand if she needed to rest. So she pulled away, releasing him from her mouth and grasping him with her hand instead. The moment she raised her head, Caspen’s lips crashed down onto hers.

The kiss had none of the controlled grace she had become accustomed to.

Instead, it felt as if Caspen were trying to extract her soul from her body as he tore her dress off and yanked her forward, pulling her onto his lap so she was straddling him while she stroked him. He sent pulse after pulse—some of them so intense they bordered on pain. Every time Tem tried to catch her breath he sent another, each one piercing her deeper than the last. It was overwhelming in the extreme. Just when she thought she couldn’t go on, Caspen’s hand joined hers, his long fingers tightened her grip around his cock, quickening her strokes to a lightning pace. They were moving in tandem now, kissing with feverish intensity, every inch of her body touching every inch of his. Tem was quite sure if he sent one more pulse, she would explode.

A split second later, her hand felt as if it were on fire.

The air tasted suddenly sharp, like metal. When Tem looked down, there was a dark red streak on Caspen’s cock. At first she didn’t understand what she was seeing. It wasn’t until she lifted her hand that she realized her palm was bleeding. Tem couldn’t comprehend the sight. She looked questioningly up at Caspen, and her shock only increased. His eyes were shut, his jaw clenched tightly. There was smoke rising from his skin.

But it wasn’t skin at all—it was scales, and they were interlocking and spreading across his chest at an alarmingly fast rate. The same scales were on his cock—they had rubbed her hand raw. Tem watched in horror as his body began to change before her eyes—his torso elongating, his shoulders expanding. Too late, Tem understood what was happening.

Caspen was transitioning into his true form.

A deafening hiss filled the cave as Caspen lurched backward, pushing Tem away.

“You need to leave,” he growled. She barely understood the words—two razor sharp fangs were warping his mouth. His tongue was splitting in two.

“No,” she said.

Caspen’s hands were fisted into the mat, his back arched at an unnatural angle.

“I am not asking.”

Before Tem had a chance to respond, his body jerked violently. It was as if someone had pulled him up by invisible strings before suddenly letting him drop. He fell back to the mat with an anguished roar—a sound so tortured that Tem wanted to cry.

He’s fighting it, she realized with sudden clarity.

But even Caspen could not resist the will of nature. Smoke filled the cave as his body thrashed with otherworldly strength. Somewhere in the fog of her shock, Tem remembered that if he looked her in the eye while wearing his true form, she would die. His next command clapped like thunder in her mind:

LEAVE ME, TEM.

But she couldn’t leave Caspen. It was the last thing she would ever do.

Despite every one of her instincts screaming otherwise, Tem moved closer. He was barely a man anymore. His once smooth skin was now a shiny expanse of black scales. Sharp, ridged horns were puncturing his back, growing straight out of his spine. His angular head was pointed at the ground, and she knew it was his attempt to protect her. She pressed the palms of her hands to what remained of his shoulders. He was blazing hot—it took everything she had to keep touching him—but the second she made contact, he stilled.

“Caspen,” she whispered. “Stay with me.”

A great shudder passed through him. Tem felt his scales ripple beneath her fingers, and despite their searing heat, she didn’t relinquish her grip.

I cannot.

“Yes,” she insisted. “You can.”

His consciousness was still joined with hers. She focused on their connection—tugging on the dark strands of his mind—pulling him even closer. He groaned, and another shudder tore through him.

Tem. You must go.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

It is not safe. I will hurt you.

“You won’t. I know you won’t.”

The hiss surrounding them grew louder. His body was still changing, his head slowly rising toward hers.

I cannot control it, Tem.

“You have to try.”