Page 77 of Split or Swallow

She frowned.

Made me what way?

His answer was a single word:

Persistent.

Tem was surprised. No one had ever called her persistent before. She supposed it was true; she was not one to give up. Even as a child, she’d learned that if she wanted something to happen for herself, it was up to her to achieve it.

I was just born like that, I suppose.

He laughed, and it sounded like church bells ringing.

Then if you must know, that is what I like about you.

Tem couldn’t help but smile. She laid there for a while longer, until she became cold. Eventually she sat up slowly, and when Caspen didn’t protest, she crawled up to the head of her bed. When Tem went to place the claw in her bedside drawer, she heard:

Stop.

She paused, her hand outreached.

I may want you again.

Anticipation rushed through Tem. Eagerly, she slipped the claw back inside her. It went easily; she was still wet. Then she pulled the blankets up, and despite her excitement, fell straight to sleep.

Caspen had her twice more that night.

The first time, Tem was awoken by a pulse shooting abruptly through her. It shattered her dreams, immediately setting her skin on fire. Caspen sent pulse after pulse in increasing intensity until she cried out, her legs crossed together tightly, her fingers pressing the claw even deeper. It was equal parts exhilarating and exhausting, and when it was over, Tem was covered in sweat and gasping for breath.

The second time was different.

The pulse was soft and tentative, reverberating through her so gently she did⁠n’t even feel it at first. But it nudged her awake insistently, and as the wave built, Tem felt as if she were being unraveled from the inside out—as if Caspen were unfolding her in a field of sunlight. Her climax was long and lingering, buzzing gently along the edges of her body before fading into nothingness. When it was finally over, she heard his deep voice whisper:

Sleep, Tem.

Tem slept.

She awoke to her mother’s insistent knock on the door.

“Wake up, dear. There is someone here to see you.”

Tem groaned, rubbing her eyes. There was only one person she wanted to see, and she was quite sure he wasn’t in the kitchen. When she stumbled out of her bedroom, Gabriel’s cheerful grin lit up the room.

“Morning, sunshine.”

Tem glanced at her mother, who was standing pointedly in front of the drying rack.

“Hey,” Tem sat next to him at the table. “What are you doing here?”

“Delivering this.”

He brandished a letter. Tem recognized the royal stationary.

“Why do you have that?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Peter was going to deliver it. I tagged along.”

Tem smiled, pressing a kiss against his cheek. “I’m glad you did.”