Page 92 of Split or Swallow

Jonathan grabbed her dress, twisting the fabric in his hand.

“But we’re not finished,” he sneered. “We haven’t even started.”

Tem tried to yank herself away, but Christopher was suddenly behind her, pulling her arms back as Jonathan ripped the front of her dress open.

“No—” Tem cried, “—leave me alone—”

“Why?” Jonathan asked. “I’m just helping you out. You should get used to being touched like this—” he grabbed her breasts, hard, and she yelped in pain, “—after all, this is what the prince will do.”

Tears filled Tem’s eyes as she heard Christopher laughing in her ear. Jonathan was hurting her—his cruel hands were far different from the way Caspen and Leo touched her, and she wished desperately that she was anywhere else but here. Jonathan stepped back, untying his trousers.

“Why don’t you show me what you’ve learned?” he sneered, dropping them to the ground. Tem stifled a wave of disgust as she realized he was already hard, his cock standing up to reveal his balls. He was less than half the size of Caspen, and for some reason, the thought gave her strength.

Tem knew what to do.

She stood suddenly still, no longer struggling as Jonathan stepped closer, stroking his cock with one hand.

“Come on, then,” he said with a grin. “Show me.”

He was just close enough to make it work.

Without a second’s hesitation, Tem flung her leg up as hard as she could, crushing the hard bone of her knee into the soft tissue of Jonathan’s balls. He screamed, doubling over and falling to the ground. Christopher’s grip on her loosened as he gasped in surprise, and Tem took the opportunity to wrench herself from his hands.

Without thinking, she leaped off the path, heading for the caves. She could think of nowhere else to go—in the other direction was only forest, and she knew she wouldn’t make it all the way home before the boys caught her.

“Hey—” she heard Jonathan yell behind her, “—come back you little slut!”

But Tem was sprinting hard, her breath coming in short gasps as she flung herself through the door in the wall. The second she passed through it, Jonathan’s taunts ceased. Tem didn’t slow down, letting her feet carry her up the slope to the base of the mountain. She barreled straight for the furthest cave, scrambling through the entrance and scraping her palms on the rocks. It was completely dark inside—the fireplace wasn’t lit, and the air was cold. What if he wasn’t here? What if the boys followed her, and now she was cornered? What if—

“Tem?”

Caspen emerged from the shadows. He was wearing a loose linen shirt and trousers, his eyebrows raised in surprise. With a snap of his fingers, the fireplace flared to life.

“What are you doing here?”

“I…” Tem started but didn’t know how to finish. Now that she was here, she realized just how foolish of a plan this was. Caspen owed her nothing. Why should he grant her refuge? She had showed up to his home completely unannounced, while they were on less than friendly terms. What if it made him angry?

Caspen stepped closer.

“You should not be here,” he said, confirming her worst fears.

Tem nodded desperately.

“I know. I’m sorry—it’s just—there were these boys, and they—they—”

But she stopped again, too ashamed to go on. Instead, she took a step back, ready to leave before she made things worse.

“Wait,” Caspen said. His gaze fell to her torn dress, which she was holding together with her hands. He frowned. “What did they do?”

There was genuine concern in his voice. At his tone, she swallowed, trying to calm herself down.

“They…touched me.”

Caspen went completely still.

“The way I do?”

“Yes. Well, no, not really.”