Page 94 of Split or Swallow
“I…don’t want anyone to get hurt,” she whispered.
Caspen smiled coldly, dropping his hands.
“We cannot always get what we want, Tem.”
He turned away and she was left there, shivering. She pulled his shirt on quickly. It smelled of smoke. When she was covered, Caspen beckoned to her.
“Come.”
“Where are we going?” Tem asked.
“To my chambers.”
“Oh,” Tem said. She’d always figured Caspen spent his nights curled up in the cave, nestled amongst the stones while wearing his true form.
“Follow me,” Caspen nodded at a passageway nearly invisible in the shadows. “And keep your eyes down.”
The temperature rose significantly as they left the dim light of the cave. Caspen’s shoulders were broad in the dark, and Tem stayed close behind him as they wound through a stone tunnel, passing doorway after doorway. Tem realized suddenly why Caspen had told her to keep her eyes down. If a basilisk wearing its true form emerged and looked her in the eye, she would die.
There was no light in the tunnel, and Tem found herself tripping over the rough stone floor. At one point she lost her balance and Caspen’s hand darted around her waist, preventing her from falling.
“Steady, Tem,” he said quietly. He kept his arm around her until they reached a door identical to all the others. Caspen pushed it open.
“After you,” he said.
Tem entered slowly, her eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness. With a snap of his fingers, Caspen lit a torch, and suddenly she could see the room they had entered.
It was massive.
There was an enormous bed against the far wall, covered in deep maroon sheets and silk pillows. The mattress was set directly into the stone, with a small set of steps leading up to it. A full-length gilded mirror was propped in the corner, and Tem stared at her reflection as Caspen snapped his fingers once more, filling a fireplace with flickering light. It was warm here—just like the tunnel. The stone floor was smooth, and adorned with rich rugs.
“Is it what you expected?” Caspen asked, his eyes on her.
“I’m…not sure,” Tem answered honestly. She hadn’t expected anything, really. “It’s more…human…than I thought.”
“That is because when I dwell here, I wear my human form.”
“Where do you dwell when you wear your true form?”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Elsewhere.”
It was clear she wouldn’t get a more specific answer from him. She wasn’t sure she even wanted one. It was a deeply intimate thing to show someone where you slept. Tem was already grateful to be here, and she didn’t want to give him any reason to kick her out.
“Thank you for having me,” she said quietly. “I know it’s an imposition.”
Caspen crossed his arms, the muscles in his bare shoulders rotating under his skin.
“You are not an imposition.”
It was all he said, yet somehow it put her at ease. Caspen was looking at her calmly, and she knew he wouldn’t lie about something like that. She wasn’t even sure he could lie. Legend said that basilisks burst into flames if they spoke anything other than the truth.
“What is on your mind, Tem?”
She blinked, startled at the question. It was significant that he had asked. They both knew he could easily explore her thoughts himself. But he seemed to be treading carefully in light of what had just happened.
“I was wondering if the stories were true.”
