Page 138 of Between Two Kings

She was painfully aroused. If anything, her climax hadn’t relieved anything, only made her want Leo more. But there was no way to have him. No solution to this problem. Tem was trapped, as she always had been, only now the circumstances were so much worse than she originally thought. There was no way out. She needed a distraction.

There was only one other person who could provide one.

Surely, it wouldn’t be difficult to find him. Tem reached out with her mind, feeling for him. He wasn’t nearby. She reached farther, determined. Still nothing.

She was just about to give up when Apollo’s voice bloomed suddenly in her mind:

You called, Temperance?

Now that she had found him, she almost regretted reaching out. But Tem was no longer interested in suppressing her needs. And she certainly wasn’t interested in feeling lonely anymore. Apollo was here, and Caspen wasn’t, and Tem desperately needed to talk to someone.

Yes.

I am honored. What can I do for you?

I’m…bored.

And you thought to contact me? How flattering.

Tem rolled her eyes even though she was alone. Apollo had that effect. Don’t make me regret this.

And what is this, exactly?

It’s… Tem paused. What was this, exactly? Was she really about to do this with Apollo? Tem knew what she wanted to say, but it felt impossible to say it. She soldiered on anyway. It’s a proposition.

I am listening.

Tem took a deep breath. She was about to cross so many lines. Some that Caspen had imposed and some that she herself would rather not violate. But the alternative was stasis, and that was unacceptable to Tem. She was done letting her circumstances determine her fate. She could not have Leo, but she could have this.

I want you to teach me how to petrify.

A pause.

In it, Tem broke out in a sweat. Had she really just done that? Was she really asking her brother-in-law to teach her the one thing her husband refused to teach her? It was inappropriate at best. Betrayal at worst. She was a traitor, violating Caspen’s trust in an act of pure rebellion. Yet Tem was done being the last to know. It had never seemed right to her that everyone else knew how to petrify and she didn’t. It was dangerous, even, for her to be missing this fundamental skillset. Caspen had left her no choice. Surely, he knew that. Surely, he would understand.

Apollo’s response came a moment later: And when would you like me to teach you?

Right now.

I see. I am afraid I am rather occupied at the moment.

A vision suddenly flooded her mind: Apollo, in his bed, thrusting between the legs of a female basilisk. Tem recoiled in shock.

You’re sleeping with someone right now?

Sleeping sounds romantic. I would call this fucking.

Don’t be crude.

Crude is my specialty.

Why talk to me if you’re otherwise indisposed?

I am extraordinary at multitasking.

You’re disgusting.

That is a matter of opinion.