Page 216 of Between Two Kings

Tem shook her head. It was too much effort to speak.

This wasn’t supposed to be happening; her heart wasn’t supposed to call to two people. The tournament was supposed to force her to choose—to solve this once and for all.

Instead, it was splitting her in half.

Is it the human king?

It was. But it was also Caspen.

Do you love him more than my brother?

I love them both equally.

That is not possible. You must love one of them more.

But she didn’t. They both held equal value to her. It wasn’t possible to compare them—to tally Leo’s qualities next to Caspen’s.

I can’t choose.

You must.

I can’t hurt Caspen.

Are you saying you want the human king?

She wanted them both.

It will not just hurt him. It will destroy him. I know my brother, Temperance. He cannot live without you.

Tem shook her head. She couldn’t fathom it, couldn’t imagine doing that to Caspen. She would stop loving Leo—she had to.

But she couldn’t. Not right now, not ever. Not when his presence permeated everything she did, not when he was always at the forefront of her mind—not when she didn’t even want to. Tem felt the crest pulling them together, forcing her hand. It didn’t matter that she’d sent him away. It didn’t matter that he was with Evelyn now. Her heart called to him. Her heart would not be tamed.

Apollo, please. Help me.

You must choose, Temperance.

I can’t.

You must.

I CAN’T.

YOU MUST.

But he was asking the impossible. Not even an arena full of basilisks and the pressure of the tournament could change the way she felt about the human king. Tem would sooner stop breathing than stop loving Leo.

And perhaps that’s what it would take.

This was killing her anyway. If Tem was going to die, it may as well be at her own hand. All would be solved. Caspen would mourn her, then move on. Leo would be with Evelyn. She would not have to be with Rowe or Apollo or anyone else. Life would go on without her, and everyone would be better off for it.

She looked up at Caspen, who was looking down at her. His mind was closed off, per the rules of the tournament. But she tried to reach him anyway, willing the corridor between them to open. His brow was furrowed. Tem could understand his confusion. Caspen would have no idea why she was hesitating—no context for the battle currently waging within her heart. Only Apollo knew what was going on. He was still here, still in her mind. Tem needed to shut him out.

No, Temperance—do not—

She slammed the barrier between them, concentrating on the urge forming in her gut.

If her human side loved Leo, then that was what she would kill. She would use her basilisk side to destroy it, to extinguish the part of her that was unfaithful. Tem closed her eyes, willing herself to kill. If she could crest herself to gain power, surely she could also do the opposite. Surely she could destroy her human side before it destroyed her.