Page 54 of Between Two Kings

“You left too.”

“I came back.”

Tem had nothing to say to that, no way to counter her argument. It didn’t matter, ultimately, whether Evelyn only came back because Tem had stepped aside. She was right—she had come back.

Tem stood abruptly. “This conversation is over. And I won’t be meeting with you in such a way again. Good night.”

With that, Tem swept from the room.

Chapter Nine

Caspen was waiting for her in the foyer. It was odd to see him there, surrounded by the gilded castle walls, his ethereal beauty outshining even the gold in the tiles.

He looked up as she approached, his eyes dark with worry. “Tem. How was it?”

“Horrible,” she answered honestly.

A pause. “Do you wish to discuss it?”

Tem shook her head. It was all she could manage. So much had happened tonight that it was impossible to distinguish which event was most worth discussing.

Caspen’s hand found her waist. “Shall we go home?”

Home. Under the mountain.

“I can’t.”

Caspen frowned. “Is something wrong?”

Tem just shook her head again. “I’ll meet you back at the caves.”

Still, Caspen hesitated. His fingers tightened around her waist. “I know this was difficult for you tonight,” he said quietly. “But you can always speak to me about it.”

When she didn’t answer, his voice dropped even lower:

“About…him.”

Tem felt the sudden urge to cry. She didn’t want to speak to Caspen about Leo. It was the last thing she should be talking to her husband about.

“I know it is hard for you, Tem. You are not used to…sharing.”

It was true. Basilisk culture had prepared Caspen for the situation with him and Leo. But Tem was not prepared. Tem was being torn in two. Her deception had begun already, when she’d shielded her mind from Caspen during sex. Something told her that was only the beginning.

“Please, Caspen,” she whispered. “Just let me go.”

Without another word, he did.

They took separate carriages away from the castle.

Tem watched as Caspen’s carriage wound into the darkness, toward the mountain. Their connection was closed; Tem had thrown up a barrier as soon as they’d parted. At first she thought of heading to her parents’ cottage. But at the last moment, she asked the footman to take her into the village.

The Horseman was crowded. Gabriel was in their favorite booth, as he always was. Except this time when he looked up to see her, his smile was just a moment delayed. “Tem,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

It wasn’t his usual greeting. Usually he called her “dearest” and kissed her on the cheek.

“I needed a drink,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

Tem expected him to make a joke about needing a drink too. Or perhaps needing some action. Instead his eyes shifted to the bar, where a group of men were gathered. Tem had seen them before; they were regulars. Vera’s father was among them, along with Jonathan’s older brother, Jeremy.