Page 71 of Between Two Kings

He is very good, Temperance. I am afraid that I—

Tem could barely hear her. Apollo was pushing Adelaide toward climax with brutal insistency, hardly giving her a chance to breathe. Adelaide’s motions were less controlled, more desperate. She was losing her rhythm completely, pulling Tem out of her trance.

Can’t you hold off? Tem cried. Please?

I cannot resist forever. He is…the best at this.

To Tem’s horror, Apollo’s voice rang through their joined minds, his words directed at Adelaide: You flatter me.

Adelaide ignored him, speaking only to Tem: You are close. I can get you there.

But Tem was panicking now. If Adelaide came before Tem did, Apollo would be upon her. And what if Caspen left her alone with him? She would have to take the blond basilisk’s cock in her mouth while Apollo went between her legs. Neither were acceptable options. Before she could devolve into true terror, Caspen’s voice entered her mind: Tem. My love. Relax.

But Tem had never been much good at relaxing. She was always overthinking, always worrying. She was not good at being the one thing that would serve her right now: a basilisk. Tem felt Adelaide’s presence grow in her mind, joining with Caspen’s. They were both coaxing her there, helping Tem ascend in her moment of need. She gave herself over to it, letting her worries and her inhibitions go, letting herself simply feel. She felt Adelaide’s tongue on her clitoris and Caspen’s cock in her throat. She felt the hard stone on her back. She heard the moans of everyone else still left in the ouroboros—their desperate groans of pleasure joining hers.

At last, Tem came.

It was not graceful. It was not elegant. But it was a release nonetheless, and Tem knew not to fight it. She also knew that Caspen had mere moments to finish alongside her—he needed to climax now if they were to leave the circle at the same time. Tem sent him a wild vision, completely on a whim: Apollo between her legs, her fingers tangled in his hair.

Immediately, Caspen came.

Unimaginable relief swept through Tem as she felt his release join hers. Adelaide’s presence retreated from her mind, and Tem knew she was giving them privacy during their climax. Besides, Adelaide was having her own.

The moment Caspen’s cock left Tem’s mouth, she opened her eyes to see the view before her. Adelaide was propped up on her hands, her thighs clamped around Apollo’s face, sweat dripping down her body. Tem watched as Adelaide came, her eyes squeezing shut as she ground herself against Apollo’s mouth. The sight made Tem…jealous. Of Apollo or of Adelaide, she did not know. But for some reason, watching the two of them together made her want to rip them apart. Before Tem could unpack this, Caspen’s hands gripped her, helping her stand.

Adelaide stood too, her face flushed, her usually perfect hair mussed from where Tem had been holding it. Apollo grinned up at them both, his lips glistening with wetness. Without wasting a moment he leaned forward, yanked the blond basilisk toward him, and took his cock in his mouth. Another wave of jealousy slammed into Tem. What was wrong with her tonight? Was this a symptom of mating season? Perhaps her senses were just heightened, and she was disproportionately prone to possessive emotions right now. Either way, it was becoming unbearable. Without looking at Caspen or Adelaide, Tem walked to the edge of the courtyard, her hands behind her head. Caspen followed her.

“Tem.” His fingers brushed down her spine, and she shivered. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” she said automatically.

“Tem,” he said again, quietly this time. His lips brushed her ear. “It is over. You should be proud.”

Pride was the last thing Tem felt. She was tired and overwhelmed, and these infernal basilisks were turning out to be far more than she had bargained for. Tem looked up at Caspen, who was looking down at her.

“Come.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Let us watch the rest.”

He steered her back toward the center of the courtyard, where the ouroboros had shrunk significantly. Apollo was out now, as was the blond basilisk. They watched until finally it was down to just two basilisks. They formed a circle with their bodies—the woman on top, the man underneath—both bestowing pleasure equally. It was a position Tem had experienced many times with Caspen, and she found herself suddenly aroused by the arrangement.

Caspen’s voice came to her quietly: We will do it later.

Tem couldn’t wait.

A crowd gathered around the couple, watching them as they tasted each other. Eventually, Caspen frowned. Something is wrong. Neither of them are close.

Why not?

Tem stared at the basilisks. They looked pretty close to her.

The man is a Seneca. The woman a Drakon. They are fundamentally at odds—neither of them wants to give in first. It will seem like surrender to them.

Tem watched the couple service each other in the middle of the courtyard. But instead of doing it tenderly, there was an aggression to their movements. Clearly it was a challenge, a race to get the other to finish first—one that had greater implications than just the completion of the ouroboros. All around them, basilisks were beginning to murmur. The energy in the courtyard was changing, a hum of anticipation filling the air like a swarm of hornets. Only basilisks could turn a sexual act into an insurgent one. Conflict was imminent; it was only a matter of time before a fight broke out. There had to be a way to resolve this.

I can help them.

Caspen turned to her. How?

I can cause a hive orgasm. It will make them finish at the same time. That way neither of them loses to the other. Neither quiver needs to yield.