Page 73 of Between Two Kings

Before she could ask another question, Apollo appeared beside them. His eyes flicked first to Tem’s, then to Caspen’s. “You must leave.”

“Why?” Tem interjected. “What’s going on?”

Apollo ignored her, directing his next words at Caspen. “She is not safe. You must—”

“Do not tell me what to do,” Caspen snapped.

Apollo didn’t retreat. Instead, he stepped closer, jerking his head at the men, who were coming ever closer. “The Senecas want her,” he insisted. “They will take her.”

“They will not take anything from me.”

“Your arrogance will get her killed.”

“Do not speak to me of arrogance, Brother,” Caspen snapped.

“Caspenon.” Apollo glanced once more at her, and Tem saw the fear in his eyes. “You must leave.”

“She is mine,” Caspen said harshly. “And I will do with her as I please.”

Tem couldn’t help but feel like they were no longer talking about the Senecas.

Apollo stepped closer. “They only reason they have not attacked her is because you are by her side. If she is alone next time—”

“She will not be alone. Clearly, she has you to protect her.”

That seemed to shut Apollo up. His eyes flicked once more to Tem’s, and this time they lingered. His mind brushed against hers, but she didn’t dare let him in. Instead, they stared at each other, Caspen’s arms still around her, Tem’s body still pressed against his chest.

Apollo opened his mouth to speak again, but Caspen was already pulling Tem away. His grip was unbearably tight as he propelled her from the courtyard and out into the passageway. As soon as they were alone, Tem said, “What just happened?”

Caspen pursed his lips. He didn’t answer.

“Caspen,” she insisted. “You can’t shut me out. Not anymore.”

Still no answer.

Tem thought about the men who had been walking toward her, their eyes glazed with want. But what, exactly, had they wanted? Tem shuddered. She needed answers, and she knew Caspen would have them.

“What did Apollo mean? Why would those men attack me?”

“Tem,” Caspen said. They had reached their chambers, and as soon as they were inside, he pulled her onto the bed. “I will not let anyone attack you.”

“I know that. I’m asking why they would even want to.”

Finally, he looked down at her. “They want your power.”

Tem wrinkled her nose. “Well, they can have it. There’s not much to give.”

“You are a Hybreed, Tem. You are the most powerful among us.”

A Hybreed. Both basilisk and human. Limitless.

“But I don’t feel powerful.” She could barely transition. Things like the ouroboros still overwhelmed her, and every minute under the mountain was a test of her endurance. Everyone seemed to understand her value but her.

“But you are,” Caspen said quietly. “You may be made up of two things, but each of them is whole.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your basilisk side does not function at half capacity just because it makes up half of you. The part of you that is a basilisk is fully so. The same with your human side.”