Page 168 of Split or Swallow

“So, Tem?” she sneered, her heart-shaped face positively glowing with anticipation. Clearly she was no longer grieving Jonathan. “Who do you think the prince will take to the castle?”

Tem remembered the way the crowd had roared for Vera, and the way they had stood in silence for her. She knew Vera had savored every moment of Tem’s humiliation.

“I don’t know,” she said stiffly. “Whoever he wants, I suppose.”

“Yes, but—” Vera leaned forward, and Tem nearly choked on her perfume, “—who do you think he wants?”

Considering the way Leo had touched her last night, Tem had a fairly good idea who he wanted. But she couldn’t tell that to Vera.

“I’m sure he’ll consider what’s best for the kingdom,” she said carefully. “Not just what’s best for him.”

Vera’s smile widened.

“And who do you think is best for the kingdom?” she sneered.

Tem stared resolutely at the eggs. Not even a second passed before Vera barreled onward:

“His father spoke to me, you know.”

Tem’s eyes snapped up to hers.

“What?”

“The king—” Vera savored the word as if it were chocolate, “—told me that I was his first choice.”

“That choice—” Tem said with equal emphasis, “—is for the prince to make. Not the king.”

“Perhaps,” Vera shrugged. “But surely the prince will take his father’s opinion into account.”

Maximus’s words came back to her suddenly: I will take away your title before I let you choose her. Tem hadn’t considered he might truly be serious. It would be a scandal of the utmost caliber if Maximus were to interfere with the elimination process. It would undermine the facade of control he fought so hard to preserve.

Vera was still talking:

“After all, a father knows what’s best for his children,” her eyes narrowed, and her mouth twisted cruelly. “Not that you would understand, Tem.”

Her words were a white-hot knife in Tem’s gut. It was a low blow, even for Vera.

But Tem understood that Vera was angry. She had seen how Leo had kissed her, and despite the crowd—and apparently the king’s—approval, Vera felt threatened.

The thought was oddly empowering.

“I’ll take these now,” Vera said cheerfully, snatching the eggs from Tem’s hands. She flounced off in a wave of perfume, leaving Tem to stew over what had just happened. When she returned with payment, Tem took it and left without another word. Their conversation played over and over in her mind on the way home.

What if Vera was right? What if Maximus had a say in who Leo chose? If that were true, Tem had no chance with the prince at all—a prospect she had no idea how to process. No matter what happened during the competition, Tem had always assumed Leo would be the one to make his own choice. But what if this decision—the most important one of his life—was made by his father? It didn’t seem remotely fair.

Tem worried for the rest of the day. Eventually, it was nighttime.

By the time she reached the base of the mountain, her skin was covered in a cold sweat. Tem was just as nervous as the very first time she’d gone to the caves, if not more so. It felt as if her entire body were on edge—like every cell was pricked with bated anticipation.

When she reached Caspen’s cave, she paused.

Beyond the all-encompassing darkness was her future—her husband—if his quiver allowed it. That was no small thing to Tem. There was no part of this that she took lightly: no part of this that didn’t sway her to her very core. She touched her fingertips to the cold, rough stone, wondering what awaited within it. Would Caspen be angry with her for letting Leo stay the night? He had seen them togeth⁠er—naked and intertwined—in her bed. Would they talk about the pain Caspen had inflicted on her—the torture he had wrought in her mind? There was only one way to find out.

Tem stepped into the darkness.

Caspen was waiting for her, as he always was. He stood silently in the middle of the cave, and even now, his beauty took her breath away. The basilisk didn’t say a word. Instead he turned, and Tem followed him in silence to his chambers. It wasn’t until they were facing each other before the fire that Caspen finally spoke:

“I am sorry, Tem.”