Page 187 of Split or Swallow

“Will you be there?”

It was an odd question. Tem was one of the final five girls; her attendance was required. She wondered if this was the real reason he’d come—if he needed reassurance that he still had her favor.

“Why would you ask me that?”

Leo raised his hand to touch the bottom of her hair, tracing a strand with his fingertips. He pulled gently on the loose curl before releasing it.

“Because I never know what to expect with you.”

“Well. You can expect me to be there.”

He nodded.

“And what else can I expect?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” he tilted his head toward her, and she smelled his cologne. “Will he be there too?”

Tem noticed how Leo didn’t say Caspen’s name, as if saying his name would invite him in.

“The basilisks don’t attend the ball,” she said stiffly.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Tem knew what he meant. He was asking if Caspen was in her mind—if she would bring him, even subconsciously, with her. Tem didn’t know how to answer him.

“He might be,” she said honestly.

Leo’s jaw twitched.

“Very well.”

There was a long moment of silence in which Tem could hear her mother pretending to bustle around the kitchen. It didn’t matter that they weren’t alone. All that mattered was letting Leo know he still had a chance. So she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

Tem knew she didn’t imagine her mother’s gasp. But she ignored it—and everything else—concentrating only on showing Leo how much he meant to her. He kissed her back without hesitation, his hands shooting forward to yank her against him. His urgency only made her want him more. She clung to him shamelessly, holding his body as tightly as she could against hers. Tem had no idea how long the kiss lasted, but the prince was the one to pull away.

She looked up into his gray eyes, wondering what he was thinking. Tem was so used to her mental connection with Caspen that she wished she could connect in the same way with Leo. But unlike Caspen, Leo never hesitated to be vulnerable with her. So she simply asked:

“What are you thinking about?”

To her relief, he smiled.

“I am thinking about how I wish your mother wasn’t home.”

Tem blushed. She hoped dearly that her mother hadn’t heard that. Leo touched his fingertips to her cheek, as if to wipe away the color. In return, Tem did the same, wiping away the single drop of blood.

“And you, Tem?” he whispered. “What are you thinking about?”

Tem was thinking about all the things that were on the verge of going terribly wrong. But there was no point in voicing any of them. When it came down to it, there was really only one thing she was thinking about:

“You.”

He smiled, baring his golden fangs.

“Finally an answer I like.”

At the sight of his teeth, she grit hers.