Page 188 of Between Two Kings

She didn’t bother denying it anymore.

One more, Temperance. Just one more. Please.

Again, he begged. A man undone.

Almost there. I know you can do it.

One more flick of her hips, and it was time.

There it is.

It was inevitable, like the dawn.

Apollo held out, watching Tem as she fell over the edge alone. She knew he wanted to see this, knew he needed to know it was his promise that got her here. It was only when her hips began to slow and the last throbbing wave of her orgasm had passed that Apollo gripped her ass with both hands, pumped the entire shaft of his cock along the seam of her center, and came.

Tem watched him as he had watched her, observing the way his eyes closed and his head arched back. His pulse was beating in a vein in his neck, erratic and vital, and wondered what it would be like to bite it. His essence slid down the inside of her thighs, pearlescent and warm, joining hers. They were both soaking wet—with sweat, with cum, with the water that was steadily dripping from the stalactites above them. Tem raised her hands to his face, brushing his hair away from his eyes.

Apollo smiled as she did it. His eyes, which had gone completely black, were still that way even after he finished. He had dimples, Tem realized. They were cute.

He was the first to stand, extending his hand to Tem so he could help her up. To her surprise, as soon as she was upright, he kissed her again. This time felt different than the way he had kissed her before. This time was slow, and he cupped her face gently in his palms as he did it. When he pulled away, his hands brushed down her arms until their fingers intertwined.

Helplessly—that was the way he looked at her.

Tem had been the first on her knees, but somehow, she had brought Apollo to his. He stared into her eyes, his gaze unwavering as he whispered, “You may belong to my brother, but I will protect you as if you are mine.”

Tem was floored by his words. Her response slipped out before she could stop it: “Part of me belongs to you.”

True euphoria flashed in his eyes. Perhaps he had already known it was true. Or perhaps he had only hoped it was. Either way, Tem said it with a surety she could have never imagined. It was true that a part of her was his. It was a smaller part than belonged to Caspen, for sure. He had nearly her whole heart, and he always would. But why should there not be room for Apollo? Basilisks were free with their bodies. At one time, that had seemed like a burden to Tem. But now she cherished it. It afforded her things she wouldn’t otherwise have—it let her live the way she wanted to live. There was no going back for her, and she had no desire to anyway.

“Apollo?” she whispered.

“Yes, Temperance?”

“Would you do anything for me?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “I would.”

Tem found that she knew it already. She knew that if she asked, he would let her bite that vein in his neck—that he would bleed for her. For basilisks, blood was the ultimate gift. But Tem wouldn’t request that of Apollo tonight. He’d given her enough. It was time to return to herself—and to Caspen.

Tem was finally done.

Chapter Thirty-Two

The celebration was still going full-force when they emerged from the grotto. Apollo swam beside Tem back to the shore, giving her ass one last squeeze before disappearing into the crowd. She didn’t bother smacking him away. They were beyond the point where she could pretend she didn’t like the way he touched her.

Tem scanned the crowd for Caspen, but he was nowhere to be found.

She spent time with Adelaide, Cypress, and Damon, drinking elixir and becoming one with the crowd. The drunker she became, the more she thought about what Apollo had shown her: him on all fours, taking him with her own version of a cock. The vision was so tantalizing, it made her ache. Tem had always thought that she was the one who would be taken. She’d never considered that she herself could take.

Both brothers avoided Tem for the rest of the night, keeping their distance. Tem didn’t mind the space. For once, she wasn’t being pulled in two different directions. For once, she could relax. The celebration went on for so long that she fell asleep right on the sand, her limbs intertwined with Cypress’s and Adelaide’s.

When Tem awoke, it was the first day of the tournament.

“You will choose your contenders before the feast,” Adelaide said. They were heading toward the banquet hall, and Tem’s eyes were still heavy with sleep. “After which the quivers will dine together to symbolize their unity. Then at midnight, the first tier begins.”

Tem nodded, but she wasn’t really listening. She was thinking about Caspen. He hadn’t slept next to her, and she had woken up missing him. By the time they reached the banquet hall, she was anxiously scanning the crowd. But something was different.

“Why isn’t anyone having sex?” she asked Adelaide.