Page 2 of Between Two Kings

“Come alone,” she whispered.

Caspen took the letter and tossed it into the fire. She knew he was merely disposing of it, but somehow the act felt significant.

“It should not surprise you,” he said.

“What shouldn’t?”

“That he wants you to come alone.”

“Oh,” Tem said again. “Right.”

It didn’t surprise her, exactly. But it made her nervous. Tem hadn’t seen Leo since the wedding. Surely, he had found Evelyn by now. Surely, they were together. The thought made her sick. She looked up at Caspen.

“Doesn’t it bother you that I’m going to see him?”

Caspen raised an eyebrow. “No. It does not.”

She couldn’t understand his apathy. How could this pivotal event be of no concern to him? “But how?”

Caspen shrugged. “You chose me,” he said simply.

She stared at him. That was technically true; Tem had chosen Caspen. But it wasn’t because she didn’t love Leo. It was because she wanted more for Leo. And in doing so, she had accepted less for herself.

“Tem,” Caspen murmured. “You do not have to go.”

Of course he would say that—closure with Leo was of no importance to Caspen. What was her love for the human prince—now king—in comparison to her blood bond with the basilisk? To Caspen, his marriage to Tem was the only legitimate union. But not to her. Besides, Tem wanted to go. She needed to see that she’d made the right choice—that Leo had found Evelyn, that he was happy now.

“I have to go,” she said carefully. “He and I are technically still married.”

Tem did not voice the rest of her thought, which was that Leo could not marry Evelyn if he was still married to Tem.

Caspen shrugged again. “Then you shall go.”

This entire affair was of little interest to Caspen. Basilisks didn’t have paperwork; they didn’t concern themselves with human legalities. But Caspen understood human customs, and if there was anything he supported, it was Tem closing this chapter of her life.

Tem looked down at her naked body. “And just what am I supposed to wear?”

The corner of Caspen’s mouth twitched. “We will find you something.”

“Something” turned out to be rather difficult to find. The dresses Caspen had given her during the training were custom made, Tem learned, and it would take days to make another. Basilisks were always naked. Hours of searching led them to a single floor-length silk robe. When tied with a braided tassel, it marginally resembled a dress. Its plunging neckline was hardly appropriate, but Tem didn’t care. The outfit was the least of her worries.

Caspen walked her to the cave entrance but didn’t follow her to the path. Instead he kissed her, and Tem felt the tendrils of his mind brush against hers. His grip tightened. Perhaps his earlier nonchalance had been feigned; perhaps he wasn’t as unbothered by this process as he led her to believe. But Tem could do nothing about that now. The only way for Caspen to have her all to himself was to let her go to Leo and end their relationship.

A moment later, he released her. Then he disappeared back into the caves.

Tem waited alone for the carriage, which arrived just as darkness fell. She didn’t recognize the stable boy; it wasn’t Henry or Peter, which disappointed her. It would have been nice to see a familiar face. Instead, she resigned herself to staring out the window. It was nearly winter; autumn had flown by in a heartbeat, and there was a sharpness to the air that made her shudder with anticipation. Winters were long and dark in the village. She wondered whether they would feel different beneath the mountain. It would be her first winter away from the farm, away from the chickens, away from her mother.

But Tem didn’t mind. She wanted nothing more than to assimilate into basilisk society, to finally feel like she was truly home. Caspen wanted that too. She could sense it every time his eyes met hers. He was always watching her, gauging how well she was adjusting, checking to make sure she still belonged to him. Sometimes Tem wasn’t sure if she did.

Her thoughts turned to what was to come. She had no idea what to expect tonight, but it was imperative that the evening go well. There was far more than just her marriage with Caspen at stake. In the aftermath of the violence at her and Leo’s wedding, tensions between the humans and the basilisks had never been higher. If they couldn’t find a peaceful way to coexist, things would only get worse.

But the thought of just coexisting with Leo was impossible. One week ago they’d been in love. They were still in love—at least, Tem was. The ache in her chest was evidence enough of that. But was Leo? He had agreed to share her. That was what Tem wanted. But then the wedding happened, and something had changed within her—some thread of selflessness had tugged on her heart when she’d looked in Leo’s eyes after she’d crested him. It wasn’t fair for him to have to share her. Not when he wanted all of her. He’d told her that himself once: “I want all of you. Or I don’t want you at all.”

Tem sighed, leaning back against the seat. The memory of their wedding plagued her—the way Leo had looked at her as she ascended the stage, the way they’d kissed when she’d crested him. It was a memory she cherished, a moment she thought of in the dark hours of the night when Caspen was asleep beside her. She remembered other things too, from the night they’d spent in his bed: the way he tasted like honey, the way he’d worshipped between her legs, the way he’d murmured her name while his cock was inside her.

The carriage seemed suddenly too small. Tem was unquestionably turned on. Ever since she’d transitioned for the first time, the line between simply existing and arousal had become desperately thin. All it took was the mere thought of sex to make her wet. And when she thought about Leo, it took even less. Something in her body craved him beyond explanation. It was different from the way she craved Caspen. With Caspen, her desire was primal and raw, visceral, consuming her like a hungry animal. With Leo, it was slower—a glowing coal that smoldered deep within her chest. She could not rid herself of it. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to. Just the thought of being close to Leo was sending her into a frenzy. Tem leaned forward, cradling her head in her hands. She had to get it together.

“Miss?” The footman’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “We’ve arrived.”