CHAPTER THIRTY
Tem couldn’t help but smile. The memory of what she’d done with Leo in the carriage came back to her in a fevered wave, bringing a rush of heat to her cheeks. Then, just as quickly, her face fell.
Two days.
That meant Tem had only two nights left with Caspen. Two nights to learn how to transition. She crumpled the letter in her hand. She was done holding herself back.
Tem ate a quick dinner with her mother before setting off once more for the caves. This time Caspen was waiting for her, and she knew it was to prevent anoth?er incident like the one that had just happened with Rowe.
They didn’t bother going to his chambers. Instead they traversed the passageways that led beneath the mountain, crossing through the empty courtyard before continuing on to the cavern. When they reached the lake, they waded out into the water just as they had the night before. Caspen turned to her.
We will try something new this time.
He leaned in, drawing her into a kiss.
This isn’t new.
She felt him smile against her lips.
We will transition while we are together.
You mean while we’re having sex?
Yes.
And how is that going to help?
Caspen dipped his hands behind her thighs, lifting her and wrapping her legs around his waist.
I will talk you through it.
Tem wasn’t really listening anymore. His cock was rubbing against her and she could feel her mind going blissfully blank. Maybe Caspen had a point. Sex was natural to her—sex with him even more so. Nothing made her feel more peaceful and alive than being with Caspen.
Are you ready?
Tem nodded.
They both moaned softly as he entered her.
Her arms wrapped around his neck as he thrust slowly upward, their motions creating ripples in the lake. Tem angled her hips to meet his, letting him all the way in. Caspen pressed kisses to her skin, distracting her from what she knew was to come. Eventually she lost herself in his arms, thinking only of how good he felt inside her.
Every time she became anxious, Caspen would soothe her with his body and his mind. At no point did he let her panic; at no point did he allow her to spiral. Whenever a wave of fear threatened to overtake her, he quelled it.
Focus on me, Tem.
It was not hard to do so.
Their bodies were pressed together—two beings becoming one. Caspen pulled her closer with every thrust, bringing her to the brink of orgasm. Every time his hips met hers, her clitoris throbbed.
I want it, Caspen.
I know you do.
He was thrusting faster, his eyes turning black.
I want it.
So take it.
He was growing in the same way he had during the ritual—his cock becoming bigger and harder and ridged. Only this time Tem wanted to take it—was going to take it. She clawed at the edges of her mind, feeling for the same vibration of power she felt in Caspen’s.
You can do it, Tem. Join me. Be with me.
There was pain interlaced with the pleasure now, coursing through her in shards of fractured lightning.
I know you can do it.
Caspen believed in her. Caspen knew she could do it.
Let go for me, Tem.
There was nothing she wanted more.
Let go.
Tem let go.
Everything in her plunged at once. The lake disappeared. There was no water, no cavern, no Caspen. Tem was no longer there , no longer solid. Instead she was soaring toward something that she recognized—something familiar, yet new. Something real.
Caspen was still inside her. But the place where she took him was changing—turning into something that could accommodate the most powerful version of him. She heard a hiss, and realized it was her own.
Look at me, Tem.
Tem’s eyes flew open.
For the first time, she saw Caspen in his true form. He was beautiful—far more beautiful than he was as a human—more beautiful, surely, than the gods. His body was covered in sleek black scales, shinier than the facets of a diamond, reflecting and refracting light in a kaleidoscopic waterfall. She stared into his eyes—eyes she no longer feared—eyes that had seen the worst parts of her and always loved her anyway.
Pleasure radiated through her. Caspen was inside her body and inside her mind, stimulating both at the same time, penetrating Tem without limits. Smoke surrounded them, caressing every part of her, intertwining them even more than they already were. She was hyper aware of the sensations within her own body—the way she was suddenly in tune with the blood in her veins—able to feel the way her muscles rippled and tensed.
Tem was unstoppable. Her power finally matched his.
She understood now how Caspen was so intuitive—how he knew exactly how to pleasure her. The same ability had been granted to Tem: she could hear his heartbeat, feel the subtle changes in the way his blood rushed through his body.
Caspen sent a surge of power right to where they were joined.
Oh. Tem closed her eyes in sheer bliss. Do that again.
Smoke enveloped her, arching her entire body back so she was looking up at the stalactites hanging far above them. He sent another, and Tem nearly blacked out.
Again.
Another.
Again.
And another.
Caspen wrapped his body around hers, surrounding her completely, making it so she felt nothing but him. He sent pulse after pulse—far more powerful than anything he’d ever sent her using the claw—until blackness began to overtake her. Just when she was sure she wouldn’t survive another, Caspen sent one last pulse.
Pleasure like she’d never known slammed into her.
Tem roared in release—in salvation —as climax took her. No human words could describe such exquisite bliss. Every cell in her body was hot and open, willingly receiving wave after wave of glorious sensation as Caspen pushed her far beyond the limit of what she’d ever thought she was capable of taking.
It was paradise.
Nothing Tem had felt up until now could ever compare to this. She felt so alive , so whole , so filled with purpose. Tem wanted to give it back—to make Caspen feel everything she was feeling. She reached for her own power and sent him a pulse, wielding the wave of pleasure her climax had given her, using it to pleasure him in return.
Caspen let out a rabid sound—one of brutal joy. Tem sent another pulse, desperate to hear him make that sound again. No sooner had she released the pulse than he sent one in return, ripping the breath straight from her chest.
It was sensory overload in the extreme.
Tem had never experienced such rapid give and take—never been such a participant in someone else’s experience. Everything she did to Caspen he did right back to her—each pulse she sent him was returned tenfold, until she could feel her body vibrating with unrestrained power.
They were still connected—still intrinsically fused together. Tem never wanted it to end. She knew Caspen was right here with her—that they were on this journey together—that they would anchor each other no matter what came.
She couldn’t tell one orgasm from another. They were endless, building into one great orchestra that unfurled her from the inside out. Caspen’s voice bloomed suddenly in her mind:
I want all of you, Tem. Give yourself to me.
How?
Let me all the way in.
Caspen was so deep inside her she didn’t know how to let him any further in. He surrounded her already—there was nothing more to give him.
Open your mind.
Tem had thought her mind was already open. But a moment later, she felt Caspen brush up against a barrier—one that shielded the deepest, purest piece of her. Her soul. To open it would require ultimate trust—ultimate surrender. It would mean showing him everything—the part of Tem she kept only to herself—the part that made her her. Tem couldn’t imagine letting Caspen see that. But there was no one she’d rather show it to.
She began to lower the barrier.
Caspen growled in approval. Tem sensed the animal in him—the beast that craved her even when she was a beast too. His hunger for her ran so deep that a sudden loop of fear enlaced her. Caspen immediately suppressed it, his grip on her growing with each moment they were joined like this.
Let me in, Tem.
Tem closed her eyes and let Caspen all the way in. She felt him take the reins, pouring himself into her—filling her mind until they were no longer two beings, but one. Tem had never experienced anything like this before. Their minds were combined—she was equal parts Caspen and herself. She saw his soul too: its flame a mirror to hers. He stroked her from the inside out until she was whimpering beneath his grasp.
Are you going to come for me?
She wanted to.
Yes.
Come for me, Tem.
This time when she came, Caspen came too.
They spun out into the ether together, their bodies taking from one another until neither of them had anything left to give. They were one and the same; they belonged to each other.
Caspen’s mind tugged once again at hers, but this time in the opposite direction—this time in a reversal of what they had just done—toward the weight and heaviness of humanity.
Return with me.
It was easy to return to herself. The sensation was like falling backwards—as simple as slackening her grip on the great thrum of power that joined her to Caspen—trusting that the ground would catch her when she landed.
And it did.
They were back in the lake, back in the cavern, back together. Tem opened her eyes to see Caspen’s gold ones staring back at her. She smiled.
“I did it.”
He smiled back.
“Of course you did. You can do anything, Tem.”
“I want to do it again.”
Caspen laughed, the sound echoing around the sloping stone walls.
As you wish.
They did it again. And again.
At some point, words were beyond them. They were simply moving, breathing, existing together—conforming to one another with nothing but their basest instincts and rawest desires. Tem herself ceased to exist. Instead she was one with Caspen, one with Kora, one with her people.
Caspen was right—it did get easier. Tem transitioned back and forth three times—each time quicker than the last, and the final time without using Caspen’s mental connection to guide her. They had sex each time, for longer and longer, until finally neither of them could go on. For once, her stamina matched his.
Afterward, they lay panting on the shore of the lake, both of them returning slowly to their human forms. Beads of water trickled in rivulets down Caspen’s torso, and Tem watched as scales became skin once more. She reached out her hand, placing her palm against his chest. He placed his hand over hers, holding them together.
It is heaven to be with you like this, Tem.
She shifted closer, pressing a kiss to the curve of his shoulder. Then she climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and looking into his eyes.
They didn’t have sex again—Tem couldn’t have if she’d tried. She simply ran her hands gently over his body, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers. Caspen let her do this, looking up at her in return, his palms resting gently on her hips. There was peace in this moment.
There was truth.
By the time they headed back to Caspen’s chambers, Tem was so exhausted she could barely stand upright. They walked slowly, their hands clasped together, stopping only to kiss languidly in the darkness.
Eventually they passed through the courtyard, only this time it wasn’t empty. Several basilisks wearing their human forms were gathered in a throng, speaking in hushed tones.
With a jolt, Tem recognized one of them.
Rowe stood on the other side of the fountain, talking to another basilisk. Tem instinctively stepped closer to Caspen, squeezing his hand for comfort. He looked down at her.
“What is it, Tem?”
She opened her mouth to tell him. But at that exact moment, they passed the fountain, and Rowe’s entire body came into view. Tem’s warning died on her tongue.
Rowe’s cock was gone.
It was not a clean cut. A warped mound of scar tissue protruded between his legs as if it had been ripped off instead of severed. Tem wondered suddenly if that was exactly what Caspen had done. The sheer force it would take to do such a thing made her feel sick. Surely, Rowe had used his power to heal himself. But the nature of the injury was so violent that Tem couldn’t imagine the pain he’d endured before his skin knit itself back together again. The amount of blood he’d lost would have been nearly fatal. His balls were gone too—there was nothing left where everything had once been. Tem tried not to stare. But she couldn’t look away.
Tem knew Caspen was angry with Rowe for trying to crest her. But it took seeing Rowe’s mangled body to truly understand the scope of his fury. Rowe had tried to take what was his. In return, Caspen had taken the part of Rowe that basilisks valued the most—the part of him that directly contributed to his status in society. A basilisk without a cock was incomprehensible. It meant he couldn’t participate in sex—the only thing that mattered to his people—in the same way everyone else could.
It meant he had nothing left to lose.
Caspen’s words ran through her mind: To crest someone else’s mate is unspeakably cruel . Tem wondered if this wasn’t somehow crueler. Caspen had done the one thing Rowe would never recover from—something just as permanent and painful as losing your mate. It would be better to be dead. Surely, this was also an unforgivable act of war.
Tem was having trouble breathing.
“How could you—?” she started, but couldn’t get the rest out. Caspen simply kept walking, his head pointed straight forward.
“I did what was necessary, Tem.”
Tem looked up at him and saw nothing but rage. Not for the first time, she was struck by his power. It radiated off of him in waves.
“You made him angry,” she whispered. It was the same thing she’d said to him after he’d forced Rowe to finish during the council meeting. Except now, Rowe would never finish again. And it was all because of Tem.
“I know.”
Caspen said it in a way that made it clear he was well aware of the severity of his actions.
They didn’t speak the rest of the way back to his chambers. When they climbed into his bed, Tem was so exhausted from the night’s events that she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
When she woke, she felt the full effects of what they’d done at the lake.
Her human form was aching—it felt as if she had been stretched too thin, like her skin was no longer the right size. There was a sporadic pain between her legs that wouldn’t go away, and her limbs were suddenly heavy. Even her balance was off—it was as if she were a stranger in her own body. Just when she felt the urge to panic, warm, steady hands touched her.
Good morning my love.
Caspen was awake.
Good morning.
Tem turned to him, running her fingers through his hair and studying his face. It was fascinating to see the similarities between Caspen’s human form and his true form. His hair was the exact same deep black as his scales; the angle of his eyebrows perfectly mimicked the triangular shape of his basilisk face. It was like she was finally able to see every part of him—to understand him on his most authentic level.
She gazed at him for a long time.
Caspen didn’t try to kiss her. He merely let her look, exercising his seemingly endless patience as she traced her fingertips gently along his temple, then his cheek, then his jaw.
“Beautiful,” Tem said.
Caspen smiled.
“That is what I say about you.”
“Well. It goes both ways.”
He smiled wider.
“How do you feel?”
Tem shifted, letting out a groan.
“Sore.”
Caspen nodded.
“That is normal. Your body is not used to changing in such a way. We will practice again tonight.”
At the mention of tonight, Tem remembered what was happening tomorrow.
“Caspen,” she said quietly. “The ball.”
His eyes held hers.
“When is it?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“I see.”
There was a pause as Leo’s presence loomed between them. Tem nestled clos?er to Caspen and asked:
Will we still see each other after I move into the castle?
Caspen answered immediately:
Yes.
But how?
We will find a way.
Tem didn’t say anything else, because there was nothing else to say. Even if she could find a way to visit Caspen while she was living in the castle, she still had no idea what would happen if all went to plan and Leo chose her as his wife. What would happen after the wedding—after she’d crested his family? Leo wouldn’t want anything to do with her. And what of her engagement to Caspen? Surely, they were to be married at some point. But Tem had no concept of basilisk weddings—whether they were anything like what humans did, with a ceremony and rings. The little gold claw around her neck was the only token of their engagement, and it had been made from Caspen’s blood. Tem couldn’t imagine what kind of wedding would center around such an act. But these were questions for another time.
For now, she wanted every last second she could have with Caspen.
Caspen.
Yes, Tem?
Kiss me.
Caspen brushed his lips against hers, and Tem’s worries fell away. Her body was too sore for sex. But she wanted it anyway, and Caspen had never been able to resist her. When he slipped inside her, she bit her lip in pain. Caspen paused.
We do not have to do this, Tem.
I want to.
I understand. But we do not have to.
Tem only pulled him closer. He thrust slowly, gently, making eye contact the entire time to ensure she was fully present. Eventually he turned her onto her side, entering her from behind so their bodies were cupped together—two crescent moons in identical orbit. Tem closed her eyes, losing herself in the way his cock felt, allowing him to fully take charge. She was so wet he slid in easily, her body accommodating every inch of his length.
It was different than the sex they had in their true forms. But Tem needed to fuck like this too—as a human—so she could feel connected to the part of her that felt like her.
Eventually, she was close.
Caspen rolled her so she was on her stomach, his thrusts speeding up as he buried himself in her, over and over again, until they fell into orgasm together. Tem gasped as the euphoric rush hit her, clenching her muscles around Caspen’s cock as he groaned against the back of her neck. Afterward they remained clasped together, his arms still wrapped around her. He pulled out, and his fingers found her clitoris, caressing it gently. He slid his fingers inside her, and it wasn’t until Tem felt pressure between her legs that she realized what he was actually doing. Another claw was forming deep in her center, molding itself perfectly to the inside of her body. Tem gasped as it pressed against her clitoris, curving into its final shape and coaxing her straight into another climax.
Caspen’s other hand went to her throat, arching her head back so he could kiss her as she came.
“Caspen,” she breathed against his lips.
“Tem,” he breathed back.
He released her. The claw was solid inside her. Tem welcomed its weight.
Thank you.
Caspen stroked her clitoris, just once.
Of course, Tem.
They kissed again. Finally, Tem broke away.
I have to get back to the farm.
He buried his face in her hair, and she knew he was smelling her scent.
I want you to stay.
You know I can’t.
He only held her tighter.
Please, Tem. Stay.
His request surprised her. There was a hint of desperation in his voice—of deep-seated longing. It was almost as if the closer they became, the more he was scared of losing her. Tem wanted to reassure him. But their relationship was not the only thing at stake. Tem had other people she loved now—other people to protect. Caspen could protect himself.
No.
He released her with a sigh.
They walked together through the passageway, and when they reached the head of the trail, Caspen pulled her against him again. He kissed up her neck, biting at her earlobe.
“Caspen,” she yelped. “You have to let me go.”
He only held her tighter.
Tem went still, allowing him to hold her. This was a different version of Caspen than the one she was used to—this version was not aloof, not secretive or harsh. This Caspen openly yearned. This Caspen needed her.
Something had changed between them at the lake, when their minds had combined. It felt as if he’d left a piece of himself with her, and Tem realized it was possible that he had. And perhaps she’d left a piece of herself in return. She had no idea what magic had occurred in that cavern under the mountain, no clue how deep their connection now went.
“Caspen,” she whispered. “Let me go.”
He let her go.
Tem returned to her cottage a changed woman.
The farm no longer looked like home. Perhaps it never had been. Whether Tem’s future lay in the castle with Leo or in the caves with Caspen, she knew for sure it was no longer between these wooden walls.
Her mother was away, delivering the eggs. Tem spent the day doing chores, watching the hours tick slowly by. Caspen sent her pulses—too many to count. Tem savored them. She’d missed carrying the claw inside her, and now that she had it again, it was as if part of her had slid back into place. She experimented with sending pulses back, practicing the same thing she’d done in the cavern with intermittent success. It turned out Tem wasn’t quite used to her power just yet. At one point, she sent a pulse so strong that Caspen roared in pain, shouting a word in a language she’d never heard.
Sorry.
His pain subsided, replaced by wary amusement.
It is no matter, Tem. You do not know your own strength.
I didn’t mean to hurt you.
I am not hurt. That was merely…a surprise.
Tem smiled. She sent him several more surprises that day.
By the time her mother returned, Tem had no desire to remain in the cottage. The claw had given her energy; it was her first taste of what it felt like to draw pow?er from Caspen, and she was aching to expend it. But instead of going to the caves, she wanted to savor what could be her last night in the village—to be young and impulsive one last time.
Without a second thought, she pulled on her cloak and set off for the Horseman. It was early; she figured she’d be the only one there. To her delight, she was wrong.
“ Temperance ,” Gabriel threw his arms wide as soon as she pushed open the door. He was seated in their favorite booth, several empty beer glasses in front of him. “It’s been too long.”
Tem slid in beside him.
“Shouldn’t you be at the castle helping prepare for the ball?”
“I’m injured,” he brandished his thumb, which was wrapped in an astonishing amount of bandages. “They sent me home.”
Tem took a sip of his beer.
“How’d that happen?”
“Had a little disagreement with a steak knife.”
“Who knew cutlery could be so disagreeable.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Gabriel,” Tem said slowly. “Thank you.”
He cocked his head.
“For?”
“For…” Tem paused, remembering the way Gabriel had protected Leo at the Passing of the Crown—how he’d shoved away the villager who’d launched himself at the prince. Tem knew he’d done it for her—because he understood, even after only seeing them together briefly, how much Leo meant to her.
“Everything,” she finished quietly.
Gabriel pressed his lips to her cheek.
“Anything for you, dearest,” he said just as quietly. He threw his arm around her, pulling her against him. “But enough about me. How’s my future princess?”
The last time Tem was here, she’d been about to tell Gabriel what Caspen had done to Jonathan and Christopher. Then Leo had shown up, and the evening had gone in a completely different direction. So much had happened since then; there was so much more to tell.
“The future princess is tired.”
Gabriel laughed at that.
“I’d be tired too if I was fucking two people at once.”
“You are fucking two people at once.”
“Oh that’s right,” he said, tapping his good finger against the beer glass. “I am, aren’t I?”
Tem rolled her eyes.
“Besides, I’m only fucking one person,” she said resolutely.
Gabriel raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Come on, Tem. You mean to tell me you haven’t taken a dive in the princely waters yet?”
She shook her head.
“ Really? You know the ball is tomorrow night, right?”
“I know.”
“Well then you’d better hop on it if you want a chance at the crown. And by it? —” he smacked her knee, “—I mean him .”
Tem closed her eyes in exasperation.
“Anyway, rumor has it that the king might interfere.”
Tem’s eyes flew back open.
“Interfere with what?”
“The competition.”
Gabriel was standing, ready to order more beer.
“Wait—” Tem grabbed him, pulling him back down, “Interfere how?”
Gabriel sighed, as if this line of questioning was a great burden standing in the way of his acquisition of alcohol.
“If he doesn’t like who Leo picks, he won’t allow the wedding.”
Dread pierced Tem’s stomach. She remembered how Maximus had told Vera she was his favorite.
“But how do you know that?”
“Henry said he heard the king and the Lord Chamberlain talking.”
“Well what did they say specifically? ”
“ Patience, Temperance,” Gabriel tutted. “I’m a little bit drunk, you know.”
“I know,” Tem sighed. She waited for Gabriel to continue:
“The king said, ‘if he chooses her, I will choose another’.”
Tem didn’t need to ask him who the king was referring to. If Leo chose her, Maximus wouldn’t allow them to get married. But Gabriel had no idea what was at stake here—that Tem needed to marry Leo in order to prevent open war. Tem had to win the competition. There was no other option.
Tem no longer had an appetite for beer.
“I have to go,” she said. “Caspen is expecting me.”
“On his cock.”
Tem gave Gabriel a good shove for that.
She slipped from the booth and walked quickly through the village streets. She’d planned on staying at the Horseman for far longer, perhaps having a drink or two. But after this news, she only wanted to see Caspen—only wanted to find solace in his arms.
He was waiting for her in the cave.
Tem felt immediately drawn to him, as if the basilisk side of her awoke the moment he was near. She wondered if Caspen felt the same, because he drew her into a kiss so urgent she could barely catch her breath.
Are you ready to transition again?
Tem kissed him back. Transitioning again meant sex, and she was always ready for that.
Yes.
The kiss lasted a moment longer before Caspen took her hand in his and pulled her into the darkness of the passageway.
They had barely gone ten feet when it happened.
Tem felt nothing at first—only a slight whoosh of air as someone appeared before them. It was so dark she couldn’t even tell who it was. Beside her, Caspen tensed.
Then her mind exploded in pain.