Chapter Twelve
He was moving along the ouroboros, bringing basilisk after basilisk to orgasm, getting closer and closer to Tem.
Temperance. Apollo is—
But Adelaide cut off, and Tem didn’t need the rest of her sentence anyway.
She could feel Adelaide’s pleasure as Apollo’s head went between her legs.
For a moment, they continued as they had been.
Then Tem felt a sudden change in Adelaide’s mind.
Where before she had been calmly resisting arousal, now she was completely—almost violently—turned on.
Heat poured into their shared connection as Adelaide’s moaned against Tem’s center.
He is very good, Temperance. I am afraid that I—
Tem could barely hear her. Apollo was pushing Adelaide toward climax with brutal insistency, hardly giving her a chance to breathe. Adelaide’s motions were less controlled, more desperate. She was losing her rhythm completely, pulling Tem out of her trance.
Can’t you hold off? Tem cried. Please?
I cannot resist forever. He is…the best at this.
To Tem’s horror, Apollo’s voice rang through their joined minds, his words directed at Adelaide: You flatter me.
Adelaide ignored him, speaking only to Tem: You are close. I can get you there.
But Tem was panicking now. If Adelaide came before Tem did, Apollo would be upon her.
And what if Caspen left her alone with him?
She would have to take the blond basilisk’s cock in her mouth while Apollo went between her legs.
Neither were acceptable options. Before she could devolve into true terror, Caspen’s voice entered her mind: Tem. My love. Relax.
But Tem had never been much good at relaxing.
She was always overthinking, always worrying.
She was not good at being the one thing that would serve her right now: a basilisk.
Tem felt Adelaide’s presence grow in her mind, joining with Caspen’s.
They were both coaxing her there, helping Tem ascend in her moment of need.
She gave herself over to it, letting her worries and her inhibitions go, letting herself simply feel.
She felt Adelaide’s tongue on her clitoris and Caspen’s cock in her throat.
She felt the hard stone on her back. She heard the moans of everyone else still left in the ouroboros—their desperate groans of pleasure joining hers.
At last, Tem came.
It was not graceful. It was not elegant.
But it was a release nonetheless, and Tem knew not to fight it.
She also knew that Caspen had mere moments to finish alongside her—he needed to climax now if they were to leave the circle at the same time.
Tem sent him a wild vision, completely on a whim: Apollo between her legs, her fingers tangled in his hair.
Immediately, Caspen came.
Unimaginable relief swept through Tem as she felt his release join hers. Adelaide’s presence retreated from her mind, and Tem knew she was giving them privacy during their climax. Besides, Adelaide was having her own.
The moment Caspen’s cock left Tem’s mouth, she opened her eyes to see the view before her.
Adelaide was propped up on her hands, her thighs clamped around Apollo’s face, sweat dripping down her body.
Tem watched as Adelaide came, her eyes squeezing shut as she ground herself against Apollo’s mouth.
The sight made Tem…jealous. Of Apollo or of Adelaide, she did not know.
But for some reason, watching the two of them together made her want to rip them apart.
Before Tem could unpack this, Caspen’s hands gripped her, helping her stand.
Adelaide stood too, her face flushed, her usually perfect hair mussed from where Tem had been holding it.
Apollo grinned up at them both, his lips glistening with wetness.
Without wasting a moment he leaned forward, yanked the blond basilisk toward him, and took his cock in his mouth.
Another wave of jealousy slammed into Tem.
What was wrong with her tonight? Was this a symptom of mating season?
Perhaps her senses were just heightened, and she was disproportionately prone to possessive emotions right now.
Either way, it was becoming unbearable. Without looking at Caspen or Adelaide, Tem walked to the edge of the courtyard, her hands behind her head. Caspen followed her.
“Tem.” His fingers brushed down her spine, and she shivered. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” she said automatically.
“Tem,” he said again, quietly this time. His lips brushed her ear. “It is over. You should be proud.”
Pride was the last thing Tem felt. She was tired and overwhelmed, and these infernal basilisks were turning out to be far more than she had bargained for. Tem looked up at Caspen, who was looking down at her.
“Come.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Let us watch the rest.”
He steered her back toward the center of the courtyard, where the ouroboros had shrunk significantly.
Apollo was out now, as was the blond basilisk.
They watched until finally it was down to just two basilisks.
They formed a circle with their bodies—the woman on top, the man underneath—both bestowing pleasure equally.
It was a position Tem had experienced many times with Caspen, and she found herself suddenly aroused by the arrangement.
Caspen’s voice came to her quietly: We will do it later.
Tem couldn’t wait.
A crowd gathered around the couple, watching them as they tasted each other. Eventually, Caspen frowned. Something is wrong. Neither of them are close.
Why not?
Tem stared at the basilisks. They looked pretty close to her.
The man is a Seneca. The woman a Drakon. They are fundamentally at odds—neither of them wants to give in first. It will seem like surrender to them.
Tem watched the couple service each other in the middle of the courtyard.
But instead of doing it tenderly, there was an aggression to their movements.
Clearly it was a challenge, a race to get the other to finish first—one that had greater implications than just the completion of the ouroboros.
All around them, basilisks were beginning to murmur.
The energy in the courtyard was changing, a hum of anticipation filling the air like a swarm of hornets.
Only basilisks could turn a sexual act into an insurgent one.
Conflict was imminent; it was only a matter of time before a fight broke out. There had to be a way to resolve this.
I can help them.
Caspen turned to her. How?
I can cause a hive orgasm. It will make them finish at the same time. That way neither of them loses to the other. Neither quiver needs to yield.
Caspen shook his head. Hive orgasms are rare, Tem. They are not predictable; you cannot just choose to cause one.
They can’t go on like this. You said nobody can leave until they finish, and neither of them are going to give in. So do you have any other ideas?
It is not safe, Tem.
But Tem shook her head. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew she could do this.
Caspen continued: Even if you could, it will cause everyone in this room to climax.
So?
Everyone will transition. But you…
Caspen trailed off. He didn’t need to finish. Tem knew what he was going to say: she couldn’t transition—she would be in danger. I’ll be fine. You’ll protect me.
He sighed. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he watched the two basilisks battle each other in the middle of the courtyard.
Worry clouded his face. Tem knew he was torn between protecting her and doing what was best for his people.
The situation went far deeper than just the completion of the ouroboros.
This was now a battle of wills, and if they did not resolve it quickly, it would spiral into something much worse. There was no other choice.
Very well. But you cannot leave my side, even after I turn. You must stay close to me.
I will.
Tem looked up at Caspen. He was the other half of the equation, after all. The two of them had caused the hive orgasm last time. It stood to reason that in order to cause it again, they needed to re-create the circumstances.
Without hesitation, she reached for him.
Caspen dipped down to grab her legs, lifting her so she was wrapped around his waist. She was already wet, and his cock slid in easily.
Tem held onto his shoulders, centering herself as he thrust up into her.
After the slow burn of the ouroboros, having penetrative sex felt like heaven.
Tem threw her head back, letting Caspen hold her upright, letting him take her over and over.
Immediately the hissing began.
Smoke swirled along the dark stone floors, curling around their feet and skimming up their legs.
The temperature in the courtyard rose unmistakably.
Caspen’s purchase on her waist began to slip as sweat slicked their skin.
The basilisks around them began to move.
Some merely touched each other; some of them began having sex.
Tem was already close to finishing, and she wasn’t the only one.
The final couple in the ouroboros were about to climax together.
She could sense their imminence just as she could sense her own. We all become one.
Suddenly, anticipation pricked Tem’s spine.
She recognized the feeling from last time—the caustic combination of fear and excitement—the hunger that meant the hive orgasm was near.
Caspen’s breath came in short grunts, his intensity increasing as he thrust quicker and quicker inside her.
All around them, cries of pleasure radiated throughout the room. Tem was close. Everyone was close.
Just then, Caspen pulled her abruptly off his cock and set her on the ground. Tem gasped at the sudden change.
What are you doing?
She groped for his cock, trying to pull it back inside her. Caspen grabbed her wrist.
Stop, Tem.