Chapter Nineteen #2
“Fine,” she said finally. There was clearly no stopping this train anyway. Tem wasn’t sure she even wanted to anymore. Why shouldn’t Gabriel experience all the basilisks had to offer? If the elixir would contribute positively to the evening, she wanted him to have some.
Damon smiled. “Fine?”
“Yes, fine. He can drink it.” She turned to Gabriel. “But only a drop. Do you understand?”
Damon nodded eagerly, his face splitting into a grin.
He waited until Tem nodded too before turning to the fountain and filling a goblet.
He dipped a single finger into the elixir, holding it out to Gabriel, who tilted his head back to receive it.
The moment the elixir passed his lips, he smiled.
Tem knew that feeling. She knew the heat he was experiencing, the incredible lightness and joy.
She also knew the need. Gabriel placed his hand on Damon’s shoulder, pulling him forward.
But he didn’t close the distance. Instead, to Tem’s surprise, Gabriel’s gaze slid to hers, silently seeking permission.
She could do nothing but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
It was no longer her place to decide what Gabriel could and could not do.
He was a human with his own free will, and he deserved to make his own choices.
At this point, she knew he understood the stakes.
Tem threw up her hands. “I’m not going to stop you.”
At her response, Gabriel let out a delighted noise.
Damon smiled in amusement. Then Gabriel wrapped his hand around Damon’s neck, leaned in, and kissed him on the mouth.
Tem watched as their lips brushed, gently at first, both of them melting into the other as if they’d been waiting for this very moment.
And perhaps they had. Perhaps Gabriel, with his unbounded sexual energy, had finally met his match in a basilisk.
And Damon, who had a milder disposition than his two brothers, was the perfect complement to a human.
Tem looked away as their kiss deepened. Then she looked back.
She’d always known Gabriel had a healthy sex life—they’d discussed it in excruciating detail since Tem was fourteen years old.
But she’d never seen him do anything in front of her, and although her human side was mildly horrified, she found that her basilisk side was very intrigued by the sight.
She stepped closer, watching them from just a foot away.
Damon’s hand found hers, drawing her even closer.
Gabriel turned to her, cupping her face in his palm.
He pulled into him, holding eye contact as he did it.
They couldn’t communicate with their minds like the basilisks could, but years of friendship told her exactly what he was asking her: Do you want to do this?
There was only one answer: this was her best friend, the friend she’d had since she was a child.
He kissed her on the cheek all the time.
This was hardly any different. What was a kiss between friends?
Tem nodded.
Then Gabriel kissed her.
His lips were soft against hers. Tem felt immeasurably light and warm in his arms, her body pressing against his as naturally as it would press against Caspen’s.
When his tongue found hers, she welcomed it.
This was Gabriel, after all. Her closest confidant.
Her protector. He was always there for her, no matter the circumstances—no matter the cost. Now it was time for Tem to return the favor.
Gabriel was being brave; he was experiencing everything the basilisks had to offer.
He deserved to feel pleasure as they did.
A hand touched Tem’s shoulder. It was Damon’s.
He was pulling her away from Gabriel, inserting himself in her place.
Tem let him do this, watching as the two of them kissed.
Without thinking, she raised her hands, holding their heads together just as Caspen had held her and Leo.
She felt the muscles flex in Damon’s neck as his tongue dove into Gabriel’s mouth.
Their arousal was her arousal; it radiated off them in waves, enveloping her in warmth.
Fingers wrapped around her waist. Lips touched her neck.
My love.
Caspen was behind her, his cock against her back.
Tem settled against it, arching her neck so she could kiss him properly.
His hands found her breasts, squeezing them before traveling up to her neck.
Tem let out a tiny moan. She’d missed him so much this past week.
They may be at odds right now, but they always came back together for this.
This was a language she understood—a poem that could be written only for Caspen.
They moved together slowly, enjoying the feel of each other’s bodies, touching everything they hadn’t touched in the past week.
Eventually, others joined.
At first, it was just one woman. Tem watched as her delicate hands brushed over Gabriel’s shoulders, tilting his head to hers.
She kissed him, and he kissed her back while Damon watched.
Then Damon leaned in, joining his mouth with theirs, three becoming one.
Tem watched them carefully, letting the event unfold, ready to intervene if necessary.
But the time never came. Gabriel was happy.
At some point, Caspen slid inside Tem. He kept her upright, his strong hands holding her so she could keep an eye on Gabriel.
But Gabriel hardly needed her help. He pulled the basilisks ever closer, his fingers weaving into theirs, coalescing everyone around him into a gorgeous tangle.
His golden hair floated in a sea of bodies.
After a while, Tem said, It’s going well, don’t you think?
Yes, it is. Your friend is capable.
Tem smiled. There was no better compliment from a basilisk. He was built for this.
I think you are right.
Eventually, Caspen laid her down. Tem had no idea how many basilisks were around them.
At least a dozen, if not more. Others were standing and watching, their hands occupied with themselves and with each other.
Power radiated throughout the entire courtyard; Tem was filled with it just as she was filled with Caspen’s cock.
His hands gripped her waist, shifting her so she was aligned with the basilisk beside her.
Tem.
It was all he said—just her name. Yet Tem understood he wanted her to do what she had previously thought was impossible—to experience this night as a basilisk would.
Perhaps a week ago, such a directive would have scared her.
But now, with Gabriel doing the exact thing Tem had always hesitated to do, she was ready to be brave. If he could do it, so could she.
Tem turned to the basilisk beside her. She didn’t recognize him, but he was lean and beautiful and already smiling at her.
He brushed a curl from her face as his mind touched hers to ask, May I?
Tem nodded. The basilisk leaned in and kissed her.
As soon as their lips touched, Caspen’s approval rushed into her mind.
His cock was still inside her, and she could have sworn he grew harder.
Tem parted her lips, slipping her tongue into the basilisk’s mouth, tasting what he had to offer.
His hands were on her breasts, and so were Caspen’s.
She was surrounded by skin, surrounded by sensation.
When the basilisk pulled away, Tem looked up at Caspen and smiled.
I knew you could do it, Tem.
Somehow, she knew it too.
The night went on.
Tem followed Gabriel’s lead—when he kissed someone, she kissed them too, performing the steps to a dance only they knew.
Caspen was always there, right beside them, helping when needed.
His motions were always in service of their pleasure.
If Caspen touched another basilisk, it was to push them closer to Tem and Gabriel.
The only cock he stroked was his own and only while looking at Tem.
Pride flowed from him; it bloomed whenever someone else brought her to orgasm, particularly if they did it quickly.
Basilisks earned their ranking through sex, being with as many people as possible the ultimate goal.
Tem could see the ancient cultural pull that these customs had on Caspen—how connected he was to his people and to her.
She was becoming a part of his world, learning how to function in it.
It brought Caspen great joy to see her like this, and it brought Tem joy too.
She felt nothing but warmth and pleasure and bliss, giving herself over to the sheer thrill of it all.
She was enraptured. And she enraptured in return.
Eventually, she couldn’t get enough. Mouth after mouth touched hers, hand after hand gripped her skin.
There was no difference between her flesh and theirs, her body and someone else’s.
Gabriel was among them, and it was clear that he was just as at home as Tem was.
She’d never seen him so happy, so fulfilled.
Always, no matter who he was entangled with, he ended up back with Damon.
Perhaps that was right; perhaps it was meant to be.
Tem had no desire to place judgment or restriction upon his experience anymore.
It was his to have in the way he was meant to have it.
Eventually, they were before each other once more.
They kissed for a long time in the middle of the chaos, safe and content in each other’s arms. There was no one she’d rather see her like this. Gabriel was a lover at heart, and he loved her. There was no better person to be here with.
Caspen was behind her, holding them together.
He is doing well, Tem.
For some reason, it felt like a victory. Tem had been so worried about tonight, so indescribably scared that something would go wrong or Gabriel would get hurt. Instead, the opposite had happened—no one was getting hurt. Not even close. There was only community and climax and pleasure.