Chapter Thirty-Four #2
Adelaide gave her a gentle smile. “That is not for you to decide. We are basilisks, Temperance. The brothers come to this willingly.”
A moment later, one of the brothers was beside her.
Tem felt Apollo before she saw him, his body heating the air as he joined her on the bench. Immediately, Tem felt as if she could breathe again. She turned to him. But before she could say anything, Adelaide spoke.
“Look, Temperance. It begins.”
The arena roared to life as Caspen and Rowe began to circle each other.
Great clouds of smoke billowed from their bodies, filling the air.
Pure fear shot through Tem. This was it.
They were about to transition. Tem watched as Caspen turned first, his body elongating to release the monster within.
She stared at his beautiful obsidian scales, remembering the first time she saw them.
Caspen had nearly killed her that night in the cave.
Tem almost wished he had. Then none of this would have happened.
Rowe transitioned next.
He roared as he turned, his head whipping up proudly.
His scales were pure gold, the exact color of his false cock.
Tem had never seen a basilisk that color before.
Most were black, like Caspen. Sometimes they varied to green or even dark blue, but never gold.
She remembered what Caspen said—how Rowe’s cock made him powerful.
Did it make his true form powerful too? The thought made her nervous. Caspen was supposed to be powerful.
Caspen was supposed to win.
The air was suddenly sweltering. Even in a venue as enormous as the arena, two fully transitioned basilisks took up a lot of room. They circled each other just as they had when they were human, their giant bodies carving valleys in the sand. Then Rowe lunged.
Caspen dodged but just barely. Rowe moved uncommonly fast; Tem didn’t dare blink for fear of missing something. She couldn’t stop picturing Caspen getting hurt.
“Caspenon is strong, Temperance,” Adelaide said. “He will prevail. Try not to worry.”
But nothing could stop Tem from worrying.
Caspen and Rowe thrashed violently before her, their bodies intertwining, then separating, then intertwining again at lightning speed.
It was a wonder to watch, and if Tem hadn’t been so nervous, she might have enjoyed herself.
Instead she clasped Adelaide’s hand so tightly, her fingers went numb.
Relax, Temperance, Apollo’s voice said in her mind.
I can’t.
You can. And you must.
Why?
Your energy directly affects Caspenon. He will need your strength.
But Tem had barely any strength left to give. She felt completely drained from the events of the last few days. She knew it was an effect of the crest—that Leo was not the only one weakened by her refusal to consummate.
When Rowe advanced on Caspen, Tem’s heart jumped.
Put your emotions aside, Temperance. Your husband needs you.
But Tem had never been good at putting her emotions aside. It was the one thing she couldn’t master—the one thing Caspen had always tried to train out of her but couldn’t. Tem was ruled by emotions. There was only one thing she could possibly do to suppress them.
Make me calm.
Apollo hesitated.
Please, Apollo.
Still, he hesitated. It wasn’t until Rowe roared—and Tem flinched—that he said, Very well.
Apollo’s hand went to her waist. The second his fingers touched her, Tem felt calm envelope her.
His influence was different from his brother’s.
Caspen’s was gentle, softening the sharp edges of her anxiety.
Apollo’s was commanding, forcing her into a state of numbness that felt brutally clinical, devoid of anything except for what was in front of her.
It was fascinating to experience the differences between the brothers.
Of the two of them, Tem preferred Caspen; that was no surprise.
But there was a benefit to Apollo’s assistance, namely that Tem was immediately able to suppress the panic rising in her chest.
Thank you.
My pleasure.
She didn’t have the energy to roll her eyes. He was a little too self-satisfied for her liking, but that would have to wait. Instead, Tem concentrated on Caspen. He was still fighting, and in the wake of her calm, he was winning.
The next time Caspen advanced on Rowe, Tem’s nipples peaked.
She bit her lip, shocked at her body’s reaction.
Her basilisk side was fueled by the violence, reveling in the efforts of the suitors before her.
The urge to touch herself was so strong, she suddenly had trouble thinking of anything else.
Even the importance of the tournament couldn’t distract her from how wet she was.
“Adelaide,” she whispered. “I’m—”
The roar of the crowd cut her off.
Adelaide turned to her. “What is it, Temperance?”
“I feel…” But how to say it?
Adelaide raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently for her to elaborate. But Tem couldn’t find the words. Men were fighting over her, and it was turning her on, and although her human side was horrified at the proceedings, the basilisk side only wanted one thing.
Without thinking, Tem’s hand went between her legs. It felt so good to touch herself that she gasped aloud, squeezing her eyes shut in surprise.
“Ah,” she heard Adelaide say. “I see.”
Tem barely heard her. The sensation of her fingers sliding into her center was enough to make her want to scream.
“You may have sex with someone if you wish, Temperance.”
Tem opened her eyes. “What?”
Beside her, Apollo perked up.
“Any of the contenders are at your disposal,” Adelaide continued. “They are competing for your hand—it would be an honor if you chose any of them to satisfy you right now.”
Tem shook her head. The fight raged before her; blood soaked the sand.
“No.”
“Are you sure?” Adelaide’s eyes slid to Apollo, who was clearly ready to volunteer.
“I’m sure,” Tem snapped. She didn’t want to hear how Apollo was at her disposal again.
Fucking Caspen’s brother while Caspen fought for their marriage was a line Tem was unwilling to cross, even now.
With supreme effort, she removed her hand from between her legs, clamping it instead beneath her thighs.
She would watch the rest of the fight like this if that was what it took to resist. But it was not so easy.
Her basilisk side roared in her mind, grating against her human defiance. Tem was so turned on.
I am more than happy to assist with that, Temperance.
I don’t need assistance.
Are you sure? It rather seems like you do. Apollo’s voice was barely audible over the roar of the crowd, which was so loud it felt as if the arena were shaking.
Arousal turned to fear. Somewhere, in the course of the last few minutes, the tide had changed. Caspen was no longer winning.
Blood soaked the sand, and it was all his. Rowe’s golden scales were barbed and sharp, tearing Caspen’s to shreds.
“What’s going on?” Tem cried. “Why is this happening?”
“I do not know.” Adelaide shook her head. “Rowe is impenetrable. I have never seen that before.”
“Can you access Caspen’s mind? Can you talk to him for me?”
Adelaide shifted in her seat. “That would be…unconventional. You are not allowed to communicate with him during the tournament.”
“I wouldn’t be. You’d be communicating with him. I just need to know what’s going on—if he’s—”
Caspen let out a roar of pain as Rowe’s body struck his. Adelaide pursed her lips.
“Please, Adelaide.”
“If you will not do it, I will.”
The words came from Apollo. His eyes were on Tem, his brows furrowed.
Adelaide glanced between them before holding up her hand. “There is no need. I will do it.”
“Thank you,” Tem said.
Adelaide turned, focusing on Caspen. Far too long passed. “Caspenon says Rowe is strong—stronger than he should be.”
“Why?”
A pause.
“He does not know. But Caspenon has a higher ranking. Rowe should not be able to fight this well.”
Tem stared at Rowe—at his hard, gold scales. It was his cock. She was sure of it. He had violated the laws of nature to craft it for himself, and now it had given him some sort of power—power that matched Caspen’s.
“Tell him he needs to fight harder—he needs to end this.”
Another pause.
“He is trying. But he—”
What happened next was so fast, Tem nearly missed it.
One moment the basilisks were apart, and the next, they slammed together. Caspen pinned Rowe to the ground with his entire body, sparks flying as they writhed in the sand. Rowe’s mouth opened. He drove his fangs straight into Caspen’s neck.
Caspen let out a tortured roar, lurching backward into the wall of the arena.
“Did he just bite him?” Tem cried.
Adelaide’s mouth was open in shock. “He…did.”
“But—but you said that wasn’t allowed—”
“It is not. But Rowe did it anyway.”
Everything is allowed here. Even breaking the rules—even going against the one boundary that had been established in this fight.
Blood poured from Caspen’s neck.
Tem stared at the wound, her throat tight, her hands clenched into fists.
It wasn’t just a physical injury. Tem remembered what Caspen had said to her—how the bite of a basilisk created the ability to siphon power from the victim.
Caspen and Rowe were now connected. There was a link between them—one that Rowe could use to take his power.
Tem had no idea how it worked, whether Rowe could take it all at once or whether it would be a slow process. All she knew was that Caspen was bleeding, and she would never forgive herself.
Everyone in the arena was on their feet. Tem watched as Caspen transitioned back into a human, still on the ground, still bleeding. Rowe transitioned after, raising his fists above his head.
“What does this mean? Adelaide?” Tem’s voice went up an octave. “What does it mean?”
Adelaide turned to look at Tem, her face pale. “It means Rowe won.”