Split or Swallow (Split or Swallow, #1)

by Lindsay Straube

She quieted her mind, reaching for the remaining strands of her power. It was there, but just barely. She drew from it—drinking from the endless well within herself—using one side to fix the other. The moment she connected the two parts of her, every cell in her body lit on fire. Complete and utter clarity rushed through Tem’s veins as her basilisk side immediately began to heal. The frayed edges of her mind knit together seamlessly, creating something that was even stronger than what was there before. Tem felt buoyant, as if she might float from the stage and into the endless sky. She was soaring into infinity, experiencing nothing and everything all at once. There was no greater feeling than this—no better way to understand herself. All the broken pieces of her identity came together in one perfect, limitless point. Her power was cosmic—as vast as the stars. She was bound to no one. She was free.