Split or Swallow (Split or Swallow, #1)

by Lindsay Straube

“I have earned the right to honesty, Caspen.” His eyes met hers. “That you have.”

“Lying is nearly impossible for a basilisk. It costs us something to do so.” She stared up at Caspen, who was looking down at her as if he were bracing for impact. “Why are you saying this to me?” she whispered. “Twenty years ago a girl left the training process. She was pregnant by her basilisk.” Tem already knew where this was going. She knew it in her bones. And yet, she whispered: “No.” “Yes,” Caspen insisted. “Yes, Tem.” Tem wanted to block her ears—wanted to do anything but hear the next thing that came out of Caspen’s mouth: “Your mother is the one who left.”

“Say it, Tem,” his lips were an inch from hers. “Say you want me, and my cock is yours.”

“Sit on my cock, Tem.” Tem let out a soft giggle. “No.” “Tem, I swear to Kora—” But Tem wasn’t listening. She lowered her head again, taking him once more down her throat. Leo’s hand returned to her hair, twisting it around his knuckles so he could hold it away from her face. “Need to fuck you—need to fuck you so badly—need you—”

“Tem,” he arched his head back in exasperation. “Knowing you has been the single most torturous experience of my life.” Tem pressed her lips to his exposed neck, murmuring her next words against his skin. “You’re the one who asked me to torture you, remember?” “I’m rather regretting that now.” “How about a compromise?” “What sort of compromise?” “I’ll take this off—” she released his wrists and pointed at her dress, “—and I’ll finish what I started—” she pointed at his cock, which was still hard, “—but you can’t touch me.” Leo let out a bark of laughter. “Hardly a compromise. That’s simply more torture.”

“I will not survive you,” he said, his voice a guttural whisper. “Do you even want to?” He didn’t answer.

“You are mine, Tem,” he said simply. “Whether you give your body to anoth⁠er does not change that.”

Caspen’s tongue found hers, and she wondered if he could taste Leo’s cum. I can. Despite this admission, he didn’t stop kissing her. His hands grabbed her ass; his cock pressed against her. Tem felt desperately warm, and was suddenly grateful she wasn’t wearing any clothes. By the time Caspen pulled away, wetness was dripping down her leg. He traced his finger up her thigh, trailing it through her center before raising it to his lips. He licked his fingers slowly, and Tem couldn’t help but think of how similar it was to what she had just done for Leo. Caspen smiled, as if he knew it too.

low. “She is not your tool of destruction. She is my future queen. I decide what happens to her.” “Actually,” Tem said quietly, “I decide what happens to

“Look at you,” Rowe’s eyes were hardened steel as they traced over Caspen’s erection. “Turned on by a blunt.” Caspen went immediately still. His black eyes narrowed to slits. “If you value your life, you will not say that word again.” Rowe smirked. “Is it not true? You chose a mate who is part human—a mate who is weak. And now you want us to—” Caspen moved so fast that Tem didn’t even have time to blink before his hand was wrapped around Rowe’s throat. “There is nothing weak about my mate.”

The entire thing couldn’t have lasted more than thirty seconds. But the change in the room was undeniable, just like when Caspen had fingered her earlier. Only this time, he’d garnered far more power from their connection. Tem felt it in the air—a palpable energy that radiated off his body in shimmering waves, drawing everyone in—drawing her in.

“All those in favor of the conditions our Hybreed has imposed?” Every hand went up. “Then it is done.” Now it is over. To Tem’s utter surprise, the king bowed his head at her. Then he stood, turned, and left the room. The rest of the basilisks stood too, and Tem watched as they formed a single file line in front of her. She glanced around at Caspen. What are they doing? They are acknowledging my authority. By staring at me? You are the source of my authority. Our connection is what swayed them today.

They want to kiss me while you watch? Tem asked incredulously. Yes. But Tem…the kiss would not be on the mouth. Then where would it be? Caspen didn’t say a word. Instead, his fingers went once more between her legs. “Are you serious?” Tem said out loud. Caspen’s hand immediately retreated. It is meant as a sign of respect. You do not have to accept. But will it help you if I do? Yes. It will. Then I accept.

This time Rowe dipped his head and kissed her—right there—right where Caspen kissed her nearly every night. He swirled his tongue expertly over her clitoris, drawing a desperate gasp from Tem that she couldn’t control. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the sensation. It felt so good. Rowe’s mouth was a wicked devil, pushing Tem to the brink of a cliff she never asked to climb. He gripped her thighs, pulling her against him, making it so she didn’t have a moment to breathe beneath his relentless tongue. Caspen’s cock was hard against the base of her spine. Rowe kept going. He licked her, sucked her, stroked her until she was whimpering beneath his lips, her legs spread open without a single thought besides the undeniable need to feel as much of this as she possibly could. There was no council; there was no meeting. There was only Tem’s pleasure, and what she was willing to surrender to get it.

“Stand,” he barked. Rowe stood. With a jolt, Tem realized he was hard, his cock standing just as surely as he did. “Look at you,” Caspen said, his voice sharper than a knife’s edge. “Turned on by a blunt.” Tem still didn’t know what that word meant. But she knew she had never seen Caspen so angry, and despite the warm afterglow seeping through her, she felt suddenly afraid.

“Refer to her by anything other than her name again and you will no longer have a cock to stroke. Do I make myself clear?” Rowe nodded, his eyes still glazed over with orgasm, his chest covered in sweat. “Say it,” Caspen ordered. “Say her name.” Rowe blinked, his eyes focusing on Tem. “Temperance.” There was no mistaking the hot thread of hate in his voice. “Good. Now get out.”

needed to feel that ultimate release. Smoke was rising from Caspen’s torso but she no longer feared it. Something in her called to it—something in her wanted more. Sex with Caspen felt different now that they were engaged, now that she knew who she really was. Come for me, Tem. I need to see you come. Tem was already coming. She threw her head back as her orgasm hit her, blossoming in her center and spreading up her spine. An overwhelming wave of approval washed over her, and she knew it was Caspen’s. He loved seeing her this way—messy and sexy and free—coming for him exactly when he told her to. And Tem loved being this way for him. Now she understood how she could share her body with another, but only belong to him. How they were fated—beyond comprehension, beyond logic, beyond reason—their very matter intertwined in an impenetrable thread. They would not be broken. Ever. Between the orgasm Rowe had given her and the one she’d just had, Tem felt as if she were made of sunlight.

“I fell in love with you when I thought you were human. Please do not insult me by assuming I would not love you otherwise.”

She focused instead on the way Caspen felt—noticing how he was calm and steady despite what was at stake. It was a trait she’d always desired for herself. Tem felt too much, all the time. You can use that, Tem. Use what? Your emotions. How? Transitioning is about becoming the truest version of yourself. You are emotional. Embrace that. I thought you wanted me to be calm. Perhaps what I want is irrelevant here.

Caspen was breaking—shedding—unfolding himself from the inside out. It was like being in the middle of a volcano while it erupted. Along with the mental sensation, Tem experienced what Caspen felt physical⁠l⁠y. It was exactly as he’d said: transitioning was like taking off clothes. Layer after layer of restriction fell away, revealing the feral beast beneath. Join me, Tem. The hiss grew. Tem was unbearably hot, as if she had a hundred fevers at once. Something called to her—something that felt like Caspen, but wasn’t him—something primal and wild and free. Tem wanted to answer. But she couldn’t.

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.

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.

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 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.

“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.

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.”

I never wanted this for you. Tem sent her next thought with everything she had left: I’ve only ever wanted you. Slowly, Caspen opened his eyes. He raised his hand, wrapping his bloody fingers around Tem’s throat. You should only know pleasure. She finished the line: Never pain. He closed his eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. Then something inside Tem erupted, slamming into her from all directions with more force than she could comprehend. She couldn’t take it. She needed more. She wanted it to stop. She would die if it did. It was pain. It was pleasure. It was everything. There was no beginning and no end. The sensation bloomed from deep within her core to the tips of her fingers in a relentless snap of utter clarity. It was like being submerged in a perfectly warm bath—like floating in the world’s stillest lake. Nothing could penetrate the warm numbness that enveloped her entire body. She had no problems, no worries. There was nothing and no one that could cause her harm. There was only utter and complete ecstasy.

“The two halves of you are paradoxical,” Adelaide explained. “Your basilisk side is a predator, while your human side is prey.” Tem frowned. “I don’t understand. Are you saying my body is trying to kill itself?” Adelaide shook her head. “The opposite. You carry the balance of nature within you. It is an extremely powerful thing.”

“And when, exactly, did you break it off?” Now Caspen fell silent. “When, Caspen?” Tem asked again, firmly this time. He sighed. “The first night of the training.” A wave of horror passed over Tem. “Before or after we met?” From the look on his face, she knew the answer. He said it anyway: “After.” Tem’s stomach turned. “Are you telling me you were engaged when I undressed in front of you?” His voice was tight with pain: “Yes.” Tem felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. That was the night she’d touched herself—the night she’d slipped the claw between her legs. “But Tem—” Caspen spoke quickly, clearly trying to get the words out, “—the moment I met you, I knew I had to end it. I have loved you from the beginning. You know this.” Tem stared stiffly at the fire. She couldn’t bear to look at him for another sec⁠ond.

“Kora,” he breathed, his wide eyes taking in the silk dress and golden shawl. “You look…” he seemed to be at a loss for words, finishing quietly: “Celestial.” “You’re getting better at compliments,” Tem said. His face broke into a grin. “I’m certainly glad to hear it.”

“I’m asking you to give me your heart, Tem. I deserve to know whether it’s even yours to give.” Tem couldn’t handle the way he was looking at her. It was not unlike the way Caspen looked at her—as if she were something exceedingly precious. Something worth having. “I can’t promise you my heart,” she whispered. “But I can promise it will always be mine to give.”

“He may have made you wet, but I will make you come.” Tem couldn’t have protested if she wanted to. Leo’s fingers were already sliding in and out with expert precision, persuading her body to relinquish control. A moment later he was on his knees, and for the second time, Tem knew what it was to have a prince kneel before her.

Next time I get to torture you. If this was torture, Tem was happy to die from it. Leo knew exactly what to do. He licked her with confident, targeted strokes, his tongue diving deep into her center before rolling against her clitoris. Tem gripped his hair with both hands, holding him against her so everything he did was amplified tenfold—so she didn’t miss a single second of this ravishment. He was consuming her—devouring her—gorging himself on her until she could⁠n’t form a single thought.

“You said you didn’t mind,” she whispered. “You said you would take what you could get.” Leo stopped too, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I know what I said, Tem,” he growled, turning to face her. “But I want more. I want all of you. Anything less than everything isn’t enough anymore.” “Why?” Tem asked, betrayal pinching her chest. “What changed?” He shook his head. “That’s the fucking problem, Tem. Nothing’s changed.” She stared at him in disbelief, tears in her eyes. Leo leaned in, and she craned her neck to look up at him. “I want all of you,” he said deliberately. “Or I don’t want you at all.”

He knew it was difficult for her to love them both—even more difficult when Leo presented himself as a viable option. It would be cruel to eliminate her—crueler still to keep her in the competition. He would force Tem to choose: to tear herself in two. Torture indeed.

“You tried to control him once. If you try to do it again, I will turn him against you.” Maximus’s nostrils flared. “You would not dare.” “I would,” Tem snapped. “And I would relish it.”

“A race won by default is no true victory, Tem.” “I’m a person, Leo. Not a prize.” He stepped closer, and she sensed his energy. “I know you’re a person. A person who is capable of making choices. I want you to choose me because you want me, Tem. Not because you’re in a fight with him.” With that, he walked away.

“Tell me you love me,” she whispered as she rode him. “I love you.” “Tell me I’m everything you’ve ever wanted.” “You are everything I have ever wanted.” “Tell me I fulfill you.” “You fulfill me,” he cupped her ass with both hands, pulling her all the way down his cock. “Kora, do you fulfill me.” She fucked him slowly, savoring every word. The affirmations were nearly better than the sex—hearing how he felt about her turned her on beyond anything he could possibly do with his body. “This is it for me, Tem,” Caspen moaned. “You are it for me.”

“All of it, Tem. Put me in your mouth. I know you can do it.” His words were a broken gasp. She savored his desire. It was incredible to hear him need her so much. It was always her needing him. Now their roles were reversed, and Tem found she liked it. “Beg,” she whispered. “Beg me, Caspen.” “A king does not beg.” “He does for his queen.” He groaned, and his hand went to the back of her neck. “Suck my cock, Tem. Please. I beg of you.”

“What would you forsake for me?” she whispered. “Everything.” She nipped her teeth over the smooth curve of his head, cupping his balls in her palm. She squeezed. “Your title?” “Yes.” Another squeeze. “Your father?” “Yes.” She allowed herself to look at him. His eyes were shut tight, the muscles in his jaw clenched to the point of exertion. “Do you mean that?” she whispered. His eyes flew open. “You know I cannot lie.” It was enough for her.

“What am I to you?” she whispered. Caspen lifted his lips to hers, whispering a single word into her mouth: “Everything.”

“Caspen,” Tem pushed his hand away. “Adelaide said our engagement was bound by blood. What does that mean?” Caspen’s eyes went to the golden claw around her neck. He touched it. “It means that when I gave you this, my blood bound our lives together,” he said. “It is an ancient magic, and it is irreversible.” Tem absorbed this information in shock. “So if I die…?” Caspen finished quietly: “I die.”

But…it seems like such a risk.” He nodded. “It is a risk. Many basilisks choose not to bind their engagements in blood for that very reason.” “But you chose to bind ours.” “Yes,” he said quietly. “I did.” “Why?” Caspen looked at her for a long moment. His answer was simple: “Because I need you.”

“Tell me what you want to do to me,” Tem whispered. “Everything.” “Be specific.” Leo moaned, the sound vibrating deep in his chest. “I want to rip this off you—” his fist twisted the strap of her dress, “—and throw it in the fucking fire. I want you to tell me what you like and I want you to say my name while I do it.” “More, Leo. Be specific.” His hand went to her throat, pulling her head to his. “I want you spread open in front of me. I want to bury myself in your cunt until you can’t fucking breathe.” “More.” “I want you all to myself. I don’t want to share. I want my name to be the only thing on your lips and I want my cum dripping out of you.” “More.” His final words were a tortured whisper: “I want to do everything you’ll let me do.”

“You’re dripping, Tem,” he whispered. “Is that all for me?” Tem nodded. “Say it,” he commanded. “It’s all for you.” “Again.” She placed her hand over his, angling her hips so his fingers went all the way inside her. “It’s all for you, Leo. Just for you.”

“That’s it, Tem,” Leo said, his eyes locked on hers. “Show me.” Her breath came in short, desperate gasps. “Show me how pretty you are when you come.”

“What will it take to get you on my cock?” Leo whispered. He was still touching her, playing lazily with her clitoris, his hand covered in her wetness. Tem smiled. “Your undying devotion.” “You already have it.”

“What happens if the basilisk side of me dies completely?” Tem whispered. Adelaide sighed, answering gently: “The same thing that happens when anything dies. It ceases to exist.” “But then I’ll be…” Tem couldn’t say the words. Adelaide said them for her: “You will be fully human.”

“Listen to me,” Adelaide said urgently. “That is the least of your worries. You must remember that you are bound to Caspen by blood.” Tem closed her eyes as she realized what Adelaide was about to say. Nothing could prepare her for hearing it. “His life is linked to yours,” Adelaide leaned closer. “If a part of you dies—specifically the basilisk part…” Tem finished for her: “Caspen will die too.”

She thought of all the decisions Caspen had made for her—decisions that involved her body. He’d proposed without telling her, he’d given her his venom, he’d bound their lives together by blood. He’d done those things to protect her. She understood that now, more than she ever had before. They had been through so much together—survived so much together. The training, their engagement, the ritual—even Rowe. Caspen was her anchor. She would not allow anything to happen to him. She would do what was necessary to save him—to save herself. Now it was Tem’s turn to protect him.