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If what he said was true, it meant that Caspen was the Serpent King: the legendary basilisk whose power was far superior to all the others. His reputation was exemplary in the village; people talked about him like he was a god. Tem had the most coveted teacher.
“Like I said, it will connect us. I can make it…pulse.” “Pulse?” He smiled, and she melted. “When it pulses, you will know I am thinking of you.”
Without thinking, Tem’s hand went to his neck. Caspen’s eyes widened at the motion. Then they narrowed, and she heard his voice in her mind: Squeeze, little viper.
“I hate that you have this much power over me.” To her surprise, he laughed. “What’s so funny?” His grin only widened. “Of the two of us, I am not the one with the power, Tem.”
Tem knelt for Caspen the same way she knelt for Kora, looking up at him as he untied his trousers and slipped them down his hips.
Tem gripped the bench, as if by doing so she could grip him. Will you think of me? His reply was barely a whisper, lost in the wind. Constantly.
Beautiful. The claw went deeper. Perfect. Even deeper. Angel…fucking angel. She could barely take another second. Beautiful, perfect Tem. Fucking perfection.
“I don’t need to fuck you,” she said softly, her lips grazing his throat. “I don’t even need to take my clothes off. You want me so badly, you’d marry me just for the chance to see me naked. Am I wrong?”
“Am I not allowed to protect you?” he murmured. “You are,” she murmured back. “I just didn’t realize you wanted to.” Caspen held her gaze. “Protecting you is only the beginning of what I want to do.”
He wanted her more than life itself because a life without her wasn’t one he cared to live.
She was his sun. He revolved around her.
Tem moaned as he teased her clitoris and penetrated her center at the same time. Realization hit her like a bolt of lightning. His tongue had split.
Tendrils curved around the sides of her breasts before flowing up her arms and pinning her wrists to the mattress.
All the times he’d been teaching her how to seduce the prince, he’d also been learning how to seduce her. He knew everything about her body; he knew how and where she liked to be touched and how long to do it for.
It was a basic truth: she was made for Caspen, and Caspen was made for her.
“This is not just a necklace,” he said softly. “Then what is it?” Caspen paused, his fingers stroking the charm. “It is…a gesture of intent.” Tem frowned. “Intent to what?” His eyes found hers. “To marry you.”
“I am weak when it comes to you, Tem. I cannot control my actions. I cannot follow logic or reason. All I think about is you. I wonder what you are doing and who you are doing it with. I obsess over every moment you are with the human prince, and I want to rip his head from his shoulders every time he touches you. It is not rational. It is not acceptable. But it is my reality, and there is nothing I can do about it.”
“Temptation, salvation, heaven, hell—you are everything, Tem. You are my undoing. You are beyond comprehension. There are no sufficient words to describe you, either in my language or yours.” His hands moved to her face, cupping her jaw. “My compass points to you. I could not change direction even if I wanted to.”
“I am undone by you,” he said. “I crave your scent, your skin, your voice. I think about you all the time, to the point of destruction. You are unbearably overwhelming. I cannot resist you no matter how hard I try.”
“I am afraid of how much you mean to me. You occupy every inch of my mind. If anyone ever hurts you, I will rip them apart. No one compares to you. No basilisk or human has ever captivated me the way you do. I want to fuck you all the time. I want to come inside you.”
“Only rich people have scars from carriage accidents.” “I am a rich person, Tem.” “Don’t remind me. It’s one of your more abysmal qualities.”
Nothing was simple with Caspen; nothing was straightforward. It never had been. She resented him for driving her into Leo’s arms, and she hated how much solace she had found in them.
Tem had no choice but to comprehend the most fundamental thing that now rang true: her heart was in two places, and things would not be easy for her.
“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?”
“He may have made you wet, but I will make you come.”
“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.”
I want you to choose me because you want me, Tem. Not because you’re in a fight with him.”
I’m still angry with you. Then come be angry in my arms. I must see you.
“I want you spread open in front of me. I want to bury myself in your cunt until you can’t fucking breathe.”
“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.”
I cannot live without you. Even if it means I only have some part of you, that is far preferable to no part of you at all.”
“I understand that basilisks live very long lives. You will have nearly an eternity together.” His gaze moved to Tem, and his next words were a whisper. “I just…want you while I can have you.”
“You are also courageous. And irresistible. And you invariably make me a better person, even when I struggle to return the favor. In short, you are too good for me. But I’m asking for you anyway.”
“I am greedy when it comes to you, Tem. I want every moment you’re willing to give me. Even if our marriage offers me nothing but the opportunity to humble myself before you, it would be worth it to spend what’s left of my life in your presence.” He opened the box. “Would you do me the honor of being my queen?”
He knew, beyond doubt, that the only person who loved Tem as much as he did was Caspen. It didn’t make it any easier.
