Kiss of the Basilisk (Split or Swallow, #1)

by Lindsay Straube

“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.”

As Tem climbed the church steps, she looked at the stone statues of the gods—the ones whose anatomy was so staggeringly inferior to Caspen’s. If these were the gods, then what did that make him?

They stared at each other for a long moment. His next words were barely a whisper. “You are not meant to be tamed, Tem.”

She clung to him. It felt like her soul had been cracked open. “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.”

Her eyes were still closed. But she longed to open them—needed to open them. She wanted to see Caspen in his true form. She wanted to understand this final, most fundamental part of him. It didn’t matter that it would surely kill her. Tem had never been afraid of dying anyway. So she opened her eyes.

All she knew was that he owned her completely, whether he wanted to or not.

Was that what she looked like to him? Surely, he was embellishing the vision. Tem had never seen herself like that: beautiful, fierce, a sexual being—a woman. It was incredible to see what he saw, to view herself through the lens of his desire.

“Sixty seconds with you is worth an hour with Vera,” he said quietly.

“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.”

“Yes.” He was still holding her face. “It made me want to know you.” “But why?” “Because, Tem.” He pulled her closer. “You are worth knowing.”

There was such unrestrained certainty in his desire—such unparalleled ownership—that Tem finally understood what Caspen had said earlier. Protecting her was his most basic instinct. It was at the forefront of his mind, even greater than his lust, which was stronger than anything she had ever felt. Caspen wanted—needed—her. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice—including himself—if it would guarantee her safety. Tem couldn’t believe Caspen was willing to be this vulnerable. It was like seeing straight into his heart. Everything he had said was true.

Caspen wanted her on a primal level—one that went far beyond the limitations of his true form or her courtship with the prince. He wanted her in a way that was possessive, irreversible, and guaranteed to result in consequences if he didn’t have her. He wanted her more than life itself because a life without her wasn’t one he cared to live.

Mine. Only mine. Tem nodded eagerly. Yours. Only yours.

“Going for a casual look tonight, are we?” He kissed her cheek. “I like it.” “You’re probably the only one.” “Please, Tem. If the prince doesn’t want you in linen, he doesn’t deserve you in silk.”

“Then what do you want from me?” His hand slid slowly down her arm until his fingers were just brushing hers. Tem was distinctly aware of the way they were standing together, sequestered alone at the edge of the ballroom. The claw pulsed softly. “Everything.”

“You are my future. It is as simple as that.”

“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.”

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.”

“We kissed for too long,” she whispered. “Impossible,” he breathed. “I’d kiss you forever if I could.”

“Because you asked me to impress you. And the only thing that seems to impress you is honesty. So I’m trying to be truthful about my past.” He paused, meeting her eye. “If it was a mistake, I pray you’ll forgive me. But I want you to know who I am.”