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

by Lindsay Straube

“You hold the stars in your hands,” her mother had always said, rubbing Tem’s fingers between hers. “Just like your father.”

When she finally slept, she dreamed of fire. It didn’t burn her. Rather, it warmed her gently, from the tips of her toes to the base of her skull. The fire felt familiar somehow, as if it were sent by someone she had known a long time ago. Flames licked her fingers, her palms, her arms. A single breath brushed her cheek. Then it was over.

Inadequacy was but a single feather on the wing of her insecurities.

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.

“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.”

“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.”

Caspen’s hand wrapped around her throat, arching her neck back so he could position his face directly over hers. He opened his mouth but didn’t kiss her. Instead, he made a guttural sound—something between a hiss and a growl, something completely and undeniably inhuman. Tem felt him come at the exact same time as a black liquid emerged from his mouth.