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

by Lindsay Straube

“You hold the stars in your hands,”

“There is no need to be afraid of me.” “I’m not afraid of you.” His head tilted the other direction. “Then what are you afraid of?” Tem didn’t know how to put it into words. So she simply said, “Failing.”

“There’s no need to be rude,” she hissed. “I know there’s no need. I’m rude because I want to be.”

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

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.”

“I think you like me, but you don’t know why. You want me, but you wish you didn’t. You’re used to getting what you want, but part of you likes that you can’t get me.” His other eyebrow rose. “Can’t I?” “No,” Tem said firmly. “Not until you’ve earned me.”

“I’m not going to kiss you,” he said. Tem was too shocked to react properly. “Why not?” He stepped closer. “Because if I kiss you, I’ll try to take you upstairs. And you’re not going to let me.” Tem opened her mouth, but he kept talking. “And you were right. I’m not used to hearing the word no. And I don’t want to hear it from you. Certainly not after I had to see you in this dress”—he brushed his fingertips along her waist so lightly she almost didn’t notice until it was over—“all fucking evening.”

“You chose it,” she whispered. “Apparently I’m partial to torture.” There was a pause, and he stepped even closer. “I’m not going to kiss you. Instead, I’m going to picture everything I want to do to you without that dress on. And I’m going to pretend that someday you’ll let me do it.”

“I find you extraordinary, Tem.”

“Look at you,” he whispered. “Perfection.”

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.

She was his sun. He revolved around her.

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

“My love for you is my burden to bear.”

“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? Is that what I am?” His grip tightened on her shoulders. “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,”

“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.

“You’re gorgeous when you’re angry,”

“I’m gorgeous all the time. Now tell me what you’re doing here.”

“Her name is Temperance. You might want to learn it, considering she’s going to be my wife.” “I will take away your title before I let you choose her.” “And crown Lilly king? That’s rather progressive of you. I didn’t realize you’d changed your stance on women in leadership. Mother would be so proud.”

“Careful, Tem. Too many compliments and I may develop an ego.” Tem rolled her eyes. “Please. We both know it’s far too late for that.”

“I proposed to you because a life without you is not a life I care to live.”

The necklace was not just a gesture—no mere trinket to symbolize his intentions. Caspen had bled for her.

“It was worth it. For you, I would give anything.”

“There is no limit to what I would do for those I love.”

“A healed wound still bears a scar.”

“What do you wish for me to say? You are precious to me, Tem.” His voice almost broke. “I do not want anything to happen to you.

“Thank you,” she said. He arched an eyebrow. “For what?” “For being my refuge.”

“Knowing you has been the single most torturous experience of my life.”

“You’re the one who asked me to torture you, remember?” “I’m rather regretting that now.”

“Wicked, wicked girl.”

It was just so easy with Caspen—so right. Tem felt their connection even when her mind was closed off to him, even when she was so angry she couldn’t think straight. He was her other half. He was hers.

“She liked that,” Caspen said. “Do it again.”

they were fated—beyond comprehension, beyond logic, beyond reason—their very matter intertwined in an impenetrable thread. They would not be broken. Ever.

“I will always love you, Tem,” he whispered. “In any form.”

“Beg,” she whispered. “Beg me, Caspen.” “A king does not beg.” “He does for his queen.”

“I know you have always doubted my intentions,” he said. “And I don’t blame you, considering my past. But know this: I will never do anything to hurt you.”

“Know this also: I want you. And I know that’s not what you want to hear. And I know you don’t want me back—at least not enough to justify betraying whatever connection you have with him. But 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’d rather have half of you than all of Vera. Even if it means sharing you for the rest of my life.”

“There is nothing I would not do for you.”

“I know my time with you is somewhat borrowed,” Leo said quietly. “And I know that I will never have all of you. But, Tem.” He paused, looking her right in the eye. “It is without ego that I say your presence in my life has changed me immeasurably. You are headstrong. And stubborn. And infuriatingly difficult to please.”

“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?”

“Love is complicated. It never goes away, only changes.”

“I need to get to my dress fitting, Leo.” “No, you don’t. You need to kiss me.” “I’m the bride, remember?” “We’ll get married naked. It’ll be delightful. The guests will love it.” “Leo.” “Tem,”

There were far worse things, Tem realized, than to be loved by two people. She had no desire to live an ordinary life—a life devoid of passion and challenge and truth. She had always been destined for more. Her path may not have been a conventional one, but it was hers, and she wouldn’t trade it for anyone else’s.

All the broken pieces of her identity came together in one perfect, limitless point. Her power was cosmic—as vast as the stars.