Page 131 of Split or Swallow

“I’m not asking you to. I’m just asking what you want.”

“You know very well what I want.”

“But I don’t,” she cried. “You never confide in me. You never tell me how you feel. You expect me to read your mind, then you get angry when I can’t do it. You’re the one who won’t let me in. Not the other way around.”

Tem was on the verge of tears. She waited a moment before finishing quietly:

“You never talk about the future. I…don’t know what I am to you.”

Caspen was looking at her with unrestrained disbelief. She didn’t know if he was shocked by her words, or the way she had said them. Either way, it was a long time before he spoke, and when he did, his voice was barely a whisper:

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

Now the tears fell.

Because it was not simple. Not at all. Even though it was everything she’d ever wanted to hear from Caspen, Tem had no idea how they were supposed to be together. She didn’t fit in with his people, nor he with hers. A future with Caspen was of no benefit to her mother, or the farm. Things had never felt more impossible.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

He shrugged, the motion stilted. “It makes this complicated.”

“Was this not already complicated?”

Caspen shook his head. “It is more so now. You cannot comprehend the difficulty I am in.”

“Then tell me.”

He shook his head again. She’d pushed him too far; he was closing himself off from her. But Tem would not allow that anymore. If they had a future together, she deserved to have a say in it.

“Caspen,” she touched his arm, stepping closer. “Tell me.”

For a long time, Caspen stood motionless. Then he traced his fingertips along her shoulder and down the gold chain until he was touching the little claw between her breasts.

“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.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Are you saying we’re engaged?”

The room grew suddenly warmer. Tem could hardly breathe.

“No,” Caspen said quickly. “You would need to accept the proposal in order for us to be engaged.”

“Oh,” said Tem, still reeling from this revelation.

Now Rowe’s extreme reaction to the necklace made sense. Surely a basilisk and human pairing was uncommon, or even frowned upon.

“Well…” she said slowly. “…I accept.”