Page 207 of Split or Swallow

Keep her safe. Keep her safe. Keep her safe.

Even his presence in her mind was shifting, changing from something that felt human to something completely foreign to Tem—something animalistic and feral. It gnawed at the edges of her brain, clouding her vision and consuming her consciousness with its insatiable hunger, crushing her—smothering her.

Caspen’s cock was hard and unyielding and ridged, changing into something that was far too big for Tem’s body. It was stretching her—forcing her legs open beyond the point of comfort, far beyond what Tem’s hips could accommodate naturally. Blood joined her wetness.

The fine line between pain and pleasure blurred until it was nonexistent, both sensations twining together in her body and her mind in a indistinguishable thread.

Keep her safe.

But Tem was fading. It had been too long a day; she had been through too much. Hours of sex had left her exhausted, and she was becoming a mere shell of herself.

Keep. Her. Safe.

Her body strained to take him but it was impossible. Caspen was ripping her apart—breaking her, just like Rowe hoped. Every time he pulled away, each ridge of his cock shredded her on its way out before he pushed back in again. Her blood was everywhere. Tem shut her eyes against the wave of panic gripping her like a vice.

Then, with a horrible crack, Tem felt her pelvis break.

Pain slammed into her so sharply that she screamed.

At the sound of her scream, Caspen came with a feral roar—one that shattered her eardrums and cracked the stone walls of the suite. He released such a powerful wave of energy that the basilisks surrounding them knelt in unison, bowing their heads immediately to the floor.

The last thing Tem saw before she blacked out was Bastian walking toward them once more.

. . .

Caspen’s presence returned slowly to her mind, trickling into her skull like water. She barely heard the first time he whispered her name:

Tem.

It was only when he spoke again that his voice became clearer:

Please, Tem. Come back to me.

Tem opened her eyes.

She looked up at Caspen’s dark, concerned face. The only thing she knew was pain.

“Just take it away,” she begged, the words barely a whisper. “Caspen. Please.”

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Tem felt the pain subside, and she gasped in relief. It ebbed steadily away as her body stitched itself back together. Nothing had ever felt so good in her entire life. Relief washed over her as the pain in her pelvis retreated and her hip bones realigned.

Tem tried to sit up, but Caspen immediately held her down.

“Lie still,” he said, his voice tight with fear.

Tem allowed her head to fall back on the mattress. They were still in the suite, still surrounded by basilisks. A glimmer of starlight touched her face.

It was midnight.

Caspen gathered her in his arms, lifting her. Nobody stopped them.

Caspen carried her like that through the tunnels, all they way back to his chambers. When he laid her gently on his bed, she saw blood on his legs, and she knew it was hers.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice hoarse.

He shook his head.

“When will you learn that you have nothing to be sorry for? I am sorry.”