Page 208 of Split or Swallow

Tem could only nod.

Caspen disappeared for a moment before returning with a clean linen. He pulled her legs open gently and began wiping the blood from her thighs. Tem watched him as he did it, and despite her exhaustion, she was struck by his tenderness. The linen was warm and soft. He cleaned every part of her, and when he was done, he ran the towel over his own legs, removing the last traces of the ritual.

Then he looked down at her.

“Can I get you anything, Tem?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“I just want you.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. He climbed into bed beside her, pulling her into his arms.

“You have me.”

In response, she kissed him, and for a while that was all they did. But eventual⁠⁠l⁠y, Tem wrapped her legs around him. She traced her fingers gently down his cock, coaxing it between her thighs.

“Tem,” Caspen murmured. “It is over. You should sleep.”

But she shook her head.

“Please.”

Caspen sighed. “I cannot say no to you, Tem.”

“Then don’t.”

They had sex once more. Just the two of them, alone, with nobody watching. They fucked slowly, with no agenda or deadline. Several times, they stopped just to kiss before starting up again. Caspen brushed his lips softly over every inch of Tem’s skin, pressing kisses to her neck, her wrists, her collarbones. He kissed each of her fingertips one by one, then he kissed the freckles on the palms of her hands. He had already healed her injuries, but it felt as if he were healing her all over again, the cooling pulse of his magic blooming wherever his skin touched hers.

Tem didn’t think she could climax again. Yet somehow, with Caspen thrusting slowly between her legs, she felt herself building toward it once more.

“Caspen,” she whispered.

“Tem,” he whispered back.

She came. A moment later, so did Caspen. She fell asleep while he was still inside her.

Tem awoke in a fog.

Her mind was tired, her body more so. It was as if she had been trampled by a carriage. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Caspen was already awake, watching her.

“Tem,” his voice was low and hopeful. “How do you feel?”

Tem groaned in response. She was sore everywhere—her back ached; her hips hurt. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was.

Then she remembered.

The events of the previous night rushed over her in a relentless wave, threatening to overwhelm her. She remembered the auditorium, the altar, the king’s body beneath hers. She remembered every single time Caspen had entered her in the public suite, and how by the end of it, she was nearly split in half.

“Tem,” his voice came back to her, its urgency increased. “Please answer me. Are you in any pain?”

She could only nod.

At her response, Caspen sat up. He placed his palm flat on her stomach and closed his eyes. There was a cool pulse, and suddenly the aches disappeared. Tem felt immediately better physically, but she knew he could do nothing for the emotional exhaustion that clouded her brain like smoke.

“Caspen,” she whispered. “Was I enough?”