Page 244 of Split or Swallow

“Tem,” he leaned in. “Of course I would. It is true that you are a source of power for me. But that is not why I am with you. Do not forget that you are a Hybreed. Everything I can do, you can do as well.”

Tem absorbed the meaning of his words. Caspen spoke before she could:

“I am a source of power for you too, Tem.”

It was an interesting thought. She wanted to know more, but another fear was seeping into her heart—one she didn’t want to face. Her next question was a whisper:

“What if I never transition? Will you still love me?”

Caspen pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I fell in love with you when I thought you were human. Please do not insult me by assuming I would not love you otherwise.”

Tem hadn’t thought of it that way. At first she’d been angry with Caspen for concealing the fact that she was a Hybreed. But now she considered his choice from a different perspective. If he’d never told her, she may never have found out, and they would have continued on as they had been: her as a human, him as a basilisk. They might have lived like that for the rest of their time together. Caspen had never pushed her to do anything she wasn’t ready to do—never needed her to be anything other than human.

His next words confirmed it:

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

There was nothing more to say after that. Tem knew in her heart that Caspen’s interest in her was not transactional—that their connection went far deeper than a mere exchange of power. He would have abandoned her long ago if that were the case. There was no guarantee she would be able to transition—no guarantee she would ever reach her full potential. He’d loved her before he saw her freckles. He would always love her.

Caspen kissed her again, and she kissed him back.

Eventually, he drew away.

“It is nearly morning,” he said quietly. “Your mother will be waiting.”

It seemed wrong to leave without having sex. But Tem was still exhausted—her body had been through far too much in the past few days, and she suspected Caspen knew this. He walked her to the head of the trail, kissing her deeply before letting her go.

The morning was a cold one; winter was beginning to set in. The last days of the autumn season were upon them, and soon the village would be covered in snow. Tem had always hated the snow. It was far too cold, and made her feel miserable. Now she wondered whether that was a distinctly basilisk trait. Snakes coveted warmth—they were drawn to it in their deep, dark caves. There was so much she didn’t know about herself—so much she had yet to discover.

Tem went about her farm chores in silence. She noticed the crow of every rooster, marveling at how they physically pained her. It was worse, somehow, now that she knew the truth. It was as if the glass had shattered on her life and she would never put it back together again.

When she entered the cottage, her mother was waiting for her.

“My dear,” she said quietly.

Tem sighed. There was still no closure between them—no resolution.

“Mother.”

A pause. And then:

“I should have told you sooner.”

Tem blinked. She hadn’t expected to hear that at all. Her mother stepped clos⁠er, taking Tem’s hands in hers.

“It was wrong of me to conceal something so important from you. I pray you’ll forgive me.”

Tem opened her mouth, then closed it again. Was she really going to blame her mother for keeping this secret when she was now keeping secrets of her own? Her mother had no idea what Tem had been up to under the mountain. She didn’t know that her daughter was engaged to a basilisk—that Tem was practically following in her footsteps. So she said:

“Of course I forgive you.”

Relief flooded her mother’s face. She squeezed Tem’s hands, then dropped them.

“I know you must have many questions. And I will answer them, but later. For now, I was planning on going to the bakery.”

Tem knew it was her way of making peace—of sparing her from a needlessly cruel encounter with Vera.