Page 248 of Split or Swallow

“But I didn’t feel anything,” she said slowly.

“That is because I claimed you for myself. My venom protected you from his crest.”

Tem remembered how she had swallowed the smoky black liquid.

“Are you sure?” she whispered.

“Yes,” Caspen said, his body still angled toward the door. “Only the king could bypass that protection. He is the only basilisk with enough power to crest anyone he wants.”

“What would have happened if Rowe had crested me?”

“I would have killed him,” Caspen snapped. “Like I wish to do now.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

He sighed, finally turning back to her. “Then what do you mean, Tem?”

“I mean…what would have happened to us?”

If possible, Caspen looked even angrier than he already did.

“I do not know for sure. You are a Hybreed, so you are both basilisk and human. The crest could have enslaved you. Or it could have killed you. If it had enslaved you, our bond as we know it would be broken. You would belong to him.”

“I can’t imagine that.”

“Neither can I.”

Tem tried to picture herself with Rowe instead of Caspen. The thought made her want to vomit.

“But how could he think he’d get away with cresting me? He couldn’t hide it, could he?”

“He would not hide it. That is the point. Everyone would know he crested you. He would fuck you in front of me and there would be nothing I could do about it.”

It was an awful thought. Tem couldn’t imagine being bound to someone like Rowe—someone who hated her—someone who didn’t care if she lived or died. Someone who would use her to torture Caspen.

“I wouldn’t let him.”

“You would not have a choice, Tem. The crest would bind you. Your only desire would be to please him.”

“That’s horrible.”

“It is. To crest another’s mate is unspeakably cruel. There is no way to reverse it. It is an unforgivable act of war. Rowe knows this.”

“So…what happens next?” Tem asked softly. “You can’t kill him. You know that.”

Caspen sighed.

“I know. But I must retaliate.”

“Can’t you just…I don’t know…teach him a lesson somehow?”

The corner of Caspen’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t a happy smile.

“That is exactly what I will do.”

A sliver of dread pierced Tem’s stomach, and she regretted her suggestion. But surely, whatever Caspen chose to do to Rowe would be better than killing him, wouldn’t it? As long as there were no more deaths on her hands, Tem could justify the outcome.

She stepped closer to him.