Page 274 of Split or Swallow

Leo leaned in, and she craned her neck to look up at him.

“I want all of you,” he said deliberately. “Or I don’t want you at all.”

They stared at each other, both breathing hard. Then Leo turned once more, and Tem stayed two steps behind him all the way back through the maze.

When they reached the castle, Leo whirled around one last time.

“And to answer your question,” he snapped. “Yes. You’re in the final three. Whether you want to be or not.”

He swept away, leaving Tem alone on the edge of the ballroom. Leo’s message was clear: he was punishing her for her connection with Caspen. He knew it was difficult for her to love them both—even more difficult when Leo presented himself as a viable option. It would be cruel to eliminate her—crueler still to keep her in the competition. He would force Tem to choose: to tear herself in two.

Torture indeed.

Tem found the closest glass of whiskey and threw it down her throat. She wished she could simply leave. But where to go? She couldn’t go back to the caves. She couldn’t go back to the farm. There was no place for Tem—no shelter from the storm. Her only option was to take another whiskey and slip into the crowd, losing herself amongst the guests until eventually she was drunk. At one point Gabriel found her, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before disappearing back into the kitchen with a wave of his bandaged hand. She barely noticed him. Instead Tem watched as several footmen assembled the podiums, placing them at the end of the ballroom. There were only three. Tem remembered when there were eleven.

A sharp clink clink clink rang out and Tem turned to see Maximus tapping a knife on a wine glass.

“Thank you all for being here tonight,” he began, his shrewd gray eyes appraising the crowd. “My family is grateful for your support.”

Beside him, Leo scowled.

“Would the five remaining ladies kindly step forward?”

Tem took one last gulp of whiskey before following the other girls to the podiums. They stood in a single file line, the way they always did, facing the prince. Maximus was still talking:

“The time has come for my son to make an important decision. The three young ladies he chooses tonight will reside in the castle for the remainder of the elimination process. When he is ready, my son will choose a wife.”

Beside Tem, Vera puffed out her chest. Maximus continued:

“The next time we gather, it will be for a wedding.”

Dread darkened Tem’s vision. The whiskey wasn’t helping anymore.

Leo stepped forward, and the elimination began.

Instead of approaching the girls like he had in the past, Leo had them come to him. He extended his hand to the girl on Tem’s right, and the crowd cheered as she walked forward, took his hand, and stepped onto the second podium. Tem did⁠n’t know the girl’s name, and she didn’t care to. She only knew the name of the girl Leo would pick next:

Vera.

Maximus’s mouth twitched into a smile as Vera took Leo’s hand and mounted the first podium. The crowd cheered even louder.

Tem stood between the last two girls, wondering if they already knew they were out. She straightened her shoulders. Leo didn’t even extend his hand to her. He merely looked Tem in the eye before jerking his head at the third podium, directing her like a dog learning a trick.

Last again.

Tem didn’t need to look at Maximus to feel the fury radiating off of him as she walked forward to claim her podium. She stood there proudly, just as she always had, refusing to let anyone here make her feel like she was worth any less than the girls who stood beside her.

Vera was positively beaming; Tem could feel her condescending smile even from here.

Leo looked only at Tem.

There was such jealousy in his eyes. Such anger. The time for allowances had clearly passed; the prince was done giving Tem a break simply because he wanted her.

The time will come when you will have to choose.

Leo’s future would be easier if he chose Vera. She was the village favorite, and his father’s favorite too. If Tem wanted him to choose her—and if she wanted to save his life—she had to give him a reason to do so.

Someone touched Tem’s hand—a servant helping her down from the podium. Tem followed the other two girls out of the ballroom and up a flight of stairs. They were headed to Leo’s floor. Tem recognized the towering portrait of father and son as she ascended the stairs. When they reached the landing, the servant directed each of the girls to their rooms. Tem’s room was at the very end of the hallway, furthest from Leo’s.