Page 315 of Split or Swallow

Leo gave her a sad smile.

“He’s your Evelyn.”

Tem did not reply, because she realized it was true.

“I don’t want to talk about Caspen,” she whispered.

His hand brushed slowly down the curve of her waist before slipping between her legs.

“Then we won’t talk,” he murmured as he slid his fingers inside her.

He touched her slowly, kissing her while he did it. Tem spread her legs for him, letting him go deeper, letting him touch everything he had earned the right to touch.

Eventually she asked for all of him, and he gave it to her.

By the time they had finished with one another, night was falling. The sky outside Leo’s window was rapidly turning black, and Tem knew they couldn’t stay here forever.

“If you want to meet with him,” she said, her lips still on his. “We should go tonight.”

Leo sighed. He propped himself up on his hands, looking down at her. For a moment, Tem wondered if he would go back on his word—if everything that had just happened wouldn’t be enough.

Then Leo nodded.

“Very well.”

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

Tem knew Caspen would never agree to meet with Leo. Their last meeting had gone so poorly she wasn’t at all optimistic about how things would go if he saw the prince again. But even if Tem wanted to ask Caspen for a meeting, she wouldn’t be able to anyway—their mental connection was so weak she couldn’t even feel for the doorway into his mind anymore.

They would simply have to show up and hope for the best.

Tem could feel the minutes slipping by as they dressed. She was still fighting a timeline—still praying she would be able to fix what she’d broken before it was too late.

When they were finally ready, Tem took Leo’s hand.

They walked to the stables together, and this time Tem knew nobody would stop them from leaving. The staff catered to Leo’s presence immediately, bowing their heads and preparing a carriage for them.

The ride was silent. Leo simply held her hand in his, stroking the pad of his thumb gently over her skin. Occasionally he would raise her fingers to his lips and kiss them. Tem leaned her head against his shoulder, trying not to think of what was to come. She didn’t have a plan beyond getting the two princes to speak reasonably to one another about the future of their people. Surely, two grown men could accomplish such a thing for the greater good.

Surely, this wouldn’t be an utter disaster.

The carriage dropped them off at the edge of the forest. They walked together into the woods and onto the trail that lead to the caves. When they passed through the wall, Leo raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. Tem didn’t feel like explaining how the basilisks were only vulnerable to mirrors when they wore their true forms. It wasn’t anything the prince needed to know right now.

Finally, they reached the base of the mountain.

“Leo,” Tem said quietly, stopping when they reached the entrance of Caspen’s cave. “Can I ask you a favor?”

He stopped too, looking at her in the darkness. Before she could speak, he said:

“You would prefer that he didn’t know we slept together.”

Tem pursed her lips.

“Yes.”

“I will not reveal it.”

She gave him a dubious look.