Page 50 of Split or Swallow

This voice was desperate and strained. It sounded weak—like whoever was speaking was on the brink of passing out. Tem closed her eyes to block out the p⁠a⁠r⁠t⁠y, concentrating with all her might. But the voice didn’t come again. All that remained was a heavy rock of dread in her stomach. Whoever the voice belonged to was in pain. Tem’s heart hurt for them, and she didn’t even know them. The dread deepened.

She wanted to get out of the castle. There was something dark going on here—something wrong. It grated against her energy in a way she didn’t understand, and all she wanted to do was leave.

Tem wove through the crowd, heading toward the enormous double doors at the end of the ballroom. She pushed past everyone in her way, clawing toward the green hedges of the garden. The freezing night air hit her the second she was outside, lifting goosebumps on her arms and chilling her straight to the bone. There was a birdbath just a few yards away. Tem clung to it, gripping it with both hands, staring down into the still water. It took several minutes before she had the strength to look up again, and when she did, she realized it wasn’t just a hedge she had seen. It was a maze.

The walls of the maze stretched on in an endless structure of sculpted corners. Tem couldn’t see past the first passageway, but she knew it must go on for miles. A hedge maze was exactly the kind of useless thing the royals would spend money on.

Behind her, footsteps approached. Leo’s reflection appeared in the water.

“Perfect,” Tem muttered in greeting.

“Good evening to you, too,” Leo said with an amused smile.

She heaved a huge sigh, turning to face him.

“Good evening, Leo.”

His smile widened.

“You’ve abandoned your date,” Tem said tartly.

Leo shrugged.

“She won’t mind.”

“I think she might.”

“What I meant was, I won’t mind. She’s not much of a conversationalist.”

“Then why spend time with her?”

He smirked. “She’s talented in other areas.”

Tem scowled. It was standard for the girls to throw themselves at Leo during the elimination process. Most of them would try to have sex with him long before the final elimination. And Leo would surely let them. Of course he would brag about it. Tem wanted to slap him. Instead, she said:

“If that’s the case, why waste time talking to me?”

“I prefer your company. I want you here, remember?”

“Can’t imagine why.”

Leo ran his eyes over her greedily. “Can’t you?”

He was far too close for comfort. Tem shifted away, gripping the sides of the birdbath until her skin turned white. Leo swirled his drink, which was nearly em⁠p⁠t⁠y.

“You don’t seem to enjoy these parties, Tem.”

“Well spotted.”

“We could go somewhere else if you prefer,” he said.

“Where?”

“My room.”

Tem rolled her eyes. “No, thank you.”

“Shame,” Leo sighed dramatically. “It’s been a while since anyone’s stayed overnight. Perhaps my seduction method needs tweaking.”