Page 119 of Between Two Kings

Gabriel nodded, his eyes bright. Tem had never seen him like this. His joy was indisputable; he was glowing from the inside out. It was a distinctly basilisk trait to gain energy from sex, and Gabriel had that in spades. Perhaps he was more suited for this life than Tem was.

“See you tomorrow, dearest,” Gabriel said, pulling her in for a kiss.

His lips had barely touched her cheek when a horrible cry pierced the air.

Chapter Twenty

Everyone in the courtyard froze.

Tem followed Caspen’s gaze to the far wall, where something had been scrawled on the stone. Four words, indisputably written in blood.

Give her to us.

There was a single, hair-raising moment of silence. Then, pandemonium.

The courtyard erupted into chaos as Caspen grabbed Tem by the waist and yanked her toward the passageway. The last thing she saw before the crowd swallowed them was Damon doing the same with Gabriel.

“Where are we going?” Tem cried.

“Our chambers. We will be safe there.”

“But Gabriel—”

“Damon will protect him.”

Somehow, Tem knew he was right. If the way they’d bonded tonight was any indication, there was no safer person for Gabriel to be with.

“I don’t understand,” Tem stammered. “What happened?”

“They are warning us,” Caspen replied, his voice low. He was still steering her quickly through the passageway.

“Who is?”

“The Senecas.”

Tem couldn’t help but think of the message on the church steps: Feed us. The similarities were striking—both demands, both desperate.

“If we don’t give you to them,” Caspen continued, “they will take you.”

She remembered what Caspen had told her on the first night of mating season: They feel they are owed your allegiance.

“How can they take me?”

Caspen didn’t answer. They had reached their chambers, and he nearly pushed Tem onto the bed.

“Caspen,” she cried as he wrapped his arms around her, crushing her protectively against his chest. He only held her tighter. Their minds were still intertwined, and a torrent of fear and possession raged inside his head.

“Caspen.” She touched his face, looking him in the eye. “I’m fine. I’m right here. And I’m not going anywhere.”

They held eye contact, and Tem saw just how truly worried he was for her. Up until tonight, she’d taken his stoicism for granted. But now she understood how deeply this affected him. Their relationship was constantly under threat—from the Senecas, from Leo, from his own brother. It was a daily battle simply to hold on to each other when everything around them was tearing them apart.

“I cannot lose you, Tem,” Caspen whispered.

“You won’t. I promise.”

He looked her in the eyes.

Everything was always fast and brutal between them—passion in favor of rationality. But now, Tem savored the time between when they locked eyes and Caspen’s lips finally touched hers. They kissed like it was the first time: slow and sensual and intimate. Tem missed this side of Caspen. His rough edges were even rougher under the mountain, almost as if his proximity to his people hardened him. She didn’t begrudge him his true nature, but sometimes she missed the side of him that was soft with her—she was happy to see that side again now.