Page 173 of Between Two Kings

Leo was hers. They belonged to each other.

He was standing too close. They were breathing the same air. The predator in her screamed for release. In another world, they would kiss. In another world, they would get in his bed and never leave it. But in this one, they simply stared at each other, both of them bound by promises they had made to the people they loved. The problem was they also loved each other.

“Is there no chance for us?” Leo whispered.

Tem couldn’t answer. She didn’t dare.

“Answer me, Tem.”

An order. One she couldn’t obey.

“You promised,” Leo whispered, his lips inches from hers. “Remember? You promised you wouldn’t lie to me.”

Tem closed her eyes because she couldn’t look at him anymore. Of course she remembered. She remembered it like it was yesterday. But she could no longer keep that promise. If she told Leo the truth, that they had a chance—that they would always have a chance—it would destroy him. She couldn’t do that to him. Not again.

Tem opened her eyes. “Your future wife is waiting for you, Leo.”

Darkness passed over him. “And your husband is waiting for you. Although depending on this fight, I suppose he might not be your husband for long.”

Tem hated how right he was. “Caspen will win,” she whispered.

This time, Leo didn’t say he wanted him to. “It doesn’t matter, Tem. Just fix this so we can move forward.”

Tem pursed her lips. It wasn’t so simple, and Leo knew it. Things were delicate under the mountain. If one tinder flickered into flame, it could set the entire kingdom on fire.

“I’m trying to fix it,” she whispered. “You know I am.”

He shook his head. “Don’t try. Just do it.” Leo slammed his whiskey down on the desk. A moment later he was gone.

Caspen was asleep in their bed when Tem returned. Dirt was smeared on his neck, along with blood. He’d been hunting.

“Caspen,” she whispered. He didn’t stir. She felt for the corridor between their minds, but it was closed.

“Caspen,” she said again, louder this time.

His eyes opened slowly. “Tem,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry,” she said immediately.

Caspen rose an expectant brow. He sat up slowly, holding her gaze. “For?”

“For…”

There was so much to be sorry for. It wasn’t just the evening’s events that warranted an apology—it was everything that had happened since Tem got married to Leo. Everything had gone wrong, and she was running out of ideas on how to fix it.

“I’m sorry Evelyn called you a snake.” It was the least she could say.

Caspen lifted his chin. “She is the snake.”

Tem had no response for that. Evelyn was duplicitous and scheming and cruel. She moved quietly in the darkness, then lied when she was exposed. He was right; Evelyn was a snake.

There was a long pause, and Tem wondered whether she should also apologize for staying behind to talk to Leo. Before she could decide, Caspen said, “The Senecas will arrive tonight.”

Dread twisted Tem’s stomach. “For the tournament?”

“Yes. There will be a celebration, at the lake. The tournament will begin tomorrow.”

She nodded. A couple days. That’s how much longer they had to go without touching each other. She could survive that. Couldn’t she?