Page 205 of Between Two Kings

“The tournament will run until the winner has been chosen. It is not possible to leave before it is over. Kora’s magic will keep you here.”

Tem put her head in her hands.

Adelaide touched her shoulder gently. “Temperance, listen to me. Apollo and Caspenon will let no harm come to you. They love you.”

“Caspen loves me.”

“Apollo loves you too, in his own way.”

“Apollo isn’t capable of love.”

Adelaide smiled. “You are wrong to assume that. Love can take many forms.”

Tem wrinkled her nose.

At her expression, Adelaide smiled. “You do not have to love him back. It is possible he would not respect you if you did. But he loves you, Temperance. And you must allow him to show it in his own way. He would die for you as surely as Caspenon would.”

Her mother had once told her that true love was sacrificing your happiness for theirs. Was it a step further to sacrifice oneself? She wanted everyone in Caspen’s family to live very long lives that were not cut short by anything to do with her.

“I don’t want Apollo to die for me. I don’t want anyone to die for me.”

Adelaide gave her a gentle smile. “That is not for you to decide. We are basilisks, Temperance. The brothers come to this willingly.”

A moment later, one of the brothers was beside her.

Tem felt Apollo before she saw him, his body heating the air as he joined her on the bench. Immediately, Tem felt as if she could breathe again. She turned to him. But before she could say anything, Adelaide spoke.

“Look, Temperance. It begins.”

The arena roared to life as Caspen and Rowe began to circle each other. Great clouds of smoke billowed from their bodies, filling the air. Pure fear shot through Tem. This was it. They were about to transition. Tem watched as Caspen turned first, his body elongating to release the monster within. She stared at his beautiful obsidian scales, remembering the first time she saw them. Caspen had nearly killed her that night in the cave. Tem almost wished he had. Then none of this would have happened.

Rowe transitioned next.

He roared as he turned, his head whipping up proudly. His scales were pure gold, the exact color of his false cock. Tem had never seen a basilisk that color before. Most were black, like Caspen. Sometimes they varied to green or even dark blue, but never gold. She remembered what Caspen said—how Rowe’s cock made him powerful. Did it make his true form powerful too? The thought made her nervous. Caspen was supposed to be powerful.

Caspen was supposed to win.

The air was suddenly sweltering. Even in a venue as enormous as the arena, two fully transitioned basilisks took up a lot of room. They circled each other just as they had when they were human, their giant bodies carving valleys in the sand. Then Rowe lunged.

Caspen dodged but just barely. Rowe moved uncommonly fast; Tem didn’t dare blink for fear of missing something. She couldn’t stop picturing Caspen getting hurt.

“Caspenon is strong, Temperance,” Adelaide said. “He will prevail. Try not to worry.”

But nothing could stop Tem from worrying. Caspen and Rowe thrashed violently before her, their bodies intertwining, then separating, then intertwining again at lightning speed. It was a wonder to watch, and if Tem hadn’t been so nervous, she might have enjoyed herself. Instead she clasped Adelaide’s hand so tightly, her fingers went numb.

Relax, Temperance, Apollo’s voice said in her mind.

I can’t.

You can. And you must.

Why?

Your energy directly affects Caspenon. He will need your strength.

But Tem had barely any strength left to give. She felt completely drained from the events of the last few days. She knew it was an effect of the crest—that Leo was not the only one weakened by her refusal to consummate.

When Rowe advanced on Caspen, Tem’s heart jumped.