Page 208 of Between Two Kings

Tem stared at the wound, her throat tight, her hands clenched into fists. It wasn’t just a physical injury. Tem remembered what Caspen had said to her—how the bite of a basilisk created the ability to siphon power from the victim. Caspen and Rowe were now connected. There was a link between them—one that Rowe could use to take his power.

Tem had no idea how it worked, whether Rowe could take it all at once or whether it would be a slow process. All she knew was that Caspen was bleeding, and she would never forgive herself.

Everyone in the arena was on their feet. Tem watched as Caspen transitioned back into a human, still on the ground, still bleeding. Rowe transitioned after, raising his fists above his head.

“What does this mean? Adelaide?” Tem’s voice went up an octave. “What does it mean?”

Adelaide turned to look at Tem, her face pale. “It means Rowe won.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Tem was numb.

The cheers of the crowd dimmed, as if someone had thrown a blanket over the arena.

“Temperance,” Adelaide was saying. “All is not lost.”

But Tem barely heard her. Rowe had won. Everything was lost.

“You must remember that your heart will make the ultimate choice. All this means is that Rowe has earned a spot in the third tier. That is all.”

“That’s all?”

But that was a disaster. That guaranteed Tem would have to fuck him.

How could Caspen let this happen? But Tem didn’t bother answering that question. It wasn’t his fault. She had let this happen. Apollo had warned her; Apollo had tried to help. She was not at her best, so Caspen hadn’t been either. She put her head in her hands.

“Temperance,” Adelaide said in her ear. “Stand up. You must go down to the arena.”

Tem remembered the structure of the tournament—how there were no breaks, and it would run until the third tier was over. It was much like the ritual in that way. Basilisks were not prone to pacing themselves.

“This tier is meant to measure sexual compatibility,” Adelaide was saying as she lead them down the steps, Apollo close behind. “The remaining contenders will pleasure themselves in front of you, and the results will determine the order of the final round of the tournament.”

“What do you mean?”

“It is a contest in speed,” she said. “Whoever finishes the quickest will receive the spot of honor in the third tier.”

“And which spot is that?”

“Last.”

Tem thought about the third tier—how she would have to ride each of her potential prospects all in a row.

“As soon as everyone has finished and the order is determined, the third tier will begin.”

By now they had reached the arena floor. The moment Tem stepped out onto the sand, the crowd screamed. Caspen and Rowe were already gone; Tem saw them in the stands, watching in their human forms. Caspen’s neck was still bleeding. The remaining contenders stood in a semicircle, half of them already hard. Tem stared at the blood-soaked sand at their feet, her throat tight with uncertainty as she reached them.

“But what do I…do?”

“You simply stand here,” Adelaide said. “They must climax only to the sight of you. You are not meant to do anything that might influence them.”

Tem looked at the ten men in front of her. Eros was on the end of the semicircle, closest to Tem. Apollo left her side, taking a spot in the middle. Tem ran her eyes over every basilisk, trying to imagine what they were thinking. They looked back at her eagerly, and she remembered how Adelaide had said this was the first tournament in decades. They had waited a long time for this. The least she could do was let them enjoy it.

Adelaide clapped her hands, and the arena quieted. Then she cried, “Begin.”

Immediately, the men began to stroke.

The same urge that had reared its head during the first tier did so again now, her basilisk side desperately turned on by the proceedings. That side loved the way it felt to have the men before her compete for her hand—to prove themselves to her the way Tem had so often had to prove herself to others. For once, Tem was in the position of power. For once, she was not trying to impress anyone. They were trying to impress her. All at her disposal. All hers. Tem crossed her arms, ready to see who finished first.