Page 144 of Split or Swallow

What must he think of Tem? A student in love with her teacher. She would have to leave the competition if things progressed with Caspen. Her exit would undermine the entire elimination process. It was unheard of.

Or was it?

A conversation came back to her suddenly, striking her with the force of lightning:

“Has anyone ever left?” she asked.

“Once,” Caspen said. “But she was not my student.”

Why had that former student left? Tem wished she knew. She wished for a lot of things—for the council to approve her engagement, for Leo to forgive her, for her mother to live a life of leisure. But these were not wishes that would be granted tonight. For tonight, all Tem could do was go home and sleep. So she did.

The roosters crowed her awake.

Tem savored a few moments alone in the kitchen as she watched her mother tend to the garden. The festival would surely resume tonight. The Passing of the Crown was in a few days, and the proper buildup would need to commence. Tonight’s event was a significant one: the prince would kiss each of his remaining prospects in front of the entire village, during which the villagers would vote for their favorite girl. The voting was simple: whoever the crowd cheered for loudest was the winner.

On its surface, it seemed like a way to include the villagers in the elimination process. Whoever the prince picked would eventually be their queen, after all. The subjects of the kingdom deserved to have a say in who ruled them. In reality, it had little to no bearing on who the prince actually chose. It was all for show—nothing more than a way to appease the crowd and make them feel as if they had a voice. For Tem, the chicken shit girl, it was just another public humiliation. That is, unless Leo hadn’t already eliminated her.

Tem would never forget the way he’d looked at her last night—like she’d torn his heart straight from his chest. She hadn’t known she was capable of making a man look at her like that. Now she held two men in the palms of her hands. Tem looked down at the sprinkle of freckles scattered across her skin. She thought about how she’d threaded those very same fingers through Caspen’s hair as he’d buried his head between her legs last night.

The claw pulsed.

Tem reached for Caspen with her mind, but the corridor between them was shut. Before she could worry about this, she heard:

“How did it go, my dear?”

Her mother stood in the doorway. Tem had no idea how to answer her. The last thing she wanted was to shatter the illusion that they had hope for a better future. But she couldn’t tell her mother where she stood with Leo—not when Tem herself barely knew.

“It went…better than expected.”

Considering she’d expected the meeting between Caspen and Leo to result in bloodshed, it was the best thing she could think to say.

“That’s wonderful.”

Tem didn’t reply.

The claw pulsed again, harder this time. It was so strong she could feel her wetness beginning to drip down her legs. Tem excused herself hurriedly, desperate to be alone. The bathroom was closest, and by the time she reached it, the sensation was nearly unbearable.

Tem barely managed to shut the door before crossing to the only window, ful⁠l⁠y prepared to climb out and run back to the caves. All she could think about was getting to Caspen. She needed to taste him, to let him taste her. She wanted nothing more than to be in his chambers, alone, so they could touch each other without anyone watching. Tem bit her lip, ready to cry out—ready to finish. Suddenly, the pulses ceased.

Her mouth fell open in shock.

To be brought to the edge—to come so close to the brink, only to be denied, was nothing short of torture. She waited, her hands on the windowsill, desperate for just one more pulse.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, Caspen whispered a single word into her mind:

Stay.

Tem stood there, frozen, staring out the open window. A breeze swept into the bathroom, snapping her from her stupor.

Caspen wanted her to stay. He had denied her, then rejected her. Was there a worse feeling in the world? They were supposed to be engaged—he was supposed to be getting the council’s approval right now.

Tem held back tears as she closed the window, pulling the curtains shut. She didn’t know what to do with herself. Half of her wanted to cry. The other half felt downright ravenous, as if she could rip apart raw meat with her teeth. She hated how much control Caspen had, even when he was nowhere near her. Just when she was about to return to the kitchen, another word came, sending her heart into a gallop:

Undress.

And just like that, he had ensnared her again.