Page 219 of Split or Swallow

“They were not kind anyway,” Tem cried.

“Please, my dear. Try to understand.”

But Tem only shook her head. She held out her hands accusingly, brandishing her freckled palms.

“I deserved to know.”

Her mother didn’t respond.

Tem paced back and forth in the kitchen, trying to control her anger. It was unforgivable that she had been treated with such disrespect. This was her identity—her very being. To have so many people know her most intimate secret while not knowing it herself was nothing short of a violation. If she could not trust her own mother, who could she turn to?

She stopped pacing.

“I am going to Gabriel’s.”

Her mother’s eyebrows shot upward.

“You cannot tell that boy, Tem. Nobody can know.”

“Gabriel is trustworthy,” she said sharply, although she didn’t know whether anyone was trustworthy anymore. “And he is my friend.”

“Tem—you—”

But Tem was already out the door. Contrary to what she’d just said, she was not going to Gabriel’s. It was early; he was probably still asleep. Instead she would go to the place where she knew she would find the one person who was unequivocally on her side.

I…still come here most mornings. Just in case.

The church wasn’t far. By the time she reached it, the sun was rising in earnest, and Tem feared she would be too late. But when she started on the path through the graveyard, she saw a lone figure sitting on the bench on the hill.

Leo looked up in surprise as she approached.

“Tem?” his brows furrowed in concern as he stood. “What are you doing here?”

It was then that Tem realized she had no plan whatsoever. She couldn’t tell Leo she was a Hybreed. She couldn’t tell him about the ritual, about the Serpent King’s plan for the royal wedding, about the basilisks who were being tortured for their blood deep beneath the castle. There wasn’t a single thing she could say to him other than the truth:

“I wanted to see you.”

A curious expression came over Leo’s face. When he didn’t reply, Tem became suddenly aware that she had barged in on the prince’s private moment—that the only reason he was here was because he was hoping a different girl would show up.

Tem took a step backward.

“I’m sorry—” she said quickly, “—I shouldn’t have—”

“Yes,” he grabbed her hand. “You should have.”

Tem stared at his hand, his long fingers interlacing with her freckled ones.

“Spend the day with me,” Leo said.

Tem let out an incredulous laugh.

“Don’t you have duties to attend to?”

“My duties can wait.”

She was still standing two steps away, their hands clasped between them.

“Leo…”