Page 304 of Split or Swallow

“The royals have been capturing basilisks ever since the war. This is what they do to them. It’s called bloodletting—” she pointed at the wires, “—and it’s the reason your family is so wealthy.”

Leo gripped her hand to the point of pain. Kronos closed his eyes.

“It’s cruel, Leo. It’s inhumane.”

Her choice of words was not an accident. She desperately needed to humanize her father—to show Leo that his life mattered—and by extension, Tem’s life too.

“It’s been happening for centuries. And it will continue to happen until someone breaks the cycle. That person should be you.”

Leo’s jaw was clenched. He didn’t look at her.

“I cannot break it off with Caspen. We have a bond that goes beyond love. We are…connected. I’m bound to him, Leo,” she finished soft⁠ly. “I will always be bound to him.”

Leo pulled his hand from hers. Tem fell silent.

All the parts of her were finally unfolded before him—all the secrets she’d kept for so long. He’d asked her not to lie to him, and she had. She’d lied so much. But she’d lied to protect him. She’d lied because she cared. Was it really such a sin to lie to protect the ones you love?

Leo turned to her.

“You’re one of…them?”

“Yes,” Tem whispered. “I am.”

His expression was unreadable. There was no telling which direction he was leaning in—which path he would choose.

Tem had only one card left to play—one last secret that could tip him in her direction:

“Your father sent Evelyn away.”

Deep pain passed over Leo’s face.

“How do you know that?” he whispered.

“He admitted it to me.”

At the flash of shock in Leo’s eyes, Tem almost reached for him. Instead she drove her point home:

“He said if you choose me, he will do it again.”

Leo went still.

Tem could do nothing but wait to see where the cards fell. Leo would either reject her or choose to protect her. She was relying on nothing but instinct to hope he made the right choice. Perhaps his love for her was not enough.

Perhaps it was.

“Leo,” she whispered. “Please say something.”

Leo didn’t say anything.

He simply took her face in his hands and kissed her.

The moment his lips touched hers, something bloomed within Tem—a combination of safety and tenderness and love—something she didn’t know she could feel for two people at once. When the kiss ended, Leo didn’t pull away. Instead he looked Tem deep in the eyes and said:

“I never really had you, did I?”

Tem stared back at him, noticing the traces of green in his irises. She thought of Evelyn.

“I never really had you either.”