Page 325 of Split or Swallow
“Every day we wait is a day your father continues to suffer.”
Tem felt a sudden swell of tenderness for him. Leo had always known that the way to her heart was through the people she cared about. She thought of how willing he’d been to face Caspen—how immediately he’d considered her father’s wellbeing. But Leo thought their only problem was the bloodletting—that their timeline was influenced solely by Kronos.
He had no idea what was to come.
“Tomorrow it is.”
One glance at the sky told Tem it was nearly tomorrow already. They’d been at the caves for so long that the sun was already beginning to rise. Leo seemed to notice this at the same time she did.
“I’ll inform my father,” he said.
“Should I come with you?”
“No.”
Tem raised her eyebrows. He’d answered that awfully quickly. At the look on her face, Leo softened.
“He won’t be pleased, Tem. I’d rather you not hear what he has to say.”
Protecting her again.
Tem nodded, because it was just easier that way. She didn’t particularly want to hear what Maximus had to say either. She could only imagine the criticism he would impart on his son. No doubt it would only be worse if the object of his vitriol was present.
“I’m going to tell my mother,” she said.
Leo nodded. “I look forward to meeting her properly.”
Tem smiled, remembering the time he’d kissed her on the porch while her mother was in the kitchen.
They parted ways in the foyer, and Tem said a silent prayer for the prince as he disappeared behind the parlor doors. Part of her actually did want to see Maximus’s reaction when Leo told him he would be marrying Tem. But the other part of her was tired of the king’s cruelty, and she figured the crest was revenge enough.
Tem spent the long carriage ride to the village watching the sun rise. When she reached her cottage, it felt like an eternity had passed since she’d last been there. And yet, everything was just as she remembered it. The garden was slowly dying under the autumn chill. The front porch was still sloped. Everything was the way it had been for the past twenty years.
Everything except for Tem.
When she entered the kitchen, her mother looked up from the stove.
“The prince has proposed,” Tem said simply.
Her mother’s hand flew to her mouth.
“Oh, Tem,” she cried, crossing the kitchen and gathering Tem into a tight embrace. Tem embraced her back.
“I have accepted,” she continued. “And the wedding is tonight.”
Her mother pulled away.
“Tonight? That’s…quite soon.”
“I know.”
“I’m afraid I will have nothing to wear.”
Tem waved her off.
“We’ll find you something.”
Her mother tilted her head.
