Page 348 of Split or Swallow

Leo turned back to Tem.

“Do it, Tem. I give you permission.”

But Tem shook her head. Leo didn’t know what he was signing up for—didn’t know that the crest would bind him to her.

And yet, Caspen was right. What was Leo’s love for her if not another version of a bond? He had already pledged himself to her—already married her, for Kora’s sake. She couldn’t think of anyone who the crest would impact less. It was one thing to crest a stranger. It was quite another to crest Leo, who loved her.

“Please,” he pressed his lips to her hand, and they came away bloody. “You know I would do anything for you, Tem. Anything.”

Caspen was watching them, his eyes dark.

Crest him, Tem. Do it now.

Tem looked up into Leo’s eyes.

He was terrified of losing her. It was written all over his face.

“Do you trust me, Leo?”

She’d asked him that before. But this time she wasn’t asking to confide in him. She wasn’t asking him to swallow her venom. This time she was asking him to trust her with his life. His answer was the same as it always was:

“I trust you, Tem.”

His hands were shaking as they held her.

You are running out of time, Tem. I can barely feel you in my mind.

“It won’t hurt,” Tem said to Leo, continuing calmly as if everything that was happening wasn’t happening at all. “I promise.”

“I don’t care if it hurts. Just do it.”

The moment he said the words, Caspen knelt beside them, taking Tem’s hand and wrapping it around Leo’s throat. Tem was grateful for his help—she couldn’t have done it alone.

It was the last thing Tem wanted. But she had no choice.

She pulled on the strings of her power, yanking with all her strength and aiming it, unequivocally, at Leo. Energy thrummed in her hand. She sent the crest with everything she had left, feeling a bright beam of warmth shoot from her body to Leo’s. His eyes slammed shut as it hit him.

Tem watched his face, recognizing his expression as the one he wore when he finished. She knew exactly how he was feeling right now—knew the utter euphoria the crest was giving him. What she didn’t know was how it would feel for her.

It was different than when she had crested herself. That hadn’t felt sexual—only powerful. This time she felt an unequivocal sense of arousal, even stronger than anything she had felt for Leo before. It was as if someone were stimulating all the nerve endings in her body. Leo’s face looked suddenly like an angel’s—like every inch of him was made of diamonds. His skin shone in the moonlight, and before Tem knew what she was doing, she was leaning in.

When their lips touched, her whole body opened up to receive him. He was streaming into her—filling her with himself until the pain fell mercifully away and there was only lightness. Dimly, she felt Caspen’s hand on the back of her head. He was holding them together, ensuring she drew as much power as possible from the human prince.

The wound on her shoulder was closing; she could feel the skin seaming back together as her body healed itself. Her bones clicked back into place; her ribs realigned. Clarity returned to her mind, bringing with it the focus she’d been unable to access just moments ago. Pure, unfiltered power shot through her.

Tem pulled away.

When Leo’s eyes opened, he looked at her like she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. It was the same way he’d always looked at her, she realized.

“What…just happened?” he whispered.

Caspen was still holding them an inch apart.

“You saved me,” Tem whispered back.

Leo smiled. He looked so radiantly happy that Tem couldn’t help but feel hap⁠py too. Her gaze moved from his face to Caspen’s. The two men she loved. This was all she needed: both of them, right her, beside her.

Eventually, Tem stood.