Page 54 of Split or Swallow

“I said, someone will come for you tomorrow night. Be ready at eight.”

It took Tem a moment to register his words. Then she realized what he was saying. Leo had ranked her first: that honor came with a reward.

Tem had a date with the prince.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“I’m so proud of you, my dear.”

It was the next morning. Tem was barely awake.

“I’m only the second girl he’s taken on a date, mother. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“That’s a good thing. It means you have a chance to make a good impression before anyone else does.”

Tem pushed her eggs around her plate. She had no idea if she even wanted to make a good impression on Leo. He hadn’t exactly made a good impression on her.

“I’m missing a night of training for this,” she grumbled.

“That doesn’t matter, Tem. A date with the prince is far more important. Your training is meant to prepare you for him. There’s no point in the training if you don’t catch the prince’s eye.”

Tem sighed. She’d caught Leo’s eye, all right.

The events of last night were still a blur to her. She’d tossed and turned until dawn, replaying her kiss with Leo again and again until she’d memorized every moment of it. She remembered his tongue in her mouth and his hands on her waist. She remembered the way he’d gripped her like she was the very air he breathed. Kissing Leo was different than kissing Caspen—the prince was younger and looser and free, with none of the restrained power or deep, complicated seriousness that radiated off the basilisk. None of the depth of character either.

But at least the prince wanted to fuck her.

Tem still couldn’t believe she was the only girl who hadn’t had sex yet. It seemed like some sort of evil joke: like the universe was conspiring against her. She felt a deep, jagged anger toward Caspen for allowing this to happen. How could he withhold this from her? Especially when her very future depended on it? It was unspeakably cruel.

Regardless of how she felt about Caspen, for once in Tem’s life, she was looking forward to visiting the bakery. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Vera’s face now that Tem had a date with the prince. But to her surprise, Vera wasn’t there. Instead Geoff, Vera’s father, was standing behind the counter.

“Where’s Vera?” Tem asked. She was eager to rub her new development in her face and didn’t like the idea of leaving without doing it.

“Sick,” Geoff grunted.

“Oh,” Tem frowned. “With what?”

Geoff shrugged, and began counting the eggs.

Tem’s frown deepened. It wasn’t like Vera to miss work. The bakery was her stage: it was where she held court over the entire village, gossiping and passing judgment with little to no regard for consequences. She’d once worked during a snowstorm just because there was a chance the boy she liked might come in to order his favorite pastry. Vera was a force of nature, and Tem couldn’t imagine a common cold taking her out.

“Well, do you know when she’ll be back?” Tem insisted.

Geoff shook his head. “Soon.”

He’d never been one for extended conversation.

“Fine,” Tem sighed. She’d just have to brag tomorrow.

By the time she’d done her rounds with the roosters, it was midafternoon and Tem was starting to get nervous. She had no idea what a date with the prince would entail. Would they be alone? Chaperoned? Would they go somewhere, or stay at the castle? She wished the training process had prepared her for dating. She wasn’t good at talking to boys, much less a prince. Caspen should’ve given her conversation lessons. Add that to the list of things he was failing to teach her.

No dress arrived for her this time.

Tem didn’t know what to think of it. Was Caspen withholding from her because he was angry she had secured a date with the prince? Tem was secretly pleased by the thought. She was not, however, pleased that she had nothing to wear. She was halfway through tearing her room apart in search of something suitable when her mother knocked on the door.

“Dear? A man is here for you.”

Tem froze, a heap of underclothing in her arms. A man?