Page 106 of Between Two Kings

“Your father would be so proud,” Tem said coldly.

She didn’t linger to see his shame.

Chapter Eighteen

Caspen was in their chambers when she returned, standing stock-still in front of the fire, his fists clenched at his sides. Tem stood next to him but didn’t dare speak. There was no point in trying to talk to him anyway—nothing she could say that would soothe his mind. She only wished to be here for him, to let him know she was on his side. They stood there for what felt like an eternity—so long that the fire began to burn low. When Caspen finally turned to her, Tem braced herself for another outburst. Instead, he placed his hands gently on either side of her face, pulling her gaze up to his. His voice was a whisper.

“Do you have any idea how precious you are to me?”

The question wasn’t what Tem had expected, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to answer. She knew, on a basic level, how much Caspen loved her. But there was no way for her to know how deep that love truly went.

“I think so,” she replied. It was the best she could do.

Caspen traced her cheeks with his thumbs, trailing them down along her jawline. “There is nothing in this world that matters to me more than you, Tem. Nothing.” His hands stilled, and for a moment, they simply stood there. Then he said slowly, “I cannot allow the bloodletting to resume.”

“I know. I don’t want it to either.”

Caspen’s grip tightened. “It is not a matter of want. I will not allow it.”

Tem realized what he was really saying: Caspen was the Serpent King. It was his responsibility to protect his people. If Leo let this happen again—if he harmed the basilisks again—Caspen would be forced to retaliate.

“I understand,” she whispered.

Caspen pulled away. “Do you?”

Tem stared up at him, seeing exactly how angry he truly was. Tem couldn’t tell if Caspen was more angry that Evelyn had tried to reinstate the bloodletting or that Tem had volunteered to participate. This was a betrayal of everything he had dared to take a chance on by striking a deal with Leo. What happened tonight reinforced every bad thing the basilisks believed about the humans—that they were greedy, untrustworthy, and cruel. Tem hated that Leo had proved Caspen right.

She tried to defend him. “He’s desperate. You would be too in his position.”

“I would find another solution. I would not allow blood to be spilled.”

Tem didn’t bother refuting him, didn’t bother pointing out the hypocrisy in his statement. Caspen had allowed plenty of blood to be spilled: all human. Couldn’t he see the parallels? Each side refused to see the value in the other. Each side thought the other should bleed.

“This is a solution, Caspen. If I’m the only one who—”

“I do not want you hurt, Tem.”

Tem tried a different angle. “It’s not Leo’s fault. Evelyn is the one who wants this.”

Caspen turned to look her in the eye. “He is accommodating her wishes. That makes him no better than she is.”

It didn’t help that he was right. “I know,” Tem said, her voice small. “I just…” But there was nothing else to say. Tem wanted to argue that it wasn’t really Leo’s fault. But that wasn’t true. He was a person of his own free will. He had agreed to this.

Caspen stepped closer. “He is a problem, Tem. They both are.”

Tem shuddered at his words. What little respect Caspen may have had for Leo had been eliminated tonight. At the end of the day, they’d always had Tem in common. But now Leo had Evelyn. If Tem’s safety was no longer Leo’s priority, he was of no use to Caspen. He was a threat.

“Just let me talk to him,” she whispered. “I know I can—”

“We are far beyond talking, Tem.”

“If I can just—”

“There is only one thing you can do to fix this. And I know you are unwilling to do it.”

Tem blinked. “I don’t understand.”

Now Caspen paused, and Tem wondered if he hadn’t meant to say that.