Page 16 of Between Two Kings

She’d tried to fix it by sending Leo away. That had been her solution, and it had been a terrible one. It was merely an attempt to avoid dealing with the real issue. Her love for Leo wasn’t going away. She should have known it wouldn’t fade even if he went away. Tem wanted to confide in her father, to tell him that it hurt to think about Evelyn with Leo, that resisting the draw of their bond was painful for her, if not downright impossible.

Her next words slipped out before she could stop them. “Do you think Leo still loves me?”

Kronos sighed. A moment later, his hand touched her chin. “How could he not? You are easy to love.”

Caspen was the first person to make her feel as if that statement were true. Caspen was her first love. And yet she could not shake Leo. No matter what Tem did, no matter how many times she had sex in the caves, Leo was always there, in the back of her mind, calling to her.

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way,” Tem whispered.

Sympathy softened Kronos’s face. “The ones who love you need no coercion to do so.”

For some reason, tears threatened to fall. Her father leaned closer.

“Look around you, child. You are not alone.”

Just then, her mother entered the kitchen. “Tem, are you staying for dinner?” she asked, her hands covered in dirt from the garden.

“No.” Tem shook her head.

There was someone she needed to see.

Chapter Three

The Horseman was nearly empty, and that was just fine with Tem. Gabriel was in their favorite booth, surrounded by empty beer glasses. The moment she saw him, a part of her relaxed.

“My dearest Tem.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek as she slid into the booth. “How are you this fine evening?”

“Can’t complain.”

“I can. They’re charging me for drinks again.”

“They’re supposed to do that.”

“Not if you’re cute. It should be a rule that you drink for free if you’re cute.”

Tem smiled. His good mood was contagious, lightening the darkness that was plaguing her heart. They hadn’t discussed anything of substance since the wedding. Tem knew he was waiting until she was ready to talk about it, respecting her boundaries as only a best friend could. But they both knew Tem owed him an explanation. She’d rehearsed her speech a thousand times: how to explain that she was a Hybreed, how to tell him what she’d done to Leo, how to reveal the most vulnerable parts of her. She’d avoided it out of fear—or possibly shame. But her father’s words ran through her mind, and Tem knew she did not need to weather this storm alone. Gabriel had always loved her, and he deserved to know the truth.

“Gabriel,” she said quietly. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

He threw his arm around her. “Well, let’s hear it, then.”

Tem bit her lip. Was she really about to do this? If she was to confide in him—to reveal this deepest, most essential part of herself—it could change their relationship forever. But Tem would rather it change than continue living a lie.

She told Gabriel everything.

Every secret she had harbored for so long, every sin she had kept close. Everything that had happened over the past few weeks came spilling out of her in a torrent, landing at Gabriel’s feet. He listened silently, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, his hand loosely curled around his beer glass. When Tem was finally done, night had fallen and the Horseman was beginning to fill. Gabriel looked her in the eye. He smiled.

“What’s that for?” Tem asked in bewilderment. Rather than react with horror—or, at a bare minimum, shock—Gabriel was grinning widely at her. He was almost on the verge of laughter.

“I always knew you had it in you.”

“Had what in me?”

“The gall.”

“But aren’t you…surprised?”

“No, dearest. I’m not surprised.”