Page 202 of Between Two Kings

Get some sleep, Temperance.

Then he was gone.

The moment Tem entered her chambers, she saw there was someone in her bed: Gabriel. Tem climbed underneath the blankets next to him, curling her body against his, savoring his beating heart. He pulled her close, the second man to hold her tonight, tucking his head into the crook of her neck. She was so grateful he was here, that he’d forgone Damon’s company for hers—that she wasn’t alone.

“You’d better not snore, dearest,” he mumbled into her hair.

Tem couldn’t help but smile. “You’d better not either.”

“I would never. I have very delicate airways.”

Tem rolled her eyes. Then she fell asleep.

Hours later, her name came to her in the darkness.

“Temperance,” Adelaide whispered. “Wake up. It is midnight.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Tem kissed Gabriel on the cheek before following Adelaide out into the passageway. She didn’t bother asking where they were going—she was too nervous to speak anyway. Instead, Tem clenched and unclenched her fists in an attempt to calm herself, thinking about what Apollo had said to her: We will not let you go so easily.

But the Drakon brothers were not in control. Neither was Tem. Nobody knew what would happen at the end of the tournament. Perhaps not even Kora.

“Everyone is already gathered,” Adelaide was saying. “When we arrive, there will be an opening ceremony to inaugurate the contenders. After that, the tournament will begin.”

Tem nodded, although it was difficult to absorb this information. She was thinking about the first tier and how Caspen would have to fight Rowe.

“Are there rules?” Tem asked.

“What do you mean?”

They were walking downward—ever downward—and the air was becoming warm.

“For the fight, I mean. Are there rules, or is it just…” She couldn’t bring herself to say to the death.

“They must fight fair,” Adelaide said. “They cannot utilize any weapons nor can they carry objects that might cause petrification, such as mirrors. They are not allowed to bite each other. They will transition in order to begin, and the fight will last until one of them transitions back.”

Tentative relief swept through Tem. She was still nervous, considering Rowe’s blatant disregard for boundaries. There was no reason to trust him with the rules. But Adelaide had said the tournament was sanctioned by Kora. Surely, even for Rowe, that held some weight. And surely, Caspen would win.

He was the Serpent King—he was the most powerful male under the mountain. But Apollo’s words ran through her mind: Your well-being directly affects his. If you are not at your best, he cannot perform tomorrow.

Tem was not at her best. She hadn’t been for a long time. She was weak and she was worried and she was terrified that it would affect the way Caspen fought. Too much was riding on this—too much was at stake. What if—

Adelaide stopped. Tem stopped too.

They were standing before a set of double doors so tall Tem couldn’t see the top of them.

“Temperance,” Adelaide said quietly. “Are you ready?”

She would never be ready for this.

When she didn’t answer, Adelaide stepped closer. “I will be by your side. You do not have to face this alone.”

A wave of gratitude swept over Tem. Adelaide had become a lifeline to her in the last few weeks, ever since the first night of mating seasons. To have her here now was an unimaginable blessing. And she was right. Tem would not face this alone.

“I’m ready.”

Adelaide nodded. Then she opened the doors.