Page 8 of Between Two Kings

Tem smirked. She’d won their little exchange, and she knew it. If Caspen thought he was in control, he was wrong. Tem had always been able to push him to his limits, to force him to recognize her power. That would not change no matter how many orders he gave her.

For a moment, they were both still. The air was sweltering; smoke swirled along the edges of her vision. Caspen slid his palms slowly over her hips and up her back, squeezing the curve of her waist until he reached her breasts. Then he squeezed those too. His fingers twisted in her hair, pushing her into the mattress. His body pressed against her with immovable weight. Just when it became too much, he pulled them both upright so she was on his lap, her back against his chest. Tem turned her head to look into his black eyes. Scales were crawling steadily up his neck, turning his skin to armor. Then he began to thrust.

They were building toward it now, each of their bodies acting of their own accord. Tem moved her hips to match his rhythm, taking his cock as deep as she could while his fingers found her clitoris. The combination of sensations took her straight to the edge. But just before she came, Tem did something she’d never done before.

In her moment of climax, she shielded her mind from Caspen, closing herself off so they were no longer connected. Tem wasn’t even sure why she did it—pure instinct, pure intuition. If Caspen noticed, he didn’t say anything. Possibly because he was too busy having an orgasm.

As soon as he pulled out, she pulled him back in.

“Again,” Tem said.

It was never enough.

She had him over and over until they were both soaked with sweat and out of breath. Tem had once thought that Caspen’s sexual appetite was unmatched. But now hers was just as insatiable, if not more so. The thought of going a night without sex legitimately scared her.

You never have to go without sex, Tem.

He was still inside her.

What do you mean?

I mean you are free to sleep with other basilisks if that is what you wish.

She looked up at him. He pulled out slowly, trailing kisses down her throat as he did it.

Won’t that bother you?

It will not.

At the incredulous look on her face, he laughed.

“I have told you before, Tem. You are mine. Whether you give your body to another does not change that.”

“You say that now, but…”

“But what, Tem?”

She pictured Leo—his blond hair, his dexterous fingers. Caspen had only mentioned sleeping with other basilisks, and the specificity was not lost on her. “Do you really mean it?”

“Of course.” He said it calmly, as if it were an irrefutable fact.

Tem nodded, although she couldn’t fathom sleeping with anyone else—except for Leo. The moment she thought it, she glanced at Caspen to see if he had heard. Her mind was still shielded, but he continued: “You may find that your basilisk side demands it eventually.”

That Tem could fathom. Basilisks lived in a permanent state of arousal, always being tempted and teased. Tem had had more sex in the past week than she’d had in her entire life, even during her training sessions in the cave. Caspen was always right there. Tem needed only to look at him and he would grow hard for her, needed only to take a step in his direction in order to mount him.

Caspen loved it. The spark of pride in his eyes was unmistakable every time Tem reached for him. She knew basilisks respected this—understood it and encouraged it. Basilisks belonged to each other in a way humans could never comprehend. Still, Tem couldn’t believe how often they had sex. She woke up wanting it. She fell asleep still wanting it. She was completely feral, like a wild animal. Even Caspen could barely keep up with her. She was constantly, untenably, desperate for more.

Perhaps Caspen was right. Perhaps, given the right basilisk, Tem would be tempted. There were many things about her body that she no longer understood. Sometimes it felt as if someone else were controlling her. The hunger that burned within her was an unquenchable thirst. Tem would do anything to slake it.

“Is that what you want?” she asked. “To see me with someone else?”

A small smirk twisted his lips. “Only if that is what you want.”

She sat up, looking him right in the eye. “But is it what you want?”

The smirk deepened. “I would not mind it.”

“You wouldn’t mind it?”