CHAPTER TWO
He wasn’t at all what she had pictured.
Somehow, in her imagination, he never had a face. Tem’s version of the basilisk was always mysterious—a featureless creature with nothing distinguishable about it—a blank canvas that couldn’t be identified as anything remotely close to human. But the real thing was completely different. The real thing looked like the most searingly attractive man Tem had ever seen. He was an amalgamation of every feature she’d ever found beautiful—so much so that Tem wondered briefly whether it was on purpose. Basilisks were known for their powers of seduction, after all. Had he tailored himself to look like this, knowing it would appeal to her?
He was tall—so much taller than her—with broad, proud shoulders and rigid posture. The torchlight flickering over his face only accentuated his features, which were a mesmerizing sculpture of sharp, unforgiving angles that made him seem like he was carved from stone. His dark hair was cut shorter than the current style, but somehow it suited him. He was wearing a light linen shirt and trousers, both of which did absolutely nothing to hide the hard outline of his body. Warmth. It was all she felt.
When the basilisk stepped forward, Tem’s mind went completely blank.
“What is your name?” he asked, his voice a deep, glowing murmur.
Tem’s voice seemed to have stopped working.
“Temperance,” she managed to whisper. “But I go by Tem.”
The snake tilted his head, appraising her. His gaze made her feel so exposed. She couldn’t stop staring at his golden eyes. Eyes that, if he were wearing his true form, she knew would kill her. His voice interrupted her thoughts:
“My name is Caspenon. But I go by Caspen.”
“Caspen,” she repeated, his name a rock in her throat.
There was a long silence, and in it, he studied her. Tem had a sudden fear that he would reject her right then. Was it possible to be expelled from the training before it even began? She had never heard of that happening, but she wouldn’t be surprised if it happened to her. Before she could truly panic, the snake spoke again:
“You are afraid,” he said.
Tem nodded, because of course it was the truth.
He stepped closer. Her throat closed completely.
“There is no need to be afraid of me.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
His head tilted the other direction.
“Then what are you afraid of?”
Tem didn’t know how to put it into words. So she simply said:
“Failing.”
The basilisk frowned. “At what?”
“At…” she started, but didn’t know how to finish.
“Sex,” he finished for her.
Blush rose on her cheeks. Tem wasn’t used to that word—her mother certainly never said it out loud, and Vera always called it making love, which was objectively atrocious. Tem herself had never heard it from a man’s mouth. Whenever she had been taught about the training in school, the lessons were taught by women. But those lessons were years ago now, and Tem rather wished she’d paid more attention during them.
“I suppose,” she whispered.
“Do you consider me an incapable teacher?” the snake asked.
“I don’t know the first thing about you.”
Caspen smiled a little at that. Something inside her untangled.
“The princes have chosen my students for the past ten generations. Rest assured I will not allow you to fail.”
Tem’s mouth dropped open at the revelation. If what he said was true, it meant that Caspen was the Serpent King: the legendary basilisk whose power was far superior to all the others. His reputation was exemplary in the village: people talked about him like he was a god. If what he said was true, he was also at least ten generations old.
Rather than easing Tem’s mind, this information did the exact opposite. Now she felt even more pressure than before. If she failed to win the prince despite being trained by the Serpent King, it would be beyond humiliating. Her mother would never forgive her.
Caspen was still considering her.
“You do not seem desperate to be here,” he said presently.
His wording was odd. Desperate?
Tem frowned. “Should I be?”
Caspen shrugged.
“Most girls are. It is an honor to be chosen by the prince. An even higher honor to eventually be crowned queen. Do you not desire those things?”
Tem thought about the question. Her mother certainly desired those things. It was the pinnacle of societal achievement and the ultimate way to transcend their simple life on the farm. She knew how badly her mother wanted her to succeed—needed her to succeed. But the truth was that it wasn’t Tem’s desire. She stood no chance with the prince. Schoolyard bullies had drilled that into her every single day since she was old enough to comprehend her place in the village hierarchy.
So was she desperate to be here?
Tem found that she was.
Perhaps she wasn’t desperate in the way the other girls were—perhaps she didn’t crave the crown as Vera did—but she was desperate to be here, in her own way. She wanted nothing more than to know what all the fuss was about—to touch a man and to have him touch her—to desire and be desired. The basilisk’s voice cut through her thoughts:
“You are free to leave at any time.”
Tem snorted and immediately regretted it.
Caspen seemed amused by her reaction. “Do you not believe me?”
“I’m not exactly in a position to leave.”
The snake cocked his head.
“It is not possible to effectively teach an unwilling student.”
Tem supposed that was true.
“Has anyone ever left?” she asked.
“Once,” Caspen said. For some reason, it looked like it pained him to say it. A second later the discomfort vanished. “But she was not my student.”
Tem considered that. If it was true, it was unheard of. The training was portrayed as an honor for any girl born in the same year as the prince. Tem wondered why this particular information had been left out of the school curriculum. She thought of the girl who had sprinted back behind the wall, and wondered if she would regret it.
“Well,” she said, jutting her lip. “I’m not leaving.”
Casper’s mouth twitched once more in amusement. He stepped closer, and every single cell inside Tem lit on fire.
“Tell me, Tem. Have you ever been kissed?”
Tem’s blush deepened. She’d never even come close to being kissed. She realized suddenly that she might have asked Gabriel to kiss her. He was her best friend—surely he would’ve kissed her, especially if he knew it would have settled her nerves. But it was far too late for that now. Now she was standing in front of Caspen, the Serpent King, and he expected her to be so much more than she was.
“No,” she whispered, the word a pebble in a pond.
Caspen smiled fully, baring his teeth.
“That is good,” he said. “It means there are no bad habits to unlearn.”
Tem nodded, although she didn’t quite believe him. She couldn’t imagine it was better to have no experience at all. And yet, basilisks didn’t lie—they were fundamentally incapable of it. At least, that’s what all the legends said. So he must be telling the truth, and if he was telling the truth, it meant Tem was better off than Vera. The thought cheered her immensely.
“Is that what we’re doing tonight?” she asked with sudden courage. “Kissing?”
“No,” Caspen shook his head. “I will not touch you tonight.”
“Oh.”
He seemed to sense her surprise, because he continued:
“Before we touch, I need to see you.”
She frowned.
“You’re seeing me right now.”
He smiled.
“Not all of you.”
Anticipation curled in her stomach. She remembered the dream, the warm darkness surrounding her. She remembered the feel of breath against her bare skin. She wondered if somehow, it was Caspen’s breath she had felt—if the dream was foreshadowing this.
He stepped back, splaying his hands palm-up.
“Please. Whenever you are ready.”
Tem’s heart leapt in her chest. She remembered that basilisks could smell fear, and she didn’t want Caspen to think she was afraid. And yet, she hesitated. She’d never disrobed before anyone—certainly not a man. She was only ever naked at home, when she bathed or when she touched herself. And even then, she avoided looking at herself in a mirror. There was nothing natural about this to her—she didn’t know how to show herself to someone else. Not even the dream could have prepared her for this.
At her hesitation, Caspen clasped his hands together.
“All journeys start with a step, Tem.”
She still didn’t move. Her mother’s voice was beating through her brain: You will do as he says, and try to learn something.
But Tem wasn’t accustomed to following orders. It went against every instinct in her body—it violated everything about who she was as a person. She couldn’t just blindly obey him. She wasn’t built that way. She never had been. So she said:
“You first.”
Caspen’s eyebrows shot up, then darted immediately together. At his reaction, a sharp knife of anxiety stabbed Tem’s chest.
Do not offend him, or else he may not allow you to come back.
Her heart dropped to her feet. What if she had just offended him? What if her punishment was worse than not getting invited back? What if he hurt her? Or worse—what if he transformed into his true form, looked her straight in her eyes, and killed her?
She would apologize—she would get on her knees and beg for forgiveness—she would disrobe and let him look as long as he liked.
But before she could do any of those things, Caspen said:
“Very well.”
Now Tem was surprised. She had no idea whether anyone had requested this of him before. But there was no taking it back, and she didn’t want to anyway.
Caspen stepped closer, stopping only when he was a few feet away. He was so much taller than her; she had to crane her neck to meet his eye.
He looked down at her calmly, as if this entire process was of no concern to him. And she supposed it wasn’t. He’d seen a hundred girls before her, and would see a hundred after. This was a duty for him—nothing more.
For Tem, it was everything.
Caspen removed his shirt slowly, grasping the bottom and pulling it up over his head in an impossibly smooth motion. Half of him was still clothed, yet Tem could barely handle what she was already seeing. His body was unreasonably fit, his torso corded with hard muscle. His trousers were slung low enough to reveal the sharp angles of his lower abs, which pointed downward like two arrows. Tem felt her entire face flush at the sight, accompanied by a wild urge to pull his trousers down herself. But Caspen’s hands were already untying them, and before Tem could take another breath, they dropped to the ground.
Caspen’s cock was nothing like the ones on the marble statues leading up to the church.
His was unfathomably long, and straight as an arrow. He wasn’t even hard yet, and Tem was already wondering how the hell it was going to fit inside her. She’d never taken anything that big. She wasn’t even sure it was possible. It was the perfect extension of him—exactly as formidable and beautiful as he was. Tem stared at it in awe.
Suddenly she understood his reputation as the Serpent King. Everything she’d ever heard about Caspen made sense now that she was seeing this final part of him. The way the villagers spoke of him in hushed tones—the way his girls were always chosen by the prince—all of it justified by what was between his legs. Why should he submit to anyone when he was superior in this most fundamental way? Why concede his power when his was so much greater?
Tem was overwhelmed by the sight of him. She wanted to feel him inside of her. She wondered if he wanted that too. Immediately, she banished the thought. She wasn’t the first girl he’d had naked in his cave. And yet, somehow, it felt like this was just for Tem.
Caspen let her look, watching her reaction with the slightest trace of warranted arrogance on his face. Eventually, he whispered:
“Now you.”
It was only fair.
Somehow, her nerves had abated now that he was naked. Seeing Caspen vulnerable made Tem feel brave, and she knew she was ready for what came next.
With steady hands, she unlaced her dress and let it fall to the ground so she was standing in her underclothing.
Caspen’s eyes didn’t leave hers.
“And the rest.”
Tem pulled off her underclothing.
The warm air of the cave caressed her skin, enveloping her in a breathless wave. It was impossible not to think about the fact that she was naked. But before she could dwell on it, Caspen circled her silently, looking her up and down. She looked at him too, observing the way he walked with undeniable control, his steps smooth against the roughness of the cave floor. She saw the way he observed her clinically, without emotion. Tem realized that while this was very new to her, this was absolutely nothing new for him. He had done this many times before. She was nothing but a number to him—he wasn’t looking at anything he hadn’t already seen.
Finally, Caspen stopped in front of her. He studied her eyes, her cheeks, her hair. Eventually his gaze slid down her neck to her collarbones, passing over her breasts and landing on her stomach. He extended his hand, the tips of his fingers mere inches from her skin. But he didn’t touch her. Instead, she felt a sudden warmth below her belly button, and the torches in the cave dimmed.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I am checking to see if you are fertile,” he said without making eye contact.
“And? Am I?”
Caspen’s eyes flicked up to hers. “Patience is a virtue, Tem.”
He said it like a reprimand.
Tem sighed. “So I’ve been told.”
His gaze returned to her stomach. Tem resisted the urge to tap her foot as she waited, patiently, for the examination to yield a result. She should have expected something like this. Sex and fertility were intertwined with the basilisk’s influence. It was rumored that they drew power from it—that their ability to seduce humans was intrinsic to their nature. It was the reason they were tasked with training the prince’s future wife: they were the only creatures who could be trusted to mold girls into women.
After what felt like an eternity, Caspen said:
“You are fertile.”
Tem didn’t know how to feel about the announcement. Part of her wished she wasn’t; it would have meant she was out of the running for the prince. There were likely a few girls who were headed home after their basilisks determined they were infertile. But if that were the case for Tem, she wouldn’t achieve what she had come here to achieve. She would never be kissed; never be fucked. And that wouldn’t do at all.
Caspen was speaking again:
“You will need to gain weight,” he said. “The prince requested a fuller girl.”
“I can’t,” Tem said without thinking. Caspen’s eyes narrowed.
“And why not?”
She hung her head.
“We…don’t have much food at home. I have no way to eat more.”
They had no shortage of eggs. But other food was scarce, and their social status as chicken farmers had long since distanced them from the kindness of their neighbors.
“Then you will eat while you are here,” Caspen said. “I will feed you after our sessions, starting tomorrow.”
Tem nodded, still staring at the ground.
“And do not cut your hair,” he continued. “The prince likes it long.”
Tem’s hair currently fell just below her shoulders, although it was longer when it was wet before her curls set in.
“Lift your chin,” Caspen commanded.
She did so.
“Sit down,” he gestured at the rock ledge behind her. “And spread your legs.”
She did so.
The moment her knees parted, Caspen’s jaw tightened. Up until now, his gaze had been detached, almost unfeeling. Now his eyes glowed brightly, lit with raw intensity. He kneeled suddenly in front of her, leaning forward and closing his eyes. True to his word, he still didn’t touch her. But he breathed in deeply, and she saw his nostrils flare, accentuating the sharp angles of his face.
“Ylang-ylang,” he said quietly, “and sandalwood,” his eyes opened. “Who told you to do that?”
“My mother,” Tem said, trying to focus on anything but the fact that he was kneeling between her very naked legs. “She said it would give me courage.”
Caspen stared at her for a long time.
“And did it?” he whispered.
Tem gave a small shrug.
“I’m not sure.”
He was still kneeling, still holding eye contact. But now his gaze returned to the center of her, and he spoke another command:
“Open yourself.”
Tem’s stomach clenched.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered.
“Use your fingers,” Caspen said slowly. “And let me see inside you.”
He was mere inches away. Tem couldn’t fathom revealing this part of her. But she knew she wanted to. So she took her fingers and spread herself open, showing him what she’d never shown anyone before. As soon as she did so, Caspen’s pupils dilated wide within their golden irises, their expansion mimicking her own. He looked for a long time, so long it became difficult to hold herself open as she slowly became wet beneath his gaze. What was he doing down there? Memorizing her anatomy? Determining how to teach her? Either way, it was exhilarating to bare herself to him. She wanted his approval, and she wondered if he would give it.
Tem was not the only one affected by the ritual.
For the first time, she experienced what it was like to influence a man. Caspen’s arousal was undeniable—he grew harder the longer he looked at her, and she felt a surge of pride at being the one who caused it, along with an intense curiosity she could barely suppress. She wanted to touch him—to feel the effect she had on his body. She wanted to do what Vera had bragged about doing—take him in her hands and stroke him until he finished. The thought turned her on so much that her fingers slipped into her wetness. The motion felt good, and without thinking, she did it again, right in front of Caspen’s gaze.
She thought he might reprimand her, but he didn’t. Instead she heard a low hiss, and realized it was coming from him. The hiss echoed throughout the cave, bouncing along the walls and surrounding them with its vibration. Tem wasn’t sure whether she should be scared of the sound.
“Do you approve of me?” she asked.
The hiss stopped immediately.
Caspen’s eyes snapped to hers.
“My approval is irrelevant,” he said sharply. “It is the prince’s approval you should seek.”
Tem was suddenly self conscious. She stifled her aching wave of desire, kicking herself for being so insolent. Caspen was a basilisk—she was an idiot for thinking she could have any effect on him.
She withdrew her hand, embarrassed at her presumption.
“I did not tell you to stop,” Caspen said.
Tem stared at him. His pupils had grown wider; there was almost none of his golden irises to be found. It was like looking into the depths of darkness itself; there was only endless blackness. Tem knew, on an instinctual level, that they were entering uncharted territory.
Tentatively, her hand returned.
She went slowly at first, sliding two fingers in and out steadily, watching Caspen as he watched her. Then she went quicker, caressing the parts of her he would soon have access to, coaxing herself into something she couldn’t stop. She showed him how she liked it—doing what she did when she was alone in her room, after her mother had gone to bed, when the world was dark and the house was quiet, when she closed her eyes and pretended someone was watching her. She wanted Caspen to see her, truly, in the way she’d always wanted to be seen: as someone worthy of a man’s touch.
Eventually, the hiss returned.
Caspen’s gaze was unwavering. The fires reflected in the sheen of his skin, and Tem swore she saw the shadow of scales dappled over his chest.
She was already wet, but the sight of him made her wetter.
He was completely hard, his cock standing as erect as a soldier, his very nature defined by what was between his legs. She wanted him to give in. She wanted him to grab her, to thrust with impatient necessity, to collapse into her like a dying star.
But Tem knew that wouldn’t happen tonight. Caspen had said as much, and Tem respected that. The student would not override the teacher. Still, that didn’t mean they couldn’t share in this together—that he couldn’t show his commitment in another way, proving himself with an act of reciprocation. She hoped he might participate in her experience. And to her intense pleasure, he did.
Without a word, Caspen’s hand went between his legs.
He gripped himself and started to rub, his shoulders tensing with each long stroke, his hand continuing in a relentless rhythm, showing Tem what she would soon do. She couldn’t look away from his hand. It moved steadily up and down, tightly at the base then smoothly over the top, rubbing consistently in long, steady motions, his breath hitching with each stroke.
He went slowly at first, then faster and faster. Up and down, just like Vera had said. Any trace of hesitation was gone from his eyes as his basic instincts took over, his desire dominating every barrier between them. He arched his head, exposing his throat. The hiss was low, thrumming around them, enveloping Tem in its insistent frequency.
Then Caspen stood, looking down at her, his strokes quickening with urgent devotion.
Tem knew she wasn’t the first girl to be naked in this cave. She knew she wasn’t special, that there was nothing she could offer Caspen that he hadn’t seen before. Still, it felt like she was the only girl in the world, like he’d never looked at another girl this way, like she was the only one he would ever do this for. She wondered if it was true. She dearly hoped it was.
Suddenly, he stepped forward, and her breath caught in her throat.
For a moment, Tem thought he might break—that he might give in and mount her. Instead he leaned down, his other hand gripping the rock next to her head, his body positioned directly above hers. His hand never stopped, and neither did hers. It was exhilarating to see the way he touched himself. To know he was doing it because of her was beyond euphoric. She wished she could run her hands over him. She wanted to feel him against her palms, to understand who he truly was, to touch everything he was letting her see.
But he was impassable. The only way to connect with Caspen tonight was to do exactly what they were doing now. So she matched his pace, fingering herself to the same song, proving to him their rhythms were compatible, syncing her cadence with his.
With her other hand, she touched her breasts, squeezing and cupping them, making sure he knew what he could have if he wanted it. He was leaning so close she could feel the desperate gasp of his breath on her face. He stood between her legs, their bodies mere inches apart.
Tem wondered if he would think of her the next time he did this. Would he picture her, like she would surely picture him? Would he wish it was her hand instead of his, rubbing up and down, servicing him, encouraging what grew naturally? Or would he imagine her doing other things, like kneeling down in front of him, taking him in her mouth, and consuming him like she wanted him to consume her?
She wished she could taste him. She wondered if he would ever let her.
For now, his eyes traveled along her body, watching the way she moved, drinking in her naked skin like he needed her flesh to survive. Always, his eyes returned to what her hand was doing between her legs. Tem stared up at him, her back arched, exposing every part of her. She was completely defenseless, yet she felt irrefutably safe.
“Deeper,” Caspen said, his voice rough.
Pride surged through her. He approved. He wanted more.
But Tem wanted more too.
So instead of going deeper, she withdrew her hand, gripping her thighs and pulling them all the way apart, opening herself just for him.
“Won’t you do it?” she whispered.
He leaned down even further, lowering his face so it was directly over hers. He was so close to touching her, his chest an inch from hers.
She could smell the smoke on his skin.
“You will do it,” he said, his voice a deep growl.
At his order, Tem shivered, and a chill went through her body. He was the one in charge—she shouldn’t have questioned him. And yet, she knew she held some power here. He wanted her to go deeper—he had said so himself. She would gladly give him what he wanted, as long as it was appreciated.
“Stand up straight,” Tem said. She wanted him to see it.
Caspen’s eyebrows furrowed in surprise. She wondered if he’d ever been given an order before. For a moment, she thought he might reprimand her. Then he stood up straight, and Tem knew she had him. So she went deeper, using both hands, pushing herself to the brink, no longer trying to delay the inevitable. She watched him as he watched her, staring at her hands between her legs, the way her fingers moved in and out, steady as the tides, rubbing her most sensitive area with small, perfect circles, teasing herself the way she wished he would tease her.
He saw exactly how wet she was. He knew it was all for him.
Tem knew she would finish soon. But she tried desperately to draw it out, going slowly, wishing they would experience it together. She wanted Caspen to finish at the same time, to share this with him so they would be bonded beyond the constraints of student and teacher. She wanted to know that he breathed for her like she breathed for him.
Caspen was close too.
She could tell by the way he kept changing his pace at alternating intervals, slowing down whenever he looked at her for too long. Each time he did it he closed his eyes, and when he opened them it was like he saw her for the first time all over again, his hand continuing as if it had never stopped. His breath came in short bursts, his pulse beating erratically in his throat. They were approaching the edge together, building toward their imminent conclusion.
Finally, Tem couldn’t hold on any longer.
“Together?” she managed to say.
“No,” Caspen shook his head, his voice a shadow of a breath. “You first.”
Tem was so close she couldn’t protest. If that’s what he wanted, she would gladly give it to him. So she looked up at him, feeling the swell of inevitability grow, unable to resist the wave that was about to crest. It was the easiest thing in the world to surrender to Caspen, to show herself at her most vulnerable, to let her walls down just for him. She imagined the way he would feel—the way he would taste—what it would be like if he pushed her hands aside and let himself have her. Just the thought was enough to take her there.
Finally, Tem finished.
A second later Caspen finished too, releasing himself into his hand with a shuddering groan. He was breathing hard, just like she was. He bowed his head, the back of his neck glistening in the torch light. His shoulders shone with sweat, their sinew pulsing beneath his skin as he panted softly in the aftermath.
Tem couldn’t catch her breath. She felt an undeniable surge of power knowing she made him finish without laying a hand on him. She didn’t dare imagine what she could do if she could touch him.
Caspen raised his head to look at her.
Tem wished she could kiss him. Instead she held his gaze, trying to read his mind. What did he think of her? Was he pleased? Did this solidify their bond, or was she nothing but a stupid child to him, no different than the hundreds of other girls who came to his cave? Surely he wasn’t thinking the same thing as her—that she had never felt a connection with anyone like this, that they had something special, something significant.
Tem wanted to speak. But it seemed wrong, somehow, to put something so vast into words. All she knew was that she would die if she never got the chance to be with him fully. Now that she knew what he could do in front of her, she needed to know what he could do inside of her.
Caspen straightened, rolling his shoulders.
Tem straightened too, staring wondrously at the substance in his palm. The sheen of it caught the flickering light of the cave, and she found herself standing up, reaching for it without thinking.
Caspen jerked his hand away sharply.
“Oh. I’m sorry—” Tem stuttered, immediately embarrassed, “—I’ve just never…seen that before.”
He tilted his head, looking at her with a thoughtful expression.
“It is similar to yours,” he held his hand back out slowly. “You may look, if you wish.”
She nodded gratefully, leaning forward.
His cum was something between a liquid and a solid, thick and shiny, a handful of liquified pearls.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Then it is like you.”
The words were a breath. She barely heard them. But he had said them, and Tem knew she would never forget the first time a man had called her beautiful.
Tem’s throat tightened. Was it possible he wasn’t as ambivalent as she thought? Was it possible he desired her the way she desired him? In the warm afterglow of what they had just shared, anything seemed possible. Tem wondered if he would have done the same thing with Vera. Had she bonded with her basilisk in a similar way? Or had she merely undressed and stood there, like Tem was originally meant to do?
They stared at each other for an eternity, the truth of the moment registering in both of them. Then Caspen cupped his hands together, holding his pearls in his palms. For some reason, Tem knew to remain silent as he closed his eyes, furrowing his brow and bowing his head. She felt a sudden rush of air, and the torches dimmed completely, going out in a single whoosh. A moment later, they flared back to life. In the light, Tem saw there was an object in Caspen’s hands. He held it out to her.
“Take it,” he said.
She looked down at his palms, which cradled something resembling a claw. It was smooth and curved, thick on one end and tapered to the size of a finger on the other. She took it in her hands, feeling the hardness of it. It might be made of stone.
“What is it?” she asked, lifting it into the light. It was warm to the touch, and heavier than it looked. She studied the curve of it, fascinated by its smoothness.
“It does not have a name,” Caspen said. “At least, not one in your language.”
“What is its purpose?”
“It will connect us while we are apart.”
“How?”
Caspen stepped closer. “You will keep it inside you.”
“Inside me?”
“Yes,” his eyes traced back down her body, landing between her legs.
Tem understood. Her blush returned.
“It should fit perfectly,” he said.
Tem looked up at him, and she was surprised to see his eagerness.
“Do not tell anyone you have it. And do not show it to anyone. It is for you, and only you.”
He stared at her with an intensity she didn’t understand. She could only nod; his gaze was too strong. She looked down at the claw.
“What will it be like?” she whispered.
“Warm,” he said. “It is the exact temperature of my human form.”
Tem nodded.
“It will feel good,” he continued. “I will make sure of it.”
“How?”
“Like I said, it will connect us. I can make it…pulse.”
“Pulse?”
He smiled, and she melted.
“When it pulses, you will know I am thinking of you.”
Tem stared at the extraordinary thing. She turned it over in her hands, feeling its weight, noticing the way it shone, as if it were made of starlight. She couldn’t believe it was formed from his very essence. Tem had never seen magic like that before.
“Try it,” Caspen’s voice broke her from her thoughts.
She looked up at him.
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
This morning, Tem couldn’t have imagined doing anything like this. But after what happened in the last hour, she felt a bravery she wasn’t used to, and knew she was capable of following his command. So she sat back down on the ledge, once again spreading her legs in front of Caspen.
She looked up at him, awaiting instruction.
“Take the larger end inside you,” he said.
Tem did as she was told. She inserted the thicker end of the claw slowly, keeping her hand steady while she did it. She’d never taken anything this big inside her—it was hard and smooth, different from the way her fingers felt when she touched herself, and she found despite her wetness, it was difficult to insert it.
When she winced, Caspen spoke:
“Do it slowly. It is not meant to hurt.”
Tem nodded, taking a deep breath and sliding it up as far as she could. It was a curious sensation, and she found she liked it. Still, it was impossible to imagine Caspen’s cock inside her when this was already a tight fit.
She stopped with the tapered tip still visible, curved up against the most sensitive part of her. She pressed her finger against it tentatively, experiencing the way it cradled her.
“Does it feel good?” Caspen asked quietly.
She looked up at him, and with a rush of epiphany, she saw he was hard again. Not all the way, like before. But he was partially raised, and Tem knew she had caused it.
“Yes,” she whispered.
They stared at each other for a long time, Tem sitting and Caspen standing. It felt like a significant moment, and Tem knew not to break it. She wondered if he would touch himself again, but he didn’t. He seemed to enjoy simply looking at her, and she enjoyed letting him.
The torches were burning low by the time Caspen finally murmured:
“We are done for tonight. You can get dressed.”
Tem felt once more brave, and said:
“So can you.”
His face slid into a devious smile.
“I appreciate your permission.”
“I gladly give it.”
His smile widened. Tem noticed that he watched her even as she put her clothes back on, his eyes tracing over her body until the last possible second. She watched Caspen too, seeing the muscles roll in his shoulders as he pulled on his shirt, observing the defined veins on his arms as he tied his trousers. She sensed a restrained energy in his body, and she couldn’t wait to feel it.
When they were both dressed, Caspen gestured gracefully.
“I will walk you out.”
Tem nodded, following him toward the cave entrance. She could feel the claw inside her, and was sure she would never get used to it. It took effort to walk normally.
It was a shock to enter the cold evening after the warm embrace of the cave, and Tem shivered as they stepped outside. The grass was wet beneath her feet; it had rained while they were inside. At the start of the path, Caspen looked at her. His face was attentive, his eyes flashing in the dark.
“You will return tomorrow night. Do not be late.”
Without another word, Caspen turned to leave.
“Wait—” she cried despite herself.
He stopped, his back to her.
“Will you think of me?” Tem whispered.
Caspen didn’t turn. She stared at his shoulders, broad and strong in the dark. His silence was absolute; she could hear nothing but the rustlings of the forest around them, overlaid by the pounding of her own heart. He stood there for so long she wondered if he had even heard her. Finally, he said:
“I told you I would.”
“I know. I just…” Tem paused, crossing her arms and taking a deep breath before finishing: “I wanted to hear it again.”
Caspen still didn’t turn.
Instead, an aching pulse shot suddenly between her legs. It passed through her so sharply that she gasped, doubling over in surprise, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of it. She had to cry out; the sensation was too strong. She had never felt something so good—it eclipsed every sensation she had ever given herself—it made her entire insides unfold in a spiral of petals—like she had become one with the moon and the stars.
Tem could barely keep her balance as the pulse intensified, forcing her to her knees. She curled into herself, her fists gripping the grass. She couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t think. She felt nothing but the most profound pleasure of her life. Tem knew in that moment without a shadow of a doubt that she was alive.
Then it was over.
By the time she looked up, Caspen was gone.