Tem returns to her chambers in the basilisk caves and initiates passionate sex with Caspen. Afterward, Caspen tells her that basilisk custom allows her to sleep with other basilisks: He would only be jealous if she slept with someone she loved, as basilisks are loyal with their hearts, not their bodies. As Caspen sleeps, Tem reflects on her unresolved feelings for Leo.

The next day at the banquet hall, Tem struggles with her shyness around basilisks having public sex. She musters the confidence to have sex with Caspen in public and feels proud afterwards. Tem asks Caspen to teach her how to petrify humans (killing them by turning them to stone). He refuses, not wanting her to become burdened by regret after taking a life.

Feeling overwhelmed, Tem visits her parents, who live on the outskirts of the village and offer a quiet retreat from life in the basilisk colony. She speaks with her father, Kronos, about her feelings for Leo. He warns her that loving two people is dangerous, since basilisks are free with their bodies but not their hearts. Shaken, Tem admits she thinks she made a mistake. Secretly, she fears that her decision to reunite Leo with Evelyn has failed to resolve her feelings for him and that Caspen doesn’t know the full extent of her love and desire for Leo.

Tem goes to the local tavern to see her best friend, Gabriel. She tells him that she is a hybreed (half-basilisk, half-human) and explains her relationships with Caspen and Leo. She also admits that, to prove herself worthy of being Caspen’s mate, she engaged in a public sex ritual that involved having sex with his father (who is now dead). Gabriel is completely unfazed and even amused.

Returning to the caves, Tem tells Caspen about Leo’s dinner invitation. Caspen is reluctant but says he will decide later. He then tells her it is time for the first mating season event. Gathering with a large crowd of basilisks, Tem is confounded by their practices of greeting her with kisses and having sex in hopes she and Caspen will join in. He reassures Tem that he desires no one else but encourages her to experiment.

They pass a group of hostile Seneca men—from her paternal clan—who glare at her. Caspen explains they are angry because the Senecas and Drakons are opposing factions. After Caspen assumed the throne, many Senecas followed their leader, Rowe, to the sea, leaving those who remained wary of the union. A handsome male basilisk approaches, and Caspen introduces him as his brother, Apollo.

Apollo flirts with Tem and compliments her beauty. He and Caspen exchange a silent mental conversation (basilisks can communicate telepathically), which Tem can observe but not hear. She can tell the relationship is tense between the two brothers. After Apollo leaves, Caspen explains the custom of first rights: If he died, Apollo would have the first option to marry Tem. As a result of this custom, it is traditional for spouses to sleep with their siblings-in-law to test compatibility in case the tradition ever needs to be enacted. Tem says she has no interest in sleeping with Apollo, but Caspen says she must be the one to tell him that.

They meet Caspen’s youngest brother, Damon, who is friendly and warm. Caspen then notices a group of basilisks showing dissent and goes to confront them, leaving Tem alone. A basilisk named Evangeline confronts Tem, saying she has no right to the throne and demanding she abdicate. Adelaide defends Tem. She offers Tem friendship and guidance, which Tem accepts. Adelaide reassures Tem that Caspen loves her deeply and has become more cautious since she arrived.

Caspen returns and explains the dissent: The Senecas are angry he, a Drakon, married Tem (a powerful Seneca hybreed whom they see as their asset). Adelaide reveals the legend that a hybreed can channel the goddess Kora—a power the Senecas covet. Caspen states that Rowe (the Seneca leader) now seeks retaliation.

A newly married basilisk couple seeks Tem’s blessing by participating in a ritual: They will have sex while she watches and touches herself. Tem is hesitant at first but gradually becomes aroused. The sight of Apollo, who is also watching the couple, triggers her climax.

Later, Tem asks how Caspen’s mother died. He reveals his father, Bastian, was compelled to kill her after she broke their blood bond by falling in love with another basilisk. If a basilisk is betrayed by their partner, an unbreakable magical curse compels them to immediately kill that partner (sex does not constitute betrayal, but falling in love does). Tem is worried about her feelings for Leo and reiterates to Caspen that she loves both of them. He dismisses her concern, insisting she chose him by accepting the blood bond.

The next morning, a letter summons Tem and Caspen to the castle for dinner that evening. On the way to the castle, Tem is anxious about meeting Evelyn. To distract her, Caspen begins pleasuring her with his fingers. He reassures her he will take care of her. At the castle, they meet Leo and Evelyn. Tem is distracted by the emotions and desire that Leo stirs up within her and finds it hard to see him with Evelyn.

Tem interrogates Evelyn about why she left Leo years ago. Evelyn explains that after she and Leo agreed to run away together, she received a forged letter from Maximus (Leo’s father, who disapproved of the relationship). She was deceived by the letter, believing that Leo no longer wanted to be with her. Tem can readily believe that Maximus sent the letter, but she is skeptical that Evelyn simply accepted Leo ending the relationship without asking questions. Tem asks why Evelyn never returned and if she still has the letter. Evelyn says she burned it.

Caspen tells Tem to stop interrogating Evelyn and makes her apologize. Evelyn then announces that she and Leo plan to marry on Mother’s Night: a sacred holiday believed to be the goddess Kora’s birthday. Tem is outraged by Evelyn’s arrogance at usurping a religious holiday for her own celebration and thinks that a lavish wedding is in bad taste. Evelyn explains that the kingdom is facing a food shortage and implies that ending the bloodletting was a mistake (draining the blood of basilisks and converting it into gold was formerly a major revenue source, but Leo ended the practice when he became king).

Tensions continue to rise between Evelyn and Tem. As the dinner ends, Evelyn asks to speak with Tem alone.

Evelyn asks if Tem loved Leo. Tem confirms she did. Tem continues to question Evelyn about her decision to leave after she received the forged letter. When Evelyn explains that she went to a nearby village, Tem asks why she never came back to see Leo. Evelyn defends her choices and continues to insist that she burned the letter. Eventually, Tem explicitly accuses Evelyn of lying, theorizing that Maximus never wrote a letter and that Evelyn simply wanted to leave but lacked the courage to say so. She suspects Evelyn fabricated the story so that she could reignite her relationship with Leo and threatens to tell him.

Evelyn warns Tem to be certain before making accusations and Tem silently concedes that she is right: Tem has no reason to believe Leo would trust her if she came to him without proof. The two women part on bad terms.

Tem and Caspen reunite, and she declines to tell him about the conversation. Tem sends Caspen back to the caves alone and goes to the local tavern in the village where she grew up. She runs into Gabriel, who reveals that a protest is planned over food and money shortages caused by ending the bloodletting. He admits he organized it, having witnessed the royals’ wealth while villagers starve. Tem is distressed to realize that the end of bloodletting is not hurting the royals but is causing suffering to the villagers. Gabriel and the other villagers also didn’t really care whether the basilisks were suffering.

As men begin to leave the tavern for the protest, Tem insists on coming. The crowd chants, “Kill the snakes!” The protestors approach the church, located in the town square. The church is protected by royal guards and Gabriel explains to Tem that guards have been stationed here since the wedding (the church is a symbol of royal authority and power). Tem watches as one protester climbs the church steps with a bucket and spreads its contents—chicken shit—across the marble, writing two words: “Feed us.”

Afterwards, the crowd disperses. Gabriel is exhilarated but Tem tries to warn him that the protests are dangerous and that he will lose his job at the palace if the guards recognize him. Tem returns to the caves alone and looks for Caspen. As she searches, Apollo finds her alone.