Tem and Caspen enter the council chamber, where Bastian and members of the Drakon and Seneca clans have gathered. Rowe openly challenges Drakon authority. The strength of Caspen and Tem’s sexual and emotional bond has a pacifying effect on the other basilisks, and they become more compliant. Bastian reveals that Tem is a hybreed (thus capable of cresting the entire royal family) and proposes cresting the royals to reclaim basilisk power. Rowe demands proof, and Tem demonstrates by mentally speaking to him. Many of the Senecas are suspicious that the Drakons are manipulating the situation to reassert their own power. They also question whether Tem will even be selected as Leo’s bride.

Tem points out that she has not yet consented to perform the crest. Bastian threatens to wage open war with the humans if she does not, leaving her worried about the ensuing bloodshed on both sides. Tem agrees to perform the crest on one condition: Prince Leo, his sister Lilly, and her children will not be harmed. Many basilisks object to these terms and question Tem’s loyalty; Rowe is particularly belligerent and gets into a physical confrontation with Caspen. When order is restored, the council votes and it is decided to go ahead with the plan: Tem will crest the royals, but her condition will be honored.

The meeting concludes with each council member honoring Tem by kneeling and kissing her clitoris. When Rowe participates in the ritual, Caspen dominates him by forcing Rowe to bring Tem to climax and then masturbate in front of them as punishment for his earlier insult. After the council leaves, Tem feels trepidation that Rowe is now angry, embittered, and publicly humiliated.

The morning after the council meeting, Caspen reassures Tem that he will ensure the deal is honored: After Tem crests the royals, Leo and his family will be protected. He also promises to help her learn to transition into her snake form. After a brief visit to the village to see her mother, Tem returns to the caves. Rowe confronts and taunts her; she tries vainly to explain that Caspen did not truly want to crest (and thus kill) Rowe’s father. Rowe grabs Tem’s throat, but then backs off, muttering something about Caspen having “claimed” her. Tem flees to Caspen’s chamber.

Tem tells Caspen what happened and he declares he must kill Rowe. Caspen explains that when Rowe grabbed Tem’s throat, he was attempting to crest her; however, Caspen’s venom (which he previously gave to Tem) protected her. Caspen is outraged because attempting to crest someone else’s mate is an act of profound cruelty; it would sever the bond between Tem and Caspen and leave her permanently subservient to Rowe. To calm and reassure her, Caspen takes Tem to a sacred underground lake to practice transitioning. However, her fear and doubt create a mental block, and she is unable to shift forms. Tem is devastated by her failure, and Caspen comforts her, promising they will try again the next night.

After she returns to the village, Tem receives an invitation from Leo to a formal ball in two days, with a teasing handwritten note.

Tem returns with Caspen to the sacred lake. He suggests they try transitioning while having sex. During their intimate encounter in the water, with Caspen’s guidance and their physical connection, Tem successfully transitions into her basilisk form. The experience is intensely pleasurable and powerful. For the first time, she sees Caspen in his true form and finds him beautiful. They discover they can send pulses of power and pleasure to each other. They practice transitioning back and forth three times, with Tem managing the final transformation without Caspen’s mental guidance.

On their way back from the lake, Tem sees Rowe. His genitals have been violently ripped off, leaving scarred tissue. Caspen shows no remorse, stating he did what was necessary. Tem understands Rowe now has nothing left to lose, making him more dangerous.

The next morning, Caspen reassures Tem that they will find a way to see each other once she moves into the castle (the next phase of the competition). Caspen creates a new claw for Tem to keep inside of herself; they can now both send pulses to each other. He also shows a newly vulnerable side, leading her to reflect that their relationship has shifted now that they can both transition. Tem returns to the village and that night and meets Gabriel at the tavern. He shares a rumor: If King Maximus disapproves of Leo’s choice, he will forbid the wedding. This information is alarming to Tem. Bastian’s plan relies on her marrying Leo and if the plan fails, war will occur. Tem returns to the caves to see Caspen and as they walk through the passageway, Rowe launches a powerful mental attack on both of them.

Despite his mutilation, Rowe’s power remains strong and he causes Tem severe pain. She is too overwhelmed to be able to transition into basilisk form. Rowe severely injures Caspen; fearing he will die from the wound, Tem begs Caspen to crest her. Since cresting gives the dominant basilisk an immediate infusion of strength, she thinks this will help him heal. He hesitates but after she reassures him, Caspen crests her.

The power transfer works. Caspen heals instantly and becomes immensely powerful. He retaliates, breaking Rowe’s spine with a flick of his fingers, then begins choking the life out of him. Tem begs Caspen to stop, fearing a war between the quivers will endanger his family. Reminding him of his siblings, she pleads for mercy. Caspen reluctantly spares Rowe’s life.

Tem faints from the ordeal. She wakes in Caspen’s bed; Adelaide, a female basilisk, is present and tending to Tem’s injuries. Adelaide is part of the Seneca clan (like Rowe) and since the last known hybreed was also a Seneca, she has some knowledge of how to help them. They are unsure of how Tem has been impacted by the cresting: basilisks die if crested, whereas humans become inextricably bound, and no one knows what happens to hybreeds. To test if the crest worked, Caspen orders Tem to stop talking. She continues speaking, proving her human side is not bound to him.

 While the three speak, Adelaide reveals she and Caspen were once engaged. When it becomes clear that Tem did not know this information, she leaves the room so Tem and Caspen can speak. Tem is furious but Caspen defends himself, claiming it was a political arrangement intended to broker peace between the clans. Caspen confirms he broke the engagement the night he met Tem because he immediately knew she was his true love. Tem feels even more outraged and violated that she began her training without knowing that Caspen was engaged to someone else.

Tem insists on going home. The next day, she receives an elaborate dress from Leo to wear to the ball. At the castle, she mentally contacts her father, Kronos, who warns her not to trust the king, without clarifying which one. Leo and Tem slip away to the maze in the gardens and he expresses his love and devotion. They kiss passionately but when Leo begins fondling her, he finds the claw inserted between her legs.

Leo surmises the claw is from Caspen and becomes extremely jealous. He removes the claw and performs oral sex on Tem, asserting his claim to her. Afterward, Tem pleads that she can’t help the connection she has with Caspen, but Leo argues that she could sever ties. He tells her he wants all of her or none of her—their current arrangement cannot continue. He confirms she is in the final three, whether she wants to be or not.

Back at the ball, King Maximus announces the final three contestants who will move into the castle: Vera, another girl, and Tem, who is chosen last. The girls are led to rooms near Leo’s. Tem sees Leo take Vera toward his bedroom. She spends a lonely night in her new bedroom and the next day, she sneaks to the castle dungeons. She finds rows of cells where basilisks (in human form) are shackled and subjected to bloodletting via wires fused to their fingers. In the last cell, she finds her father, Kronos. He warns her that Bastian, the basilisk king, values power above all else and cannot be trusted.

As she leaves the dungeons, King Maximus confronts Tem. He confirms Leo does not know about the bloodletting, but insists that when he becomes king, Leo will uphold the tradition. Maximus also says he will never allow Leo and Tem to marry, hinting that he was involved in ending Leo’s previous relationship with Evelyn. Tem threatens to tell Leo about Evelyn and turn him against Maximus forever if he interferes with their marriage.

Leo interrupts their conversation and Maximus leaves. Tem admits to Leo that she and Caspen are not on good terms, and Leo expresses his desire for her to choose him on her own terms, not as a reaction to fighting with Caspen.

Lonely and bored, Tem contacts Caspen telepathically, who begs her to visit. That night, she sneaks out of the castle and goes to the caves. They have passionate sex, during which Tem makes Caspen repeatedly affirm his love and devotion. Afterward, Tem asks about a comment Adelaide made, that while the engagement between Adelaide and Caspen was merely formal, Tem and Caspen are bound by blood. Caspen explains that when he gave her the golden claw pendant, fashioned out of his blood, their lives became linked; if either one dies, the other will too. The bond is so serious that most basilisks become engaged without a blood bond. Tem is moved by the devotion he has shown her. She asks Caspen to arrange a meeting with Adelaide, refusing to explain why, and returns to the castle.

The next evening, Tem is preparing to sneak back to the caves when Leo invites Tem to be his date at a family dinner party, admitting he wants to anger his father. At dinner, Maximus is openly hostile toward Tem. When he insults her family, Leo snaps at his father. Tem calms Leo by holding his hand under the table. Another guest mentions that basilisks are expected to attend the wedding. This information alarms Tem, since it means the basilisks will take over as soon as she crests the royals and this scenario increases the odds of chaos and violence.

After the dinner, Leo invites Tem to his room, promising not to try to have sex with her.

In Leo’s room, Tem and Leo begin flirting and kissing. Tem allows him to caress her and bring her to climax, but when he asks about having sex with her, she tells him it might happen if he eliminates the other two girls. After leaving Leo behind, Tem immediately sneaks back out to the caves. She meets with Adelaide alone and explains her symptoms: her mental connection with Caspen is weakened (she can’t speak to him and can barely hear him) and she has gained the ability to lie easily—something basilisks cannot do. Adelaide theorizes that when Caspen crested her, the crest only affected the basilisk side of her dual nature. That side is now slowly dying. If it dies completely, Tem will become fully human. Adelaide estimates Tem has a week or less before this happens.

Tem realizes that becoming fully human means she will lose the ability to perform the crest (which will lead to war instead of a peaceful resolution). Adelaide warns that if Tem’s basilisk side dies, Caspen will die too, due to their blood bond.