Page 101 of Kneel Before Me

His hand wrapped gently underneath her chin, pulling her up. Without hesitation, he kissed her. Daphne thought about all the times she’d done this with other boys—how they all insisted on finishing in her mouth and how exactly none of them had kissed her after. But what was good enough to go in her mouth was good enough to go in Kronos’s. He slid his tongue against hers, tasting everything. His hands went to her thighs, pulling them open as he pushed her down onto her back. He dipped his head.

For the second time that night, Kronos licked her clean. It was as if he couldn’t get enough of her wetness. Daphne could relate to that feeling. She could still taste him on her tongue, his essence coating her lips. When Kronos was done he rested his head on her stomach. She ran her fingers gently through his hair, tracing the long, burnished waves.

“Can we do that every night?”

Kronos laughed softly. The sound vibrated through her entire body. “If you wish.”

“You’re very good at…licking.”

He propped his chin on her stomach, looking up at her. “I have had a lot of practice.”

Instead of letting herself get jealous, Daphne chose to be thankful for that practice. After all, she was reaping the benefits of it now.

Kronos sat up, pressing kisses up her body before aligning his face with hers. “You are very good at licking too,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of practice.”

They smiled at each other. He rolled onto his side, pulling her close and tucking her into his chest. “Do you know what happens tomorrow?”

“What happens?”

“The basilisks will go to the castle.”

They were halfway through the elimination process. It was time for the prince to meet the teachers—a process meant to give the future king an opportunity to tell the basilisks how the girls could improve.

Daphne’s stomach did an uncomfortable flip at the thought. “So…you’ll be meeting the prince.”

“I will.”

“What are you going to say to him?”

“What would you like me to say to him?”

Daphne could think of nothing that she wanted either Kronos or Maximus to say to each other. The entire concept made her feel rather ill. “Just…don’t let him know about us.”

Kronos shifted her in his arms, looking her in the eye. “Us?”

Daphne was suddenly self-conscious. “Aren’t we…an us?”

To her surprise, he smiled. “We are whatever you wish.”

What she really wished was for them to be a secret. At least, from Maximus. Given her arrangement with the prince, it seemed dangerous to let him find out that there was something between her and her teacher. Daphne knew Maximus wouldn’t take it well. The royals hated the basilisks; they were sworn enemies. Maximus would view Kronos as a threat.

“If he finds out, he might try to…hurt you.”

Kronos let out a sharp scoff. “If you think the human prince can do anything that would hurt me,” he said firmly, “you are wrong.”

But Daphne wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t that she thought Maximus was going to throw a punch—he’d have to be insane to look at Kronos and think he could land one—but she was afraid of what might happen nonetheless. The royals had many resources at their disposal, and they were not to be underestimated.

“I just…don’t want anything to happen to you,” she whispered.

Kronos touched his fingers to her chin, lifting it. “Nothing is going to happen to me.”

She nodded. Then she burrowed into his chest. There, secure in the basilisk’s embrace, Daphne slept.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Daphne