Page 111 of Kneel Before Me

He barely listened as the snake said, “Are you satisfied with her performance?”

Maximus closed his eyes. He’d had too much wine. The room was beginning to spin. “Yes,” he said. “Constance is fine.”

A pause. Maximus opened his eyes to see that the basilisk was frowning.

“Fine?”

“Yes, fine.”

Now Constance was frowning too. It was clear his words hurt her, but he found it difficult to care.

“She excels at her lessons,” the snake said slowly, as if Maximus were a small child who needed educating. “She is quite skilled.”

“I’m sure she is.”

“Constance would make an exemplary match.”

“I’m sure she would.”

The basilisk raised its eyebrows, clearly shocked by his response. “If you are not pleased with her, I can adjust my teaching. Is there something you prefer her to do that she is not doing?”

But Maximus was in no mood to discuss this any further. The entire conversation was ludicrous. The snake was asking him what Constance could do to satisfy him when the truth was Constance could never satisfy him. There was only one woman who would make him happy, and she wasn’t willing to have sex until she was in love. But how to tell this snake that? It wasn’t information Caspenon should be privy to.

“I said she’s doing fine,” Maximus snapped. “My preferences are none of your business.”

The snake raised his eyebrows. “Your stance is…unconventional,” he said carefully. “Most princes tell me what they like.”

“I’m not most princes.”

“That much is clear.” His retort was sharper than it should have been.

Maximus straightened. “I suggest you watch your tone. It’s not your job to question me.”

The basilisk straightened too. Much to Maximus’s chagrin, he was a good deal taller than him. “It is my job to train your future wife.”

“And who says Constance is my future wife? Last time I checked, that’s not your choice to make.”

“My girls always win.”

“That’s not my problem.”

The basilisk rolled his shoulders. For the second time tonight, Maximus felt suddenly uneasy.

“It is my responsibility to educate my student so that she satisfies you. If there is something you would like me to teach her, it would be in your best interest to inform me.”

Something seemed to be at stake here, and it had nothing to do with Constance. The basilisk obviously cared deeply that Maximus chose his student, but he had no idea why. It was almost as if he had a personal stake in this. But that was absurd. The snakes didn’t covet the way humans did.

“They aren’t cattle. You can’t just train them,” Maximus said.

The snake blinked. Clearly, he disagreed. But all Maximus could focus on was the conversation he’d just had with Kronos—how he’d said Daphne was exceptional at giving head. The jealousy hadn’t abated. It probably never would.

“If you do not tell me what you like, I cannot improve her performance.”

“I don’t care if you improve her performance. I like someone else.”

If the snake looked surprised before, he looked downright angry now. Beside him, Constance’s face twisted into a pout. Maximus didn’t care. He was done pretending that any of this was even remotely interesting to him. He didn’t care to have Constance throw herself at his feet. He didn’t care to be satisfied in bed by anyone who wasn’t Daphne. No one could satisfy him but Daphne.

“Constance is the front-runner,” the snake said. “I suggest you choose her.”