Page 118 of Kneel Before Me

Daphne recoiled at his tone. Tears pricked her eyes.

At her expression, Kronos immediately softened. “What I mean to say is that I do not wish to draw from you. The crest is a forceful act; it cannot be undone. It will not just give me power; it will make you beholden to me. Any order I give you, you would have to obey.”

Daphne frowned. She did not want to have to obey Kronos. “You would never give me any orders. Would you?”

“Not on purpose,” he said. “But even I am not perfect.”

Daphne almost laughed. He was as close to perfect as anyone could get. She trusted him with her life, which meant she trusted him with this. “Kronos,” she said. “You—”

Suddenly his eyes slammed shut. His entire body went rigid; the hand that was resting over Daphne’s gripped it so hard that she gasped.

“What is it?”

Kronos was trying to speak. “Caspenon—he—”

He did not need to explain; Daphne could see that the Drakon was siphoning from him. The lingerie was reacting too—one moment it was scalding hot and the next it was freezing cold. Kronos’s body was jerking; Daphne tried to hold him down to no avail. He was seizing, seizing, seizing, then he went limp. Daphne could not cry out; she could not make a sound. All she could do was cradle him as he lay there, praying to Kora that he would open his eyes.

Eventually, he did. “Daphne,” he whispered.

“Yes—I’m right here. What can I do?”

He didn’t answer. His normally luminous skin was dull, his eyes blank and wide.

Daphne couldn’t stand to see him like this. She had no idea how many times Caspenon could siphon from him before he would die, and she was not about to find out. It was time to take control.

“Kronos,” Daphne whispered firmly. “Crest me.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Daphne

Are you certain?” Kronos whispered.

She’d never been more certain. “Yes.”

“The risk to you is…great. You are putting your life in my hands.”

There were no better hands to put it in. “I understand.”

Still, Kronos hesitated. Even after the siphoning he’d just experienced, he only looked at her with concern and care.

“We’re wasting time,” Daphne insisted. “What if he siphons from you again?”

She knew he agreed by the way his jaw tightened. Still, she waited for him to finally do the math and realize that her life—no matter how important it was to him personally—was no more important than his.

She placed her hand gently on his cheek. “If it helps,” she whispered, “it’s enough that you don’t want to do it.”

His eyes met hers. “I will never forgive myself if this ends badly for you. If I hurt you…”

“You won’t.”

She had no way of knowing. And yet, somehow, deep in her bones, Daphne knew. She knew it would work out; she could feel it in her entire body, in the energy that thrummed through her as she positioned herself above Kronos. His hand found her waist, pulling her closer.

“What do you need me to do?” she whispered.

“Nothing.” His other hand was rising, wrapping around her throat. “Just stay still.”

“Will it hurt?” she asked, her lips an inch away from his. The sharp scent of his blood was making her dizzy.