Page 138 of Kneel Before Me

“You…don’t want me to stay?” she whispered.

“I do,” Kronos said. “But it is not safe. I showed my hand.”

“What do you mean?”

“Caspenon knows I crested you. He understands exactly how much you mean to me. He may seek to exploit it.”

“How would he do that?”

Kronos shrugged. “The Drakons always find a way.”

Daphne knew there was no point in arguing. Instead she followed Kronos through the passageway to his chambers, where she retrieved her dress before heading out to the trail. They walked in silence all the way back to her cottage. When they reached it, Kronos placed a single, soft kiss on her cheek before disappearing into the night. Daphne stared after him, trying to process the events of the evening.

Later, as she lay awake alone in her bed, Daphne thought about what Caspenon had said: You must be stopped. He was afraid of Kronos. And people did desperate things when they were afraid. Daphne wanted to protect Kronos—had to protect Kronos. She was not intimidating like Caspenon nor was she capable of violence like him either.

But that did not mean she was powerless.

There was one thing she could do to ensure that Kronos retained his rank—to give him the best chance at becoming Serpent King. Daphne would fight in her own way to protect the person she cared about.

She would not allow the Drakons to start a war with the humans; she would not allow Caspenon to come after Kronos again.

She would wield her power in her own way; she would play a game of her own.

Daphne would do whatever it took to be sure she was still held favor with the prince—she needed him to go through with their arrangement now more than ever.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Maximus

All morning, Maximus was nervous.

He needed tonight to go well. Or at least, he needed it to not go terribly. He couldn’t stop thinking about his interaction with Daphne’s basilisk—how Kronos had looked at her as if he felt something for her.

Maximus could not allow it. He would win her back, and he would do so by being excruciatingly attentive. The only way into her heart was to get her to trust him—to get her to care. He would be vulnerable. He would make her feel at ease with him. He would not let her gaze stray. He had an obligation and a desire to steer her in the right direction: toward him. He had to keep her safe.

Maximus spent the entire day in Lilly’s nursery, playing and reading aloud to her. She was just beginning to make articulate noises, although real words were surely still far off. Maximus had taken to saying amusing phrases to her in the hopes that she might repeat them: “Where is my wine?” “Daphne is very pretty.” “Augustus is a bad, ugly man.”

By the time it was late afternoon, he was standing in the foyer, watching the window to see when Daphne would arrive, too tense to even bother feeling pathetic about it. When her carriage finally came into view he strode out to the driveway to greet her. Daphne emerged wearing a long cloak, the hood pulled up over her voluminous hair. At the sight of her concealed body, Maximus suddenly regretted telling her to wear something warm. He should have taken her skinny-dipping for this date. At least that would have been a chance to see her naked. The moment she was in front of him, he extended his arm.

“Daphne. How are you?”

“Fine.” She took his arm. She stepped toward the castle, but he placed his hand over hers, holding her to him.

“This way,” he said simply.

Daphne frowned but followed him out to the stables, where a stunning black horse was waiting for them. It had a thick, wavy mane and a white, diamond-shaped patch on its forehead.

Maximus turned to her. “I promised you a horse ride.”

Daphne was rooted in place, staring at the horse. At first he thought she might not be pleased, and panic tightened his chest. Then a slow smile brightened her face.

“Really?” she whispered.

“Really.”

Daphne let out a delighted giggle. Maximus wanted to bottle the sound. It brought him so much joy to make her happy—to see her smile and know he was the one to cause it. He wanted to see that smile over and over again. He would do anything to replicate it. Maximus watched as Daphne stepped forward, extending her hand slowly toward the horse. When it nuzzled against her palm, her smile widened.

“She’s beautiful,” Daphne whispered.