Page 165 of Kneel Before Me

Daphne was trying to gauge whether or not she needed to be jealous of someone who had taught Kronos everything he knew.

“No,” he said. “She lives by the sea.”

Daphne nodded. Good. “Do you go there often?”

“I do not. It is a long journey, and my duty is here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Only basilisks who live underneath the mountain can compete to become Serpent King. If I leave for too long, I will lose my opportunity to rule.”

His words only reminded Daphne of the decision she had to make tomorrow. Rather than dwell on it, she said, “Do basilisks get married?”

“We do, although it is rare.”

“Why?”

“Most basilisks do not wish to tether themselves to one person.”

“When you put it that way, it doesn’t sound very romantic.”

Kronos smiled. “We do not view marriage as the humans do. Papers and legality mean nothing to us. Basilisks care only that you are loyal with your heart.”

“So even if someone is married…”

“They may sleep with anyone they wish as long as their heart does not stray.”

She wrinkled her nose. “That’s alarming.”

Kronos laughed. “That is the basilisk way.”

Eventually, Daphne ran out of questions. In the silence Kronos leaned in slowly, closing the space between them inch by inch until his lips were on hers. The kiss deepened. Normally Daphne would have been ready for it to go further. But now, she felt like a raw nerve. So she pulled away.

“Kronos,” she whispered, “would you mind if we…don’t do anything tonight?”

He drew away too, looking at her for the briefest of moments before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I do not mind, Daphne.”

He nestled her deeper into his arms, curling his body around hers.

Daphne thought about the events of the evening—of the drastic difference between the way Maximus and Kronos handled rejection. When Daphne had refused the prince’s advances, he’d reacted in anger. When she’d refused Kronos’s, he’d reacted with nothing but understanding and kindness. It was a marked difference, and one that was not lost on her. It was exactly the type of behavior she wanted in a partner—in a man. Even if Kronos wasn’t a man, he acted like a better one than Maximus would ever be. By anyone else’s account, Kronos was a monster. Perhaps the prince was more deserving of that moniker.

Utterly at peace, Daphne fell asleep in Kronos’s arms.

When she woke, he was still asleep. She took the opportunity to study his face, admiring every stunning angle. His burnished hair was long, thrown over his shoulders like a waterfall. It had a natural wave to it, but not quite enough to be curly. His mouth was relaxed, his lips forming a perfect arch in the middle. Eventually, her gaze traveled lower. She studied his neck, sculpted as if from marble. Her eyes traced the great slope of his shoulders, following them down to his biceps. Kronos’s hand was splayed on the bed between them, and without thinking, Daphne set hers gently next to it, comparing their sizes. His pinkie finger was longer than her middle one. She stared at his abs, which were devastatingly chiseled. Daphne wondered if he had to work for them or if all basilisks were built this way. His beauty was already unfair enough—it didn’t seem right that he didn’t expend some sort of effort to look like this.

There was a prominent vein that ran from his lower abdomen all the way to the head of his cock. Daphne flushed at the sight. The urge to touch it—to run her fingertip gently down that undulating ridge—was so strong she could hardly resist it. She was actually considering doing it when Kronos opened his eyes.

“Daphne,” he said quietly, his voice a rumble in the darkness.

“Sorry,” she said quickly. “I was just—”

“Looking at my cock while I was asleep.”

Daphne blushed immediately. It was exactly what she’d been doing.

“You may look as much as you like,” Kronos said with a smile. Her blush only deepened. This seemed to amuse Kronos, and he tilted his knee open, revealing himself even more.

“Well?” he said. “Is it acceptable to you?”