Page 182 of Kneel Before Me

Asking for what she wanted—or worse, telling someone to do it—wasn’t something Daphne was used to. Although she desperately wanted to try. She’d never been in a relationship where her voice held equal sway. She’d never been in any type of relationship at all. She was unlearning all of her past habits right now, all at once. It was too much for any sane person to take.

The guests were all taking their places on their mats. With no other choice, Daphne did the same, following their lead so that she was standing on her mat facing the crowd. Kronos stood before her, his hands at his sides. His hair was thrown back over his shoulders, his head held high. He looked proud.

“If you wish to supplement,” Bastian said, his voice carrying over the noise of the crowd. “Do so now.”

Daphne frowned. Supplement?

There was no time to be curious. Kronos was already reaching for his cock. She watched him as he touched himself, observing the way his veins stood out beneath his skin, his muscles flexing with each stroke. A sheen of sweat dappled his chest. He was so beautiful—far more beautiful than anyone else. Daphne couldn’t help but feel suddenly like they were the only people in the room. Moments later Kronos came into his hand, his cum pouring onto his palm as he let out a satisfied groan. For a moment, nothing else happened. Then his cum began to move, forming a claw-shaped item in his hand. It looked like the exact same substance that had formed the lingerie; it was gleaming and pale as a pearl. His essence. Daphne thought back to the night in her room—how the lingerie had moved around her body, ebbing and flowing like the sea. She thought of the part that had penetrated her—the part that looked just like the claw he was holding.

A glance down the line of hosts revealed other shapes. Some were a claw like Kronos’s, some looked more like a string of beads, some were a harness-like contraption that Daphne did not dare wonder what its use could be. On the far end of the line she recognized Caspenon. He was as tall and terrifying as ever, his eyes completely black. His hands were empty; apparently he was the only basilisk who did not care to supplement. His guest was a gorgeous woman with yellow eyes and petulant lips. Beside him was a man who looked similar to him and also to Bastian. Daphne wondered briefly whether that was the brother Kronos had mentioned—the one who shared the same woman. Before she could dwell on it, Kronos stepped forward. He reached for the blindfold.

Bastian spoke again, throwing his arms wide as he delivered his final line.

“Let the first challenge begin.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Daphne

The blindfold was silk.

Kronos picked it up slowly, his eyes on hers as he did it. They stared at each other. Despite the fact that she was naked, he seemed to be purposefully keeping his gaze on hers. Daphne wondered if it was an attempt to be respectful or simply an act of self-preservation. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be for Kronos to resist her in this moment, especially if the oils the queen had given her had some sort of enticing effect. Daphne was not immune to them herself. She felt uncommonly warm, and the temperature in the room wasn’t helping.

Kronos finally broke the silence. “Would you kneel for me?” he whispered.

Daphne noticed the way he phrased it so that it wasn’t an order. She wondered how long he could go on doing that before he inevitably made a mistake.

She knelt.

Kronos stepped forward, placing the blindfold over her eyes. The silk was soft against her cheeks. He brushed his fingers over Daphne’s skin, tracing her freckles before tying the blindfold around her head. Even without her sight, she knew the challenge had already begun; cries of pleasure reverberated all around her, filling the sweltering room.

“I will be right here the entire time,” Kronos murmured. “I promise.”

Daphne nodded. At a certain point it did not matter; there was no going back.

“What shall I do, Daphne?”

For some reason, she was frozen in place. She could feel Kronos’s heat before her, his weight shifting on the mat as he knelt. She placed her hands on his chest, taking comfort in the familiar shape of it. To her left, she heard one of the hosts say, “Open your mouth.”

Daphne could only assume their guest obeyed.

On their mat, it was different. On their mat, she was the one who said, “Touch me.”

She felt him lean closer, brushing his lips against hers as he whispered, “Where?”

Daphne brushed her fingers over his shoulder and down his arm, taking his hand and pulling it between her legs. The moment his fingers touched her center, she let out a soft moan.

“That sound,” Kronos breathed. “I adore it.”

“You’re about to hear it a lot.”

“Good.”

His fingers went deeper, his thumb pressing against her clitoris. Daphne had been wet since Deltene rubbed the oils on her thighs, and she was even more so now. The sound of his fingers moving inside her only turned her on even more, and she rocked her hips to meet them. It was the perfect way to start the challenge. She wrapped her arm around his neck, stabilizing herself against him.

“Would you go deeper, please?” she whispered. She felt him smile against her cheek as he went deeper.

“You may command me if you wish, Daphne. You do not have to ask.”