Page 20 of Kneel Before Me

It was all Daphne cared to do. Instead of saying so, she reached forward, taking his hands so that they were cradled in hers. His skin was so hot it nearly seared her. She stared at his long fingers, which extended halfway up her forearms.

“You hold the stars in your hands,” she whispered.

Gently, she brushed her thumbs over his palms. The motion was far more sensual than she meant it to be, and by the end of it, Kronos’s cock had hardened even more. Daphne tried not to look at it, but it was impossible. She tried desperately to distract herself: “Do all basilisks have these freckles?”

“They do not.”

“So why do you have them?”

“I do not know.”

Daphne looked into his eyes. It seemed unfathomable to her that there could be something this ancient being did not know. “Are you the only one?”

“As far as I know.”

“Your parents don’t have them?”

For some reason he went still. His answer was quiet. “My parents are dead.”

“Oh,” said Daphne. “I’m sorry.”

Kronos didn’t reply.

She wanted to ask more, but she was afraid she’d gone too far already. To her relief, he spoke.

“Do you like them?”

“Your…freckles?”

“Yes.” The question felt oddly intimate. He was asking her if she liked a feature of his body—one that was rare among basilisks.

Daphne nodded. “I do.”

In reply, Kronos turned his hands over so that they were holding hers. He held her gently, as if he was hoping to keep her near him.

“I am glad.”

“Why?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he looked her in the eyes, and she looked back. The moment seemed to lengthen, time dragging to half its normal pace. Daphne was hyperaware of the temperature in the cave, which was rising steadily. A single drop of sweat slid between her breasts. She wondered if Kronos could sense it. His grip on her tightened, pulling her toward him. She knew she should resist. But she couldn’t. Something was keeping her here. There was no escape from his eyes—deep and golden and knowing. His pupils were widening, turning his eyes black. They were getting closer…ever closer. Daphne could look nowhere else, see nothing else.

He mesmerized her so much she could barely manage to say “Stop.”

Kronos stopped. Only then did she realize just how close they had truly become. Their faces were an inch apart, his lips so near she could have touched them with her tongue.

“Is this some sort of basilisk trick?” she gasped. “Are you compelling me to do this?”

“It is no trick. I would not do that to you.”

“Why should I believe you?”

She tried to pull away, but Kronos would not release her, holding her in place. “I will never force you, Daphne,” he whispered. “I would rather wait.”

“For what?”

“Until you come to me, on your knees, begging for it.”

Daphne’s blush deepened. She was about to beg for it right now. But that would mean ceding her power, letting him win. And she was unwilling to let him do that. She wasn’t used to losing and certainly not to someone who clearly expected victory.