Page 201 of Kneel Before Me

He nodded but didn’t press her.

Daphne looked back at the couple, watching as the man who was standing finished into the mouth of the man who was kneeling.

“Daphne,” Kronos said quietly. “Shall I continue to make small talk?”

Despite herself, Daphne smiled. “Yes,” she said. “Please do.”

Her request was working; already she felt more at ease. But she was still under the mountain, still surrounded by a plethora of bodies. This was not easy for her.

Kronos pointed again, this time to the opposite side of the courtyard. “Do you see them?”

Daphne followed his gaze, her eyes landing on a group of male basilisks who appeared to be gathering in a circle. Daphne squinted, trying to see what they were gathered around, but she couldn’t tell from this far away.

“Shall we watch?” Kronos asked.

Daphne nodded. She wasn’t sure what exactly she was about to watch, but she was sure she wanted to see it. Kronos placed his hand gently on her back, guiding her forward. Together they walked through the crowd. Basilisks watched them as they went, but she ignored them. Yesterday, their stares unnerved her. Now she understood the thrill of being watched. The closer they got to the circle, the more Daphne was able to see. The men were all fully erect, each holding the cock of the man beside him in the other. They formed a sort of chain, all linked together in a circle. In the center knelt a woman.

A sharp rush of heat pierced Daphne. It took all her self-control not to gasp.

“The circle is a sacred shape to us,” Kronos whispered in her ear. “It is an ouroboros, which represents infinity.”

Daphne was barely listening. It was difficult to retain any more information at this point.

“The men will rotate around her,” Kronos continued. “She may touch herself if she wishes or simply watch them.”

“But what’s the point? Who wins?”

Daphne had seen the challenges—she understood that everything was a game to the basilisks.

Kronos shook his head. “Everyone wins,” he said simply. “The point is pleasure.”

It was simply part of their culture—a way to feel good. Daphne liked the idea of that. Everything she had seen so far under the mountain had had pressure attached—stakes that felt nearly impossible. This was not that; this was for fun.

They watched as the men stroked one another to the sight of the woman. They rotated slowly as she stayed in place, giving her a perfect view of each of them one after another. Eventually, the woman touched herself too, slipping her fingers between her legs and gently caressing her breasts. The sight made Daphne even warmer than she was. She wondered what it would be like to be that woman—to know all of those men were hard because of her. She realized she could find out.

Before Daphne lost her nerve, she turned to Kronos and said, “I want to do that.”

He looked down at her, his pupils widening. Smoke rolled over his shoulders. The mere mention of it was enough to turn him on.

“Are you certain?”

Daphne nodded. “Yes.”

Every nerve in her body felt alive, thrilled in a way she had never experienced before. For so long, she’d lived in darkness, numb to everything around her. Now she wanted to feel. Still, Kronos hesitated. Perhaps he worried that she felt forced—that she was trying to make up for the second challenge. But this was not about him. Daphne wanted this for herself.

She stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his neck. “Don’t you want to see me on my knees?”

At her words, heat flowed from his body to hers. Daphne felt it on a molecular level, as if their bodies were combining.

“More than anything,” Kronos whispered back.

“Good,” she said, stepping back. “Let’s go.”

A moment passed as he looked at her. She knew how badly he wanted her. If this was a way for them to experience his culture together, surely he would allow it.

“Very well,” Kronos took her hand in his. His hand found Daphne’s, guiding her forward.

“When the circle opens,” he said, “the woman will leave and you will be free to enter.”