Page 208 of Kneel Before Me

“But you—”

“Every time I am with you I cannot believe you give me the time of day. Every moment in your presence is a blessing. I wake up thinking about you and fall asleep thinking the same. Even then, I dream of you. There is no respite for me—no escape. I do not want one anyway. You are the center of my universe; you are the only thing I care about. In all my years of living I have known nothing like this. No one has ever touched my heart the way you have. If I could drown in your presence, I would do so gladly. I am far from perfect. You, however, are the definition of perfection. If you do not understand what I see in you, then I am at fault for not expressing myself properly.”

Daphne stared into his eyes, mesmerized.

“I doubt you are ready to hear it, but I am ready to say it.”

Her breath hitched in her lungs. Was he really about to—

“I love you, Daphne.”

Her heart stopped beating. “You don’t know what you’re—”

“Do not,” he cut her off quietly, “tell me what I know.”

Daphne fell silent. Technically it was an order, although it was a harmless one. Daphne stared up at Kronos—at his beautiful, concerned face. He regarded her as if she were a treasure—an exceedingly priceless one at that.

“I love you, Daphne,” he said again. “It is the easiest thing in the world to feel, and easier still to put it into practice. Loving you is not difficult. It never has been. Loving you is a privilege—one I cherish. I love you even if you do not love me in return. Even if you will never love me in return. It does not matter to me. If you never reciprocate my feelings, I will die happy knowing I told you mine.”

Daphne’s eyes filled with tears. “You’ll get tired of me,” she whispered. “You won’t want me once you know me.”

“I already know exactly who you are.”

But she just shook her head. Daphne had weathered too much: years of being called the village slut, of taking whatever she was handed, of being treated like something less than human. Kronos may love her. But that did not mean she felt like someone worth loving.

The vial room had long since emptied; everyone was no doubt off to the courtyard.

“I’m nobody.” She was beginning to cry in earnest now, tears closing her throat. “I’m nothing. Everyone thinks that I—that I’m—”

The voice in her head was relentless, repeating words she’d said to herself ever since she was old enough to kiss a boy: No one will ever love you. Why would they want to? You’re not worth loving.

Men had only ever wanted one thing from her—something she knew Kronos wanted too. But he had never asked for it. Never forced her to do it. He had bent over backward to ensure she didn’t compromise her promise to herself even when it meant forsaking his own people. She had never felt worthy of such a gesture, and she still did not feel so now. All she felt was guilt. The shame Daphne carried was not something that could be dispelled with one sentence from Kronos. It would take unlearning; it would take time.

“Daphne,” Kronos urged. “You are not nothing. You are everything. I love every part of you, including the parts you do not love yourself.”

Kronos brushed his thumb over her cheek to catch her tears.

“Please,” he whispered. “I cannot see you cry because of me.”

She just shook her head.

“There is nothing you could say that would push me away, Daphne. Nothing. I do not expect your love in return, especially considering how selectively you give it. But you must know that you have mine. You are my heart, Daphne. When I am not near you it feels as if someone has torn it from my chest.”

Sweeter words had never been spoken to her.

“I do not deserve you,” Kronos finished quietly. “I never will. But I am yours nonetheless.”

Daphne opened her mouth to reply. But before she could, someone appeared beside her, shattering their intimate moment.

“Kronos,” Rowe said sharply. “What is the meaning of this?”

For a single, endless moment, Kronos’s tender gaze remained on Daphne. Then he turned slowly to face Rowe, his expression hardening into something brutal. “What is the meaning of what?”

“Your rank,” Rowe snapped. “It is high.”

“My rank does not matter,” Kronos snapped back. “I did not win.”

“Yet you are clearly still a threat. You have the vote of those who come from the sea. What did you do to gain it?”