Page 21 of Kneel Before Me

“Who says you’re worth begging for?”

A slow, knowing smile spread over his lips. “You already know I am.”

Daphne did know that. She felt it in her bones—a truth so absolute it would be blasphemy to deny it. Of course Kronos was worth begging for. But that didn’t mean she would do it. Instead she held his gaze as she whispered, “I am worth begging for too.”

His smile only widened. “That, I know,” he whispered back.

A pause followed, and Daphne tried not to focus on how warm the air was around them. Kronos retained his hold on her hands.

“Shouldn’t you be giving me advice?”

He frowned. “Advice on what?”

“On how to make a good impression on the prince.”

“You said you did not want him.”

“And you said I had to compete for him anyway.”

His eyes narrowed. Finally, he dropped her hands, and they both leaned back. Kronos appraised her, a coldness falling over his face. “The key to the prince is to get him alone early and often. Find a common interest. Make yourself available when he wants you. And if you can, fuck him on the first night.”

He was giving her advice, yet somehow it felt like he was reprimanding her.

“I’m not going to fuck him.”

“You will if he wants to fuck you.”

“No, I won’t. I don’t want to have sex.”

They were the first words she’d ever said to Kronos, and she repeated them again now. The parallel was not lost on him because he said, “I did not realize your boundary extended to the prince. That is unacceptable. You must fuck him.”

“Why?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. There was something he wasn’t telling her. She was sure of it.

“Why, Kronos?”

He sat up straight, his eyes boring into hers. He still didn’t speak.

Daphne crossed her arms. “What happens if I don’t fuck him?”

Kronos leaned in. “If you are not willing to fuck him, you must find another way to win.”

It made no sense to her; basilisks weren’t supposed to care about the competition. It was her future that would be on the line, not his. “And if I can’t win?”

Kronos leaned in even closer. They were nearly touching again. Only this time, his eyes were blazing with anger. “I already told you,” he said deliberately. “There will be consequences.”

At his tone, Daphne’s blood ran cold. There were only so many emotions she could take in one evening. In just the past hour alone, she’d oscillated from anxiety to arousal to anger. Now she felt nothing but fear. She was alone in a cave with a monster who was far more powerful than her. If Kronos decided to hurt her, she would be at his mercy.

Without another word, Daphne stood. She expected Kronos to protest, to call after her, but he didn’t. Instead he remained in place as she left the cave. He did not follow her; he did not escort her to the foot of the trail like he did last time.

By the time she reached the wall, she was running.

And by the time she reached her home, she was in tears.

CHAPTER FOUR

Daphne