Page 269 of Kneel Before Me

As her undergarments fell, Caspen’s center of gravity shifted. He had seen more naked women than he could count. But Tem was different. It was a wonder to look upon such a creature. A gift to be in her presence. She was chaos incarnate; she was salt water crashing against the shore. Insistent and tenacious and indomitable. A force.

Caspen had not touched her, yet he knew her skin was soft. He knew she would be warm, like the flames in the fireplace. He longed to hear the sounds she would make, the gasp she would emit when he brought her to climax. Caspen wanted nothing but to ravage her. Instead, he extended his fingers to her abdomen, stopping just short of her skin.

He concentrated on her belly, using his mind to determine whether Tem was fertile. She was. That was good; every woman who competed to win the prince’s hand in marriage would need to be fertile—it was a fundamental rule of the competition. Tem’s fertility was extraordinarily strong, as if she were glowing from the inside out. It did not mean that she would bear the prince a son—such things were unpredictable, even for basilisks—but it meant that she was a suitable contender for his future wife.

“Lift your chin,” Caspen commanded.

She did so.

“Sit down.” He gestured at the rock ledge behind her. “And spread your legs.”

She did so.

The moment her knees parted, Caspen froze. Ylang-ylang. And sandalwood. They were the pillars of attraction to a basilisk. How had she known to wear those oils? Ylang-ylang and sandalwood were sacred—they represented the duality of female and male, day and night. When worn together, they were a powerful aphrodisiac. Not that Caspen needed such a thing to be turned on. The sight of the naked woman before him was more than enough to harden his cock. But Tem’s allure was greater than just the scent of the oils on her thighs. There was something else at work here, almost as if her heart called to his. It defied reason.

He lowered himself slowly, still staring at the center of her. Caspen had prayed many times to Kora. But this was undoubtedly better. It was an honor to kneel at the altar of her body. He wanted to lean in—to submerge himself in her—to dip beneath the surface and drown in her. What a plentiful death that would be. An honorable end to his otherwise dishonorable life.

“Open yourself,” he whispered. It was difficult to speak.

“I don’t understand,” Tem whispered back.

“Use your fingers,” Caspen said slowly, concentrating on every word. “And let me see inside you.”

Tem brushed her fingers tentatively down her body. When she spread herself for him, Caspen’s mind went blank.

He was bereft. He was empty.

Nothing could fill him but her. Nothing could satisfy the ache that sat heavily in his chest—the animalistic craving that infiltrated his skin like a disease. Because that was what she was. A sickness. A distinct and virtuous torture that forced him to recognize the hunger within his own soul. A hunger that had always been there, but had never been fed. Now it screamed. Screamed for Tem.

She was an indulgence. A delectable course to be savored. He longed to skim his fingertips along the soft skin of her thighs, to bury himself between her legs. But he had told her he would not touch her tonight. And Caspen would not be deterred by mere urges. He was stronger than that. He was stronger than her.

And then she was touching herself.

A hiss escaped Caspen’s lips, filling the cave. He should stop her. He should reprimand her and forbid her from going any further. Instead, he watched in awe as her fingers dipped in and out of her wetness. Slowly, languidly. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever experienced in his decidedly long life. There was nothing he would rather see than this. This was far beyond anything he could hope to experience with a basilisk.

Such depth should be impossible. Humans were predictable. They held nothing of interest for him—nothing that would surprise him. Centuries of experience had proven that time and time again. It only made this woman even more tremendous. As if Kora had ordained her so.

“Do you approve of me?” Tem whispered.

Caspen heard the breathless desperation in her voice. Of course he approved of her. Approval was the minimum of what he felt for Tem. But he could not allow this to go any further.

“My approval is irrelevant,” he said sharply. “It is the prince’s approval you should seek.”

She recoiled, and he nearly reached for her.

“I did not tell you to stop.”

Tem’s eyes widened. Slowly, her hand returned to her center. Caspen was already hard, and watching her touch herself only made him more so. And why should he not indulge this infatuation? He had already signed away his future. His father had ruined any chance of his happiness. Caspen no longer cared to do the right thing.

The hiss returned, and this time he did not bother to restrain himself.

Without a second thought, Caspen gripped his cock and began to stroke. Touching himself to the sight of her was incredible. Delectable, succulent, pleasure. It was a moment of reckoning for them both—an unspoken agreement that whatever happened tonight would remain between these cave walls. Her body was spread open before him, every inch of her on display. Caspen stared at the way her waist curved into her hips, wishing he could grasp her with his hands. Her presence was intoxicating; it was as if he were becoming drunk on her scent. With every hitch of her breath, Caspen’s breath hitched too.

This went far beyond carnal urges—Caspen had experienced those many times before. What he felt now was more than mere physical attraction. He wanted to possess Tem. He wanted her to belong to him and him alone. Caspen could not imagine touching another woman who was not the woman before him. Every stroke of his cock was unequivocally and wholly right. They were ascending together, stronger than the ocean, as impenetrable as wave against rock. Caspen had experienced many things in his long life. Nothing could have prepared him for her. He noticed it all: the lush canvas of her skin, the open angle of her neck. Her hands went to her breasts, and he nearly lost control at the sight. It took extraordinary effort not to finish, yet even so, Caspen needed more.

“Deeper,” he said. It was nearly a plea.

“Won’t you do it?” she whispered.