Page 5 of Kneel Before Me

Then she swept away, leaving him painfully hard. There was no time to relieve the pressure—his father was already walking over.

Caspen steeled himself for what was sure to be an unpleasant conversation.

“Caspenon.”

“Father.”

“She plays you for a fool.” Clearly he was wasting no time tonight.

“I do not wish to discuss this.”

“You favor her,” Bastian continued as if he had said nothing at all. “It is a waste of your time. I have seen you turn others away in the hope that she will simply look in your direction. It is pathetic, Caspenon. More importantly, it is dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“She is a Seneca. She will corrupt you. How can you not care?”

“Of course I care, Father.”

“Then you should act like it. They conspire against us. They seek to destroy us. Why do you think I called for the Ranking?”

A contentious silence fell.

The Ranking was a rare event, occurring only when the current Serpent King called for it and only in a year when the competition for the prince was already happening. Caspen knew Bastian had only called for the Ranking because of him. He should have ascended by now. It was drawing embarrassment to their family.

Presently, his father continued: “Are you ready for tonight?”

“Of course I am.”

“It is imperative that you perform.”

“When have I ever not performed?”

“This is not a joke.”

“Do I appear to be laughing?”

“You have a duty,” his father insisted.

“To whom?”

“To your people.”

“To my people? Or to you?”

His father bristled. “You have dallied long enough, Caspenon. It is time for you to become who you were meant to be.”

“I am not dallying, Father.”

“And yet you choose to waste your time with her?”

Caspen’s cock still throbbed at the thought of Harmony. It was difficult to think of anything else. “She does not belong to me.”

The words were true, although Caspen wished they were not.

Bastian let out a hard, cruel laugh.

Caspen turned to face him. “You are not always so selective with your own lovers, Father.”