Page 6 of Kneel Before Me

All basilisks were free with their bodies, but the frequency of Bastian’s conquests bordered on insulting. Caspen’s father was careless with his endeavors, taking anyone to bed no matter the time or place or potential social consequences. His promiscuity made it seem as if he were not satisfied with his queen—a grave insult, considering Caspen’s parents were blood-bound.

“Hold your tongue,” Bastian snapped. “Or I shall remove it.”

Caspen rolled his shoulders. Harmony’s insolence had already put him in a foul mood. He felt anxious and uneasy, and his father was not helping.

“We need a Hybreed,” Bastian continued. “And soon.”

“They do not exist.”

“They do. And we need one.”

Caspen sighed. This was his father’s obsession, and he did not share it. A half-basilisk, half-human child would do nothing to turn the tide unless it was loyal to the Drakons. That is, if they were even real. In his centuries of life, he had never known one to exist. There was no reason why one would appear now.

“Hoping for a Hybreed is foolishness.”

“There are dangers coming,” Bastian said. “We need to be prepared.”

Caspen merely shook his head. He knew exactly what his father was referring to. The humans were not the only threat to their livelihood. There were whispers of creatures beyond the sea—monsters with powers that rivaled those of the basilisks. But that was mere legend. No other creature could hope to match his power.

“You are being paranoid. It is unwarranted.”

Bastian snorted. “And you are being naive.”

Caspen was anything but. His childhood had not been an easy one. Any solace he might have found came from his mother, who was always there to soothe the wounds his father had inflicted. They were night and day, sunshine and rain. Deltene was there long after Bastian had gone out to find yet another conquest, and she was always there when he returned. The red welts on Caspen’s body were healed by her before he learned how to heal them himself.

“You must control yourself, Father.”

Bastian turned toward Caspen, narrowing his eyes. “Must you always be so reasonable?”

“It is a necessity in this family.”

“Hmph.” Bastian turned away. They stood in silence for a moment. But it was not to last.

“Apollo has been rising in rank,” his father said. “I am surprised you are letting him.”

Caspen rolled his shoulders. He knew what his father was really saying: You are weak. It was not true; Caspen was not weak. What he was was distracted. Any moment he was not with Harmony was a moment she was with Apollo. His dear brother was always waiting in the wings, searching for an opportunity to swoop in and steal her away. It was infuriating enough without the added knowledge that Harmony enjoyed it. Caspen had always known that her heart was reserved for herself and herself alone. She had told him on the first night they had slept together: You will not win me over, Caspenon. And neither will your brother. You will fight forever, and I will win.

And fought they had, ever since Harmony had bedded Caspen first. It was a point of contention between them—something Apollo could never seem to let go.

Bastian clapped his hand on Caspen’s shoulder. “Do not fail me, Caspenon. Your girl must win.”

“My girls always win.”

Even Bastian could not deny that Caspen was the best at what he did. No one could possibly claim otherwise. Caspen understood that human women were pliable, moldable, obedient. And he was unparalleled in his skills, unbeatable in his methods.

“Do not fail me, Son.”

Caspen rolled his shoulders again, freeing himself from his father’s grip just as two women approached them. Caspen recognized them as part of the group whose sole goal was to bed his father all together. They called themselves king chasers, and as far as he knew, they had succeeded many times over. Now they were eyeing Caspen too.

The women knelt at the same time.

If his evening had gone a different way, perhaps Caspen would have refused. But Harmony had left him aching and desperate, and this was the easiest solution to his problem. Caspen grunted as he watched his cock disappear down one of the women’s throats. At last, relief.

Beside him, Bastian made a similar noise. They did not look at each other; they did not speak. Caspen’s father was a terrifying presence in his own right, but when he was sexually engaged, he was even more formidable. Power emanated from him in waves, clouding Caspen’s mind and surely the minds of the two women before them. Bastian was the Serpent King for a reason; this would not be his father’s first time receiving head tonight. But it would be Caspen’s, and he intended to enjoy it.

His hand gripped the woman’s hair, holding her in place as he took control. Caspen preferred to set his own rhythm, to thrust at a punishing speed. Not everyone could withstand it, but this woman was eager to please. The woman who knelt before Bastian displayed much of the same enthusiasm. Caspen knew what this act meant to the women—it was a competition between them. He was inside their minds, and he knew they were racing to see whose target would finish first. Caspen had no stake in such a game; he could not care less when he finished. All he cared about was forgetting the events of the evening. He prolonged his climax, thinking of other things, distracting himself so that his father could climax first and hopefully leave him alone.

The moment Bastian finished, he walked away. Caspen remained in place, more than ready to come, knowing it would be the pinnacle of relief after Harmony had left him wanting. The woman on her knees swallowed every last drop he gave her, moaning as she did so. The moment she stood, Caspen left too.