Page 68 of Kneel Before Me

Daphne’s heart stopped. She was sitting in the cave across from Kronos, the fire crackling beside them. She had hoped that after what happened last night they might spend this session in his chambers, but when she’d arrived he was already seated on the mat. They hadn’t discussed the kiss, nor had they kissed again. Daphne wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but it wasn’t this. Perhaps for Kronos, the kiss had been a one-time thing, simply an experiment he wished to indulge in. For her, it was everything.

“What is it?” Daphne asked.

“The Frisky Sixty is soon.”

The Frisky Sixty was when the girls who remained in the competition would get exactly sixty seconds alone with Maximus to do whatever they wanted with the prince. The Frisky Sixty was nothing more than a way for the prince to see all the girls naked.

“You will be expected to undress for the prince,” Kronos continued.

At the thought of undressing for Maximus, a pit grew in Daphne’s stomach. What happened in his bathroom felt like ages ago. The only man she wanted to undress for was sitting right in front of her.

“I know.”

“Are you prepared to do so?”

Daphne pursed her lips. Why was he asking her this? She thought it would be obvious that she didn’t want to undress for Maximus. At her silence, Kronos leaned forward.

“Are you prepared to do so?” he repeated.

She still didn’t respond, because she did not know her answer. Up until a moment ago, there was nothing that could have made her stand naked in front of the prince. But now, in the face of Kronos’s ambivalence, she was becoming tempted. Could basilisks feel jealousy? Or was Daphne the only one sitting here with a pit in her stomach?

“Daphne.” Kronos said her name so quietly she barely heard it over the crackle of the fire. “Answer me.”

“I don’t know.”

Now Kronos pursed his lips. There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other. For some reason, Daphne could have sworn Kronos looked relieved. Then his face hardened.

“The prince may eliminate you if you do not undress.”

“We have an arrangement. He doesn’t expect anything of me.”

“Men always expect things of women.”

Daphne paused. She knew that to be true. “I don’t care what he expects.”

“You may if he eliminates you.”

“Then he’ll eliminate me.”

“That is unacceptable.”

“Do you want me to undress for him?”

“I want you to win the competition.”

“But why?”

The question hung in the air between them. It was something Daphne had asked herself many times before. She had agreed to his demand under duress. It had seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and Daphne hadn’t questioned him. But now that they had spent time together, she was no longer afraid. And she would no longer agree to things blindly.

“Tell me, Kronos.”

He straightened. “Is that a command?”

“It’s a request.”

He held her gaze, his pupils wide. The air was warm and rapidly getting warmer, and Daphne knew now that temperature was tied to his emotions. Was he angry? Jealous? She was desperate to know.

“Why does the competition matter to you?” she insisted. “What do you gain from it?”