Page 133 of Kneel Before Me

“Then you’d better explain who exactly she is to you.”

“She is no one to me.”

“I find that hard to believe considering she’s showing up at your door naked in the middle of the night.”

“Daphne.” Kronos placed his hands gently on her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. “There is much you do not know about basilisk culture. I assure you, both her arrival and her lack of clothing are customary.”

“Customary?”

At the hint of hysteria in her voice, Kronos tightened his grip.

“Basilisks are free with our bodies. Nudity does not mean for us what it means for humans. It is simply a part of life.”

Daphne gestured at herself. “So this is simply a part of life?”

“No,” he said quickly, his eyes flicking down her body. “You are…” He trailed off, and Daphne saw a hundred emotions pass over his face. “Everything.”

Daphne let out a rather unattractive snort. She was in no mood to be placated. “Don’t patronize me. You do this all the time, don’t you? With other basilisks—with other humans, during the training.”

Now, for the first time, Kronos looked angry. “I do not do this all the time. I have never taken a human into my chambers.”

“But you take basilisks. You take Penelope.”

He pursed his lips. “Yes.”

“You promised her three orgasms.” That was more than he’d given Daphne in one night, anyway.

“I would be more than happy to promise you the same.”

“I don’t want orgasms. I want to leave.” She tried to turn away, but he caught her, holding her body against his.

“Please, Daphne. I do not wish you to leave. You are the only woman I want in my bed. I promise you.”

She pulled away again, and this time he let her.

“I mean it, Daphne. I cannot lie.”

That made her pause. “In that case, answer my questions truthfully,” she snapped. “No lies.”

He looked her straight in the eye. “You may ask me anything.”

“Are you romantically involved with Penelope?”

“No.”

“Do you love her?”

“Not even remotely.”

“Have you had sex with her?”

A pause.

Daphne glared at him. “Have you?”

“Yes,” he sighed. “I have. But it is like I said—it is different for us. To a basilisk, sex is meaningless. It—”

“I don’t want to hear about how sex is meaningless to you,” she cried, “when it means everything to me.”