Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Kronos
Resuming his place at the head of the table, Kronos eyed the human who’d spun his previously gratifying, yet stable existence into its current dizzying state.
One moment, he thought he was taking care of her mortal needs by hydrating and feeding her, and the next, she came out with her shocking belief that he was going to kill Shelley.
Folding the black cover over his thighs, he blew out a breath.
How in the name of the old gods had she come to that conclusion?
He’d never once intimated a desire to slay either of them.
On the contrary, he’d told her explicitly on more than one occasion that he wouldn’t harm her.
Yet, still, she deduced the worst for her predecessor.
Did she think so little of him that she concluded he was capable of such malice? Of course, there had been a time when he’d been the master of destruction, even going so far as to make his own children suffer for his desires, but that was a long, long time before.
He was a different god then, hellbent on his own needs and little else. Time, and the mortal women he’d worked with since, had changed him, rounding off his harder edges and giving him purpose.
His gaze shifted to the flowers blooming on the table between them. Named after him, the deep lavender hyacinth was in full bloom, its enticing fragrance filling the large, airy space.
Kristina didn’t know anything about him yet.
She had no reason to trust him.
That thought, while logical, depressed him. He felt such a tug toward her and sensed their ballooning connection that, in his impatience, he wanted to fast forward to the outcome of the time they’d spent together, rather than living those blessed moments and allowing her to get to know him.
As Father Time, he should have known better, yet still, she had gotten under his skin, affecting him more brazenly than he was prepared to admit to anyone other than himself.
He closed his eyes briefly, envisaging the meal he’d chosen for them, and by the time his lids fluttered open, the plate of steaming hot food had materialized before them both.
Until he could understand what was going on between them, he would focus on what counted—his rules and responsibilities.
“Eat.” He motioned to her, still blindsided by her recrimination, yet wanting to maintain his air of calm authority.
Ultimately, that was the dynamic between them. She would obey his rules, and he would ensure she was well taken care of.
“Wow.” She glanced down at her plate, her focus flying back to his face. “What’s this, Master?”
“Roasted salmon with braised lentils,” he told her matter-of-factly. “Marinated with garlic, lemon, and thyme. It’s healthy and delicious.”
That was the exact combination she looked as though she needed.
Kristina was gorgeous, but a glimpse into her mortal life had revealed a propensity to skip meals and resort to high-calorie snacks when she was hungry.
There would be no more of that while she was in his care.
All of her meals would be loaded with fresh ingredients to provide her with the right balance of nutrition.
“Thank you.”
She sounded genuinely impressed by the plate of food that had appeared in front of her, and possibly, he suspected, rather daunted.
Based on the small quantities he’d witnessed her eat with the female she lived with, the portion he’d provided would be a challenge for her to finish.
But that was the point. He would give her everything she needed for optimum health, and all she was required to do in return was cede.
She didn’t know it yet, but she would eat everything on her plate.
“It’s a pleasure. Go ahead.” Picking up his knife and fork, he suppressed the urge to smile. “Eat while it’s hot.”
A satisfied hush fell over the dining hall as they both tucked into the meal.
Kronos reflected on the balance of flavors, congratulating himself on the ideal blend of herbs and spices.
His magic had a great many advantages, but being able to produce food on command had always been one of his favorites.
Finishing a mouthful of fish and vegetables, she placed her fork down. “I don’t usually eat like this, Master.”
“You don’t normally eat salmon?” He had the sense she was feeling awkward after her prior inaccurate assumption but didn’t know how to appease the situation. Reaching for his glass, he watched her reactions as she replied.
“Not often,” she confessed. “But it’s lovely. Thank you again.”
She’s definitely on the back foot.
The thought danced wryly in his head. He’d rarely seen her so well-behaved since she’d stirred.
Sitting with the correct posture, she was being polite and respectful, and she hadn’t even glanced back at the window since he’d resumed his place.
She was quite unlike the sulking woman he’d encountered when he’d refused her an orgasm.
“I’m glad you approve.”
His tone was sardonic as he collected another mouthful and slid the roasted salmon into his mouth. Watching him, she smiled hesitantly before returning her attention to her plate of food.
“I don’t usually eat so much, either,” she started, her expression wary. “This is a lot of food, Master.”
“It’s what you need,” he assured her. “You told me you were hungry, and weren’t you heading out for food when we first met on that cold, dark street?”
His knowing tone told her he already knew the answer. She had been out in search of pizza, even though she hadn’t eaten the pasta her housemate had made for her.
“Yes, Master.”
The way she nibbled at her lower lip suggested she knew that conversation was best avoided. The last time the matter was raised, she had rightly ended up turned over his knees for a spanking.
Recalling how delightful she had been there, he smirked. Little ones who didn’t do as they were told would live with the consequences of their actions, and although he accepted Kristina hadn’t known his rules when she’d ventured out, he had warned her more than once, and she’d chosen to ignore him.
“So, eat up,” he concluded, employing that same shrewd timbre. “Everything on your plate must be eaten.”
“Everything?” Looking up from her plate, unease glimmered in her wonderful blue eyes. “But Master, this is a huge plate of food.”
“You’ll manage.” He arched an eyebrow at her, sending her the unspoken message that the matter of clearing her plate was a battle she wasn’t going to win. “There’s no rush.”
Although that wasn’t strictly true. Shelley would be stirring soon, and she’d wonder where her master was. Tucking into another mouthful of lentils, he decided to bring the brunette’s advancement forward. With Kristina providing such fascinating impetus, he was ready to let Shelley go.
“I’ll try, Master.” Collecting a forkful of vegetables, she pushed the food into her mouth and chewed.
“Let me be clear, little one,” he went on. “I take the job of providing you with adequate nutrition extremely seriously. Your meals will give you everything you need, and I expect you to eat them.”
“It’s so big, though,” she whined.
He had the sense she was working hard to be well-mannered. “It’s an average-sized meal with the correct number of calories, and you will eat it.”
Her eyes rose to meet his, her brow creasing as she swallowed down the order. “Master, I’m trying to be reasonable. It’s too much for me.”
He lifted his chin at the talk of non-cooperation, fighting the urge to grin.
She’d claimed to be hungry before he’d brought her there, just as she’d claimed to be sorry for thinking him a would-be murderer, yet all it had taken was one plate of salmon and lentils, and already she was reverting to the obstinate woman he remembered from her cell.
“Remember, rule one, Kristina.” He heaped the last of his fish onto his fork and turned to lock eyes with her. “I do not think you want to try me on this.”
“But Master…” she complained.
“Eat up.” Glancing at the hill of lentils and half a salmon waiting on her plate, he could see she hadn’t even tried to comply. “You do not want your master to contrive another penalty for you, but if you fail to eat, then I will.”
She sighed theatrically, slamming her cutlery against the crockery in a show of insolence, but she did continue eating, pushing another forkful of lentils past her lips.
Her eyes told another story, though, and looking into them, he was glad that he could finally decipher those depths. Kronos couldn’t read the feelings of every human’s eyes he glanced at, but the more time he spent around them, the easier the feat became.
In her deep sapphire gaze, a fire burned and, in the flames, he could see the contradiction she wrestled with.
Her confusion was morphing into anger and a desire to dig her heels in, but she already knew where that path would lead her.
On top of all that, though, like the rather plump cherry on top of a frosted cake, was her persistent passion for him.
He sensed that she despised its intensity, but it was there, searing like scalding embers she couldn’t extinguish.
“If I eat it all, I might be ill, Master.” She glanced his way, apparently hoping the appeal might win him over.
“If you are ill, then I shall look after you,” he told her, his tone straightforward. “It is not my intention to make you unwell, but we must acclimatize your stomach to a proper-sized meal.”
Placing her fork down gently, she frowned. “You’re really going to make me finish this, aren’t you?”
“Yes, little one.” He had been nothing but transparent about his intentions. “You finish the meal, and then you rest.”
She huffed, tucking the stray strands of her hair behind her ears, and he couldn’t resist the smile that stretched across his face at the sight of her. For all her emotional pendulums, she was perfect, her sublime imperfections only proving the point.
Eyeing her forking another mouthful of food past her tempting lips, he contemplated her appeal.
She blew hot and cold, lurching from passion to terror, like a living, breathing paradox.
He was used to human emotion, but Kristina was something else; a vision of emotional intensity he’d never appreciated before.
He would tame her extremes with patience and practice, but he hoped he never completely smoothed over her emotional edges.
In her eyes, he saw something he didn’t want to lose, a magic all of her own, and in the short time they’d spent together, he’d recognized the captivating influence she held over him.
She gave him something new, something he’d never encountered with Shelley or any of the others, an energy that quieted the turmoil and noise of his endless existence.
A verve that could finally bring peace to the king of the Titans.
It wasn’t only that she brought color to the bland shades that his life had become, but something far greater; a primal need to protect her as well as punish. A need to nurture amongst his dominance.
“Let’s talk while you finish eating,” he said, considering the food still sitting on her plate.
It was that vitality that drove him to make things easier for her. He’d rarely felt the need with the others, insisting they comply or face the consequences, but with her, he seemed to need to bend his own rules, lubricating some of the friction between them.
“Talk about what, Master?” She paused between mouthfuls, appearing grateful for the reprieve.
“What made you think I was going to kill Shelley?” It was as good a time as any to inquire about her false presumption. “Is that truly what you think I’ve brought you both here for?”
“I don’t know what you brought me here for, Master.” Her face blanched as she, presumably, contemplated the options.
“I understand,” he replied. “But having spent some hours under my care, does my purpose seem sinister?”
“Well…” She hesitated, pushing her remaining lentils around her plate. “You won’t let me leave.”
His lips curled at her sullen tone. It reminded him of the woman on her knees, whom he’d denied pleasure.
“There is a gulf between remaining here with me and dying at my hand, Kristina. I mean to devote myself to you, and you shall worship me in return.”
“I didn’t ask for this honor, Master.” Her voice skirted a delicate line between sulky and sensible. “I didn’t know anything about you until…” She paused. “That leaflet in the graduate hall.”
“Ah, yes, my leaflet.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “You took my bait beautifully.”
She scowled at his comment. “Is that what it was, Master? Bait?”
He smiled, signaling to her food. “Eat,” he reminded her. “My rules have not changed.”
“There were no rules about food,” she protested.
“There were rules about obedience,” he corrected, utilizing that slightly deeper octave that her heart rate always responded to. “Do I need you to recall them for me?”
Shaking her head, she lifted a fork of lentils and pushed them into her mouth.
“I’ll need an answer when you’ve finished your mouthful, little one.”
“No, Master,” she eventually replied, reaching for her goblet to wash down the pulses.
“I’m not so sure.” He hooked one long leg over the other, so his foot rested on his knee. She was riveting to watch, but even more enthralling to torment, and gods help him, but he did so love to play with her. “A reminder will be helpful.”