CHAPTER TWO
Daphne
Idon’t want to have sex.”
The basilisk blinked in surprise. “I beg your pardon?”
“I don’t want to have sex,” Daphne said again, the words barely above a whisper.
A deep pause followed, in which her palms began to sweat.
They were standing face-to-face in the middle of the cave, a fire crackling beside them.
It was the first night of the training—the process through which the human prince would choose his wife.
The basilisks were responsible for training all eligible female villagers in the art of seduction so that his bride would bear him an heir.
It was an ancient tradition, put into effect as part of the truce between the humans and the snakes.
As a woman born in the same year as the prince, Daphne was meant to participate.
As far as she knew, no one had ever refused the training before.
She had no idea what might happen now that she had.
Would the fearsome creature before her become angry?
Would he yell at her or, even worse, strike her?
To her surprise, his next words came quietly. “How do you define sex?”
Daphne hesitated. That wasn’t what she expected him to ask, and she wasn’t quite sure how to answer. Daphne was really only referring to one thing. “I don’t want a cock in my pussy.”
The basilisk tilted his head. “Then you should have said that.”
“I didn’t think I needed to be specific.”
“Of course you do. Having a cock in your pussy is hardly the only way to have sex.”
Now Daphne blushed. “I know that.”
“If you know that, then you know why you need to be specific.”
Daphne pursed her lips.
When she didn’t respond the basilisk continued, “Is there anything else you do not wish to do?”
Daphne hadn’t really considered it. “I’m…not sure. But I know I don’t want—”
“A cock in your pussy,” the basilisk cut her off. “You said that already.”
There was a pause as they considered each other.
“May I inquire as to why?”
Daphne crossed her arms. “You may. But it is none of your concern.”
To her surprise, the basilisk laughed. “It is very much my concern,” he said, stepping closer. “If I do not train you, you stand no chance with the prince.”
Daphne knew that already. She was probably the only woman in the competition who had no interest in winning the prince’s hand in marriage.
“I don’t want to stand a chance with the prince.”
If the basilisk had been confused before, he was downright bewildered now. “I do not understand,” he said.
Daphne did not reply. She hardly understood either. Her decision to not compete for the prince’s hand in marriage was a recent one, and it was something she was still coming to terms with. She wasn’t ready to explain herself and certainly not to a stranger.
The basilisk did not know what had happened underneath the bridge last night. He did not know that unless things changed for her in the future, she would probably never have a cock in her pussy again.
In the silence, snake and human studied each other.
The basilisk was handsome—devastatingly so—and nearly a full foot taller than Daphne.
It took all her effort not to stare at his merciless muscles.
She had seen plenty of men before but never one built like this.
The men in the village were strong from fieldwork—stocky and tough, their muscles earned through labor.
Their bodies were nothing like the godlike one that stood before her now.
Daphne found herself wondering what it would be like to run her hands over his body, tracing each and every muscled ridge—first with her fingers, then with her tongue.
Much to Daphne’s disappointment, the basilisk was wearing a shirt—a thin linen number with a deep neckline that exposed his chest. There was a feathered scar on his sternum, right over his heart.
It almost looked like the letter Y. Long, thick hair hung over his proud shoulders.
There was a curl to it, although it was not nearly as curly as Daphne’s.
More like a wave. His eyes were burnished gold, rimmed with black—and right now, they were watching her intently.
When the silence dragged, the basilisk said, “If you do not wish to participate in the training, then what exactly would you have me do?”
Daphne shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“I already told you, I don’t want to have sex.”
“You do not want to have one definition of sex,” the basilisk corrected her. “And I heard you the first time. I am wondering why.”
Daphne decided to tell part of the truth. “I’ve already done everything there is to do.”
The basilisk raised his eyebrow.
Before he could comment, Daphne continued, “So there’s nothing to teach me, and there’s no need for these sessions.”
The basilisk stared at her as if she had three heads. Clearly this wasn’t a situation he had encountered before. But as much as it terrified Daphne to stand here and deny him, it scared her far worse to remove her dress and let another man inside her who had done nothing to earn her.
“There is always more to learn.”
Daphne shrugged again. “I really doubt it.”
She’d had enough sex to last several lifetimes, starting when she was far too young to do so and continuing until just last night. The night everything changed.
“You truly think I have nothing to teach you?” the basilisk asked.
Daphne sighed. She supposed there was probably something left to learn.
A new position perhaps or something fun to do with her tongue.
But none of that interested her. What she truly wanted, the basilisk could not teach her.
What she truly yearned for he could not possibly provide.
And yet, she asked, “Can you teach me how to love?”
Another silence fell. But this one was different. This time, Daphne felt a probing in her mind, as if a presence was pushing against her skull. It was a strange feeling, though not an unpleasant one, and it was over nearly the moment it began.
“That cannot be taught,” the basilisk said softly. “You were born with the ability to love. It is something inherent to every living creature.”
Now Daphne broke his gaze, looking determinedly at the ground.
She didn’t believe that for a second. There was something wrong with her; there always had been.
The part that was “inherent” to every other living creature was missing in Daphne, likely never there to begin with.
Even if she were able to love, it wouldn’t matter anyway. No one would ever love her back.
Worthless slut. Useless whore. Nothing but a hole to fuck and a mouth to come in.
Daphne closed her eyes, trying to shut out the memory. But it clawed at her anyway, sinking its talons into her brain and refusing to let go. She couldn’t possibly explain her situation to a snake. She didn’t even know if he was capable of love, much less anything else.
“In that case,” the basilisk said when she didn’t reply, “how shall we spend our sessions?”
Daphne opened her eyes, looking up at him. His behavior stood in stark contrast to that of the last man who had wanted to have sex with her. She’d expected him to argue or, at the very least, try to talk her into it. Instead he was watching her thoughtfully, his regal brow furrowed.
“How shall we spend our sessions?” the basilisk asked again.
Now Daphne took a moment to consider their situation. She already knew everything there was to know about sex, and she certainly wasn’t interested in learning how to please a man. Daphne didn’t want to waste his time. So she shrugged. “I guess… I’ll just go home.”
To her surprise, he shook his head. “No. You will not go home.”
“Why? There’s nothing for me to do here.”
“You will not go home,” the basilisk repeated.
Daphne crossed her arms. “And why not?”
“Because I am meant to train you.”
“I already told you I don’t want to be trained.”
“And I already agreed not to train you. But you cannot leave. You forget that your decision not to participate affects me too.”
Daphne frowned. “I don’t understand. How does it affect you?”
The basilisk wore an expression of frustration—and bizarrely, regret. He seemed like he wanted to say something. They stared at each other in silence, which soon grew to be too much for Daphne.
“Well?” she snapped. She didn’t have all night; she was behind on her chores, and every moment she stood here was a moment that delayed her bedtime.
At her tone, the basilisk straightened, looking down his nose at her. “You are my student,” he said sharply. “And I am your teacher. If you do not wish to have sex, I cannot force you. But you will spend your sessions here.”
“I can’t spend them here. My mother needs help at home. I promised her I would—”
“Your human promises do not concern me,” the basilisk cut her off.
“But they concern me.”
The basilisk stepped closer, and Daphne’s throat tightened. The very air seemed to darken, and she understood immediately that she had gone too far. Smoke rose from the basilisk’s shoulders, curling around his impossibly beautiful body.
“You will stay here,” the basilisk said quietly. “I do not care if we sit in silence. But you will spend your sessions with me, and you will compete for the prince just the same as everyone else.”
Her mouth dropped open. “But…I don’t want to compete. There’s no way I can—”
“That is not my concern.”
“Why can’t I just—”
He stepped even closer, cutting her off mid-sentence. “I do not owe you an explanation. You will do as I say, or there will be consequences. Do you understand?”
Daphne tried to reply but couldn’t. His sudden change in tone left her breathless.
What consequences could there possibly be?
Surely, the punishments a basilisk could come up with were great and terrible.
Daphne was once more aware of the size difference between them—of how her head barely came up to his shoulders.
One flick of his wrist, and she would be on the ground.
“Do you understand?” he thundered.
“Yes,” Daphne gasped. “Yes, I understand.”
After a long moment, the basilisk nodded, and the tension was broken.