CHAPTER ELEVEN #5
“This is me,” she said, unsure what else to say.
No one had ever walked her home before, certainly not a basilisk.
Her previous lifestyle didn’t exactly warrant the attention Kronos was currently giving her.
Daphne froze as Kronos raised his hand, brushing just the tip of his fingers over her lips. Heat surged between her legs.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” Kronos murmured.
Daphne’s heart was hammering. His head was tilted down toward hers, just as it had been the first night they’d met. Only now she was staring at someone she knew. They were no longer strangers—she felt safe.
“Yes,” she whispered.
It was the natural conclusion of their conversation, yet despite this, they both lingered. Daphne knew basilisks were powerful—that turning humans on was part of their magic. But she also knew that Kronos would never influence her in such a way. Whatever she was feeling, it was entirely her own.
“Thank you for walking me home,” she said simply to keep him here.
His eyes flicked once more to her lips. “It was my pleasure.”
“And thank you for…” There was too much to describe with words.
She wanted to thank him for being patient with her, for protecting her, for listening to her.
Daphne was well-aware what he was risking by being here; she could not believe he would violate the truce simply to walk her home.
The gesture touched her. Words could not express how much she appreciated the way he’d acted tonight. Daphne settled on: “Everything.”
“It was my pleasure,” he said again. “Truly.”
Another silence. Daphne couldn’t stand it; she was regretting returning to the village.
She should have stayed in his chambers—she should have fucked him.
But that would mean she was back to her old ways.
And no amount of temporary pleasure could replace the possibility of building something permanent.
Just when she was ready to tear herself away from him, Kronos raised his other hand. He cradled her head in his palms, looking directly into her eyes. “Daphne,” he whispered. “Will you let me kiss you?”
No one had ever asked to kiss her before. But here was Kronos, a fearsome basilisk, asking for her permission. “Yes.”
Joy flashed in Kronos’s eyes, followed by fervent hunger.
He leaned in. Daphne stood on her tiptoes, trying to close the distance.
Then her feet were off the ground as Kronos’s arm wrapped securely around her waist, lifting her up to meet him.
When their lips touched, the world went quiet.
They were the only two souls in existence—the only hearts beating in the universe. Him and her. Kronos and Daphne.
The kiss was gentle at first. Almost tentative.
Daphne could feel Kronos holding back, keeping himself in control, probably still believing he could break her.
His tongue caressed hers with sensual, purposeful strokes.
All Daphne could think about was how that tongue would feel between her legs.
She wondered whether Kronos was thinking about it too.
Did he want to taste her the way she wanted to taste him?
Did she want to be on her knees before him, his cock down her throat, his essence coating her lips?
Yes—she wanted that and so much more. She wanted everything he could give her, and she wanted it forever.
There was so much she wished to say to him.
She communicated through the kiss, telling him everything she didn’t dare say aloud.
Kronos kissed her back slowly, tilting his head to get the perfect angle, slipping his tongue deep into her mouth.
The hand that wasn’t tangled in her hair wrapped securely around her waist, pulling her flush against his body.
Her ass was suddenly against the garden fence, giving Kronos the support to properly push himself against her.
Daphne drank it in—drank him in.
His warmth was oppressive and addictive and overwhelming.
In the icy autumn air, Kronos emanated heat.
Daphne touched every inch of skin she could reach, running her hands over his expansive torso, noticing the way he reacted when she did it.
His kiss deepened, his grip tightened. The smell of smoke surrounded them, and if Daphne didn’t know better, she would have thought something was on fire.
His cock was hard, but Daphne didn’t dare reach for it.
Instead it pressed against her stomach, too high to stimulate her where she needed it to.
Their height difference was too great—he would need to hoist her up if they were to properly intertwine.
Kronos did no such thing. Other men kissed her like they wanted something from her; Kronos kissed her like she was something worth wanting.
It was the only way she would accept being kissed from now on.
Daphne was the first to pull away, Kronos allowing her to end the kiss since he’d been the one to start it.
It was the hardest thing she’d ever done, and she only did it because, if she didn’t, she might never stop.
She stared up at him, wondering what he was thinking.
His eyes were glowing in the moonlight, his arms still around her.
“Until tomorrow,” he whispered against her lips.
Then he turned and disappeared into the dark.