CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Daphne
Are you in any pain?”
Despite the roar of the crowd, Kronos was only looking at her. Daphne managed to shake her head. She was not hurt—at least she didn’t think she was—only tired.
“I just need to rest,” she whispered.
He nodded. “We must attend the after gathering. But there is nothing required of you there. You will be able to rest.”
Daphne nodded. Wordlessly, Kronos picked her up and carried her out of the vial room. Daphne tucked herself against his chest and closed her eyes. A moment later, she was asleep. When she woke, they were once more in the courtyard—Daphne recognized the fountain of shimmering liquid in the center.
“Daphne,” said Kronos quietly. He was beside her, his eyes full of concern. He held out a goblet. “Would you like something to drink?”
Daphne sat up slowly, feeling every ache in her body.
They were seated in a large, cushioned alcove embedded in the stone wall, perfectly located to watch the festivities.
They were not alone. All around them, basilisks were having sex.
The closest was a pair of men mere inches away from her.
Daphne stared numbly at their entangled bodies.
“Daphne,” Kronos said again. “Did you hear me?”
“Yes,” she managed to say. “But I don’t want…elixir.”
“It is not elixir,” Kronos said. “It is white wine.”
“Oh.” She could use some wine. Slowly, Daphne took the goblet and had a small sip. Immediately, she felt better. “How did you know I like white wine?”
“You told me,” Kronos said. “At the castle.”
Daphne thought back to that night. She hadn’t made a big deal of it—how she didn’t like red wine, how she preferred white. She was touched that Kronos remembered it.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Of course. How are you feeling?”
Daphne shifted, trying to stretch her body without touching any of the ones around her. “Fine,” she said. “Just…overwhelmed.”
“Would you like me to fix that?”
She raised an eyebrow. “How would you fix that?”
“I can take it away.”
Daphne wasn’t sure what he meant by that.
But after another sip of wine, she was willing to find out.
When she nodded, Kronos shifted closer, placing his hand on her sternum, directly between her breasts.
At first, Daphne felt nothing. Then, slowly, warmth seeped from his fingers as a curious pulling sensation tugged at the center of her chest. Her anxiety lessened; suddenly she was calm, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
She smiled Kronos. “That…feels amazing.”
He smiled. “I am glad.”
“I can’t believe you don’t do that all the time.”
His smile faltered. “It is not permanent. It…must be given back. I will have to return it to you eventually.”
Daphne nodded. As long as eventually wasn’t right now, she hardly cared. “How long was I asleep?”
“Not long.” Kronos looked out over the courtyard. “It has just begun.”
Daphne followed his gaze. Before her was an extraordinary sight, not unlike the one she’d witnessed the first time she’d ventured under the mountain.
The courtyard was full of basilisks—all naked, all touching each other.
Bodies writhed in groups—in piles. Women with women, men with men, and every combination in between.
Rather than overwhelm her, Daphne found it intriguing. Perhaps it was an effect of what Kronos had just done. Either way, she asked, “Can we walk around?”
Kronos pursed his lips in worry. “Are you feeling well enough?”
“Yes.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.” She shook the goblet at him. “This helps.”
A small smile tilted his lips. “Very well.”
Kronos helped her out of the alcove, gently lifting her onto the floor as if she were made of glass.
“I’m not going to break, Kronos.”
His smile widened, but he didn’t say anything aloud.
They made the rounds of the courtyard slowly, observing the crowd.
Whenever Daphne had a question, Kronos answered it.
He pointed out the different members of basilisk society, what their roles were, and how long they had held their positions.
Daphne saw several people she recognized, including Caspenon, who was sequestered in a corner with his guest. It wasn’t until she saw a male basilisk with long brown hair that Daphne nearly stopped in her tracks. Her gaze fell between his legs.
“Is his cock…?” But Daphne trailed off, because no words could possibly convey what she was currently seeing.
“Ridged?” Kronos finished for her. “Yes. It is.”
Daphne’s mouth fell open. She’d never seen anything like it. The entire length of his shaft was covered in thick bands of flesh, starting at the base and ending just below the head. Daphne couldn’t imagine how such a thing would feel inside her.
“But…how?”
“He grew them.”
“He grew them?”
“Yes.”
“At will?”
“Yes.”
She looked up at Kronos. “Why don’t you grow some?”
Kronos shot her a stern look. He straightened, drawing himself up to his full height. “I do not need them.”
Daphne smiled. “Right. Of course not. Your cock is already perfect.”
His palm cupped her ass, giving it a sharp squeeze. “Yes. It is.”
Daphne giggled.
“Besides,” he said. “It is considered a weakness to modify one’s cock.”
“How is that a weakness?”
“It means you need a ridged cock to accomplish what others can accomplish with a smooth one. It is a desperate measure. He is likely ranked low or has something at stake.”
Daphne tried to wrap her head around that logic. She watched as the man walked through the crowd. Heads turned, and she saw other basilisks whispering behind their hands. They were clearly talking about him.
“Besides,” Kronos continued, “I could not grow ridges even if I wished to. All basilisks have different abilities, and that is not one of mine.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “Only Kora knows.”
“Well…what’s your ability?”
Kronos did not answer, but his mouth quirked up in a half smile.
When he remained silent, Daphne poked his bicep. “Kronos,” she insisted. “Tell me.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
His smile widened. “I would rather show you.”
For some reason, a chill ran down her spine. Whatever his special ability was, she was dying to discover it. There was no doubt in her mind that it was something sexual. The thought thrilled her—and terrified her. Yet the possibility of Kronos showing her was too tempting to resist.
“When?” she asked.
Now he looked down at her, his pupils widening. “When you are ready for it.”
Daphne could not wait.
They continued their journey, still walking slowly, now hand in hand. When Daphne tried to approach the large marble fountain, Kronos chuckled and pulled her firmly away.
“Naughty,” he said.
Daphne pouted but didn’t bother to argue. She was quite sure she couldn’t handle the elixir right now anyway; she simply enjoyed giving Kronos a hard time.
As they passed the fountain, they also passed a particularly large group of basilisks. Even compared to Kronos, they were exceptionally tall. Their skin was uncommonly smooth, their movements languid and slow, as if they were used to moving underwater.
“They seem…different,” she whispered to Kronos.
“They are from the sea,” Kronos said just as quietly. “They came in for the Ranking.”
“Why are they looking at me like that?”
Every basilisk in the group was watching her pass, their heads moving in identical motion. It was eerie.
“Basilisks from the sea live in isolation,” Kronos said. “They have had little to no interaction with humans. You are an anomaly to them.”
Daphne nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from the stunning basilisks before her.
Kronos and the other basilisks under the mountain exuded warmth and heat.
But the basilisks from the sea appeared cold.
Instead of golden eyes, theirs were silver.
And instead of the smoke that engulfed Kronos, the basilisks from the sea were sheathed in mist. It dappled Daphne’s skin as she walked by, coating her in a thin layer of water that quickly evaporated in the warm air.
“They’re so beautiful,” she whispered.
“They are cunning,” Kronos said. “Do not let one get you alone.”
Daphne shot him a glance. “Isn’t it your job to protect me?”
He smiled. “It is. But you are unpredictable, mén zeseré.”
Daphne smiled back. She still hadn’t asked him what those words meant, and for some reason she still didn’t want to know. She liked to pretend it was a term of affection, and if it wasn’t, she knew she would be disappointed.
“They are a particularly brutal people,” Kronos continued. “Historically they have not gotten along with those of us who live under the mountain.”
“Why not?”
“It is said that they are descended from our greatest enemy.”
Daphne frowned. She thought the only enemy the basilisks had was the humans. What other creature could possibly incite fear in someone as powerful as Kronos? “What enemy?”
“We call them ‘the tailed ones.’”
Daphne frowned. “But…what are they?”
Kronos tilted his head. “In your language I believe they are called salamanders.”
Daphne raised her eyebrows. “Your greatest enemy is a lizard?”
Kronos looked down at her. “Do not say it like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like they are not a threat.”
“But aren’t they…tiny?”
“Do they look tiny to you?”
Daphne fell silent. They looked anything but. She hadn’t meant to sound incredulous—it just wasn’t anything she’d ever heard of. She’d seen plenty of salamanders, and they were ultimately adorable.
“They are more dangerous than you can possibly imagine,” Kronos continued. “Do not underestimate them.”
Daphne was smart enough to know when Kronos was being serious.
She understood that there were things here that were far beyond her control.
The basilisks had enemies she did not understand—there were legends and stories that Daphne had no knowledge of—an entire history she was not privy to. She hoped one day to learn more.