CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT #2
Daphne nodded. She wasn’t sure what exactly she was about to watch, but she was sure she wanted to see it.
Kronos placed his hand gently on her back, guiding her forward.
Together they walked through the crowd. Basilisks watched them as they went, but she ignored them.
Yesterday, their stares unnerved her. Now she understood the thrill of being watched.
The closer they got to the circle, the more Daphne was able to see.
The men were all fully erect, each holding the cock of the man beside him in the other.
They formed a sort of chain, all linked together in a circle. In the center knelt a woman.
A sharp rush of heat pierced Daphne. It took all her self-control not to gasp.
“The circle is a sacred shape to us,” Kronos whispered in her ear. “It is an ouroboros, which represents infinity.”
Daphne was barely listening. It was difficult to retain any more information at this point.
“The men will rotate around her,” Kronos continued. “She may touch herself if she wishes or simply watch them.”
“But what’s the point? Who wins?”
Daphne had seen the challenges—she understood that everything was a game to the basilisks.
Kronos shook his head. “Everyone wins,” he said simply. “The point is pleasure.”
It was simply part of their culture—a way to feel good. Daphne liked the idea of that. Everything she had seen so far under the mountain had had pressure attached—stakes that felt nearly impossible. This was not that; this was for fun.
They watched as the men stroked one another to the sight of the woman.
They rotated slowly as she stayed in place, giving her a perfect view of each of them one after another.
Eventually, the woman touched herself too, slipping her fingers between her legs and gently caressing her breasts.
The sight made Daphne even warmer than she was.
She wondered what it would be like to be that woman—to know all of those men were hard because of her. She realized she could find out.
Before Daphne lost her nerve, she turned to Kronos and said, “I want to do that.”
He looked down at her, his pupils widening. Smoke rolled over his shoulders. The mere mention of it was enough to turn him on.
“Are you certain?”
Daphne nodded. “Yes.”
Every nerve in her body felt alive, thrilled in a way she had never experienced before.
For so long, she’d lived in darkness, numb to everything around her.
Now she wanted to feel. Still, Kronos hesitated.
Perhaps he worried that she felt forced—that she was trying to make up for the second challenge.
But this was not about him. Daphne wanted this for herself.
She stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his neck. “Don’t you want to see me on my knees?”
At her words, heat flowed from his body to hers. Daphne felt it on a molecular level, as if their bodies were combining.
“More than anything,” Kronos whispered back.
“Good,” she said, stepping back. “Let’s go.”
A moment passed as he looked at her. She knew how badly he wanted her. If this was a way for them to experience his culture together, surely he would allow it.
“Very well,” Kronos took her hand in his. His hand found Daphne’s, guiding her forward.
“When the circle opens,” he said, “the woman will leave and you will be free to enter.”
Daphne nodded. She watched as the men began to finish one by one. They remained in the circle until the woman finished too, arching her back and coming with a joyful cry. A moment later, every man bowed to her as she left the circle. Daphne’s heart beat faster.
“Daphne.” Kronos’s voice dropped even lower. “You do not need to do this.”
She knew that already. But part of her—an inexplicably brave part—wanted to try it. “I know,” she said sharply.
Kronos raised an eyebrow at her tone. Then he nodded, relinquishing his grip on her hand. Daphne wondered suddenly whether he might be worried for her. There was unmistakable pride in his eyes, but behind that—deep in his gaze—was fear.
“If at any point you wish to leave,” Kronos said, “I will pull you out. Do you understand?”
Daphne nodded. Then she stepped forward, entering the circle.
The moment she knelt, excitement flowed through her. Then fear set in. On the surface, she was not afraid to bare herself in front of Kronos. But the thought of touching herself in front of so many other basilisks, as well as him, was downright terrifying. Yet it was also thrilling.
The male basilisks closed the circle around her, Kronos joining them.
He was directly in front of Daphne, although she knew he would soon rotate.
She liked the fact that he would be able to see her from all angles, and she was sure he liked it too.
There was a pause as everyone in the circle looked at her.
Daphne wasn’t sure how to start. Before she could ask, Kronos extended his hand and wrapped it around the cock of the man beside him.
That man did the same, and so on down the line.
Once everyone was linked together, the basilisks began to stroke.
Daphne was in no hurry to touch herself; she would wait until she was suitably turned on.
She was well on her way there already—wetness dripped down her thighs, and she knew everyone could see it.
But she wanted to draw out this process.
Up until tonight, everything about the Ranking had been out of her control.
Daphne was just nothing but a guest. Now she felt as if she were the star of the show—her own person—in control at last. The men were all hard for her.
It was just as Kronos had said: She was the one who held the power. She chose how things progressed.
Slowly, looking only at Kronos, Daphne began to touch herself.
As soon as she did so, the men began to move.
Daphne watched Kronos until she could not watch him anymore, and even once he was behind her, she thought only of how he must feel watching her.
She touched herself at a leisurely pace, going as slowly as she liked, arching her back and breathing in the sweltering air.
Sweat dripped between her breasts. Everything was so wet under the mountain.
Saliva, sweat, cum, blood. Even tears. It had overwhelmed her at first, but Daphne did not mind it anymore.
If this was the basilisk way, she decided that she liked it.