CHAPTER FORTY-TWO #2
Daphne frowned. “Seal it? What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Deltene said slowly, “you must honor your bond. You must consummate the crest.”
Beside her, Kronos was silent. Perhaps he was in shock.
Daphne was simply numb. “And if we don’t?” she whispered. Her tongue felt like sand in her mouth.
The queen sighed. “You mentioned feeling ill. I suspect that will continue. And eventually, it will claim you.”
“Claim me how?”
“Permanently.”
Understanding finally hit her. “Are you saying I’m going to die?”
Deltene pursed her lips. “I am saying you must consummate the crest.”
So this was what it came down to at last. Somehow she’d always known there was a catch, that something about this was too good to be true.
Daphne tried to quell the panic rising in her stomach.
The fire was too warm, the air too thick.
Everything in her vision seemed too large, somehow, as if the walls were closing in around her.
Her chest was tight as she turned to Kronos.
“Did you know?” she whispered. “Tell me the truth.”
“I did not know, Daphne.” He shook his head.
She wanted so badly to believe him. Kronos had never lied to her. But even Daphne had to admit the evidence was not in his favor.
“Was this just a way to have sex with me?” she whispered.
“You know the answer to that is no,” Kronos said, his voice strangled.
“Why should I believe you?”
Tears filled his eyes. Daphne had never seen a man cry before, and the one before her was certainly not who she thought would do it first. Yet she watched as the tears fell, trailing down his sculpted cheeks and catching the light of the fire. A moment later he was on his knees before her.
“I swear to you,” he whispered. “You have my word.”
Daphne stared at Kronos, tears forming in her own eyes.
“I have always respected your wishes,” he said. “I never would have crested you had I known it required us to sleep together. You know I would never take advantage of your vulnerability.”
Unlike Maximus.
“All I can do is tell you how sorry I am,” he continued.
“Being sorry doesn’t fix anything, Kronos.”
Kronos remained on the ground, his head tilted up, his eyes on hers. “Then tell me how to fix it, Daphne.”
But Daphne just shook her head. Her throat tightened.
Men had only ever wanted her for her body.
What made this man any different? Her run-in with Benjamin was still fresh in her mind; every cruel thought that had ever made its home in her mind was resurfacing now—every whisper that told her, without a doubt, that she was worth only what her body could provide.
“You…used me,” she whispered.
Kronos tightened his grip, his eyes still boring up into hers. “I have never used you,” he whispered. “And you know that to be true.”
Daphne was having trouble breathing. It was becoming too much for her.
“I love you, Daphne. Do you think I chose to do so? It is not a choice but fate. Loving you is terrifying. It is as if my heart is outside of my body. Do you understand how it feels to walk this world and care for someone more than you care for yourself? There is no life without you, Daphne. No air. I cannot breathe unless I know you are safe. I cannot sleep unless you are beside me. I would sacrifice my happiness if it would guarantee yours. My love for you knows no bounds, no limits. It goes beyond the physical world. I will love you even when I stop breathing, and long after. I pray I die first so that I never have to live a moment without you.”
“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t talk like that.”
“Like what? Truthfully? I cannot speak otherwise, Daphne, which you know very well. All I can do is tell you how I feel and hope you believe me”
Did she believe him? She wanted to. But Daphne was afraid.
For as much as she wanted love, she was still terrified to receive it.
She still did not feel worthy of it. And more than anything, she was afraid that the man before her would wake up one day and realize she was not worth it.
It was easier to believe that he was using her—easier still to push him away because of it.
“Daphne will not be the only one affected,” Deltene interjected quietly, directing her words at Kronos. “Bonds are meant to be equal. I suspect you will suffer in your own way if you have not begun to already.”
Finally, Kronos was rendered speechless.
Daphne remembered what he’d told her after the third challenge—how he couldn’t access his true form, how he’d had to draw from her in order to defend her from Rowe’s attack.
He was already losing the ability to transition.
And if what the queen said was true, it would only get worse.
If what she said was true, then there was no way Kronos would have done this on purpose.
“So,” Deltene said, leaning forward. “You both have a choice to make.”
Kronos shook his head. “There must be another way.”
“There is no other way,” the queen said. “You know as well as I do that we are bound by Kora.”
“This cannot be Kora’s will,” Kronos whispered.
“It can be. And it is.”
Time seemed to stop. Deltene’s voice was barely audible as she finished quietly. “Consummate the crest. Or accept the consequences.”
The only sound was the crackling of the fireplace. Daphne stared into it without really seeing it, wondering how things could have possibly turned out like this.
Eventually, Kronos said, “Thank you, my queen.” His voice was a monotone.
“Of course,” Deltene said. “I wish I had better news.”
Kronos shook his head. He seemed to finally be beyond words.
“Can we…go?” Daphne whispered. She needed to lie down.
“Go,” Deltene urged. “Sleep if you wish. But know that no amount of rest will fix this.” Her eyes held Daphne’s. “Only one thing will save you.”