Flicking his wrist along the length of her body, he reached her toes, still covered in her unappealing black boots.Kronos had no love for the attire she’d chosen, its glum tones and unflattering cuts doing little to emphasize her feminine form, but as his hand rose and each layer of clothing disappeared, he realized his opinion on her garments didn’t matter.
Kristina, like Shelley, would have no need for apparel anymore.She would be naked until she was ready for The Advancement, the process that liberated the woman once she had finally learned to surrender.
Stripping her offered many advantages.For one, her nudity would serve as a constant reminder of her susceptibility.That much should have been obvious, he supposed.At least, as soon as she recognized and accepted his authority over her.For how could she, a mere woman, do anything to offer genuine resistance in the face of his dominance?The answer was that she could not, yet there was something wonderfully simple and rustic about keeping her with no clothes.It was the way her body was supposed to be seen, after all, and the way his would be most of the time when he wasn’t required elsewhere.
Aside from reinforcing her vulnerability, which frankly, he just enjoyed the idea of, Kronos would keep her naked because he relished the sight of the female body.Even then, before his magic had removed her underwear, it was clear how exquisite she was.Why cover a natural form that was so resplendent?Human evolution might have insisted mortals wear clothes to protect themselves, but under his protection, no harm would come to her.
She was his to indulge in, and that included reveling in the look of her.
When the final layer of clothing vanished at his command, he pulled in an awed breath.She was even more gorgeous than he’d expected, and hehadexpected it.There hadn’t been much time to properly evaluate the female who had so eloquently taken his bait, but spending some time watching her that day had persuaded him of a few certainties.
Kristina was smart—unusually so.Perhaps that had been inevitable when he’d cast out his net in the graduate school, but still, he was impressed with not only her intelligence but her conscientiousness.Displeasing her professor earlier in the day had troubled her, and that spoke to a woman who cared what her mentors thought about her.Since Kronos was to be the most demanding mentor of her short life, that boded well for them both.
The other salient facet he noted was her insecurity.Kristina so longed for male approval that she’d allowed the loss of an idiot like Shaun to upset her.It had taken Kronos little more than a few moments to discern precisely the type of ‘man’ Shaun was—the kind who thought only with his meager cock.Any fool could see a woman like her merited better.
Her drunken message to Kronos had been fortuitous, for as the gods knew, fate weaved a tangled web for every one of them.Even though he hadn’t appreciated her tone, nor her choice of vocabulary, he did value her apology and the introduction to the magnificent new paramour.
Much though he enjoyed Shelley, he knew it was the beginning of the end of their time together.For everything they’d accomplished, she missed the world outside of her gilded cage and would choose to return there after The Advancement.Even though he would miss her, he accepted that.The contract between them had always been transparent.She would stay and learn to kneel until she understood what true capitulation required.Then, at that most vital moment, she, like all of the others, was finally free to choose.
That was why he was ready to start investing in the woman who would ultimately take her place, the creamy-skinned blonde sprawled out on the bed by his shins.
“So beautiful.”
He sighed, the sound rumbling around the room, yet not stirring her.The enchantment Kronos had placed her under was strong, instructing her to rest while he took care of her surroundings.Her eyes wouldn’t be fluttering open for hours to come, which gave him time.Not only with Shelley, but also a chance to simply observe and relish being around Kristina.
Taking in the sight of her luscious curves, he resisted the compulsion to reach out and touch her.There would be ample time to indulge in her flesh.His abstinence would be well rewarded when the little nymph was awake and ready to serve, and he knew the mortal heart well enough to know her trust would be more easily earned that way.
To take her then, without her assent, would be to rip any chance of that fragile faith into tatters, and that was a risk he was not prepared to take.
Another wave of his hand saw one and then both of her arms lifting gently over her head, each limb slender and appealing as he lowered to bind them with lace he had taken from Olympia.Most of the process of him taking possession of a new concubine involved employing his magic, its power seamlessly creating what he wanted, but in that one task, he reveled in the opportunity to use his hands.Producing the lace from thin air, he wound it lightly around both of her delicate wrists before stretching it back to bind her to the head of the bed.A simple curl of his fingers ensured the lace was knotted, firmly enough to guarantee her obedience, yet not so tightly as to hurt her.Humans could have such weak skin, after all.Especially those who were not yet used to surrendering.It would take time for him to test her boundaries and discover her limits.One thing was for certain, though.Wherever he found them, he would make damn sure he pushed past.
Scanning over the tempting rises and falls of her body, he went to work on first her left, and then her right ankle, securing those in a similar fashion to her wrists.Satisfied that, whether he was there or not, little Kristina was going nowhere when she stirred, he instructed one of the folded blankets to unravel and draped it over her spread-eagled form.
She would be content while she slept, and if she awoke without him, he had no doubt that she would make him aware.He smirked, wondering ifshe was a screamer.She hadn’t made any such noise on the street when he’d come to her rescue, but life in Kronos’ care would be very different from whatever plight those morons had intended for her.If anyone could make her scream, he’dhave wagered it was him.
“But will you call out with pleasure or pain, I wonder?”He ran his tongue over his lip, envisioning the potential of both.
He recalled how she’d felt in his arms when he’d taken her, the warmth of her body against his, even if her unattractive attire had been between them, and he remembered the throaty mewls that escaped her tempting mouth when his arm had moved to steady her.
He wanted more of that, needed to feel her fine-looking body against his and know how her breasts felt in his hands.He yearned to slide his palms over her bound form, to know every inch of her and hear how she responded when he took control.
“And I’ll have everything I crave.”Of that he was certain.“But slow down, Kronos.The mortal will need time.”
He laughed at his enthusiasm, his balls contracting at the captivating mental imagery.“Frightening her at the beginning might be fun, but it won’t help my ambition.”
Sighing, he stretched and pulled up a nearby chair.Perching on the edge of the seat, he settled in to watch her sleep.He should have been going to Shelley, and in time, he would, but there was something utterly engrossing about Kristina.
Had he been so frantic when he’d brought Shelley back from the café he’d created for the purpose?Perhaps he had,and he just couldn’t remember.
Either way, hehadto calm down.For even gods as potent as he had the occasional limit to adhere to.Destructive he could be, but that was not what the adventure with Kristina was about.Any fool could crash in and pulverize a soul as precious as hers, but it took time and talent to control and mesmerize, rather than coerce.
That was his power.
“Kristina.”He blew out a breath, delighting in her gentle purr.“You have never been so wanted.”
The last thing she would recall upon waking was meeting Kronos on the street after he’d frightened off the boys who’d chosen to intimidate her.Opening her eyes and finding herself stretched out in the unknown white space would be understandably terrifying for her, so he intensified the power of his enchantment, knowing it would help to manage that initial burst of alarm.Her body would try to react in its normal, instinctive way, but his charms were like a sedative, keeping her peaceful even when she should have panicked.
In reality, whatever the evidence of her eyes when she stirred, she had little to fear.Kronos was not like the mortals she’d brushed fates with.He had no need for coercion.Until she was ready to accept her place at his feet, his spells would keep her compliant for him.
