Читать книгу Vision of Seduction - Cassie Ryan - Страница 11

Sela, the queen of the Cunts, paced away from Aedan and back.

Familiar anger surfaced, and she shook her head as she glanced around the living room of the two-story Earth home in which she’d been forced to exist since her banishment from Tador. She’d been cheated out of living in the palace on her home planet, where, as the rightful queen, she should reside. If the Klatch thought she would meekly give up and live out her days here, they were mistaken.

After several deep breaths, she thought she could listen to Aedan’s excuses for more than five minutes without killing him. She turned a deadly glare toward him.

Aedan, the leader of the team of five who had failed to capture the bastard prince and the Seer, stood proud and unflinching.

Unsure whether she should be irritated that he showed no fear or feel pride that he was brave enough to stand up to her, Sela crossed her arms in front of her. “Tell me why I shouldn’t rip out your heart?”

Aedan’s white-blond hair fell to the middle of his back, accentuating his broad shoulders and his clear blue eyes. It really would be a shame if she was forced to kill him. Aedan had been quite adept at amusing her lately—at least sexually. The man had a high tolerance for pain and could be quite inventive in his sexual play.

However, she would never let a good piece of ass get in the way of revenge.

It just wasn’t good policy.

Aedan smiled, his features turning devastating and gorgeous instead of just handsome. “My informant was correct, Sela. The Seer and the prince were there, just as I was told.”

“Which doesn’t help us now. What about your pet human?”

“I missed our dinner plans last night, but she forgave me easily when I told her I’d been mugged. She accepted me back and now thinks we are engaged.” A look of disgust marred his handsome features.

“No doubt a night of sex is why I see very little evidence of the attack on you.” Sela pointed her index finger at him. “Be careful to keep up appearances. If she sees you heal too quickly from your fake mugging, it will raise suspicions. Keep her close and content. If we are to use the Seer to our advantage, we need a human who cares for her to sacrifice. Your little Rita will do nicely.”

“Yes, Sela.” Aedan’s eyes darkened, and he raked his gaze over her body in a possessive gesture. “As you can see, all isn’t lost, and you and I are compatible in so many other ways.”

Sela’s nipples hardened against her silk tank top, and she resisted the urge to lick her lips. A rush of hot arousal flowed over her skin as she remembered vividly just how compatible they’d been the other night when she’d let him fuck her while several other human women sucked on her breasts and fondled Aedan’s balls.

Business before pleasure…

Aedan should never forget his place—even if he did make her scream his name as his hot come spilled inside her.

Sela smiled and took a deep breath as she allowed her magic to build like lava about to erupt. Then she relaxed and let the power flow through her arm, out her fingers, and across the room. Before Aedan knew she was displeased, her power slammed into him like a tidal wave.

He flew across the room, and his head made a loud crack against the far wall. He groaned, and then slumped to the floor, leaving a large round hole in the drywall.

An almost sexual thrill raced through Sela, and a laugh bubbled up from her throat to fill the small room.

When Aedan’s eyes fluttered open, smug pleasure curled deep in Sela’s belly.

It would have been extremely inconvenient to train a new operative, not to mention a new lover, if he died. But maintaining discipline was always worth the risk.

She stalked forward to tower over his dazed form. “Don’t mistake me enjoying your body for anything more than my right. And you providing me with information about the Klatch is your duty.” She prodded Aedan with the toe of her sandal. “I’m queen. I’m free to enjoy anyone and anything I wish. As I quite often do.”

The blood drained from Aedan’s face, and understanding shone in his eyes. He pushed up on his elbows and shook his head, trying to throw off the effects of his impact against the wall. He dipped his chin to his chest. “Understood…my queen. What do you wish me to do next?”

Satisfied Aedan once again knew his place, Sela turned and walked to the built-in bar along the far wall to pour herself a vodka on the rocks. “I want you to find the Seer and bring her to me. Also, we must find a way to make sure Queen—” she could hardly say the word without choking—“Alyssa, miscarries that half-breed fetus that grows inside her. Do those things and I’ll reward you handsomely. Fail me again…” She let her words trail off, leaving the details to Aedan’s imagination. However, because Sela had quite a reputation for enjoying her torture sessions immensely, he should get the idea.

Aedan paled and then nodded.

“Guards, take him out of my sight.”

Two muscular Cunt warriors stepped forward and literally dragged Aedan from the room.

Sela sloshed more vodka into the crystal glass and narrowed her eyes. She’d worked hard to kidnap Alyssa all those years ago after it was clear the Cunt rebellion would never succeed. She’d raised the little bitch as part of her family for twenty-three long years. All so Sela could derail the ascension ceremony and punish the past queen and king—Annalecia and Darius—for daring to banish all the Cunts and anyone who fought with them during the civil war.

Sela flipped her white-blond hair over her shoulder and looked down at her hands, which still looked like they did when she’d been banished—smooth and unblemished. She prided herself on appearing much younger than her forty-four years. Thanks to all the sexual energy freely available on this backward planet, Cunts could regenerate and minimize the effects of aging. Although, if Sela were on Tador, there would be no need to constantly resupply herself for that purpose—anyone living on Tador enjoyed a significantly slowed aging process.

A low growl escaped from her throat. All her efforts so far to overthrow the Klatch and rule the planet that was rightfully hers had been thwarted. Alyssa had escaped Sela’s carefully laid trap and had ascended the throne on Tador, restoring the planet—for now. And Sela’s old nemeses, the past king and queen of the Klatch, had gone off to a comfortable retirement, while Sela and her people had been relegated to live on Earth with common humans.

The Klatch were nothing but breeding stock who should serve as a sexual food supply for the Cunts. Even though, due to their inherent magic, the Klatch offered more sexual sustenance to their partners than humans. However, that just made the Klatch more high-powered food for the Cunts. No more, no less.

Tador was rightfully Sela’s, and she intended to have it—no matter what.

She raised the vodka to her lips, anger flowing through her like a swarm of angry bees. “The Cunts will rule Tador, as it was meant to be. Very soon…” She took a sip and then tightened her fingers around the glass until it shattered in her palm.

Grayson lowered himself into a cushioned chair inside the council meeting chamber, wincing a bit as his back met with the chair. His shoulder had healed considerably after the dream he’d shared with the Seer this morning, but it would take either time or more sexual energy to heal it completely.

He had taken a seat near the raised dais—where the king and queen would sit once they entered—mainly because the stadium-type seating around the gallery wasn’t as comfortable as the overstuffed chairs here on the main floor.

Until he’d injured his shoulder, Grayson had never realized how much he used those specific muscles. Now, nearly every movement speared shooting pains down his back and side.

The sharp clack of a balda gavel echoed through the chamber, distracting him from his discomfort as the crowd around him quieted.

King Stone and Queen Alyssandra entered through the same doorway Grayson had, and both cast him a smile as they stepped past him and onto the raised dais.

“Thank you, council head.” Alyssandra nodded to the woman who had been in the job less than a month. After the last council head had attempted to kill the queen right after the ascension, the entire council had been interviewed and eventually replaced with those who were loyal to the ruling family. Of course, seeing your predecessor turned into a burned husk before your eyes could really inspire a desire to do your best.

Stone sat in one of the large thrones gracing the dais while Alyssandra remained standing and faced the crowd. She brushed her palms over the front of the gauzy white skirt she wore—an action Grayson had learned showed how nervous she was.

“As many of you know, the Seer has been found and is recuperating here on Tador from the Cunt attack.”

Murmurs flowed through the crowd and then died away as the queen held up her hands for silence. “She was hit with a beam of Cunt energy during the attack, but otherwise appears unharmed.”

Gasps of outrage erupted from the crowd until Alyssandra waved for silence and tucked her hair behind her ear—another nervous gesture. “We have not yet spoken to her about the triangle, and have decided not to mention it until she becomes comfortable with the Klatch and Tador. I would like to ask cooperation from everyone on this matter. It’s no easy task to ask someone to give up their entire life.”

Alyssandra’s gaze roamed the room as she made eye contact with several Klatch. “Now I’ll open the floor for questions, but please remember, the decision to move forward with the triangle has already been made, and I won’t waste time rehashing those discussions. The time for everyone to band together and support the decision of your chosen ruler is at hand.”

Here it comes…The decision to move forward with the triangle had basically split the populace, and only because Alyssandra was queen did the people not openly rebel.

Valen, the head royal chef, stood. Alyssandra recognized him and motioned for him to speak. “My queen, I and many other citizens have obvious concerns with introducing humans, even gifted humans, into the Klatch bloodlines. After all, the Cunts are a result of too many generations of dilution of our line. Might we not, with this decision, be breeding a new race who will seek to destroy us down the road?”

Grayson shook his head. He would never understand which part of “I won’t waste time rehashing those discussions” these people didn’t understand. He glanced up at Alyssa, whose jaw was clenched.

“Valen, as I’ve stated before on many occasions, the triangle has been used at least three times in our history that we know of.” Despite Alyssandra’s obvious displeasure, her voice was calm and commanding as it rang out across the chamber. “We are talking about taking human women with special gifts—human women who most likely have some Klatch blood in their distant pasts—and mating them with pureblood Klatch princes. The worry about diluting our bloodline will be moot if we no longer have a planet to live on.”

“We understand the dire nature of our circumstances, my lady, but we respectfully disagree with the methods of repair. Surely—”

“Damnit, Valen!” Grayson’s patience snapped like a brittle twig in a windstorm. He pushed to his feet, ignoring the lances of pain that shot down his back and shoulder. “We have talked this subject to death, and many of you don’t seem to be listening to the answers.” He stepped onto the dais, and Alyssandra squeezed his hand before taking a seat on the throne chair next to Stone, and yielding him the floor.

“There is no other way to save Tador.” Grayson tried to stare Valen down, but the man refused to look away. “Our best researchers have searched for a solution since soon after the Cunt revolt, and only through uncovering the treachery of the past Klatch council and breaking the spells placed on the journals in the queen’s archives did we find out how our ancestors handled this situation. They persevered, and so shall we, but we must maintain a united front.”

Several members of the crowd nodded in support of his words, but several more, including Valen, only glared or shook their heads.

“Everyone here was happy to leave the planet in Alyssandra’s hands when Queen Annalecia was deteriorating and nearly at death’s door. However, now that Alyssandra has ascended, you wish to second-guess her at every turn.” Grayson made a sharp, chopping motion with his good arm. “Enough. Are there any questions about the Seer or the triangle itself? If not, there is no more business to be discussed today.”

He turned and walked off the dais, his anger and frustration burning with each step. A sea of voices followed him out into the hall until he slammed the door behind him.

“It’s a good thing I won’t ever have to rule—diplomacy is definitely not my strong suit.”

“Well, if I have to be abducted to another planet, this isn’t a bad place to be taken.” Katelyn took a drink of the strange tea and let the odd citrus-almond flavor flow over her tongue. She placed the cup on the table in front of her, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes as the distant thump of her previous headache slowly faded.

A light breeze played across the second-story balcony and brought the lush scents of gardenias and roses that spoke of a garden nearby. The sounds of running water, the soft chirrup of birds, and the gentle whoosh of the wind through the trees all lulled her, sending a tendril of peace deep inside her as though she’d suddenly come home.

The thought startled her.

She was certainly comfortable with her life in Phoenix, but she had never experienced this deep, intuitive knowing of a place like she did with this one, as though she was created specifically to exist here. All her internal alarms told her this place was as real as Earth, and not only that—she knew she’d been here before, as improbable as it sounded.

The thought irritated her. She had worked her ass off to carve out a life for herself in Phoenix. She co-owned her own business, she had friends—well, Rita, at least. She also had several steady customers and money in the bank, which offered her freedom to make her own choices. After all, that’s what true freedom was.

She looked around, bringing herself back to the present and her circumstances here, not that she had a clue in hell where “here” happened to be, other than a planet called Tador. She didn’t even know why she’d been brought here. Holly insisted Grayson had brought her here to save her from the “Cunts”—whoever happened to be unlucky enough to have that moniker.

All questions to Holly, the lady’s maid, had only gotten Katelyn strange answers. Katelyn had given up finding out more until she recovered from her “energy hangover,” as she had termed it. This morning she had gladly followed Holly through the winding halls of what the maid kept referring to as the “castle,” and out to this beautiful balcony for breakfast.

Katelyn’s only worries had been her shop and Rita. Her meticulously organized partner would freak when she saw the destruction of the shop. But, even worse, she would worry when she found Katelyn’s purse, but no sign of Katelyn.

Hopefully Rita wouldn’t panic. For someone who didn’t believe in magic, crystals, Seers or anything “woo-woo,” as Rita called it, the woman had helped Katelyn make her new-age shop a success. After all, what better place for a Seer to open?

Besides, Holly had insisted that Grayson would be able to get word to Rita that Katelyn was alive and well and…hmmm, maybe Katelyn was better off just sticking to “alive and well” for now. She didn’t think telling Rita she was on another planet hiding from killer Cunts would go over real well.

She opened her eyes and looked out at the panoramic view visible over the short balcony wall. Thanks to the food and drink Holly had provided, Katelyn felt almost human again. Which meant her questions had returned, along with her energy.

She sat in one of the two surprisingly comfortable wooden chairs that almost seemed to contour to her body. The chairs sat around a small round table covered with a bright blue tablecloth. More food and drink than Katelyn could ever eat was spread before her, including tea, several fruits she recognized (and several she didn’t), pastries, eggs, sausages, and some type of blue pudding that smelled like a vanilla milkshake. Everything was neatly arranged on what Katelyn’s untrained eye took to be fine china edged in gold.

She had sampled almost everything, rationalizing that someone recovering from any type of hangover needed something in their stomach. Besides, maybe the calories wouldn’t count on Tador, or wherever the hell she was.

A soft knock sounded against the frame of the open balcony door.

Katelyn glanced over to see a stunning woman with dark hair that flowed nearly to her ass. Thin braids were scattered throughout her hair, and small lavender beads peppered the braids. Skimpy cotton boy shorts clung to shapely hips, and a half top of the same material allowed the bottom curves of the woman’s full breasts to peek out from the underside of the top. Lavender eyes a few shades lighter than Grayson’s studied Katelyn with warm curiosity.

Hard, hot arousal hit Katelyn like a sucker punch to the stomach. Slick moisture rushed to dampen her slit, and her nipples hardened into tight points, surprising her.

She had never been attracted to a woman before, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about these foreign sensations. Thoughts of how those full lips would feel against hers spilled through her mind. Her heart galloped with a combination of shock and forbidden desire.

The woman’s bewitching energy buzzed against Katelyn’s, causing Katelyn’s lips to curve into a smile.

“Hi, Katelyn. I’m Queen Alyssandra.”

Queen? “I guess, because Holly called Grayson ‘Prince,’ that makes him your brother or something?”

The woman laughed. “No—actually, he’s from a different royal family that’s no relation.”

Katelyn stood, glad the action no longer caused the room to tilt. “It’s nice to meet you…uh…Queen.”

Alyssandra laughed and waved Katelyn back to her seat. “Please, call me Alyssa. I’ve only been on Tador for a few months. I’m not used to the full formalities of my office yet.” Alyssa eyed some sticky pastries on the table in front of Katelyn. “Do you mind if I share some of your breakfast?”

“Help yourself.” Katelyn watched as Alyssa gently bit her lower lip, the pink flesh pillowed around even white teeth. A sudden urge to soothe the skin with her tongue stabbed through Katelyn, and she bit back a gasp as her body reacted.

Oh, my Goddess! I’m losing my mind.

Katelyn wrestled her mind back to the conversation at hand. “If you’re the queen, I should be thanking you for all your hospitality.”

Alyssa plopped into the chair across from Katelyn and snatched a baked pastry with blue filling and powdered sugar scattered over the top. She broke off a piece and slipped it between her lips and then leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. As she chewed, she moaned in almost orgasmic ecstasy.

A vivid flash of bringing this woman to orgasm strobed inside Katelyn’s mind. Her nipples hardened into tight, painful buds, and she winced against the intense sensation.

Not a vision—just her own overactive imagination.

Katelyn swallowed hard and forced herself to speak. “They’re pretty good.”

Alyssa opened her eyes. “You have no idea. Now that I’m pregnant with the future queen, my lady’s maid and my husband watch every morsel of sweets I eat.”

Great, I’m having sexual fantasies not only about a woman, but about a pregnant queen.

Katelyn shoved aside her reactions and focused on the woman before her, who was not exactly what she would expect a queen to be like. Yet, Katelyn couldn’t help but like this easygoing woman instantly. And talk about a relaxed dress code for royalty!

“So, you’re a queen. Is there a king hiding around here, too?” Katelyn chose what looked like a tart and took a bite. Some type of green fruit oozed from the top. Flavor burst across her tongue, and she gave her own sigh of ecstatic bliss. She waited for another bout of physical reactions, but none came, so she relaxed.

If everyone ate like this here, why weren’t they all three hundred pounds–plus?

“If he’s smart, King Stone will stay out of my way until I finish this pastry and maybe several others.” Alyssa took another healthy bite and chewed. When she swallowed, she fixed Katelyn with an expectant gaze. “Are you going to ask me if this is all real? I’m not sure if I’d handle waking up on a new planet as well as you have.”

Katelyn sighed and sat back against her wooden chair. “I’ve tried to avoid thinking too much about it until I could ensure the room wouldn’t spin every time I move. I remember the attack at my shop, and I’m not sure what to make of that. Either I’m insane, this is an extremely vivid vision, complete with breakfast, or I’m truly on another planet talking to a queen.” She shook her head at the absurdity of the situation. “At this point, I’m not even sure which to hope for.”

Katelyn thought the queen would laugh, but instead, she steepled her fingers against her full lips. “Let me put it this way. My reality growing up on Earth was much different from my current reality as queen on Tador. But I would gladly hand over my sanity or anything else to stay here.” Alyssa laughed, a short, humorless sound. “You’re welcome here as long as you like, Katelyn.”

Something told her the queen had left something unsaid, but she wasn’t exactly in a position to ask outright. Unsure how to respond, Katelyn reverted to her comfortable, sarcastic humor. “Not a bad offer if all the men look anything remotely like Grayson.”

Alyssa laughed again—a genuine sound of mirth this time—and her eyes danced with mischief. “Let’s just say you’ll be pleasantly surprised in that regard. Although I have a feeling Grayson won’t like your appreciation of any of the other men’s good looks, or even the women, for that matter.”

Katelyn bristled at any discussion of Grayson becoming possessive or proprietary over her. Katelyn had always prided herself on being independent and her own woman. If Grayson had a problem with that, they needed to resolve that misconception first thing.

Her brain suddenly caught up with her indignation, and she processed the last half of Alyssa’s sentence.

Katelyn’s cheeks burned, and a lead ball of mortification settled inside her stomach. Was Alyssa psychic? Had she picked up on Katelyn’s strong attraction to her?

A crease formed between Alyssa’s dark brows, and she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. “Oh, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I guess I thought, because you are partly human, Tador wouldn’t affect you the same way it does the natives.” She reached out for the pitcher of tea and poured it into a tall glass. “I assume from your reaction that you’re experiencing strong sexual urges. Don’t be embarrassed—sexual energy here on Tador is just as important as food or water. It most likely means you need sexual sustenance to fully recover.”

Katelyn’s temples throbbed. Grayson had said as much in their dream vision, but he hadn’t mentioned that she would suddenly be attracted to women, too. “I’m not sure what’s happening to me. I’ve always had a healthy libido, but oh, my Goddess. Does the planet also make you attracted to people you weren’t attracted to before?”

Alyssa took a drink and set her glass on the table. “You can rest easy on that subject—you’re not crazy. Tador is a world of sexual energy, and there are very few things forbidden here. The planet will pull you strongly toward what you need to ensure you retain enough energy.” She brushed a braid over her shoulder. “When you see Grayson you should have him give you a tour so you can see for yourself.” The queen leaned back in her chair and studied Katelyn. “I like you already. If Grayson had to bring someone back through the between, I’m glad he found someone with a sense of humor.”

Confusion flitted through Katelyn’s brain. She set the pastry on the plate in front of her and wiped her fingers on a pillowy soft napkin. “Between?”

The queen nodded and then swallowed. “I’m sorry, let me back up. The between is a portal between our world and Earth. It’s a dark void, and I’ve never met anyone who likes using it, but it’s an easy way to travel, once you learn how to open the portal.”

“Is it hard to learn?” It would be a relief to know Katelyn didn’t have to rely on the Klatch to decide to let her leave.

“It took me a while. However, I think only Klatch or Cunts are able to open one.” Alyssa’s brow furrowed, and she seemed about to say something more when she stopped and shook her head. “Anyway, I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to Grayson yet this morning, and he’s been busy recovering from the injuries he received the other night. But he should be down in a few minutes.”

Katelyn’s palms grew clammy as unease trickled along her spine. “Other night? How long was I out?”

“Two days.” Alyssa bit her bottom lip, choosing her words. “Well, I assume you mean in Earth terms. When it’s night there, it’s day here. So, when Grayson brought you back through the between, it was two nights ago, Earth time, or two days ago, Tador time.”

Sick dread pooled inside Katelyn’s stomach. Rita had probably reported her missing by now. Crap! “I have to get back. Rita will be freaking out.”

Alyssa placed a hand over Katelyn’s. The queen’s hand was soft and warm, and Katelyn had a sudden urge to graze her thumb over the back of it the way Grayson had done to Katelyn’s after her vision at her store.

Unaware of Katelyn’s thoughts, or maybe in spite of them, Alyssa continued. “I figured you’d be worried about your store, so I had one of the guards write a note to your co-owner. They also cleaned up as best they could and brought your purse—it’s in the bottom drawer of the nightstand in the room where you woke. Rita will think you and Grayson have run off for a weeklong cruise.” Alyssa cocked her head to the side to study Katelyn’s reaction. “We’ve also left discreet guards in place around the neighborhood, and some inside the shop, to ensure the Cunts don’t harm Rita to try to get to you.”

Katelyn caught her breath. She’d been so busy coming to terms with her own situation, she hadn’t stopped to consider Rita might be in danger. Hell, she still wasn’t sure why she was in danger. “Thanks. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.” The comforting balm of relief slid through Katelyn, and she sighed. At least Rita wouldn’t worry about her.

She took a breath to ask Alyssa why either she or Rita were in danger, but then Alyssa squeezed Katelyn’s hand and let go to relax against her chair.

The breath backed up in Katelyn’s lungs, and she swallowed hard as another thick surge of arousal surged through her. Her labia throbbed, and her nipples were suddenly sensitive, her breasts heavy and aching.

A gentle breeze teased the queen’s hair, and the beads in her braids tinkled against each other like fairy song.

Katelyn dropped her hands into her lap to keep from reaching back out for Alyssa’s hand. Whether this planet affected her or not, she found it disconcerting to react to a woman almost as much as she’d reacted to Grayson.

“It amazes me that men don’t think of these things.” Alyssa continued, hopefully unaware of Katelyn’s discomfiting reaction. “But, then, they’re men. They think we’ll just blindly follow whatever they dictate without question.”

Katelyn nodded. A subject change would be good—anything to get away from this sudden sexual attraction to the queen. She cleared her throat, hoping her voice would work. “So, do you know what this is all about? Why those pale guys showed up at my store?”

Pain, followed quickly by anger, etched across Alyssa’s face, surprising Katelyn. “Yes, I know only too well who they are and what they want.” Alyssa dropped the remains of her pastry onto the plate in front of her.

“About twenty-four years ago, there was a civil war here on Tador. The Klatch all look pretty much like Grayson and myself—dark hair, lavender eyes, the men muscular, the women curvy. The other race we warred with are called the Cunts.”

Katelyn cringed at the term. “Yikes. What a horrible name for a race.”

Alyssa laughed. “You have no idea.” She topped off her glass of tea from the pitcher. “Most of the Cunts are products of a mating between two half-Klatch, half-human parents. Once the Klatch blood is diluted to that degree, their physical characteristics change, and their children are pale blond, with tight, athletic bodies and clear blue eyes. Over time, the Cunts decided they were superior to the Klatch and tried to overthrow the king and queen—my parents.”

Katelyn sipped at her own tea, still trying to breathe through the physical reactions surging through her. “You said ‘tried’—I assume the…the Cunts were unsuccessful?”

The queen nodded, but her lips thinned, and her eyes narrowed. “They may not have been entirely successful, but they did a lot of damage. When they lost, they fled to Earth to hide, but not before they kidnapped me and my nanny.”

Alyssa’s energy snapped and sizzled in the air around them and caused Katelyn to gasp. The queen was a powerful practitioner and wielded more energy than Katelyn had ever seen in one person. Because Alyssa concealed it so effortlessly, Katelyn assumed that, like most people, the energy bled through only when strong emotions threatened.

I wouldn’t want to be one of the Cunts if she gets ahold of them.

Alyssa blew out a slow breath and smiled at Katelyn. “Sorry, there’s a lot of history there, and it still makes me want to tear a few of them limb from limb.” Her smile was self-deprecating. “Not a very queenlike attitude, I’m afraid.”

The queen pulled off another small piece of the pastry on her plate and popped it into her mouth. “Anyway, they raised me but never let me know my true heritage. They planned to use me to overthrow the planet when I came of age. Luckily, Stone found me just before my twenty-fourth birthday, and last month I ascended the throne.”

“Wow.” Katelyn couldn’t imagine everything Alyssa had gone through. She didn’t want to. “I’m glad it all worked out. But I don’t see what that has to do with me and my shop.”

A flicker of a shadow crossed Alyssa’s face and then disappeared, giving Katelyn the impression the queen still held something back. “We know they were looking for a Seer, but we weren’t sure what they were going to do once they found one. Luckily, Grayson happened to be there and was able to keep them from taking you.”

“Is that why Grayson was hanging around my shop?”

“Yes.” The queen leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table. “The Cunts are extremely dangerous. They view humans as cattle, purely existing to feed them sexual energy.” Alyssa’s suddenly intense gaze rooted Katelyn to her chair. “They are also a very sexual society, but they don’t have the same moral code as the Klatch. They think nothing of rape, necrophilia, bestiality, pedophilia, torture, and several other things the Klatch would never dream of doing.”

A shudder ran through Alyssa, and she closed her eyes as though trying to chase away dark memories. Finally, her eyes opened, and she glanced over at Katelyn again. “It might be best for you to stay here a while. In the meantime, we will continue to search for more information on what the Cunts are up to.”

Holy hell. What have I fallen into?

“Is Rita safe?” Katelyn blurted out the words. “Should I bring her here with me until whatever danger this is passes?”

Alyssa pursed her lips, considering. “We can, but do you think she’ll come?”

Katelyn studied her hands for a long moment. “No. For a woman who owns half a new-age shop, she doesn’t believe in anything supernatural or new-agey.”

The queen nodded. “As I said, we have Klatch guards watching over Rita and your shop. No one will harm her.”

Reluctantly, Katelyn agreed. Her first instinct was to tell them to thump Rita on the head and drag her cynical, skinny ass back here and out of danger. But how much did Katelyn really know about “here” yet? She didn’t sense any immediate threat, and her internal alarms were blissfully silent, but what if Tador wasn’t the right place for Rita right now? Katelyn knew better than most that everyone’s individual path had a purpose in the greater scheme of things.

Besides, Rita was one tough lady. She would be all right, especially with some hunky Klatch hanging around. Maybe Rita would even drop that loser boyfriend after seeing some hot Klatch guys.

One could only hope.

“So, now that we’ve gotten through that, what exactly do you have to do as queen? Is it all state dinners and paperwork?” Katelyn sat forward, excited to learn more. Her imaginary playmates as children had included a prince, but never a queen. She smiled as the warm memories trickled just below the surface of her thoughts.

Alyssa’s sudden bark of laughter surprised Katelyn.

“We are a very sexual society, remember? So my biggest duty as queen is to maintain a symbiotic relationship with the planet. And I’m glad because I think I would hate paperwork.”

“Symbiotic?” Katelyn sipped her tea as she puzzled over the word. “It sounds very…Sci Fi Channel.”

Alyssa cocked her head to the side. “Yes, I guess it does. But once you understand it, it makes a lot of sense. I get energy from the king through sexual interaction, and then I use that energy to heal myself and the planet.”

“Wow, talk about pressure. So what happens if you don’t create enough energy?”

The queen slumped back in her chair and sighed. “We are actually facing that problem right now.”

As a Seer, Katelyn wasn’t often shocked by the metaphysical, but other than sex magick, she’d never heard of using sex like a human battery to power a planet. She wondered what had caused a sudden shortage of energy if the entire society was as sexual as Alyssa had said.

Alyssa smiled as if she’d heard Katelyn’s thoughts. “Usually, as the future queen grows into a woman, she begins to take some of the burden for the health of the planet from her mother. Think of it as on-the-job training.”

Sudden understanding hit Katelyn. “And because you had been kidnapped and only came here a few months ago, your mother was on her own.”

Alyssa nodded. “You catch on quickly.”

“Surely there is something that can be done to fix the situation.”

“We’re working on it and hope to have a solution in place soon. But, like any world, the citizens are split about the right course to take.”

Katelyn glanced out at the view from the balcony. A lush landscape that could rival the Garden of Eden spread before her. “So what happens when there isn’t enough energy?”

Alyssa picked up her tea, and a drop of condensation caught Katelyn’s attention.

Katelyn’s sight grayed.

The familiar disorientation that accompanied her visions rocked her already weakened system. Her world tilted, and she gripped the edge of the table as a moan escaped her lips.

Suddenly everything righted itself, and she stood inside a large bedchamber with white walls, seams of pink crystals woven through them.

In her vision, a sense of urgency drove her gaze to the small round table next to the bed. The table held only a steaming ceramic mug and a book, laying facedown and open.

With silent steps, she crept forward and glanced around to make sure no one had seen her, but everything seemed calm and quiet. She squared her shoulders for courage and then tilted a dark vial of liquid into the mug, watching it disappear into the depths of the beverage.

The scene jumped forward, and Katelyn’s stomach lurched.

She swallowed hard against the tang of bile in the back of her throat and then almost lost her breakfast when Alyssa, happy and smiling, took another healthy sip from the mug.

Panic clawed up the insides of Katelyn’s throat as if trying to escape. Her mouth opened in a wordless scream as she tried to warn Alyssa—although she wasn’t sure about what.

A tight band closed around her chest and made it difficult to draw breath as the queen crumpled to the ground.

Alyssa lay on the floor like a rag doll tossed aside, forgotten, her face pale, her lavender eyes open and staring.

“Oh, my Goddess! I killed her.”