Free Vision of Seduction by Cassie Ryan Page A

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."
    5
    Grayson's deep voice made Katelyn's entire body tingle. She resisted the
    urge to shiver as his comforting presence chased away the last tendrils of
    terror that still gripped her from the vision.
    Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself looking into both Alyssa's
    and Grayson's concerned faces. Still trembling, she pried her fingers