Vision of Seduction (24 page)

was quite the same, if that makes sense. And I especially didn't like the

knife through the eye, for obvious reasons."

"That could be the Cunt twist on the ceremony. But don't worry, our

guards are keeping Rita safe, and we'll figure this out."

Katelyn's thoughts turned to her stubborn best friend. "Do you think I

could get a message to Rita? I don't want her to worry, you know?"

Alyssa smiled. "I'll get you some writing supplies after the baths."

It was time Katelyn got up off the floor and went to see this strange new

world she'd ended up on. Katelyn squared her shoulders and raised her

chin. "I don't know about you, but I could really use a shower."

Alyssa's laugh filled the space around them. "I definitely could. You know,

I figured we would talk and get more comfortable with each other as we

spent more time together. But I guess if the last ten minutes didn't break

the ice between us, nothing will."

13

As soon as she stepped into the bathhouse, humid air clung to Katelyn's

skin, and the soft rushing of a distant waterfall echoed softly around them.

"We're going to the private baths. I don't think you're ready for the group

baths just yet." Alyssa led the way down a long corridor made entirely of

the frosty-white balda.

"Is there something I'm missing about the group baths? I mean, other than

what I would normally assume...." Her voice trailed off as she caught sight

of the walls on both sides of them. Erotic paintings of couples and even

groups in varying stages of copulation were painted in vivid colors that

managed to convey both sensuality and passion. All the participants were

naked and uninhibited. There was even a painting of several naked women

in a pool pleasuring each other, which reminded her of the two men at the

hot springs earlier.

Before she realized it, Katelyn found herself standing in front of the last

picture, mesmerized by the erotic images. Her eyes devoured the glistening

female curves, taut nipples, and clean-shaven mounds of the obviously

close-knit group.

Images of herself and Alyssa inside the pool with a dozen unnamed

women flashed through Katelyn's mind.

A wave of energy slapped into her like an open hand, and she gasped even

as slick moisture flooded her pussy. Her nipples tightened into hard buds,

and her labia ached with arousal. Panic clogged her throat, and her lungs

burned until she remembered Alyssa's earlier advice.

Tears stung the backs of her eyes, and she clenched her hands until her

fingernails dug into the soft flesh of her palm. She concentrated and

relaxed her entire body, muscle by muscle.

Don't fight the energy.... She chanted Alyssa's words inside her mind like a

mantra.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the panic ebbed as the energy

flowed through her almost above her consciousness. The sensation was like

nothing she'd ever experienced, like co-existing with a very powerful

elemental being. Exhilaration filled every pore of her body as if she were

being regenerated from the inside out. "Wow ..."

"Apparently, because it tasted you and knows you have an affinity for it,

the energy of the planet doesn't want to leave you alone." Alyssa laid a

comforting hand on Katelyn's shoulder. "It's not so bad. I deal with it every

day. You just need to learn how to funnel the excess energy back into the

planet, and you'll be fine."

Katelyn tensed, waiting for another energy surge or even a tsunami of lust,

but neither came.

Alyssa laughed. "Now that you understand how to channel it, it won't

surprise you as often as it has so far."

"Thank the Goddess for that."

"Well, we'd better get you cleaned up before Grayson comes barging in

here to steal you back." The queen's voice was soft and almost breathy. She

smiled and tipped her head toward the end of the hallway and the waiting

baths.

Katelyn kept pace with Alyssa, and a companionable silence fell between

them. Thoughts of Grayson later tonight at the hot springs made the

energy flowing through Katelyn swirl with pleasure and left a delicious,

tingling sensation between her thighs and across her breasts.

Prince Grayson. What was it about him that kept her so fascinated? A

mental picture flashed across her mind of her chasing droplets of water

down that muscled chest with her tongue. "Do the men ever join you in the

baths?"

A knowing smile curved Alyssa's full lips. "After the coming-of-age

ceremony, men and women bathe freely together. I don't think it works the

same way for humans, but if a Klatch woman is exposed to male essence

before her coming of age, it can be dangerous."

"Essence? You mean come?" Katelyn stared at Alyssa in disbelief.

The queen nodded. "Come is imbued with pure energy, so it can overload

the woman's system if introduced before she comes of age. It works the

same way for men exposed to women's fluids before their coming of age.

But the men go through theirs at sixteen."

"Sixteen?" Katelyn stopped short just before an arched doorway. "And the

women have to wait until they're twenty-four? What total and complete

crap is that?"

"I agree completely."

Katelyn turned toward the sultry voice that came from just through the

arched doorway.

A Klatch woman about the same age as Alyssa stood before them. She

wasn't nearly as beautiful as Alyssa, but she seemed more exotic somehow.

Her dark hair flowed around her until it brushed the ground. Braids were

sprinkled throughout, but where Alyssa's braids were beaded with

lavender, this woman's beads were multicolored, catching the muted

corridor lighting with each movement.

She wore nothing but a gauzy half top like Alyssa's and string bikini

underwear. Her coral nipples poked against the thin cloth, and the creamy

bottom curves of her breasts were visible just underneath the short top.

Katelyn glanced back at Alyssa, noting that the queen's breasts were fuller

and more rounded than the newcomer's.

An urge to reach out and trace the queen's curves—to see if they were as

soft and inviting as they looked—gripped Katelyn. She bit down on her lip

until the pain chased back the compulsion.

The energy curled inside her howled its fury at her defiance, the maelstrom

of electricity making her dizzy.

Beads of sweat broke out on Katelyn's forehead as she swayed from the

onslaught until she remembered to relax and let the power flow through

her.

"I'm Sasha, the queen's lady's maid." The woman's concerned gaze tracked

back and forth between Katelyn and the queen.

Katelyn blew out a slow breath as her equilibrium returned. "Sorry, I still

seem to be fighting with some energy." She smiled at Sasha. "It's nice to

meet you. I'm Katelyn ... the Seer."

Understanding and pleasure lit Sasha's expression. "Welcome. It's truly an

honor to serve you, Seer." She linked her arm through Katelyn's and

Alyssa's and guided them forward into what looked like a changing room.

A curtain hung across the far doorway, which Katelyn assumed led to the

baths, as the sounds of the waterfall seemed to emanate from there.

"Seer, would you like me to summon your lady's maid, or shall I see to

sustenance for both yourself and the queen?"

Katelyn took her arm back and looked between Alyssa and Sasha. "Sus ...

sustenance? As in, sex?" Slick moisture dampened the insides of her thighs,

and a deep ache settled in her pelvis.

Sasha's dark brow furrowed. "Of course." The woman glanced toward the

queen, confusion clouding her eyes.

"This is Katelyn's first visit to the baths." Alyssa placed a comforting hand

on Katelyn's arm. "You were very patient with me when I first arrived,

Sasha. I think Katelyn will need something similar."

Katelyn's nipples hardened to tight buds inside her bra as she remembered

the painting of the women in the baths. "No offense to Holly, but I don't

think I would be comfortable with her …providing sustenance."

Sasha laughed, the comfortable sound instantly relaxing the tight muscles

in Katelyn's shoulders. "I understand perfectly, Seer. Holly will take no

offense. There has to be a relationship of comfort and trust between a lady's

maid and those she serves. It can't be forced."

"That's a relief." Katelyn brushed her hair from her face, tucking it behind

her ear. "So why don't you start at the beginning and tell me what's

involved in 'sustenance.' "

"Well..." Alyssa chewed her bottom lip.

"Allow me, my queen." Sasha smiled at Katelyn. "We'll get you undressed,

take you into the baths, shave you, and then ensure you climax to replenish

your energy and the bond with the planet." The maid reached out to touch

Katelyn's skirt, making Katelyn flinch. "Would you prefer traditional

Klatch dress or something slightly less revealing?"

Katelyn's mind was still wrapping around the maid ensuring she climaxed

as part of the bath, but Sasha's question brought her back to the present.

"Uh ..." She looked at the queen's half top and boy shorts and then shook

her head. "I don't think I can quite pull that off. I'd probably prefer less

revealing."

"No problem at all." Sasha stepped forward and lifted the hem of Katelyn's

shirt.

After a moment of hesitation, Katelyn raised her arms and allowed the

maid to pull her shirt over her head, leaving her standing in her red lace

bra and her skirt. Katelyn glanced over at Alyssa in time to see the queen

step out of her boy shorts and drop them on the ground next to her already

discarded half top.

Katelyn's gaze locked on to the queen's supple form. Alyssa's body

consisted of generous hourglass curves and smooth olive skin. Her dark

hair flowed around her shoulders, accentuating the proud nipples that

jutted out from dusky areolae. Just below the taper of her waist, the swell

of her hips brought Katelyn's attention to Alyssa's smoothly shaven mound

and the small pink hood of her already swollen clit peeking from between

her labia.

Katelyn's own clit swelled in response, and her pulse hammered as

anticipation curled inside her.

Sasha distracted her by yanking down her skirt over her thighs until it

pooled around her feet. The maid knelt and slipped off Katelyn's shoes and

then reached up to hook her fingers in the sides of Katelyn's underwear.

Before Katelyn could open her mouth to object, the maid whisked down

the underwear, baring Katelyn to both women's gazes.

Alyssa gasped, and Katelyn looked up to see the queen's gaze locked on to

Katelyn's close-trimmed pubic hair. "Red. It's beautiful."

Heat rushed into Katelyn's neck and cheeks as she realized what Alyssa

meant. "Natural redhead. I know from the paintings, the style here is most

likely shaved, but I've never felt quite comfortable going totally bare."

Besides, Grayson liked it. Her cheeks burned as she realized his opinion

mattered—even about this.

Alyssa smiled. "Whatever makes you comfortable, Katelyn."

Not sure how to respond, Katelyn unhooked her bra and let the straps slide

down her arms to the floor.

Both Sasha and the queen studied her openly, their hungry gazes making

her feel enticing and beautiful.

"How about that bath?" Katelyn's voice wavered, and she cleared her throat

in an attempt to muster more confidence. Hadn't she said the other day

that she wanted some mind-blowing, no-strings-attached sex? She hadn't

specifically mentioned a man, though that had been implied, given her

inclinations at the time. Now it seemed the universe was providing in

abundance. Words had power and often manifested with definite irony.

She squared her shoulders. I'm a consenting adult, for Goddess's sake.

Alyssa's fingers closed around Katelyn's, and she led her forward through

the curtain and out into the semidark bathing chamber. Flickering candles

painted red and gold designs on the walls and onto the bare skin of all

three women, giving everything a surreal atmosphere.

The sound of the falls was louder here but still muted enough to allow a

sense of intimacy without making the bathers have to shout to be heard.

The entire chamber was comprised of the sparkling balda.

A large pool was inset into the floor, and lazy wisps of steam rose from the

gently churning water almost as though an underground hot springs fed

into the pool somewhere. The faint aroma of sulfur strengthened that

assumption.

Small cubbyholes were etched into the walls and held all manner of soaps

and towels, along with what appeared to be purple fruits Katelyn didn't

recognize. As she neared the pool, she noticed several raised platforms

resting just under the water's churning surface in the shallow end. The

water gurgled and rushed, and a small waterfall fell into the edge of the

pool against the side so people could enjoy it from both the shallow and

deep ends.

Katelyn followed Alyssa and stepped onto the first stair of the pool,

sighing as the warm water frothed around her ankles. Each of the

remaining steps took her deeper, the warm water caressing her calves,