Vision of Seduction (3 page)

Grayson slid behind the cafe counter and rummaged through the fridge

and cold case. He returned moments later and pressed a cold bottle of

water into her hands.

Her hands shook as she gripped the bottle to twist off the cap—and

realized he'd already done it for her. A small surge of gratitude warmed

her.

Maybe chivalry isn't quite dead—just severely crippled.

When she'd taken a large drink and swallowed, he pressed a muffin into

her hands. Katelyn stared down at the pastry, surprised he knew how to

counter the effects of a particularly strong vision. And even more surprised

that she appreciated the gesture.

Okay, possibly men were useful for more than sex. Maybe she'd start slow

and find a male friend first, and then work up to the rest.

She'd already determined Grayson was either a practitioner or a very old

soul, but even with that, he continued to intrigue her.

"Eat, Katelyn. You'll feel better." He knelt in front of her, those liquid

amethyst eyes concerned and watchful. "Then we can discuss that drink

you mentioned before Ethel intruded on our conversation."

Embarrassed, she took a bite of muffin and chewed. The carbs should

equalize her system. She kept a drawer full of Milky Way candy bars for

just this reason, but she was too embarrassed to ask him to go raid her

stash. The muffin would have to do. She swallowed and chased it down

with a swig of water before meeting his gaze. "I was asking you out for a

drink, but I'm not sure I'm up for it after that vision."

The sensation of her nipples grazing against his muscular chest while they

lay on the fragrant grass surged through her, and she resisted the urge to

whimper as her body screamed for a repeat performance.

"What the hell are you doing to me?" Katelyn closed her eyes and let her

head fall back against the chair. She had fantasized about men before, but

somehow her body was stuck on overdrive with this one. Even stranger

was the fact that he felt like a future déjà vu waiting to happen.

The few times she'd had visions that gave her this same impression, those

moments had always come to pass—even if they weren't exactly what

she'd thought when she'd first seen them. Though how she could

misinterpret the steamy sex in a lush park, she didn't know. Yet a big part

of her couldn't wait.

"What did you see in the vision?" Grayson's hand engulfed hers, and

everywhere his skin touched hers, sexual awareness burned. Apparently,

her palm had turned into a large erogenous zone while she hadn't been

paying attention.

"Katelyn?" His thumb feathered over the back of her hand. "Can you tell

me what you saw?"

Heat rose from her gut to suffuse her neck and cheeks.

Goddess! I haven't blushed since high school.

"I see." His voice sounded smug and possessive. "Would you like to have

that drink first, or jump straight into the contents of your vision?"

Her eyes flew open, and she pulled her hand from his grasp as her anger

and self-protective instincts flared to life. "I don't remember sharing with

you the contents of my vision, and even if I had, you're getting awfully

cocky and sure of yourself, aren't you?"

His grin widened, sparking her anger and she opened her mouth to let him

know what she thought of conceited men. The front door slammed open.

Katelyn startled and spilled the remaining water on her skirt. As the cold

liquid hit her, the chimes hanging on the back of the door flew off to land

on the floor.

Five attractive blond men filled her doorway—their pale skin gleaming,

their gazes narrowed and hostile.

Their eyes turned murderous when they saw Grayson.

"Fucking Klatch! The Seer is ours."

2

Grayson de Klatch, the Seventh Prince of Klatch, cursed as five pale Cunt

warriors filled the doorway. The traitor race that had caused a civil war on

his home world of Tador had been banished, and their name had become

something of an epithet on Earth and on Tador ever since.

Grayson stood with his back to Katelyn, shielding her from any attacks.

"Leave or die, Cunts. There are no other choices. The Seer will be safe from

you regardless."

Katelyn gasped behind him, most likely misinterpreting his use of the

term, as it was usually only applied to females here on Earth—and

incorrectly, at that.

She bolted from her chair and ran behind the glass counter, surprising him,

since she was no doubt still weak from her vision.

Grayson took advantage of the distraction and raised his hand to send a

bolt of deadly pink energy sizzling from his fingertips across the room

toward the Cunts. The leader blocked the bolt with a hastily thrown energy

field, but Grayson's beam bounced away to hit another Cunt squarely in

the chest.

A hint of relief rolled through him. If the Cunts couldn't control where

their energy beams bounced, Katelyn was still safe hiding behind the

display counter. Energy would automatically go toward the next easiest

target, but couldn't bend around corners.

The affected Cunt groaned as he slumped to the floor.

Four blue beams sizzled toward Grayson from the remaining Cunts. He

dropped into a crouch, tossing out an energy shield with his left hand, and

shot anther pink beam toward them with his right.

Their blue beams sizzled against his shield, slowly draining his energy and

showering him with blue sparks.

Every hair on his arms stood at attention, and a smell like burned electrical

wires filled the air. He strengthened his shields and shot another quick bolt

toward his enemies.

Sizzling pink energy caught one Cunt in the calf, dropping him on top of

his downed friend.

A growl of rage rolled out from one of the Cunts before he and the other

two sent a concentrated blast of blue toward Grayson.

Grayson dove to the side, not willing to risk his shields in a head-on assault

from the mingled energy beam.

Burning heat prickled over his hip and then receded as his body hit the

hard shop floor.

His shoulder slammed against a display shelf. Sharp stabs of pain lanced

through him as muscles tore and tendons popped.

He bit back a groan, but allowed himself a few curses. Now he was injured,

and his ill-advised dive had taken him farther from Katelyn.

Before Grayson could recover, the Cunt closest to the Seer bolted toward

her and disappeared behind the counter.

A band of panic constricted inside Grayson's chest. Katelyn was at the

mercy of the Cunt.

Grayson had to disable the two Cunts in front of him before he could help

her.

He poured more energy into his shield as he shot quick bursts of pink

power toward the pair in front of him.

Blue sizzling energy crackled from behind the counter. Grayson ground his

teeth. What had the Cunt done to Katelyn?

Surprise filtered through him again when she stood up. She held a small

black instrument in front of her. It crackled blue energy of its own between

two small metal tips.

Her green eyes blazed with anger as she glared from one Cunt to the other.

She looked like a queen defending her castle.

A blue beam caught her in the stomach, and she screamed—an angry

sound rather than one of pain or fear.

Red-hot rage seared Grayson's insides, fueling his powers. If his future

mate sustained any permanent damage, he would hunt down every last

member of the Cunt clan.

He poured the energy born of adrenaline into the twin pink bolts he sent

hurtling toward the remaining two attackers. The beams sliced through

their shields like a knife through tissue paper. The bolts hit them squarely

in the throats and their screams sent warm satisfaction through him.

The last two Cunts dropped to the floor in boneless heaps, and Grayson

resisted the urge to kill them. He needed stamina to survive the trip between

and to make sure Katelyn was safe—especially now that he'd have to use

precious energy to function with his injuries.

Grayson's shoulder throbbed, but the adrenaline racing through him

numbed it enough so he could manage to cross the room. He circled

around the display case and stepped over the downed Cunt to kneel next

to the Seer.

Katelyn's mane of unruly red hair was latticed over her face, and she

groaned. He gently brushed the locks away before lifting her with his good

arm, and hefting her over his shoulder.

He bracketed his arm behind her knees to keep her from sliding, the thin

material of her flowy skirt allowing him to feel every warm inch of her.

Her soft curves pressed against his chest and shoulder, causing his cock to

spring to life inside his tight jeans. He groaned as he shifted to a more

comfortable position. He didn't have time for this. He had to get her to

safety, then he could worry about the rest.

Gritting his teeth, Grayson raised his injured arm and drew a large portal

in the air with his hand, using his last reserves of power. The air

shimmered, and the portal expanded until it was an oval large enough for

him to walk through.

He took one last look to ensure none of the Cunts could follow, and then

stepped forward into the bone-chilling cold that was the between.

The air around them crackled with energy, sending a march of goose

bumps over his skin.

Grayson shivered as the dark, still air surrounded them, making it difficult

to breathe. He inhaled deeply, trying to find every last bit of oxygen in the

thin air, and took a few minutes to let his body adjust to the vastly different

environment. It was obvious why it had been named the between, but he

still hated each and every trip through the portal.

The Seer groaned, and he laid his good hand on Katelyn's shapely ass to

keep her in place. Even in her unconscious state, she shivered and cuddled

against him.

The tang of mold on the back of his tongue burst inside his senses and he

pushed forward even as his stamina leached out into the abyss. He cursed

the Cunts for causing him to expend all his energy before this trip between,

and then cursed again when his voice was swallowed by the oppressive air

surrounding them.

Each step became harder than the last, like walking through taffy.

Grayson's limbs, suddenly heavy, dragged him down, each step forward

harder than the last.

Then a small spark of light appeared just in front of him, signaling the

portal point in the clearing just beyond the castle.

He reached out to draw another portal in the air in front of them, gritting

his teeth against the blinding pain from his injured shoulder. The

shimmering oval illuminated the blackness in front of him and then

widened until it was large enough for him to step through.

As soon as he cleared the portal, the warmth of the Klatch sun began to

chase away the cold, even as the portal snapped closed behind him. He

slumped to his knees, careful not to jostle Katelyn, who lay limp over his

good shoulder.

"Prince Grayson, are you hurt?"

It took a moment to make sense of the words after the muted sounds

within the between. When he did understand what was said, he had to

gather strength just to be able to nod.

Grayson's vision blurred around the edges.

He was still coherent enough to recognize the speaker as a member of the

Royal Guard, several of which stood in a line before him.

Grayson swallowed hard before he spoke. "I've found the Seer. Guard the

portal so we aren't followed by the Cunts who attacked us."

The guard who had spoken and wore the dark purple livery of the royal

family reached out to take the Seer's limp body from him.

Grayson growled at the man. "Stand down. I can take care of my future

mate without your help."

The guard bowed and stepped back, his dark hair falling over his brow.

"Don't be a damned fool, Grayson. Let them help you before you fall over

and crush the poor woman. Then she'll never get to discover what an ass

you are." King Stone stepped forward through the line of guards to stare at

Grayson. His lavender eyes studied Grayson as though assessing injuries

and damage.

Stone had recently become king when his wife, Alyssandra, had ascended

the throne as queen. But Grayson would always think of Stone as one of his

two oldest friends. He didn't think he'd ever get used to calling Stone

"King."

Ever since he could remember, Stone had been one of the three—himself,

Stone, and Prince Ryan—who were always in trouble or about to be.

Wherever there was destruction or mayhem around the castle, all eyes

turned toward the "Trio of Disaster," as Stone's mother, Darla, had called

them.

Stone must've taken Grayson's silence for assent because he reached out

and lifted Katelyn from Grayson's arms.

As soon as Stone held her safely, Grayson allowed himself to slump onto

the warm grass, careful not to land on his injured shoulder. He closed his

eyes and breathed deeply, allowing the nourishing energy of his home

world to seep into him. Even with that comfort, he knew it would take

several days to heal if he didn't seek out some sexual sustenance soon—