Trio of Seduction. Cassie Ryan
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defiant gaze blazed into his. His cock surged to life inside his already tight jeans, and he widened his stance, trying in vain for a more comfortable position—especially since his balls were still tender from their earlier mistreatment.
Gavin cleared his throat, startling him from his musings. Ryan glanced around and realized the remaining guards had gone on their way, leaving just him, Gavin and the portal sentry. “Sorry, I was just taking a moment to—”
“Don’t bother to make up an excuse.” Amusement danced in Gavin’s lavender eyes. “I know you well enough to know you were thinking about your Healer—even though you should be replenishing your energy between some willing Klatch maid’s thighs.” The guard shook his head. “I must report to the king and queen. I’ll catch up with you later to see if the alcove has been found. I want to get out of these uncomfortable Earth clothes as soon as possible.” Without waiting for an answer, Gavin walked down the path toward the castle.
Ryan watched Gavin as he disappeared down the path without a backward glance. He had to admit Gavin had a point. A pair of breeches was much less restricting than the pair of tight jeans he wore—especially when even the smallest thought of the fiery blond made his cock hard. He shook his head and laughed at himself.
A gentle breeze tousled Ryan’s hair and brought the rich scents of roses, jasmine, gardenias and fertile soil. He inhaled, enjoying the lush clean air after the thick stench of car exhaust and heat-baked asphalt in Phoenix.
Phoenix was one of the cleaner cities he had visited on Earth, but it couldn’t compare with the paradise that was his home world. At least for now…
His thoughts turned dark as he started down the opposite path that would take him to the waterfall.
The destruction of Tador edged closer and closer to the populated areas with each passing day. If the Triangle wasn’t instituted soon, the utopian landscape before him would end up as nothing but a desolate wasteland like the outlying areas.
His chest tightened at the thought of such a fate, and he shoved it away. He and the rest of the royal family would fight until their last breath to save Tador and their way of life. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to save the planet.
Leaves and twigs crunched softly under his boots, and the sound of rushing water grew louder as he neared the waterfall. As always, the rhythmic music of the falls mellowed his mood and filled him with hope.
He skirted around the maze, which was made of thick green vines and shrubs meticulously groomed to keep the inner paths clear. The faint sound of female giggling reached him from just beyond the nearest maze wall, and he smiled.
Apparently there were some Klatch currently enjoying one of the many intimate dead ends within the maze. He hoped someday soon to show the Healer—
“Ryan!” The Seer’s voice reached him a moment before she jogged into view. Her long red hair streamed behind her, and her green eyes flashed with agitation. “Hurry, the Healer needs you.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him forward toward the waterfall.
Urgency sliced through him as he followed her. His guards had told him no one followed the Healer as she left. What if they were wrong and he had left her in danger?
Katelyn pulled him down to sit across from her on the sandy shore of the pool at the base of the waterfall. Her normally pale cheeks were flushed with color, making her freckles stand out, and a small crease furrowed between her red brows.
“Katie-cat,” he said, using a nickname he’d given her when they were children and he thought her nothing more than an imaginary friend. “Calm down and tell me what’s going on.”
She sat cross-legged across from him, adjusting her flowing skirt around her legs before taking the bag Gavin had given Ryan and setting it aside to take both of his hands in hers. “I had a vision about the Healer, and I think she’s in danger.”
Anger and a sudden urge to protect the Healer rushed through him. He started to push to his feet, but Katelyn tightened her grip on his hands.
“Sit,” she ordered. “I need to see if I can induce a vision, and I need you to help me focus it since I assume you saw the Healer.” Katelyn’s intense gaze burned into his as the question hung in the air between them.
Ryan knew Katelyn didn’t often try to induce visions. Visions usually came when she least expected them, and those she tried to force cost her dearly. She must be truly concerned to attempt this.
“Yes,” he answered before her impatient glare burned straight through his skull. He remembered the hard knee to the groin the Healer had left him with and winced.
Katelyn’s laugh startled him. “From the look on your face, I’d say I like her already.”
He opened his mouth to retort, but she didn’t give him a chance.
“Close your eyes. Picture her as clearly as you can—eyes, hair, expressions, smell—everything you can think of will help.”
Resigned, he closed his eyes and focused all his energy on picturing the Healer as he had last seen her.
When the Healer had neatly reversed their positions right before all her weight had settled squarely on his bollocks, he’d been surprised and more than a little impressed. Not only did he outweigh her, but she’d caught him by surprise since he had been too intent on her innocent blue gaze.
He smiled to himself; he would have to remember not to be fooled in the future. Innocent in some ways she may be, but he’d seen her fight, and she definitely knew how to take care of herself. The scene where she fought off the two Cunt guards replayed inside his mind and then dissolved like mist on the wind. Ryan stiffened as he fought to retain control, but then Katelyn’s gentle pressure against his hands reminded him why they were there.
In his mind’s eye, the scene reformed, and he saw a small log cabin with a dirty off-white attached garage. His senses expanded and refocused until he saw four humans dressed in black. They slipped silently through the woods, and he knew instinctively they were after the Healer.
“No!”
Katelyn’s tight grip on his hands reminded him to stay focused, and he let her lead the way as their line of sight slipped easily through the front wall of the cabin and into each room until they found the Healer.
She lay face down, fully clothed, on top of a small twin bed with a large orange cat curled beside her. Some of her golden blond hair had come loose from her ponytail and wisped around her face in silky tendrils. Her left hand was curled under her chin, while her right was hidden from view under the pillow.
Lavender smudges sat just under her closed eyes, nearly eclipsed by the thick fringe of golden lashes that rested lightly against her cheek. Her full lips were parted slightly in sleep.
The cat’s head snapped up as if he sensed their scrutiny. He blinked large orange eyes and stared straight at them in accusation.
His fuzzy head swiveled toward the window over the bed, and he stood and hissed, his tail bottle-brushing as his back arched.
The Healer bolted to a sitting position, and her right hand emerged from under the pillow gripping a gun that looked almost too large for her hand. She scanned her surroundings, and when she seemed to find nothing amiss, she stood and ran from the room.
The sting of a hard slap across Ryan’s jaw pulled him from the vision, and he opened his eyes to see Katie-cat’s face nearly nose to nose with his.
It took a few minutes for the rushing sounds of the waterfall nearby and the smell of the plants to fill his senses again. Once they finally did, he noticed the strain etched across Katelyn’s face and the dullness of her eyes.
“Are you all right?” Her voice was raspy and weak, and he blinked to clear the remaining lethargy left from the vision.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Ryan nodded and immediately dug into the bag Gavin had given him to find the bread. Carbs would