Ceremony of Seduction by Cassie Ryan Page B

Another tradeoff is that we are more powerful.”
    “In what way?” Alyssa’s curiosity peaked. “Back at my apartment, I zapped Debbie unconscious. I’m not sure how I did it, or even what powers Klatch have.” She blushed again as she remembered the episode in the baths where she’d used her powers to make Sasha come.
    “From what Stone told us, you defended yourself admirably.” Her mother squeezed her hand in reassurance. “Powers vary from witch to witch, but you should be able to control energy, cause instant arousal, and once mated with Stone, you will share an empathic bond.”
    I’ll be able to experience Stone’s feelings while he’s fucking me? Her sex clenched at the thought. Then she remembered her mother’s presence and pushed the erotic thoughts from her mind. “About the ceremony—maybe you’d better start at the beginning and assume I don’t know anything.” She swallowed hard. “Exactly what’s involved, what I’m expected to do. Those types of things.”
    Her mother nodded and smiled. “All Klatch women come of age at their twenty-fourth year and the men in their sixteenth. But those of royal blood must marry another of royal blood.”
    Ewwww! “You mean Stone is my brother or cousin or something?” she demanded in horror.
    The queen laughed aloud, the sound easing Alyssa’s fears about Klatch incest. “No, Stone is the product of another royal family. There are sixteen royal families. We are the first, so therefore, you are the First Princess of Klatch. We hold the same mores about incestuous relationships as the humans, I assure you.”
    The soft breeze latticed her hair over her face and the queen brushed it back with her fingers. “Unfortunately, the Cunts don’t share our concern. They inter-mate quite often, which was one of the many reasons for the civil war.”
    At Alyssa’s audible sigh of relief, her mother continued. “Stone is the Fourth Prince of Klatch, but since we are a matriarchal society, everything is determined by the needs of the woman.”
    “Wow, too bad they don’t have that mindset on earth.” She reached down to pet a neon blue frog that had wandered close and laughed as he hopped into her hand. “Okay, so no incest. What exactly does the coming-of-age ceremony entail?”
    Annalecia pursed her lips and studied her for a long moment. “How comfortable are you with your sexuality, Alyssandra? The Klatch ways are probably taboo by human standards of sex.”
    “Not very,” she admitted. “I mean, I…have the urges and I’ve…masturbated.” She stared hard at the little frog, not comfortable with this discussion. “But until Stone…I really didn’t feel very attractive or comfortable with my body. And he was a dream!”
    The events of the last day suddenly caught up with her in a rush. She stood, startling the frog, which jumped back into the pond with a plop. She stood rubbing her hands up and down her arms, trying to smooth away the conflicting emotions that invaded her. “And now, he’s suddenly real…I’m not sure exactly who I am or how I feel.”
    She let her mother smooth a comforting hand over her hair. “I’ll tell you of the need for the ceremony first, that way you’ll understand why the mechanics are the way they are.”
    A shudder ran through Alyssa and she wanted to stop her mother’s words. Somehow, she knew she wasn’t going to like what she heard. “Tell me,” she said simply and sat again.
    Her mother continued to stand and trailed her fingers in the nearest waterfall, watching the water spill around her hand rather than looking at Alyssa while she talked. “When a First Princess comes of age, she must come into her powers fully to assume the throne. And assuming the throne isn’t just in title as it is with human royalty, it’s in function. As queen, it will be your responsibility to feed the nation of Klatch with your energy.”
    Alyssa bolted to her feet. “You don’t mean I have to supply everyone with