Ceremony of Seduction by Cassie Ryan Page A

Stepping close behind her and enveloping her in his arms, he kissed her hair before answering. “I could see you and you only. We were meant from birth, so therefore we have been linked since puberty. But only our minds were linked, not our locations. I searched for you since the first day I came to you in your dreams.”
    She nodded and leaned back against him as if basking in his warmth. “Do men have a coming-of-age ceremony?”
    He smiled to himself. So that’s what this was about. Her mother must have discussed the ceremony with her. “Yes, but men have theirs at sixteen, not twenty-four.”
    Turning in his arms, she studied his face. “What does the male ceremony consist of? How many Klatch women did you have to bed?”
    Stone’s mouth dropped open, but all that came out was, “Uh…” How could he discuss that with his betrothed? Not only was it not a good idea to talk about any other woman than Alyssandra meeting his sexual needs, he knew it would end up hurting her in the long run. He knew how the female mind worked and like it or not—no matter how he answered, this was a recipe for disaster.
    “Well?” she prompted. “This is a sexual society and you already said you had a coming-of-age ceremony.” She pierced him with a stare that pinned him in place. “So, explain what was involved in yours. You obviously already know what happens in mine.” Her tone was clipped and she crossed her arms in front of her, placing a barrier between them. Stone refused to step back, but instead kept his arms loosely around her.
    Leaning forward, he kissed the crease of her brow and pulled her toward his chest until she gave up her crossed arms and threaded them around his waist. “I would never wish to hurt you in any way, Alyssandra. If you wish to know of my ceremony, I’ll tell you. But I think your question has more to do with your fears over your own. Does it not?”
    A warm wetness touched his skin through his shirt and he realized she was crying. He held her, rocking her gently while the moon slowly sailed across the sky the span of his outstretched hand. He knew she was reacting to more than just the ceremony—she grieved for her lost childhood and heritage. Those years she could never reclaim. He regretted that so much responsibility fell squarely on her shoulders. It didn’t give her much time to come to terms with her new circumstances.
    Finally, she sniffled and pulled back enough to raise her watery gaze to his. “I’m sorry. I think something inside me finally broke.” She blinked and a few more fat tears carved a slow path down her cheeks. “I’m scared. I don’t know if I can handle the ceremony. But if I don’t—my mother will die…won’t she?”
    For the first time, Stone wished he could lie to her. Anything to remove the pain from her eyes. A quick flash of memory reminded him of the night Lianna died. She hadn’t been able to contain the energy of the planet and her body, overloaded with energy, had just stopped functioning. The backlash of the energy had flowed down through her intimate connection with her betrothed and electrocuted him. He’d been one of the twenty Klatch men, there to give his essence, and the sight of Lianna’s lifeless eyes staring up at him still haunted his nightmares.
    He tightened his grip around Alyssandra. “Annalecia has been weakening for some time. If you do not assume the throne, both your mother and Tador will slowly die.”
    She shook her head against the words, as if her denial could change the circumstances. “But what about the Second Princess or the Third or any of the sixteen?” A tinge of desperation darkened her voice.
    He swallowed hard against his pain. “Unfortunately, others have tried to take the burden from Annalecia, but so far every mating has failed.” He shook his head to remove Lianna’s sightless eyes from his mind. “She has allowed her hope to dwindle to the point that no one but her blood daughter could take over from her