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—especially with the ripped muscle and torn tendons.
As a Klatch witch, sexual energy was as much a needed sustenance as food or water. His race could survive for a while on only food and water, but they needed sexual energy to thrive and even to survive.
In fact, the reigning queen’s job was to maintain a symbiotic relationship with the planet of Tador—the home world of the Klatch. The king helped her build her sexual energy, and she in turn healed the planet, which sustained the Klatch people.
Grayson acknowledged he’d pushed himself too far, but it wasn’t like he’d had much choice. The Cunts would have taken the Seer if Grayson hadn’t acted.
The thought of replenishing his energy with some random Klatch maid when his future mate had finally been found didn’t appeal to him. In fact, it felt like a betrayal to her. That left Grayson with something of a dilemma.
“Guards.” Stone’s stern voice filled the clearing. “Pick up Prince Grayson, deliver him to the baths and have several of the maids attend him.”
Grayson tried and failed to push himself off the grass to tell Stone he’d have no maids attending him, but his friend spoke again.
“Because Grayson’s mate has finally been found, I don’t think she’d appreciate him receiving sexual sustenance from anyone but her.” Stone smiled down at Grayson, his expression amused. “Clean him up, renew his energy as best you can, and put him to bed. I’ll deliver the Seer to the queen. I’m sure Alyssandra will find some lady’s maids to attend her.”
Grayson opened his mouth to thank Stone, but gave up when no sound emerged other than a croak.
Stone’s chuckle filtered down to Grayson through his exhaustion. “Consider it a returned favor for everything you’ve done for myself and for Alyssandra. I’m looking forward to watching you settle down with just one woman.”
Grayson pushed himself up in bed so he could lean against the headboard. Pain stabbed through his shoulder and down his back and arm. He cursed and tried to shift again for a more comfortable position, while his valet shoved pillows behind him.
“I still think you’re being unreasonable, Grayson.” Queen Alyssandra waved away his valet and arranged the pillows herself. “You need to heal, and you haven’t even kissed the Seer yet, so how can that be considered cheating?” Sunlight streamed through the open balcony window of his bedroom to glint off Alyssandra’s tumble of mahogany hair and the lavender beads decorating her scattered braids.
Grayson relaxed back against the pillows and flashed her a grateful smile before he turned his thoughts to putting into words something he couldn’t explain even to himself.
“Leave him be, Alyssandra,” King Stone added from a nearby chair.
The queen rounded on her husband, her hands fisted on her hips. “Are you telling me that from the time you understood we were betrothed until a few months ago, when you found me on Earth, that you didn’t find sexual sustenance with anyone?”
Heavy silence suddenly filled the chamber, and Grayson almost felt sorry for Stone for walking into such a self-made verbal trap. Almost.
“Well, no….” Stone admitted.
Over the past few months, Grayson had become used to their familiar banter. Even the kind they did only through telepathy, which left everyone else in the room feeling like they were watching an Earth television show with the sound off.
Stone had definitely changed when he’d finally found Alyssandra, but the changes were for the better. He was happier and more content somehow. Grayson envied him that.
“What have I missed?” Prince Ryan, the third leg of the Trio of Disaster, burst into the room and immediately made himself at home. He plopped onto the overstuffed ottoman and snatched the goblet of ale from Grayson’s untouched dinner tray.
Grayson
