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| Title        : Mine to Take                                              |
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| File name    : Dara Joy - Mine To Take (v1.0).txt                        |
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| Create date  : 11-Nov-2004                                               |
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Mine to Take
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Dara Joy
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Chapter One
===========

  He was an absolutely stunning creature.

  The  Observer peered  through the  tiny viewing aperture  at the delicious
male specimen chained to the wall.

  He was uniquely beautiful. In every way.

  Like all Familiars, he walked in two forms, that of man and cat.

  In their human  form, Familiars  often had  a tendency  to be  mysterious,
independent, and, on occasion, extremely playful.

  Except when captured.

  Cornered,  they  became fearsome  adversaries;  difficult to  ensnare, let
alone contain. This  bold trait  only added to  their value,  and they  were
highly  sought  after in  certain sectors--sectors  that were  ungoverned by
civilized law.

  Some said they were priceless.

  It was their very nature  that put them at risk.  For the Familiar were  a
highly  sensual  people. In  fact, the  males of  the species  lived for the
sensuous. Reveled in it. Lost themselves in it.

  It was claimed that the Familiar's erotic magnetism was difficult, if  not
impossible,  to  resist. His  ability to  entice was  only surpassed  by his
legendary skills in the  art of pleasure-giving. Some  of these skills  were
cloaked  in mystery, and  rumors abounded as  impossible tales circulated of
the Familiars' extraordinary prowess in all things sensual.

  Looking at this specimen, the Observer could believe that every rumor  was
true.

  Silky,  with a sheen  all its own, the  man's hair was extraordinary. _But
then, no one had hair quite like a Familiar's_. It was said that the  glossy
strands  felt  better than  the  finest _krilli_  cloth  and that  it flowed
smoothly through the fingers (if one  had fingers) with the texture of  spun
crystal.

  Smooth and lustrous, the overall color was a burnished, dark gold accented
with deep strands  of gilded  bronze. Individual gleaming  strands of  black
also wove through the supple mane, which hung resplendently to the middle of
his back. _Devastating!_

  And his eyes...!

  All Familiars had remarkable dual-colored eyes, but the Observer had never
seen one with his combination before--had never even heard of it.

  The captive was stunning, of course.

  Like all of his kind.

  The wretched thought made the Observer fume silently.

  This  one seemed even more glorious  than the others. _All the more reason
to revel in his capture!_

  Yes, he would do quite nicely. Not like that other one...

  Pity the  soldiers got  to that  one before  Karpon did.  It appeared  the
Observer  was not the only one to  resent Familiar beauty. The other one had
not fared very well. In fact, he was quite a mess by the time they  arrived.
He hadn't lasted long either. Karpon had him tossed out onto the refuse heap
behind the keep as he drew his last breaths.

  The Observer shuddered at the delicious memory.

  Besides, after examining  this superior  specimen, who  needed the  other?

  "He  i_sss_  a vibrant  animal  in the  peak  of hi_sss_  manhood--we have
_ss_een but one marking  on him." the Observer  murmured approvingly in  its
sibilant voice.

  It was often noted that Familiars sometimes displayed one or several thin.
tiny lines on the insides of their upper thighs. They were no longer than  a
human  eyelash. It  was not known  what significance these  small bands had,
except that those who had few or  none seemed to live longer than those  who
had many.

  The  Observer  smiled  slightly.  At  least it  appeared  to  be  a smile.
"Thi_sss_ one will  do what you  need, Karpon and  then _ss_ome.  _Ss_tories
have it that the male can physically _enhance_ the act of _ss_exual love." A
dry chuckle issued forth.

  It seemed to irritate the Observer's companion.

  "Really. Do you have any idea how many of my guards he took down before we
were finally able to subdue him? He is dangerous."

  "What  do you expect,  Karpon?" The Observer  sneered. "The more difficult
the capture, the  better the  champion. He  i_sss_ a  premier catch--with  a
long,  useful life ahead of him.  Hi_sss_ longevity will make the trouble of
hi_sss_ capture worthwhile."

  "_Longevity_?" The man named Karpon spat. "When he has done that which  he
has been captured for, he dies!"

  The  Observer looked askance at the  foolish man. "A wa_sss_te of good raw
material."

  Karpon  shuddered  with  distaste,  both  at  his  companion  and  at  the
suggestive  remark. He knew it best  to think of his erstwhile accomplice as
"it." To think of such a being in any other way was to _invite_ it in.

  He quickly pushed the terrible thought away lest it gain substance. Horror
had many masks.

  "We under_sss_tand such sentiments." It rustled as it moved closer to him.
"Did you know that the male Familiar can  sense his mate? Too bad we do  not
have  _ss_uch abilities... We can only  choo_ss_e to whom we give our love."

  Karpon shivered inwardly. He did not want to think of such a macabre gift.
Or the poor unfortunate on whom it would be bestowed.

  A long  black  nail stroked  teasingly  down his  check.  He tried  not to
flinch.

  "We feel your jealou_sss_y... we admire it."

  Karpon raised a cynical eyebrow, stepping  back. The last thing he  wanted
was its admiration.

  As  if it  understood his  actions, it smiled  knowingly. Chills skittered
down Karpon's back.

  "Are you sure he will get the deed done; what if he cannot--"

  A dry crackling  sound  issued  forth.  Karpon assumed  it  was  a  laugh;
although what its sense of humor might be was anyone's guess.

  "He i_sss_ a Familiar, we a_sss_ure you he will get the job done."

  Karpon  fumed  silently,  grinding  his  teeth. Just  the  thought  of the
Familiar animal touching... ! He was not  happy with this; Karpon was not  a
man  who shared anything  he deemed his.  However, in this  case, it was the
only way to get all that he ultimately wanted.

  "I don't  want her  cringing from  my touch  afterwards. If  he  frightens
her--"

  The  Observer seemed highly entertained  by his inference. "If she cringes
from your touch it will not be from what he ha_sss_ done, but from what  you
have not. He i_sss_ a fitting choice for your future con_sss_ort."

  Unthinking,   Karpon  pulled  out  a  curved  blade  and  held  it  to his
companion's throat. "I could kill you for that."

  "You could lo_sss_e your _ss_anity and attempt it."

  It was fortunate  for Karpon that  he was  a man whose  passion for  power
overrode  his passion  for other...  things. He quickly  withdrew the blade.
What did words matter now?  When it was over, he  would have it all:  Jenisc
and her kingdom.

  "Ye_sss_, ye_sss_," it hissed, understanding more than it should about his
nature. "I believe my work here i_sss_ done."

  "Not yet. Where  is the drug?  You promised  it to me  in exchange  for--"

  "And  we  keep  our promi_sss_e_sss_."  It  reached inside  a  hidden sac,
pulling out a small vial of amber liquid.

  Karpon look the  vial gingerly, not  wanting to touch  it, yet knowing  he
must. He viewed the limited contents in disbelief. "Where is the rest of it?
There is not enough here!"

  It rustled again. "My  dear Karpon, we a_sss_ure  you there i_sss_  enough
there to render helple_sss_ the entire Familiar race."

  Surprised, he asked, "How?"

  "One  drop i_sss_  all it take_ss_...  Ju_ss_t one drop.  The Familiar who
leaves their homeworld will  be delivered unto you.  All you need do  i_sss_
find  the second Tunnel and you have the re_sss_t." It reached up and closed
the small viewing panel with a snap.

  Karpon smiled evilly. With  the Familiar available to  him to sell to  the
highest  bidders, he  was assured of  an unending supply  of wealth. Yes, he
would have it all.

  "My work here i_sss_ done. If you do not mind, we _ss_hall bow out of your
little drama." It was not a request.

  For  a moment Karpon forgot himself. His cruel eyes narrowed. "And if I do
mind?"

  Once again,  the long  black nail  ran teasingly  down his  cheek.  "Watch
your_ss_elf,  he who would be ruler. That i_sss_ the second time. Be glad we
have a fondne_ss_ for you."

  Karpon immediately realized his mistake. He stepped back and nodded.

  "You have what you  need now. We  have secured your  kingdom for you.  The
Familiar  are almo_sss_t in  the palm of  your hand. Remember  u_sss_ . . ."

  It left him standing there thinking about all the power that would soon be
his.

  _He could not believe he had been taken._

  Not him.

  Not Gian Ren.

  He  was Guardian of the Mist! In the language of his people, the Familiar,
Gian Ren was  a name  given to  him in the  time-old tradition  of naming  a
newborn  babe by using the  special senses inherent in  their race. It was a
name sacred to his people and it carried with it many meanings.

  The designation paid homage to his spectacular ability to blend into  mist
as if shadow. To watch. To track. To hunt. _To protect_.

  When  he pursued, he was cunning,  clever, and silent. His innate tactical
ability resided on levels most could  not even hope to follow--even  amongst
his  own kind. _Never_ did he deliberate. His methodology was lightning-fast
thought process, followed  instantly by the  appropriate physical  response.
These  reactions were always based upon the superior instincts with which he
had been born.

  And yet, he had been taken.

  Even now, days later,  the effects on the  drug they had originally  given
him  still dulled his senses; although not as much as he was leading them to
believe. It was  not the  usual drug that  Obcrion slavers  used to  capture
Familiars.  That drug would not  have affected him to  such a degree. He had
been trained to fight that drug.

  This drug,  however, was  something else.  Something different.  Something
_dangerous_.

  This  drug interfered with his  innate senses--not just by diffusing their
focus, as the  Oberion drug  had done.  When first  administered, this  drug
blocked out his special senses entirely.

  Gian  did not want to even remember  what _that_ had felt like. Had he not
been so  centered within  himself, he  might truly  have gone  mad from  the
sensory deprivation.

  It had been days before he realized that the effect was temporary. By that
time, he was  being given regular  doses of  the Oberion drug.  Even so,  he
might  be able to attempt transformation  soon... provided they did not drug
him again.

  _That_ was highly  unlikely, he admitted  to himself. The  affects of  the
present dose were starting to wear off, but they had been very careful about
keeping him controlled.

  They kept him naked  on a raised  pallet, his back  against a stone  wall.
Occasionally,  they  let him  exercise. When  they wanted  him back  in this
position, they simply  pulled taut  the chains from  the other  side of  the
wall.  It was  very effective  way to  control him,  for he  never got close
enough to anyone to cause any real damage.

  Although he had tried.

  Once a day, he was brought food  and water. The food had been  sufficient;
apparently  they were not trying to starve him. The water was fresh and they
usually gave him enough to cleanse himself as well as drink. At those  times
and  for brief periods in between, the chains loosened and he was allowed to
get up and exercise.

  During those interludes, he paced and prowled the cell, looking for a  way
out.

  So far, he hadn't been able to find one.

  When  he had been taken,  he had not been adventuring;  he had gone out in
search of his blood relative, Dariq, who  was missing. The trail had led  to
this unknown, barely civilized planet on the Far Rim.

  Dariq  was  young  and  had been  on  his  first adventure.  Gian  was not
surprised to see he had ventured so far afield. Younger males often did such
things,  forgetting  to come  home in  light  of the  fun they  were having.
However, Dariq had been  gone too long. His  family was worried and  rightly
so.

  He  had gone after  Dariq himself. Much to  the objections of his mother's
brother.

  He was almost sure of the fate that had befallen Dariq--for his trail  led
close  to this  very keep.  He was  also reasonably  sure that  Dariq was no
longer living, for he had not been able to sense his life signs.

  Gian exhaled sadly. The young Familiar would not have been able to  endure
the new drug nor its torture. He prayed he was wrong.

  Sickened  by the injustice,  Gian once again tested  the chains that bound
his powerful wrists  to the stone  wall. He did  not expect them  to be  any
looser  but  it  never  hurt  to continually  test  one's  enemy. Sometimes,
mistakes were made. Familiars knew how to take advantage of mistakes.

  He was not surprised when the chains did not give.

  He had been testing  them for days with  the same result. Nonetheless,  he
would try again later. Gian was a contained predator and all the more deadly
because of it. Unlike Dariq, he was not an inexperienced Familiar out on his
first adventure.

  He was a most dangerous adversary in his prime.

  Through  his dulled senses,  a frisson of  awareness suddenly tracked down
his spine. _Someone was watching him_...

  Immediately, his long, silken  hair slid forward as  he lowered his  head,
hiding his too-alert expression.

  Keeping  his head  lowered, he  surreptitiously watched  through the thick
veil of his lashes. There was a very small aperture in the wall facing  him.
He  caught a glimpse of a malevolent eye staring at him. Another chill raced
down his spine. His senses were trying to return.

  If only he could prevent them from redrugging him...

  His normally  super-acute hearing  picked up  muffled sounds.  A  sibilant
voice. Whoever was behind that wall was not alone. Barely he made out words.
"_... the Familiar who leave  their homeworld... delivered unto you...  find
the second Tunnel and you have the rest..._"

  The blood froze in his veins.

  How  did  they know  about the  second  Tunnel? There  was only  one known
entrance to  his homeworld  of M'yan  and that  was through  Aviara. It  was
carefully guarded by the High Mystics of the Charl.

  No  one knew about the second Tunnel except the High Guild of Aviara and--

  It seemed his enemies had plans.

  He had to reach Aviara quickly!

  Just before  the viewing  aperture was  snapped shut,  he caught  a  faint
glimpse  of an orange ring. Familiar eyesight being what it was, he was able
to make out a portion of an unusual design.

  It was not much. But it was something.

  Often in the past, Gian  Ren, Guardian of the Mist,  had been known to  do
much damage to his enemies when he had even less to go on.

  With a regal toss of his head, he flung back his mane of hair, leaning his
head against the cold stone. He closed his eyes as he gathered his  strength
to him.

  _His eyes._..

  They  would not  know the special  significance of the  color of his eyes.

  And because of that, and that alone, the corners of his lips curved upward
slightly. No, they would not know.

  Foolish  of his adversaries  to think they had  taken him. Familiars, like
their counterpart the cat, could never be subdued under the lash.

  These beings had no true power over him. They only thought they did.

  Methodically, he tested the chains again.

  _Power_. She did  not care about  power! Jenise walked  over to the  tower
window  and looked out at the courtyard below, quickly switching her gaze as
she always did, to the  meadows and fields beyond.  Since it was night,  she
could  make out only the  outline of a hill on  the horizon. Just two of the
lesser moons were visible tonight. It made for a darker eve but she was glad
of it.

  The  darkness  would  aid her  plan.  A  tear trickled  down  her resolute
features. How oft  in the past  had she  gazed out over  this similar  scene
wondering when or if she would ever be free of this place, this life?

  She  sighed. _Too many times_. She had  been so young when they came here;
she hardly remembered her other life  at all. Only her mother's stories  and
songs had kept that other life alive for her.

  Tonight,  if she had her way, everything  would change, but not in the way
that odious Karpon intended!  A small, secret smile  curled her lips as  she
remembered  how he had come  up to her chambers earlier  in the day, full of
misplaced confidence in his  own power to succeed.  He had outlined in  very
precise  terms what he expected of her. Jenise had been expecting this visit
for some time.

  What she had  not been expecting  was the  depths to which  the man  would
stoop to acquire what he deemed to be rightfully his.

  Up  to that point, Jenise had not really believed that his interest in her
was genuine. She had never considered herself anywhere near as attractive as
her mother; therefore his obsessive interest in her was puzzling.

  Suddenly,  she remembered her mother telling her that her magnetic ability
would come late, and would, therefore, be very powerful.

  There was that word again. _Power_. Jenise flinched.

  At the time, she had laughed and teased that her mother was simply being a
mother,  wanting only the best for her fair daughter. Now she wondered if...

  She glanced at her reflection in the window.

  She frowned. Her image was the same as  it had always been. _I do not  see
anything  unusual_.  Certainly nothing  to have  inspired Karpon's obsessive
interest. Jenise concluded that the odd proclivities of men were very much a
mystery to her.

  But  then, nothing  had been  the same since  her mother's  mate had died.

  She closed her eyes wearily, leaning  her forehead against the cool  stone
encasement,  her mind running over the conversation that had taken place not
long ago in this very room.

  "I will rule this kingdom," Karpon had bluntly stated. He was the  brother
of  her mother's con-sort,  the man who had  ruled this often barbaric land.

  Jenise had shrugged. "Then rule it." She certainly had no desire to do so.
Indeed,  it was the last  thing she would ever want.  She longed to be free!
Free like her mother's  people, the nomadic Frensi.  Free to live and  laugh
and  love as she desired; free to explore and travel and learn. Not be bound
by the conventions  of this  harsh and  unforgiving land  which stifled  the
spirit!

  "Thank  you for your vote of confidence, but there is a small problem." He
walked over to her, his hand reaching out to grasp her chin, forcing her  to
look up at him.

  "What  is it?" she asked,  even though she knew what  he was going to say.

  "_You _are the problem. The people will not recognize me as leader because
they  look to you. Your gentle  disposition, your kindness, and your gift of
laughter have reached them. They want only you."

  Jenise shielded her eyes, hiding the  effect his words had on her.  "There
is  nothing I can do about  that. I have told you  I have no desire to rule.
Ever."

  His gaze fell  to her full,  lush lips  and stayed there.  "So you  say...
_now_. You will always be a threat to me."

  "No."

  His cold finger slid down her cheek, causing her to shudder. "In more ways
than one."

  Jenise broke free of  him and his  hateful touch. Better  to be dead  than
endure that touch! "Then kill me and be done with it."

  "I think not; for I have a desire for the kingdom and you."

  _That_  jolted her. She  quickly regained her  composure. "You cannot have
both, as well you know!"

  "Not true."

  The two words sent a chill down her spine. "What mean you by such  words?"

  Karpon  knew that should  he take her as  consort, she would automatically
ascend to rule. It was the one  thing that had protected her this long,  for
Karpon  did not want her to rule--he wanted the power for himself. Surely he
hadn't forgotten that?

  He smiled slowly, wickedly. "There is a way, my sweet Jenise."

  The smile unnerved her. Karpon looked much too confident. Her hand went to
her throat. "Wh-what nonsense do you speak?"

  He said three words. "Your maiden state."

  Jenise blanched. She was still a maiden--not by choice, but because of the
laws of this savage land. Had she been  free to live her life as she  chose,
she  might have been  able to explore  what it meant to  love. "What of it?"

  "As you know, it is a condition to your ascendance. Without it..." He  let
the thought linger, leaving her to draw her own conclusions.

  Realizing  what  he was  implying, Jenise  blanched. However,  she quickly
recovered. She would  not allow this  creature to think  he had shaken  her.

  "So,  that is what this is all about?" Tossing her waist-length hair back,
she forced herself to laugh in his smirking face, knowing it would infuriate
him. "Then do it--if you dare."

  His  dark eyes flashed in  anger, but he held  himself in check. "I would,
never doubt it. Unfortunately, it is not that simple."

  Now Jenise did quake inside. He meant to kill her. Despite her resolve not
to  give him the satisfaction of seeing that he had shaken her, she flinched
slightly.

  Her reaction did not go unnoticed by the wretched _zorph_.

  He snickered softly. "Do not worry,  Jenise, I have something much  better
in store for you. For both of us," he whispered.

  She did not want to ask. She had to ask. "What?"

  "I have contained a Familiar for you."

  A _Familiar_?  What did... ? Jenise swallowed as his devious plan suddenly
became clear to her. Familiars were known for their sexual appetites. He was
mad!

  "You will be given to him tomorrow. The two of you will be discovered--too
late."

  Controlling herself in  order to learn  what other horrors  he might  have
planned for her, she asked, "And after?"

  "Why,  it will be my  duty to tell the people  what has befallen you. They
will be beside themselves.  Naturally, the rule  shall fall to  me, as I  am
next in line. I shall then execute the Familiar; publicly, of course."

  "They  won't  demand that,"  Jenise  quickly interjected,  already feeling
sympathy for the poor unfortunate Familiar who had landed himself in such  a
predicament.

  Karpon's cruel eyes flashed. "_I_ will demand it. When he touches you, his
fate is sealed."

  "But you will leave him no choice!"

  "That is the price he pays for knowing you."

  Sick at heart, Jenise turned away.

  "After he has been killed and all is set to right, I will tell the  people
that  I have decided to  take you as my consort.  So you see, Jenise, I will
have the kingdom and you."

  He placed his rough hands on her shoulders, squeezing her none too gently.
"A perfect plan, would you not agree?"

  Jenise  would not answer him.  She was too busy trying  to think of a way,
any way, to foil him. She would  never tolerate his touch upon her. "You  do
not  have to do this, Karpon. I  am not a direct descendant. It should never
have come  to this!  I understand  how  you feel  cheated; you  can  declare
yourself--"

  "No. Though he was not your true father, my brother claimed you."

  "Something my mother never wished him to do!" she reminded him.

  His   thin  nostrils  flared.  It  was  well  known  that  Jenise's mother
stubbornly clung to the ways of the Frensi and resisted the dominating  love
of  his brother. Fool  that his brother  was, he had  chosen to ignore that,
taking the woman even as he conquered her.

  Karpon shrugged. She had liked him well enough toward the end, he reminded
himself.  "It  is  too late  for  that. We  both  know that  my  brother did
everything he could to please her, including claiming you."

  "He did what he _thought_ would please her. He never asked her," she  said
softly.

  Karpon's  temper rose. "Enough! Prepare yourself and let it be done on the
morrow! For I warn you,  Jenise, if you do not  go to him willingly, I  will
have you brought to him." He hesitated a beat. "I can assure you he has been
well primed for your visit. We have kept the beast alone for some time.  And
they  do so like... their female company.  You might even come to thank me,"
he goaded.

  Everything inside her rebelled at his  callous attitude. She did not  know
why,  but Jenise  felt a need  to defend this  unknown Familiar captive, the
victim of such cruelty. "He is not an animal, Karpon; he is a man."

  He sneered. "You will find out, I am sure."

  Karpon turned to leave, then stopped, saying briskly, "Just do not  become
too used to his ways, for mine are quite different."

  With that ominous pronouncement, he left.

  Jenise  sagged to the floor. Even though that conversation had taken place
earlier in  the day,  she could  still feel  the remnants  of Karpon's  evil
presence  in her chambers. What was she to do? Karpon had laid out his plans
in a neat, precise, frightening way.

  As if she would just fall in with his machinations!

  Did he think she  would have no choice?  There was always an  alternative;
she simply had to explore the options.

  Karpon's  brother had thought to control  her mother and so had placed her
in a comfortable  cage. But it  never really worked.  Though her mother  did
come  to care for  him, she had  always longed to be  free. Like Jenise, she
cared nothing for the trappings of power.

  Jenise knew that Karpon's plans for her future would kill her spirit.  And
if  she did  not agree to  his plans, he  would probably truly  kill her. Or
force his will upon her. Such was his way.

  So what could she do? If she went ahead with it, then--

  Wait. Maybe there was a choice. . . .

  She inhaled sharply. _Yes! It might work_.

  Her shoulders  straightened  and a  bittersweet  smile tinged  her  lovely
mouth.  She  would  follow Karpon's  plans,  only  on her  _own_  terms. Not
tomorrow. _Tonight_.

  The foolish Karpon did not realize that he had provided the answer to  her
dilemma! The Familiar could set her free! If he took her first and they then
escaped...

  The glimmer of freedom tantalized her.  And she would never again have  to
worry  about having  to rule  Ganakari. That possibility  would be destroyed
along with her maiden's shield.

  Even if they were recaptured (and the odds were high that they would  be),
she would never let Karpon forget that _she_ had gone to the Familiar on her
own terms and  that the Familiar  had been  her first and  _best_. She  knew
Karpon. Over time that knowledge would slowly destroy him.

  Although not to her liking, the plan was her best option. She did not want
to live a life of revenge, but if forced to, she would.

  Resolved in  what she  must do,  Jenise  turned from  the window  to  make
herself  ready for him. She did not  know too much about male Familiars, but
she did know that they had a wild hunger for women.

  She prayed the captive would temporarily find this one to his taste.

  _She did not expect him to be so breathtaking_. Adjusting the hood of  her
cloak  to cover her  face from view, Jenise  entered the dank stone chamber,
closing the heavy wooden door behind  her. Her gaze went immediately to  the
man chained on the bed, his back leaning against the stone wall.

  He  was a comely creature, she'd give him that. His head was bowed forward
as if he had fallen asleep; his long hair concealed his face from her  view.
She  could  not  help staring  at  his  form. He  was  exquisite! Positively
magnificent.

  Jenise had never seen a Familiar before, but if this was any indication of
the  species, she  could well  understand their  astounding reputation. Even
chained, there was a potent aura of sensuality encloaking him.

  The man did not look up or give any other indication that he was aware  of
her  presence in the room. Nonetheless,  Jenise wasn't fooled. She knew that
he knew she was  there; she had heard  that much about Familiars--they  were
almost impossible to take unawares.

  Suddenly she wondered how Karpon had managed to capture him.

  In  a confrontation,  the males were  said to be  fearless. When cornered,
they would often fight to the death--usually of their opponents--rather than
be  taken. By his  sheer size and musculature,  this one appeared especially
capable of defending himself.

  So his capture was all the more puzzling.

  Since he  did not  deign  to acknowledge  her  presence, Jenise  took  the
opportunity  to study him further. He was soon to be her first lover, so her
interest in him was more than simple curiosity.

  _He was naked_. Had he been captured that way or... ?

  She didn't want to think about that. Jenise abhorred violence of any  kind
and  her heart  went out to  the Familiar  for what he  had probably already
suffered in the name of Karpon's greed. His tawny golden skin was smooth all
over, its texture so evenly sleek that she almost found herself reaching out
to touch him. He manifested a sensuous warmth.

  And he was perfectly formed.

  His expansive chest was athletic,  masculine, sculpted. Muscles bulged  in
his  upper  arms; the  veins in  his forearms  were prominent  as his sturdy
wrists pulled taut against the manacles that bound him in place.

  Her gaze moved lower.

  The chain looped around his midsection,  riding low on his lean hips.  The
links  slid against the golden skin of his hipbones as he breathed steadily.

  As expected, his stomach  was flat and rippled  with muscle, while  his...

  Apprehensively, Jenise swallowed again.

  She  immediately shifted her focus down to his powerful thighs, which were
also   incredibly   firm  I   and  tautly   muscled.  Even   though  he  was
half-reclining, she could tell he was a very tall man.

  She  had always heard the Familiar were an exceptionally beautiful people,
but she couldn't imagine any more beautiful or more intrepid than this  one.

  Jenise  remembered something else  she had heard--that  their skill in the
art   of  lovemaking  surpassed   what  their  appearances  promised.  Tales
constantly circulated about their legendary prowess.

  Looking  at this  one, she could  understand how some  women could come to
crave the Familiar so.

  Well, she was not interested in his special skills.

  There was only one thing she wanted of him. And it was not pleasure.

  Jenise exhaled, trying to gather her strength of purpose. He seemed a  bit
too much to handle! Was there any kindness in him she wondered.

  Convulsively,  she swallowed the  knot in her throat  as she thought about
what she had to do. A small price to pay, she kept telling herself, to  gain
her freedom and her life.

  Furthermore, it was going to be on her terms. Not Karpon's.

  Silently,  she approached the side of the bed. At closer range he was even
more impressive,  and she  wondered again  how Karpon  had ever  managed  to
contain him. She voiced her thoughts aloud.

  "How did they come to capture you?" she asked him softly.

  At  first he did not respond to her  in any way. Then he slowly raised his
head. He did not answer her.

  Which was just as well.

  For when Jenise  caught sight of  his exquisite face  she was  momentarily
speechless. He was terrifyingly beautiful.

  He  had the  kind of masculine  features women were  prone to dream about.
Strong, fierce, unyieldingly sensual.

  Yet in a face so arresting for  its masculine perfection, it was his  eyes
that commanded the most attention. _They were two different colors_. One was
clear green; the other fiery gold. She noticed that the green eye had  three
tiny gold flecks in it. Very curious.

  And very captivating.

  The  lambent eyes were rimmed by thick black lashes. Potent affirmation of
his sensual  nature  was reflected  in  that green-on-gold  stare.  When  he
leveled  that  measured  gaze on  her,  Jenise noted  that  those incredibly
seductive eyes seemed to  offer up everything  while giving away  absolutely
nothing.

  She also noted that they were dilated. Was he being drugged?

  As she studied him, his firm lips curved secretively.

  His  mouth was  nothing less  than bewitching; there  was no  other way to
describe it. There was a certain  mischievous tilt to those firm,  masculine
lips that--

  Jenise pulled herself back.

  She  had no intention  of allowing herself to  fall prey to the Familiar's
considerable charms! She needed to make a pact with him, and quickly, if her
plan was to work.

  "Will  you not speak  to me?" Her  voice was gentle. "I  had nothing to do
with your capture, I assure you."

  "Then why do you hide from me beneath that cowled cloak?" His voice,  like
his  skin, was  smooth, even, and  rich. It  flowed over her  like a lover's
caress. Jenise  began to  believe all  the rumors  she had  heard about  the
Familiar male... the stories that they could make themselves irresistible to
women.

  She mentally shook herself.

  Hypnotized by that commanding, lush tone, she tried to find her own voice.
"I  am not hiding from you. I wish to speak with you on a matter that may be
beneficial to both of us. If you agree with what I have to say, then I  will
reveal myself to you. If not, then I will leave."

  Gian  could not credit what his  drugged Familiar senses were telling him.
He had noticed her  from the instant  the door opened. There  was no way  he
could  not notice her.  He had thought  they were coming  to dose him again.

  His eyes narrowed. She was strong. But then she would have to be. His lips
curved enigmatically.

  Of all things, he had never expected this intriguing development.

  His glance fell to her hands. Small and white, they gave no clue as to who
she might actually be. Even though Gian was still feeling the effects of the
strange drug they had given him, his senses were alive and humming as to who
she was to _him_.

  Nothing could dull that particular perception. It was accurate and  clear.

  Which could only mean one thing. Or so he thought.

  Consequently, he spoke to her in the secret Familiar tongue. _"K'mar keana
latarq shinteera?" _ How did you find me? _"L'mee tuan doenn?"_ Who else  is
with you?

  "I--I don't understand you."

  Gian's  mouth parted very  slightly, his only outward  show of surprise as
his mind took in what his Familiar senses had already ascertained. "You  are
not a Familiar woman?" He was soft-voiced.

  "No, why would you think that?" She sounded confused.

  Why, indeed.

  _Most  unexpected_.  He  blinked, ramifications  and  complexities dancing
around his head as he accepted this curious fact.

  Gian watched her carefully. That  she was non-Familiar was highly  unusual
and  somewhat disturbing but, like all his kind, Gian did not waste too much
time pondering reasons. Theirs was a reactive race. They accepted what  was,
then dealt with what could be.

  However,  this could be a  very unpredictable situation. He almost smiled.
He adored such complexities; they made life interesting.

  Gian had the distinct impression that his life was about to get positively
fascinating.

  He  already knew she was telling the  truth about his capture; she had had
nothing to do with it. His abilities told him that much. He decided to  hear
what she had come to say.

  If he didn't like it, he could always seduce her.

  Her  words  might  alter his  method,  but  not his  objective.  Gian Ren,
Guardian of  the Mist,  was already  mapping  out his  strategy for  a  very
special hunt.

  He tossed his hair back and viewed her through half-lowered eyes. The eyes
of the ultimate pursuer. Secretive, disciplined, and sexual. His voice was a
low, rumbling purr. "Then speak."

Chapter Two
===========

  Jenise  swallowed. The concept had seemed more _reasonable_ in the privacy
of her own chambers.

  Things were somewhat different, she discovered, when one had to look  into
the  face of  commanding reality--_he_,  who was  calmly waiting  for her to
rationally lay out her plans. As if she was there to do his bidding! He  was
a much  more compelling subject  than she would have  preferred. There was a
majestic air to him  that was disquieting.  Jenise shivered. However,  there
was  no choice.  He was it.  She was just  going to have  to look into those
enigmatic green/gold eyes and tell him what she wanted of him. And what  she
was willing to give him in return.

  After all, the initial risk was entirely hers; what did he have to lose by
such a bargain?

  "I want you to take me."

  The pupils of his dual-colored eyes  momentarily flared. It was then  that
Jenise  remembered  what Karpon  had said--that  the Familiar  had been well
primed for her. What had he meant by that exactly?

  A small muscle worked in his firm jaw. His eyes narrowed. For some reason,
he did not seem overly pleased. Or overly surprised.

  Nonetheless, pleased or not, he was obviously not stupid.

  Gian  watched her carefully. Coming to some decision, he shook his chained
wrists. "Very well. Then release me."

  Jenise wondered how often these Familiars  made such bargains. She had  no
way  of knowing that the answer to that was _never_. Familiars only did what
they chose to do.

  She laughed at his directive. Did he think her so foolish? Even the guards
had  warned  her  only  to  loosen  his chains  if  necessary  but  under no
circumstances to  release  him. They  had  even tried  to  talk her  out  of
visiting the dangerous captive.

  "Do I seem like a fool to you?"

  His  nostrils flared  in annoyance.  He was  in no  mood to  play. "On the
contrary," he said precisely, "you seem desperate."

  Jenise's shoulders sagged beneath  the voluminous cloak.  If she were  not
desperate, would she even consider this? "Yes, I am."

  Gian  sensed the woman's  spirits plummet. Instantly,  he realized that he
had inadvertently hit upon the truth. This was not as he had first  thought.
There was more to this than sexual curiosity. Relieved, his attitude changed
to one of concern.

  "Explain why you want  this from me,"  he said evenly,  his voice low  and
coaxing.

  "The  man  who captured  you is  named Karpon;  he is  the brother  of the
deceased ruler of this land."

  "Go on."

  "My mother was his mate--unwillingly." She explained their relationship to
him.  Gian gestured for her to continue. "So you see, Karpon wishes to rule.
In order to do that, he must--"

  "Eliminate you," Gian finished for her.

  "Not exactly... you see, I have no desire to rule."

  Gian viewed her  curiously. Already, she  was beginning to  lure him.  The
sound  of her melodious  voice caressed his senses.  And her scent! Like the
meadows on M'yan right after a warm rain shower.

  It had been too  long for him.  Much too long. He  shifted on the  pallet.
"Why do you not want to rule?"

  "Because  I detest  the trappings of  power. It  is not the  life I seek."

  Gian studied  her  from  beneath  veiled  eyes.  She  was  an  interesting
conundrum  in so many ways. And the  riddle was becoming more complex by the
moment. He said nothing for several moments. "If Karpon knows this, what  is
the problem?"

  "He wants me as well."

  There was a pause. "I see."

  "But  if he takes me,  he can only become my  consort, as I will ascend to
rule--something he does not want."

  Gian was beginning  to understand  the scope of  her problem.  And his  as
well.  "So what has this  paragon Karpon concocted, hmmm?  Why do I think my
capture is part of it?" He glanced shrewdly over at her.

  It was  the  first indication  Jenise  had  of his  intelligence  and  his
cunning. She made a mental note never to underestimate him.

  "Yes; he has sent me here to you."

  His  lips curved enigmatically. "He sent you to me... now that is curious.
What does he hope to gain from that?"

  "In this land, in order for me to ascend to rule, I must either have taken
a consort or--" She hesitated, embarrassed. She did not wish him to know the
entire story. The maiden state was extremely awkward. Women naturally sought
their pleasures.

  He lifted a dark brow. "Or?" he prodded.

  She did not directly answer him. "That is not important. What is important
is that I have thought up a way to thwart Karpon."

  "I still do not understand what significance--"

  She quickly interrupted  him. "You see,  I wish to  leave here. With  your
help, my dream can finally become a reality."

  Her  words  stopped Gian.  Now she  was getting  to what  was of paramount
interest to him. "You wish me to help you escape."

  "Not exactly. _I_ will help  _you_ escape if you do  what I have asked  of
you."

  He  grinned  broadly at  the absurd  idea of  someone bargaining  to get a
Familiar to do the one thing he loved to do most. "With pleasure, my  hooded
mystery. After we leave here, I will show you everything I--"

  "No, it must be now."

  He  frowned. "Do not  be foolish! This  is neither the  time nor the place
to--"

  "You do not understand. Those are my terms."

  "You are right;  I am  at a  loss to  understand such  reasoning. Are  you
saying that if I take you, you will not be able to rule this land?"

  "Yes."

  "Is that not what he wishes?"

  "Not  exactly. You see, if you agree to this, I will help you to escape as
well. We will make a pact to aid each other until we leave this land. If  we
succeed, it will drive Karpon mad to know that not only did you have me, but
he lost me forever  as well. With  my disappearance, I may  be able to  help
these  people by delaying _him_ from  taking complete rule of the land. They
will have to  wait a  standard Alliance  year to  see what  has befallen  me
before  a  new ruler  is actually  named.  Who knows?  In that  time, mayhap
someone will aid me and let the assemblage know about Karpon's evil nature."

  Her  words disturbed him. Familiars did not believe in using loveplay as a
means to an end; in their view loveplay _was_ the end most worth  achieving.
And some part of her story seemed to be missing.

  "You  would do such a thing strictly to avoid taking your rightful place?"

  "Yes, I would; for it is a place I do not desire."

  Gian sighed. He would not do what she asked. "I must refuse then."

  It was Jenise's turn to be shocked. "_What_? You cannot refuse!"

  A dimple curved his cheek at the sound  of outrage in her sweet voice.  "I
just did."

  Since Jenise could not imagine a Familiar turning down a chance to explore
his sensuality, she took Gian to mean that he would take her, but would  not
escape  with her.  "B-but--do you not  wish to escape?  I assure you, Karpon
will kill you  regardless once  you... well, do  you not  wish to  bargain?"

  "I do not have to bargain."

  Jenise  bristled. No one had ever mentioned how difficult a Familiar could
be! Or how unpredictable. "I can get what I want from you without  releasing
you," she stated bluntly.

  "You think so?" He leveled a meaningful look at her.

  Perhaps  not. What did he want? Exasperated, she threw her hands up in the
air. "Why  would you  not bargain?  Need  I remind  you that  you are  at  a
disadvantage? _You_ are the captured one. You are mine to take!"

  "Appearances can be deceiving," he intoned softly.

  Jenise  shivered. What exactly did he  mean by that? He was too confident.
It was almost as if there was a hidden knowledge in those dual-colored  eyes
of his. It unnerved her.

  Perhaps she would be better off not playing with such fire. He was not one
to control. Jenise was having second  thoughts about the wisdom of  tangling
with him, no matter how desperate her need.

  "How did they capture you?" she whispered once again.

  "I was drugged," he answered flatly. "Something that was very powerful. It
overcame me quickly, before I could compensate."

  "Does the drug affect you in _that_ way?" She gave him a meaningful  look.

  Gian gaped at her incredulously. "_Nothing_ affects us in that way."

  She  let out a sigh of relief.  "At least you weren't harmed. I have heard
terrible rumors about what Karpon does to some prisoners."

  He snorted. "Not harmed. Do you know anything about this drug they  used?"

  She shook her head.

  "It deadens our special senses."

  "What does that mean?"

  "We  have many more senses than you. Imagine, if you will, suddenly losing
your sight, your  hearing, your ability  to speak, your  sense of touch  and
_smell all at once_. Now magnify that a hundredfold."

  _How  horrible_. Her  hand came to  her mouth.  "I--I did not  know. Is it
still affecting you?"

  He was careful how he answered her. Regardless of what he knew about  her,
she  could still be  a danger to  him. And herself. "Some"  was all he would
say.

  He was fencing with her and she was tired of it. He either trusted her  or
he didn't.

  Apparently he didn't.

  "I  have changed my mind." Jenise  turned to leave, adding poignantly over
her shoulder. "You have suffered enough  already. Perhaps one of the  guards
will help me--"

  _{Stop.}_

  For  some reason, his voice made her  do just that. She turned slowly back
to him, having no idea he had sent her a telepathic command. "Yes?"

  He could not let her go to anyone else. "I have changed my mind as well. I
will do as you ask."

  He  could feel her victorious smile  even though he couldn't see it. So...
she had played him, had she? He almost purred. He rather liked that.

  "Fine. We will  do it like  this, with you  chained. Afterward, I  will--"

  "I think not. You will have received what you came for and I will still be
chained. You see the wrong to that."

  Jenise was indignant. "I have given you my word!"

  "You will not think too badly of me if I say that the word of one of  your
kind--a  people who enslaves another--is not sufficient for me." Besides his
stated objection,  Gian  had a  very  important  reason for  needing  to  be
released  before performing. He  intended to take her  in a most traditional
Familiar way. Something he could not do in his present position.

  "I only have _your_ word, Familiar."

  "Familiars always mean  what they say."  He did not  add that often  their
words could be interpreted many different ways. The Familiar was a master of
subtlety, yet always truthful.

  "In any event, you have  the option of calling out  to the guards, do  you
not?"  Gian did not say that once he was released, she would never have time
to utter a  sound before he  moved. She  really knew very  little about  his
kind. The thought was not a comfort to him.

  "I  suppose one of us must trust the other." Jenise worried her lip as she
thought it over.

  "Mmmm. It is your choice."

  She took a deep breath. "Very well, in the interest of expediting matters,
I will release you."

  Gian waited, not moving a muscle lest she change her mind and take flight.
Slowly, Jenise leaned over him, keys dangling in her hand.

  She placed the key in the first  lock on the manacle at his wrist.  _Yes_,
Gian urged silently. _Keep going_...

  She stopped.

  He  looked  up  at her  out  of the  corners  of his  enigmatic  eyes; his
expression   was   one  of   wary   expectation  combined   with  thoughtful
contemplation.

  "Remember, you promised," she reminded him.

  He nodded curtly once.

  _Clink_. The first manacle fell off.

  She never got to the second.

  In  the blink of an eye he was  off the bed, the keys already in his hand,
and his second wrist was free.

  Jenise had never  seen anything  move that fast.  Perhaps she  had made  a
mistake. The Familiar was much more imposing standing before her, unchained!

  He was even taller than she'd surmised. _And bigger_. Nervously, she began
to back up.

  He  advanced on her, rubbing  the soreness out of  his wrists. "Now we are
shy?" A deep, languorous laugh exited his perfectly formed lips.

  "We--we have a pact!" She backed skittishly up against a wall.

  "Yes, we do." He expertly cornered her. His large hands reached under  her
hood, tossing it back.

  Freed  from the protective folds of material, she stared up at him, not at
all sure what to do next.

  He studied her intently.

  At first glance, she was not beautiful.

  _But she was captivating_.

  Gian could not pull his gaze from  her. There was something about the  way
the  light  danced  on  the contours  of  her  features, the  spark  of true
intelligence in her eyes. She radiated vibrancy and mystery.

  Inside her heart there was a kindness he could not overlook.

  Her hair was a pale,  creamy shade and it hung  straight and thick to  her
waist.  If Gian were in any  other circumstances, he might have gloated, for
it was  a shade  he  was particularly  partial to.  Had  this woman  been  a
Familiar  female, she probably  would have turned  into a cream-colored cat.

  A dainty, hissing little cat. He smiled at the image that provoked.

  In every situation, one must look at the positive aspects.

  Her lovely eyes were a  rare shade of aquamarine  and reminded him of  the
Placid  Lagoon on  his home  world of M'yan.  They were  surrounded by long,
light brown lashes which were tipped with gold.

  A tremor of  desire shook  him. He  wanted to  run his  lips across  those
lashes... feel the golden tips against his mouth...

  He  could not stop  staring at her.  Her pull on  him was almost magnetic!

  Gian immediately revised  his initial impression  of her to  one of  utter
beauty.  He knew  exactly why this  Karpon was  intent to have  her. She was
wrong if she thought he would let her go so easily.

  A man might  just risk  a kingdom  for her.  Gian smiled  mysteriously  in
appreciation of the games of destiny.

  He reevaluated his appreciation of destiny in the next moment. Now that he
had full sight of  her, his special  senses were able  to discern much  more
about  her. All amusement fled as he  stared at her with a stony expression.

  Misinterpreting his look for one of dissatisfaction, Jenise quickly  said,
"It is just this one time; you need not--"

  "You are untouched." He spoke tonelessly.

  As  if he had just discovered that she had committed an unspeakable crime!

  Jenise frowned. She had  hoped to keep  that truth from  him. "How do  you
know that?"

  At  that point Gian was  thinking that he had  been captured, chained to a
wall, drugged, deprived of female company for days on end, and now this!  _A
maiden_.

  He  exhaled  noisily, slapping  the palms  of his  hands against  the wall
behind her with a dull thud.

  Jenise peeked  up  at  him  through  her  gold-tipped  lashes.  "Is  there
something wrong?"

  His  eyes kindled. He  slammed the wall again.  "No... no... why would you
think that?" He glared down at her.

  She bit her lip. "A guess?"

  "Do you know anything about Familiars?"

  Jenise dropped her eyes, slightly embarrassed. What she had heard couldn't
possibly be true. Some," she answered evasively.

  He raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

  "Very well... little."

  "Fine.  Then I  will tell you  something about the  males. We--how shall I
phrase this?"  His tone  was  sarcastic. "We  prefer  to engage  in  intense
loveplay."

  Jenise listened closely, nodding her head slightly. Yes, that was what she
had heard. What was his problem?

  "_Prolonged_   loveplay,"  he  stressed,  since  she  didn't  seem  to  be
understanding him.

  "Well, that is not possible. We must make haste to depart--"

  "Exactly."

  "--as  soon as you are done. It should not take long. You misunderstand me
if you think I am interested in pleasure. I am not."

  "I understand you  think the  first time will  not be  pleasurable; but  I
assure you I can make it so for you if--"

  "No."

  "_No_?"

  She lifted her chin. "I simply want this done and done quickly."

  Gian's  sharp gaze ran over her determined features. A hissing little cat.
His hand cupped her face. "Listen to me, Creamcat. You do not know what  you
are asking. It would be better for us both if we--"

  She shook her head. "No. We had a pact. Familiar, you promised."

  Gian  ran his finger down her  pert nose, his expression contemplative. He
seemed to  be  weighing his  alternatives.  And the  consequences  of  those
alternatives.

  As  always, it did  not take Guardian of  the Mist very long  to come to a
decision.

  "Turn and face the wall."

  "Wh-what?"

  "There is not much time; do as I say."

  Gingerly, she turned.

  "Drop your cloak."  She did  as he asked.  A pastel  pink diaphanous  gown
clung to her curves. "Unclasp the gown."

  With a shaking hand, she undid the broach near her shoulder which held the
garment up. It slithered to the stone floor.

  A deep, growling sound of hunger issued  from the male throat behind  her.

  Jenise  closed her  eyes, trying  to still  her shaking.  Rumor said these
Familiars were half-wild when they made love.

  A hoarse, rumbling  voice spoke  from behind  her, near  her ear,  sending
tremors  down her  exposed throat. "I  ask you  one last time.  Wait until a
better moment."

  Jenise opened her  eyes, turning to  gape at him  over her shoulder.  "Why
would I wait? What purpose would there be in that? The whole point is to get
this over with to--"

  She gasped, for he had wrapped her hair around his powerful wrist, tugging
her  head back  so their lips  almost but not  quite touched. his expressive
eyes burned as he looked down at her.

  Then he spoke in words she could not understand. Familiar tongue?

  _"Gian Ren K'tea... _

  _Ei mahana ne Tuan_

  _Gian Ren K'mea sut la. _

  _Ei reTuan_

  _Taj Gian Ren litna K'shintauk rehan. _

  _A jhan vri re Tuan."_

  Jenise furrowed her brow at the strange words. Although it was not visible
to  the eye, she  had an Aviaran translator  device implanted in her temple.
Apparently it did not work on this dialect.

  Was this recital something all Familiars did before they engaged in sexual
relations?  It was an  odd ritual; for truly  the words sounded ritualistic.

  She didn't have time  to think further about  the strange phrases, for  it
was  then she  noticed that  an exotic,  enthralling scent  was beginning to
encloak her. It took her  a moment to realize  it was the Familiar's  sexual
scent!

  She  had heard of this as well; of how their scents could entangle a woman
and bring her  to offer herself  up to him.  _Offer anything he  desired..._

  Briefly,  she closed  her eyes,  inhaling the luscious  aroma. The essence
reminded her of rare _krinang_ spice, evocative of nights on the high desert
plains.  Dry, hot  breezes and  sultry, tropical  storms. Crisp, tantalizing
dreams.

  It was  a  scent  that provoked  feminine  sexual  surrender.  Compelling,
commanding, promising...

  The aroma hinted of his luscious flavor. Jenise moaned, trying not to fall
prey to his overwhelming allure. How would she ever forget this scent? Would
she  dream of it  in future? Be cursed  to want him whenever  a touch of its
elusive essence teased her memory?

  Curiously, she noted that his mysterious eyes were dilating yet more. That
was  odd, considering that it had been a while since he had been drugged and
the dilation should be lessening, not increasing.

  Jenise did not think this dilation was the result of the drugs. It  seemed
to be some prelude to--

  He  captured her in his hypnotic gaze and she could not seem to look away!
Green and gold depths, sensual and lambent, became her entire universe.  She
found herself looking into the man's soul of passion.

  There was a wildness to him that would never be controlled.

  He was feral at heart.

  Jenise  shivered again. He was more  alien than she had initially thought.
What was more,  she realized  that rumors rarely  circulated without  having
some  basis in fact.  And some of  those stories! Even if  only a quarter of
them were true.

  She had made a mistake! A grievous mistake.

  She was no match for him; he would consume her with his ravenous  Familiar
appetite! Jenise tried to pull back, but it was too late.

  _His mouth descended firmly to claim hers._

  Velvet  lips parting slightly, he captured her in a taking that seared her
with animalistic passion. He tasted of the untamed.

  Panicked, she struggled under his mouth, trying to break the  overwhelming
contact.

  The Familiar held her fast to him.

  He  inhaled her rapid exhalation deep into  his lungs as if he were taking
her very life into himself. Jenise blinked. She could not breathe!

  Frantic, she  tried to  turn all  the  way in  his arms  but he  held  her
immobile. The room began to swirl around her as she grew faint; she wondered
if she had been a fool to trust him, after all. What did she know about  his
capabilities? Could these Familiars kill by stealing one's breath?

  A sound of despair flowed from her mouth into his.

  Once again, he surprised her.

  With  a surge  of force he  respired into  her mouth, giving  her back her
breath, which  was now  mingled with  his  own spicy  scent. At  least,  she
assumed it was partly her breath.

  Greedily,  she inhaled this  rush of warm life,  clinging to his tenacious
lips. At her action, he _pur-r-red_ deeply into her mouth.

  He lifted his  lips from hers.  His white teeth  captured her bottom  lip,
which  he  then released  gradually as  he pulled  back from  her. Murmuring
something resonant and  sultry, he turned  her completely away  from him  so
that she faced the wall again.

  "Place  your hands against the stone." He breathed huskily in her ear, his
mouth skirting  around the  lobe, his  tongue swirling  its delicate  folds.

  With her hair still tightly wrapped around his wrist, he continued to hold
her fast. Tangled  in the strands,  his strong fingers  splayed against  her
scalp.  A muscular arm came  around her waist to  pull her back taut against
him.

  The length of him was hard and hot.

  Jenise couldn't  seem  to stop  her  trembling. "Please,"  she  whispered,
willing  him to finish  and be done  with it. He gave  her one final chance.

  "Tell me to stop,"  he growled. Short, hot  gusts of his breath  skittered
along her shoulder blade.

  As  much as the confines of his  strict hold on her would allow, she shook
her head no.

  A snarl escaped his lips, a cross between anger and satisfaction. With  no
hesitation  whatsoever, his  teeth clamped down  on the back  of her neck to
grasp her sharply in their grip.

  Jenise cried out in alarm. _What  was he doing_? Frightened, she tried  to
writhe free but could not.

  Decisively, he thrust forward.

  In  one swift movement,  he pierced her maiden's  membrane with a powerful
stroke. Jenise's knees buckled as shock and pain hit her.

  The Familiar released her hair to clasp her hands in his. He steadied  her
against the wall, still deeply embedded in her.

  Jenise  gulped in  air, trying  to find  her breath  against this terrible
invasion. She felt  him above  her and  behind her and  in her  as he,  too,
fought for his breath and, perhaps, his control.

  They  seemed to stay like  that for an eternity  yet in actuality it could
only have been a few  moments. It was curious  but Jenise noticed that  they
were  starting to  breathe together. In  and out, in  and out, their breaths
were the only  thing moving  between them, like  waves flowing  together....

  Her  tense  muscles  gradually  began  to relax  liquefying  into  him. It
occurred to her  that he  might be deliberately  calming her  with his  even
pacing.  His rugged  chest rose  and fell  against her  back; his compelling
scent gently lulled her now.

  Jenise closed her eyes, leaning back into him. A murmur of approval rolled
from  his chest. His large, skilled hands  dropped to the curve of her hips.
The tips of his fingernails scraped up over her hipbones. Simultaneously the
edges of his clean teeth grazed up the sensitive side of her neck.

  It was an incredibly erotic ploy.

  Jenise  shivered, but not  from fear. The arousing  action had whetted her
interest in what was to come.

  Which was as Gian  intended. There was a  pulling friction as he  abruptly
withdrew from her.

  Shocked,  she stared at  him over her shoulder.  He released her, stepping
back, away. "There is not much time, _taja_. We must leave now."

  Jenise was stunned. "But you... that is you have not..."

  Strong fingers cupped her chin. He smiled faintly. "No, I have not."

  A small line of puzzlement furrowed between her brows. "Why?"

  "Because you have said you do not want pleasure and so I cannot take  mine
either."

  Jenise  flushed.  She  hadn't  meant  that  he  should  not  find  his own
satisfaction! It  would have  been too  cruel  to expect  that of  any  man.
"Surely you did not think I meant you!"

  Gian  grinned. He  couldn't help  himself. How  little she  knew about his
kind.

  Well, that would change soon.

  This creamcat was very  engaging and the journey  to Aviara would be  most
entertaining. Not to mention enlightening. For both of them.

  He  bent over  to whisper  against her  mouth, "I  thank you  for being so
considerate of my welfare." His lips  brushed hers teasingly. He sipped  the
pink  skin  delicately.  Just a  hint  of touch.  "But  I never  said  I was
_finished_."

  It took a  moment for  the meaning  of his words  to sink  in; Jenise  was
drowning in the expert touch of that succulent male mouth.

  She  blinked as  her sanity returned.  "Unfortunately, Familiar, you _are_
finished. You have done what  I asked and now I  will honor the rest of  our
agreement.  We will attempt  to make Tunnel point  together. As for anything
else between us, that is over."

  Gian gave her an amused, knowing look which calmly refuted the  statement.
In  the past,  he had  often told  his younger  blood relative  Rejar that a
Familiar was never finished until he  was _good_ and finished. Gian was  far
from good and finished.

  In fact, he had not yet begun.

  "I will be glad to explore this unique interpretation with you later; now,
am I to assume one of these keys opens the door?" He held up the key  chain,
dangling it from his fingers.

  The  man made such a  splendid picture standing there--sleekly muscled and
completely nude,  with tawny  golden skin  and magnificent  hair, which  was
slightly  tousled--she was inclined to let his assumption rest until she had
a chance to clarify her position.

  Jenise smiled slowly. At least she  would have the pleasure of looking  at
him  during this portion of her  adventure, especially if he continued to go
about without clothes on.

  Her  eyes  traveled  the  length  of  him.  He  was,  to  say  the  least,
extraordinary.  A surge of  unbidden desire startled her.  Was it because of
what they had just done or _not_ done?

  She gathered her  wits about her.  "No, they do  not open the  door. I  am
supposed  to  call to  the guards."  Retrieving her  garment and  cloak, she
quickly donned them. A lingering tremor assailed her; she would think  about
what  had occurred in  this room at  a later, safer time.  For now they must
focus on escape.

  Gian's green/gold eyes flashed  in secret knowledge.  He knew exactly  how
she  had been looking  at him. And  _why_. "How many  guards are out there?"

  "Three."

  "Good." He placed himself behind the door. "Now scream, woman who seeks no
pleasure."

  He  was going to be difficult, of  that she was certain. Jenise rolled her
eyes and screamed as loudly as she could.

  The guards came rushing in.

  In the blink of an eye the Familiar took all three down. He moved so fast,
she  couldn't even  distinguish the  individual motions. Never  had she seen
anyone move in such a way, with deadly accuracy and feline grace.

  Impressed, she raised an eyebrow as she caught his eye.

  Nonchalantly, he held the door open for her. As if he hadn't just rendered
three highly trained men unconscious without ruffling a hair on his gorgeous
head!

  As she strolled  through the door,  Gian took the  opportunity to run  his
palm over her cloaked backside.

  Stopping short, Jenise gasped. Up until a short time ago, she was the heir
apparent. Men did not do  such things to women who  had that kind of  power.

  He gave her an innocent look. "I never said I would not seduce you."

  Jenise snorted. "You certainly can _try_, Familiar."

  A roguish dimple curved his cheek. "Same thing."

  Chuckling at her outraged expression, he took her hand and led her through
a maze of corridors, his innate  tracking ability serving him well.  Nothing
felt as good as the taste of freedom! He looked over at his companion. Well,
almost nothing.

  "How do you know the way out?"

  "I am a Familiar." He  glanced down at her out  of the corner of his  eye.
"You had best remember that, _taja_."

  She  was too excited by the prospect  of finally gaining her freedom to be
annoyed with the arrogant thing.

  "Quickly, this way." He pulled her into an alcove just as a contingent  of
guards passed.

  "I did not even hear them approaching! I cannot believe--"

  His  mouth seized hers in a sizzling  kiss. "I am Gian," he purred against
her lips. "Remember that, too, Creamcat."

  Before she could respond,  he grabbed her hand  once more and darted  down
another hidden corridor.

Chapter Three
=============

  The Familiar stopped so abruptly that Jenise bumped into him. His arm came
out to steady her as  he pulled her back against  the wall of the  corridor.

  "What is it?" she asked worriedly. "Why have we stopped?"

  He  placed a  tapered finger against  her lips, warning  her to be silent.
Then he cocked his  head to one side,  listening for something Jenise  could
not hear.

  "There is a male guard up ahead, around this corner. He is alone... not so
tall as I am,  but of a size.  I may be able  to utilize his garments."  His
voice was very, very focused. "I will take him down."

  How do you know all of this?" she whispered back.

  "My senses tell me. By his footfall I can ascertain his size.... He is not
very alert at the moment--that I can  tell by the rate of his breathing.  He
is relaxed, almost bored."

  "That is amazing; I am impressed, Familiar."

  He  gave her a crooked grin. "You have not yet seen how I can impress you,
Creamcat."

  Jenise flushed as  his meaning  became clear.  He laughed  quietly at  her
telltale reaction.

  "You may keep such impressions to yourself!" she hissed indignantly. "That
is not part of our bargain."

  The firm lips twitched beguilingly. The tip of his finger stroked the side
of her face. "It will be your choice," he purred.

  Jenise  stiffened,  pulling  away from  his  touch.  "Yes, it  will  be my
choice."

  A flash of  white  teeth  gleamed  in the  darkened  corridor--a  hint  of
amusement.  The Familiar lifted her chin  with the same finger, bringing her
face up to his.

  "Exactly," he whispered, brushing her mouth with his own.

  Before Jenise could respond, he was already gone.

  A few moments later she heard a brief scuffle, followed by the sound of  a
body falling to the floor.

  His hand signaled to her that it was safe to come forward.

  When  she rounded  the corner,  he was  already stripping  the man's black
leather breeches off.

  "Is--is he dead?"  Jenise nodded  in the  direction of  the fallen  guard.

  The  Familiar seemed affronted.  "Of course not. We  only kill when we are
forced to--unlike Karpon."

  He pulled the thigh-hugging _tracas_ on over his own lean hips,  fastening
up  the  rawhide  laces  in  front.  Jenise  watched  him,  for  some reason
fascinated by the effortless action.

  The Familiar glanced up slowly, catching her in his glinting regard. There
was  a very knowing look in those dark green and gold eyes. It was the first
time Jenise got  a true  sense of  just how  experienced the  man was...  in
everything.

  She  began to wonder about this captive  she had released. Who was he? Did
all Familiars have such a compelling  presence or was it he alone?  Already,
she'd  had glimpses  of his  control, his mastery,  and his resourcefulness.
Perhaps he was more than what she imagined?

  He did not seem  to be one  who would allow himself  to be persuaded  into
anything  unless it was his desire to  do so. And yet he had repeatedly told
her that it would all be her choice;  that she would be the one in  control.
At least, it _seemed_ he meant that.

  Jenise  decided to take  the Familiar at his  word--for the time being. So
far, he was living up  to his side of their  bargain. However, if he  proved
himself difficult, they would be parting company very rapidly.

  Gian  bent over the prone guard, lifting  his foot to pull the man's boots
off. He stopped suddenly.

  Dropping the man's foot  abruptly, he jumped  up, grabbing Jenise's  hand.
"Hurry;  there are many coming! They  seek us--our escape is already known."

  No sooner had he  said this than  a contingent of  Karpon's men came  into
view yelling for them to stop.

  Bare feet slapping against the stone floor, Gian swiftly pulled her along,
turning into a room on an upper level. He threw the bolt on the door to gain
them a few precious moments.

  Jenise  scanned the room  in dismay. No other  door led from this chamber.
"There is no way out!"

  But the Familiar  was already  racing to the  single small  window in  the
corner.  Pushing open  the hinged  panel, he  glanced down  to the courtyard
below. Far below.  The distance was  too high  for any man  to jump  without
breaking several bones. Or worse.

  Nonetheless, Gian was not any man; he was Guardian of the Mist.

  "Listen to me, _taja_, for we do not have time to debate this."

  "Debate what?" she asked nervously. Jenise was well aware how high up they
were; surely he was not thinking of jumping that distance? He would fall  to
his death!

  "I am going to jump."

  She gasped aloud. "You cannot! You will be killed!"

  He  smiled faintly, moved that the  creamcat cared. "Hopefully not. I will
transform into my  other self;  it will  aid my  landing. Listen  carefully;
after  I touch ground, I will metamorphose back into my human form. You must
jump to me then. Do not be afraid; I will catch you."

  "Are you mad? What if you miss? It is too risky!"

  He gazed at her evenly. "It is your choice."

  Jenise bit her lip. Already the guards  were pounding on the door. If  she
didn't try...

  "Are you sure you can catch me?"

  "If I survive the jump, yes."

  Jenise wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "_What_?"

  "I have not jumped from such a distance before."

  Jenise  threw her arms up in the  air. That settled the issue for her. She
would not have his broken body on  her conscience. "No, I cannot allow  it!"

  Gian raised a dark eyebrow. Whoever heard of a woman proclaiming she would
_allow_ a  male  Familiar to  do  anything? He  would  have grinned  if  the
situation wasn't so serious.

  Jenise  read his expression very well. It was a universal male look, which
said clearly, _oh, really_.

  "It is too dangerous," she emphatically stated.

  "Ah, but that is  _my_ choice, Creamcat.  And I choose  to escape. I  will
wait for you below." He slid out of the leather breeches and tossed them out
the window.

  He started to turn from  her, then hesitated. "You  are about to see  what
few outside our own people have witnessed: the transformation of a Familiar.
It is an experience we do not share with many."

  "I understand. You may trust me."

  Satisfaction brightened his eyes. His palm cupped her cheek, then fell  to
his  side. "What is your name?" he inquired, an unexpected tenderness lacing
his smooth voice.

  "Jenise."

  He nodded as if  he liked the sound  of it. "If I  fail, Jenise, then  you
will remember this Gian Ren . . ."

  It  seemed as though he wanted to say more, but his words trailed off as a
glowing light began to  pulsate from him. Streams  of photons flowed  around
him,  gaining  in number  and strength.  His entire  body began  to shimmer,
seeming to melt into light itself.

  Jenise had never seen anything so beautiful.

  In the next instant, a large,  multi-colored cat was standing before  her.
There  was a majesty about him that  invited awe and respect. Broad areas of
vibrant bronze and black and gold formed patches in the long silken fur. The
animal's  stunning eyes  were two  different colors. Deep  green and lambent
gold.

  _Gian_!

  Tossing his head  in an action  she had  seen the Familiar  make in  human
form, the proud feline gave her a haughty stare.

  It was nothing less than Jenise expected.

  The  powerful cat jumped onto the windowsill. Looking over its shoulder at
her one last time, he leapt bravely into thin air.

  Jenise ran to the  window, afraid to  look out but  knowing she must.  The
great  cat had landed  far below in  the stone courtyard.  He lay there, not
moving.

  The pounding on the door grew louder. Was he simply stunned or... ?

  A slight movement alerted Jenise. He was alive!

  Somewhat dazed, the  beast awkwardly got  to his feet.  In the  moonlight,
Jenise  could discern the odd  angle of one of his  paws. She winced. He had
broken a leg. A hind leg.

  Not only must he be in terrible pain  but he would never he able to  catch
her. Her spirits plummeted.

  She  turned away,  missing the  flash of  light from  the courtyard below.

  Just then the door to the chamber  crashed in and Karpon's men filled  the
doorway,  led by Karpon himself. His  thin nostrils flared as he viewed her.
Clearly he was furious at her rebellion.

  Mayhap he would even kill her. She glanced out of the window, thinking she
might  be able to signal to Gian to  go on without her. At least he might be
able to save himself.

  She was shocked to  discover that he had  already donned the _tracas_  and
was  motioning for her to jump. Not only that, but he was standing perfectly
on two legs. Jenise's  hopes lifted; somehow the  Familiar had repaired  his
injury when he had changed his form. A handy ability, indeed.

  Unfortunately,  while  she  was  watching  him,  Jenise's  mind registered
exactly how far the fall was. Her  fingers clutched the sill. How could  she
find the courage to make that kind of jump?

  Below  in the courtyard,  Gian sensed her indecision,  her fear. He willed
her to meet his  eyes as he  inhaled a deep, calming  breath. _{Come to  me,
_taja_. I am here for you.}_

  Jenise's  hand went  to her forehead.  Surely she could  not hear him from
this distance? She took a deep breath.  It seemed to calm her. She made  her
decision. Better to die in the attempt at freedom than be caged with Karpon!

  Guessing what she  was about to  do, Karpon hissed,  "Do not, Jenise!  You
will be killed!"

  Throwing  her leg over the  sill, she turned back to  Karpon to give him a
last insolent sneer before she jumped.

  As she fell through the air two things crossed her mind at once; the sound
of  Karpon yelling "nooooo" and the hope that this Gian would truly be there
to catch her. She had put  all of her faith in  him, a man she barely  knew.

  He caught her and held her fast.

  The  impact of the fall brought him  to his knees but he held her securely
in his arms. Jenise burrowed her face  into his warm throat. She hugged  him
tightly in response.

  Against  the innocent  press of  her lips, she  fel1 the  vibration of his
strong heartbeat. The  steady. sure  beat comforted her  in a  way no  words
could. She thought his lips grazed her hair in answer.

  "Come,  we do not have much time."  The deep, smooth voice spoke gently in
her ear. She nodded against him. As  they ran from the courtyard behind  the
keep,  Jenise  glanced  up at  the  window  she had  jumped  from. Moonlight
silhouetted Karpon's harsh features as he watched them flee.

  Even from this  distance she could  see the  look of fury  stamped on  his
cruel face. It spoke of revenge.

  Two  pathways opened up before  them. One led around  the left side of the
keep; the  other  straight into  the  fields.  Had Gian's  senses  not  been
partially  dulled by the drugs they had given him, he might have discerned a
faint, barely audible moan coming from a heap of flesh that had once been  a
vibrant young Familiar.

  It  came from just around  the corner of the  keep, not thirty paces away.

  But fate, being the  capricious riddle that it  is, decided that Gian  Ren
would  go on his way, unknowing. He guided Jenise not to the left but to the
path that led straight through the meadows.

  And so a page turned and one young man's life was forever altered.

  "We may rest here shortly."

  The Familiar finally released her hand.  He had refused to do so  numerous
times  as they raced  cross the countryside, Karpon's  men in close pursuit.

  Taking  in  great  gulps  of  air  as  she  tried  to  regain  her  normal
respiration,  Jenise  sank down  wearily onto  a  boulder by  the edge  of a
stream. "Did we lose them?" she panted.

  Gian smiled inwardly at the use of the term "we." It appeared the creamcat
had linked her fate with his somewhere along the way. Still, she had much to
learn of him. And he of her.

  "For the time being." He,  who was aptly named  Guardian of the Mist,  had
led  the pursuers on a  false _circle hunt_, the likes  of which he was sure
they had never seen. Gian chuckled to himself. "It will take them some  time
to reorient themselves. You may rest awhile here."

  Jenise  watched him in wonder as he  squatted in front of a nearby stream,
cupping cold water in  his palms. He  was not even  winded, while she  could
barely catch her breath.

  He   stood  in  the   moonlight,  walking  towards   her.  Truly,  he  was
breathtaking.

  The silvery  light illuminated  his burnished  golden hair;  the  sculpted
masculine  features;  the perfectly  delineated physique.  Even barefoot and
shirtless--wearing nothing more than the black breeches which molded to  his
muscular  thighs--there  was  an  aura  of  uncommon  sleekness  to  him. In
everything he did, the man moved with an elegant feline grace.

  He knelt before her, offering  her a drink or  cool water from his  hands.

  Jenise  was touched by his attentive  gesture. Cupping her hands over his,
she greedily drank the sweet offering.

  Gian waited until  she had drunk  her fill  before he partook  of his  own
refreshment.  It did not go unnoticed by Jenise that despite his own thirst,
he had seen to  her comfort first.  The revealing action  said much to  her.

  He  looked  intently into  her eyes  before speaking.  "There may  be some
_systale_ gourds on the bed of the stream. I believe it is important for  us
to  carry some water with us, for we do not know if we will have the time or
the opportunity to stop later. They will have already sent word out; it will
not  be safe for us to go into any villages until we are ready to leave this
place or until we have no alternative but to do so."

  She nodded agreement.

  Gian walked  downstream a  ways as  he searched  for the  telltale  yellow
filaments of the _systale_ plant.

  Known  to have  saved many  a traveler's life,  the _systale_  was a gourd
plant that grew underwater. The bulb-shaped  fruit was filled with a  unique
healing  mixture  of  water  and minerals.  No  one  was sure  where  it had
originated. Found on many planets,  presumably carried by travelers  through
the  Tunnels,  the plant  was able  to propagate  itself from  the discarded
husks.

  While Gian searched for the gourds,  Jenise sat back on the rock,  wincing
slightly  at  the soreness  between  her legs.  Even  now, she  could hardly
believe what she had done. Oh, she had no regrets... yet she had been raised
in a culture that put much value on her purity.

  There was a slight stickiness between her inner thighs.

  Untying  her cloak, she let it drop  onto the rocks behind her. The breeze
would feel good against her heated flesh.

  She lifted  the edge  of her  dress.  Traces of  blood stained  her  legs.
Evidence of what _he_ had done. What they had done.

  Despite her acceptance of what had happened, her hand shook as her fingers
partially covered the vulnerable spot.

  "You are injured?"

  Stunned, Jenise glanced up into the tawny gold and green eyes. She had not
even  heard  him approach.  Embarrassed  to be  caught  in such  an intimate
moment, she looked away from him.

  Silently, she shook her head.

  His steady hand covered her fingers. Gently, he removed her hand from  her
thigh, revealing the dried bloodstains.

  He  said nothing, but he did not  move for several moments. Then he picked
up one of  the gourds he  had found, breaking  the lip of  it open with  his
teeth.  He poured the _systale_  water in the cup  of his hand and carefully
began washing her with it.

  Jenise's mouth parted, shocked at the intimate gesture. Her hand came over
his to stay him.

  He disregarded it, going on with what he was doing.

  "You should not be doing this, Gian."

  The long black lashes--which, at the moment, hid his mesmerizing eyes from
her view--flickered at the mention  of his name. It  was the first time  she
had used it.

  "Why not, _taja_?" he murmured as he worked.

  "Be-because it is too intimate."

  "Too  intimate .  . ." He  paused to capture  her with his  eyes. A dimple
curved his cheek. "How is that possible?" he whispered.

  Color instantly  heightened Jenise's  cheekbones. She  looked down  again,
unwilling to let him see how he affected her.

  What  should she have  expected? It was well  known that the Familiar were
entirely sensual. She had simply never realized _how_ sensual. It was in the
way  he moved, the  words he spoke,  the purring tone of  his voice, and the
intent, hidden messages in his fiery eyes.

  "I was only  supposed to  share that  with my  mate." Her  voice was  very
faint.

  He  stopped to stare at her. "Do not worry about such things, Jenise. Your
mate may understand more than you credit him." He resumed his work.

  "You misunderstand; I shall have no mate."

  He hesitated in his  ministrations briefly. "You  think not?" he  murmured
dryly. He rinsed the area a final time and stood.

  She nodded seriously. "I must be free. I can never mate."

  "What  has the one to do with  the other?" He began unlacing his _tracas_.

  "I need to feel  free. A mate would  bind me, keep me  from what I  seek."

  "How do you know that?" He finished unlacing the breeches.

  She explained to him the situation in which she had grown up; the stifling
atmosphere around Karpon and his brother.

  "Your mother's people--the Frensi--they mate, do they not?" He dropped the
_tracas_, stepping out of them.

  "Yes,  of course they  do--but that is  different. In any  case, I seek to
explore life, not become caged by it."

  Nude, he stood before her  and moved his hands  through the air above  and
around her.

  "What are you doing?"

  "I see no cage here."

  She snorted, grinning slightly. "Very amusing."

  His  raised an eyebrow, placing a warm palm over her heart. "It is here, I
think."

  "What do you mean?"

  "When you unlock this, you will be free."

  "I do not think so, Gian. What you speak of _is_ the cage."

  "No. It is the wind which will carry you."

  He turned from her and entered the stream, dunking under the water when he
reached  the middle. Jenise wondered if he was symbolically washing away the
feel of the prison chains.

  When his burnished head broke the  surface, he flung the wet and  dripping
strands out of his face. Dual-colored eyes gleamed with a predatory light as
he intently marked her under the silvery shine of two moons.

  Jenise's breath stilled in her throat.

  _He was beauty and he was fire._

  He walked out of the water  towards her, taking steady, deliberate  steps.
The long strands of his hair dripped down his chest and arms and back.

  In  a catlike move, he shook  his head, sending water droplets through the
air, their scattered pattern crystallized by the dual moons.

  There was no  mistaking the sudden  hunger that radiated  from him.  Feral
hunger.

  Jenise paled. "I--I said I do not want--"

  He  approached her, closer. She could  feel the searing heat of his golden
skin. Hot moisture and _krinang_ spice.

  With just the tip of his finger, he lifted her chin.

  Slowly, he  lowered his  lips until  his mouth--that  incredible,  sensual
mouth--was  just  a hairsbreadth  away from  her own.  His silken  hair slid
forward to brush against her shoulders, a hushed caress.

  On so lightly, he grazed his bottom lip over hers. His warm, sweet  breath
drifted across her lips like a sultry breeze which heralds thunder.

  "Let  me tell you something  about me, my creamcat...  I do not heed words
that are so patently false."

  Jenise's eyes widened. His other hand  grasped her upper arm, holding  her
to him.

  "You see... I come from a people who rely on instinct."

  "And  what does that mean?"  She tried to pull away  from him. He drew her
closer.

  "It means," he drawled in a husky purr, "that my senses have already  told
me that you do _want_ me very much."

  The  shock  of his  accurate revelation  caused her  to release  a pent-up
breath of dismay as well as hidden desire.

  Gian inhaled the breath as he gazed  down upon her. His eyes dilated  with
the  rich sensory perception he received  from her. He knew what she wanted.

  Jenise stared at him, astonished.

  "_Exactly_."

  Before she could question  him, his mouth firmly  came down over hers.  It
was  a hot taking. He singed her  nerve endings. Worse still, the man seemed
to claim everything as he kissed. _Everything_.

  Stunned senseless, Jenise was immobilized under the skilled onslaught.  It
was  yet another side of the Familiar she had never heard about before--this
need to capture. In fact, Jenise had heard that they were always very casual
in  their  alliances, enjoying  their partners  as their  partners more than
enjoyed them.

  She wondered if  this behavior  was usual for  a Familiar...  or simply  a
personal trait of Gian Ren. For if it was--

  She could no longer think.

  Gian  had  expertly slid  his rogue  tongue  between her  lips and  he was
_licking_ the inside of her mouth!

  Quivering, she moaned at the exquisite, delicate flicks that could only be
called torture.

  His  hands cupped her  shoulders and he slowly  drew away from her. Dazed,
Jenise   blinked  up  at  him.  The  corners  of  his  mouth  curled  upward
enigmatically as he released her.

  Stretching  sinuously, he reached for the breeches on the ground, stepping
into them and sliding them much too languidly--bit by bit--up over his hips.
He began lacing them up, but the Familiar wasn't watching what he was doing;
he was intently watching her.

  His potent kiss had rocked her. Jenise felt dizzy and muddled. She did not
like  the way he was looking at her either. As if she were something edible.
She coughed.

  He chuckled knowingly. Low and husky.

  Uneasy, Jenise decided to ignore what had happened. She cleared her throat
and  straightened the folds of her  gown. "What about you?" she blurted out.

  "What about me?" he asked, still watching her.

  "Do the Familiar mate?"

  He laughed.  The rich,  deep sound  nestled  in her  like a  snug  cuddle.
Shivering,  she suddenly imagined what that laugh would feel like resonating
against her own lips as he...

  Instantly, she banished the erotic  image, wondering what was coming  over
her. She was never one to fantasize over such matters.

  "Yes, we mate, Creamcat." The teasing dimples were back.

  Appalled at her question, which he undoubtedly misinterpreted in a typical
male way, she clarified, "I meant a _permanent_, singular bonding."

  He grinned broadly. "I know what you meant."

  She snorted.

  He sat behind her on the boulder.  His clean scent was mingled with  fresh
water and the night. And just a hint of that special scent of his. The scent
that was beginning to make her go weak with desire.

  Jenise tried not to inhale.

  "Most often we mate among ourselves," he offered in explanation,  speaking
from  behind her shoulder.  There were many reasons  the male Familiar mated
only among his own kind.  It was not simply  his intense desire, for  desire
could be taught. There were reasons of a deeper nature.

  When  she didn't comment, he added, "There have been a few exceptions, but
only amongst the females."

  "Why is  that?" She  did not  turn to  look at  him, choosing  instead  to
rearrange the folds of her dress. Again.

  "Most often such alliances have not born issue. When they have, a Familiar
child has been a rarity. In fact there has been only one child born of mixed
blood  who  inherited  the  Familiar  abilities." He  thought  of  his blood
relative Rejar, wondering if Yaniff had yet located him in the Tunnels.  "He
is most uncommon," Gian murmured thoughtfully.

  "Do you continue your ways of pleasure after you mate?"

  "Of course we do."

  Shocked, she gaped at him over her shoulder.

  His eyes sparkled teasingly. "With our mates."

  "Oh."

  "Once mated we are strictly bound to each other. Only each other."

  "Then you are not mated."

  He paused. "Why do you say that?"

  "Because  we--well--" Her heart sank as she thought of something terrible.
"Did--did I force  you to break  your bond  so you could  escape?" Her  eyes
filled with tears. "I would feel truly terrible if such were the--"

  His  thumb wiped a tear from under  her eye. "I would never break my bond,
_taja_. Not to escape; not even for my life. It is not our way."

  Relieved not to have caused him any personal grief, she exhaled a  breath.

  He inhaled it.

  An  _ollyn_ screeched in the night,  its plaintive wail a customary cry to
its mate. Gian lifted a front lock of Jenise's hair and placed it behind her
back.  Then he leaned over and rubbed his chin back and forth on the exposed
skin of her shoulder. A low, humming purr followed.

  Jenise shivered.

  "We must leave shortly." He spoke in a distracted, hushed tone.

  She nodded.

  In the darkness of night, outside of the keep, a rickety cart pulled by an
equally  rickety _safir_ beast  made its way slowly  around the perimeter of
the imposing structure. The  old woman who was  steering the cart urged  the
stubborn  _safir_ beast to hurry. She did not like coming near the keep. The
guards were cruel  and anything  might happen,  especially at  this time  of
night.

  The  old woman had only ventured out because she knew this was the day the
servants cleaned the  storerooms. Often in  the past, she  had found  useful
things  that had  been discarded in  the refuse pile  behind the stone wall.
When one had so little  to live on, one did  not mind taking certain  risks.

  She  sighed  heavily, her  ancient bones  creaking. So  far she  had found
nothing. Her back hurt from fighting the reins and she was ready to turn the
cart  toward her home in the Silver Forest.  At the moment a nice cup of hot
_mir_ by her fire sounded better than the finest of clarified stones.

  Yes, that was it. As soon as she passed this next bend, she would turn and
head back. Away from the darkling Karpon and his barbarous guards.

  She  had  just about  completed her  circuit when  she discerned  a slight
movement on a heap  of offal. A  _riat_, she thought;  they liked to  burrow
through such refuse. Nothing more.

  A faint moan traveled the night wind.

  The sound was agony on the lips of something barely living.

  The  old woman paused.  There was something out  there that the guards had
tossed out for dead. Immediately she turned the cart in the direction of the
sound.

  Karpon was dangerous, but she was not concerned about Karpon. Something or
someone needed her out here  in this offal pile. Spying  a heap of rags  and
wounded flesh, she pulled the cart up short.

  Jumping  down, she hobbled over to the  broken mass. Whether it was man or
beast, she could not tell, for it was so badly mangled. She bent down slowly
in  deference to  the soreness in  her back  and pushed the  bundle onto its
side.

  A terrible groan of pain rattled from its chest.

  By the two moons' light she could see that it once had been a man.

  He was in a  very bad way. From  a cursory glance it  looked as if he  had
been  beaten and tortured...  and maybe worse. There  was no telling what he
had looked like originally--not that such a thing would concern him anymore.
Whatever comeliness he had once possessed was gone forever.

  Not that it mattered. He probably wouldn't live long.

  But she would try to help him anyway.

  She put her face close to his ear so he might near what she was saying and
focus upon it despite his pain.  "I do not know if  you can hear me, but  if
you  wish to live then you must help me. I am too old to lift you by myself.
There is a cart here... if  you can aid me, I  will attempt to get you  into
it.  You must try not  to call out, no matter  the pain; Karpon's guards are
near."

  Compassionately, she took his hand in hers. She didn't expect a  response;
the man was too far gone. A few moments passed while she debated what to do.

  The hand weakly squeezed hers. He was  attempting to tell her that he  had
heard her and wanted to live!

  The  old woman's eyes  gleamed. Mayhap she could  save this one from being
another of Karpon's  victims. "Yes, I  understand, my poor  friend. We  will
try."  Placing his arm around  her shoulders, she told  him she was going to
stand.

  It was difficult and for a  moment they almost toppled over together,  but
she  was able to  steady him. His  entire body shuddered but  he did not cry
out. He was brave, she realized, saddened that he had been so unlucky as  to
fall into the hands of Karpon's guards.

  The cart was right next to them, and somehow she managed to shove and push
and pull his mangled body into the  back. He twisted and convulsed from  his
pain, but he still did not cry out.

  Finally  she had him  in the cart.  Covering him with  a worn blanket, she
scrambled back to the front seat and slapped the reins.

  She was going to help  him fight to live. The  idea brought new energy  to
her tired body.

  It  wasn't until  they were far  away in  the Silver Forest,  where no one
could hear him, that  he let out  his agony. A wrenching  cry of utter  pain
came from the depths of his soul.

  It was a sound she would never forget.

Chapter Four
============

  For  most of  the night,  Gian led them  across the  extensive meadows and
glades that surrounded the keep. Karpon's family estate was vast, covering a
massive  territory, and it took  them most of the  night simply to leave his
land.

  They paused at a crossroad in a  field on the 6dge of Karpon's  territory.
Before  them the land dipped slightly;  to their right lay another path-way.

  Gian looked up at the  night sky. "There are  three Tunnel points on  this
world."

  "Yes. Do you know where they are?"

  "Not  exactly. I can sense them  and know what general direction they lie,
but I cannot tell how far away they are."

  The Tunnels  connected worlds  and were  strictly controlled  by the  High
Guild of Aviara. The Guild employed knights of the Chart to protect both the
Alliance of planets and the structural integrity of the Tunnels. Within  the
High Guild itself, the Tunnels were under the absolute domain of the revered
House of Sages.

  Since this world was an outlying one and not a member of the Alliance, the
Tunnel  points were  limited in  their connections to  sponsoring worlds who
wished to open trade and commerce.

  Familiars could sense  the presence of  Tunnels, but they  could not  call
them  forth.  Only  certain mystics  of  the Charl  could  do that.  On this
non-Alliance world, the portals would  not be maintained by the  Gatekeepers
of the Charl. Most likely the Tunnel points would be left open in stasis, as
was the one Gian had used to enter this world.

  Often on barbaric worlds such as  this, Tunnel points were initially  kept
closed  until further exploration could be made by a Familiar. The Familiar,
who were  naturally inquisitive  and  had a  zest  for adventure,  were  the
perfect  candidates for such tasks. In exchange for such services, the Guild
rewarded the Familiar with certain privileges and protection.

  However, Guardian of the Mist had not  come to this world as a seeker  for
the  House of Sages  or the High Guild.  He had come as  a hunter for Dariq.

  In any event, it  would be a  long and dangerous  journey back to  Aviara.
They  would have to travel world by world until they reached Alliance space.
From there all Tunnels connected to Aviara.

  "The closest and most active one is in the royal village, a day's  journey
from  here. Over this hillock  is a pathway that  should lead us directly to
the Traveler's Path. It will take us  straight to the center of the  village
where the Tunnel lies."

  That  was the Tunnel that Gian had  used to enter this world. "No, Jenise.
Karpon will expect us to go there and will have both the path and the Tunnel
entrance heavily guarded. We must try for another of the Tunnels. How far is
the next one?"

  "It is about  five days'  journey from  here." A  day on  this planet  was
slightly shorter than a standard Alliance day. Gian noted that his step here
was slightly lighter as well.

  "And the other?"

  "Fifteen days' journey."

  Gian speculated a moment, weighing his alternatives. "We will attempt  the
one  that is five days' journey. Karpon  will be expecting this as well, but
the risk  of staying  on this  planet  longer outweighs  the danger  of  the
choice."

  "That  Tunnel  lies in  this direction,  but we  must circumnavigate those
hills in the distance." Jenise pointed to some hills far ahead.

  Gian's innate tracking ability told him different. "It would be quicker to
travel  in this direction." He indicated  a route that would take them right
through the valley between the far hills.

  "Quicker if it could be done. We cannot go that way."

  "Why not?"

  "Because the _valdt_ will kill us."

  "What is the _valdt_?"

  "Do you see the vines covering the entire valley before us?"

  "Yes; the plants continue as far as I can see across the vale."

  She nodded. "Well, they are not plants."

  His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

  "That is the  _valdt_. It is  a flesh-eating plant  that crisscrosses  the
terrain for miles."

  Gian said hesitantly, "What do you mean by flesh-eating?"

  "Just that. It is carnivorous, Gian."

  He paused. "I sense no danger from it." He frowned in puzzlement. "How can
that be?"

  "No one is sure what it is--plant or animal; or a combination of the  two.
Perhaps that is why you cannot sense the threat?"

  That, or the residual drug in his system was still affecting him.

  "What else do you know of it?" He listened to her intently.

  "It  sleeps by  day but  awakens at night.  See the  spines?" She pointed.

  He nodded.

  "They are deadly poison.  The vines entangle its  prey, the poison  spines
immobilize  it.  The  _valdt_  gains  nourishment  by  slowly  absorbing its
still-living victim."

  Gian's narrowed  eyes scanned  the  _valdt_, his  clever mind  working.  A
scream  sounded in the  distance and he  caught the faintest  blur of a vine
snapping through the  air, snagging a  low-flying winged creature.  Whatever
this thing was, it was extraordinarily fast.

  Jenise shuddered.

  "What  about the  spaces in  between?" Gian  pointed to  the small patches
between the  intersecting vines.  "Is it  possible to  travel through  these
spaces during the day as it sleeps?"

  "It  has been done on  rare occasions by young men  on a foolish dare from
here"--she indicated a short span of space--"to say, here. But to cross  its
entire expanse in one day, before nightfall, is impossible."

  Gian  looked  out  over  the  vine-covered vale,  his  mind  occupied with
dangerous possibilities.  "Exactly how  far  is the  distance to  the  other
side?"

  "Almost  a  two-day journey--if  it could  be walked  with no impediment."

  "I see... and  if it could  be done, how  much time would  we save on  the
five-day journey to the Tunnel?"

  She frowned. "Approximately three days, but--"

  Gian calculated in his head. "It may be possible."

  You  cannot walk that distance in a day!" No... but I may be able to _run_
it."

  "_What_? Are you mad?  The spines are still  poisonous during the day  and
the  poison is long-casting. If you even  scratch your leg or foot, you will
be immobilized until  nightfall. There  are places where  the branches  grow
thick and high. It cannot be done!"

  Gian  observed her steadily. "That is not certain. What is certain is that
Karpon waits for us if  we follow this path." He  gestured to the path  that
led to the royal village. "Here we have a chance."

  "We?" She scoffed. "_I_ cannot run that distance."

  "Of  course  not. I  would not  allow it."  Her nostrils  flared at _that_
remark. Before Jenise could begin  berating the arrogant man, he  continued,
"I will carry you upon my back."

  There was silence for a moment. Then the arguing ensued.

  "That  is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" Jenise's aqua eyes
flashed fire,  while the  Familiar's eyes  sparkled with  something akin  to
amusement.

  It  was a fact that Familiars loved  to rile up females. Although Gian had
not intentionally set  out to do  that, he saw  no reason not  to enjoy  her
reaction just the same. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on one
hip; it was a stance he knew was sure to add to her irritation.

  He was not disappointed.

  "I will not entertain this insanity!" She  threw her hands up in the  air.
"If you wish to commit suicide, then you must go on by yourself. I will make
my way around the hills."

  He tossed his bronze-gold hair back over his shoulders. "We have a pact to
stay together--"

  "Just until we enter the Tunnels."

  He  looked at her in that  unnerving, silent way he had. Jenise swallowed.

  "As I was saying, you will not be able to outdistance Karpon's men if  you
go  the other way. You will be taken, Jenise. Or you can come with me. It is
your choice."

  He waited for her to make a decision.

  She bit her lip as  she thought it over. Karpon  might very well kill  her
for defying him and fleeing. "You think you can do it?"

  "It will be a challenge."

  A challenge?  That was an understatement if  she ever heard one. A worried
look crossed her expressive features.

  "Every moment of time will be needed if I am to succeed. We will leave  as
the  first rays of  light touch the  far horizon and  the _valdt_ begins its
slumber."

  "But that is only  in a short  time!" Jenise protested  for his sake.  The
Familiar had not slept yet this night.

  "We must go today or we will lose our advantage."

  "You have not had any rest and--"

  "Jenise"--he  cupped her chin, staring  straight into her eyes--"we cannot
rest now. Not if we wish to leave this place."

  Jenise inhaled a  shaky breath, nodding  when she realized  he was  right.
Gian  brushed her mouth in a quick sliding motion before he released her. He
picked up the _systale_ gourds and slung them over his shoulders.

  "The water is too heavy--you  will not be able to  run with it," she  said
quietly.

  "I will not be able to run all day without it."

  Holding  up a gourd  to his mouth,  he took a long  drink of the _systale_
water, replugging the lip  of the gourd  with its own  heavy fibers when  he
finished.  For some  reason the sight  of the muscular  column of his throat
going up and down as he swallowed fascinated her.

  Jenise quickly looked away when she realized he was done.

  Gian smiled slightly. He knew exactly when she was looking at him and how.
"You  must not speak to me during the run, Creamcat, as I will need to focus
my concentration to keep up my pace."

  "I understand."

  "I will tell you what to do to aid me... " _{like this}_. He spoke in  her
mind, causing her to jump.

  She  had heard of this telepathic ability of the Familiar; that they could
send their thoughts  but not receive  the thoughts of  others. At the  time,
she'd  dismissed the tale as rumor. She  inhaled a breath. It seemed most of
the rumors were proving true! What else had she heard? Something about their
sexual ability to--

  Gian distracted her. "Come, the time grows short."

  Gingerly  Jenise approached  him, trying  not to  think of  what they were
about to attempt. A wave of nausea went through her. She did not want to  be
food for the _valdt_.

  Gian faced away from her and knelt down, motioning for her to put her arms
around his neck and  her legs around  his waist. When she  had done so,  his
hands  clasped the underside  of her knees at  his waist. He stood, shifting
her weight from side to side, getting his balance.

  "Am I too heavy?" she asked in his ear.

  He grinned at her over his  shoulder. "No, _taja_, you are perfect."  That
said, he purposely grunted loudly.

  Jenise nipped his earlobe. He chuckled.

  "I cannot stop once I start--do you understand what I am saying?"

  "Yes."

  "Good. Do you wish to get down for a moment or are we ready to go?"

  Jenise  smiled behind his back. He really was very gallant. "I am ready to
go, Gian." Her warm breath brushed his ear.

  Gian almost caught  himself purring, but  stopped short. Now  was not  the
time  to be distracted. He  needed to focus fully in  order to get them both
out of this alive.

  He handed her a  small rock. "Throw  this at the vines  when I tell  you."

  "Excellent idea."

  His  green/gold eyes scanned  the horizon as he  flexed his legs, readying
himself to  begin what  was sure  to be  the feat  of a  lifetime. He  began
breathing deeply, preparing his body for the challenge.

  The  first rays  of light crested  the horizon. "Throw  the rock, _taja_."

  Jenise did as he said, aiming  at a thick, entangled segment. The  _valdt_
lay perfectly still. It was sleeping.

  "It is sle--"

  But Gian had already begun his run.

  And he was moving fast.

  He  ducked, he moved, he surged,  he twisted, without getting a scratch on
his bare feet.

  Jenise had never seen anything  like it. He seemed  to know just where  he
must  step between the vines. When to change speed. What path to take across
the impossible skein of vines. How fast  to move and what angle to move  in.

  The  ability was called kinesthetic sense and  it was just one of the many
special senses Familiars possessed.

  Throughout the run, he instructed her telepathically, sending his thoughts
moments before he made the actual maneuver: _{Lean to my right}_; _{Shift to
the left}_; _{I need some water}_; _{Stay awake, Jenise!}_; the latter  when
the constant rocking movement began to lull her to sleep.

  Her  legs were cramped from staying in  the same position, but she held on
to him tightly. As the sun began its downward descent, Jenise marveled  that
the  man  could still  run. His  breathing  became very  labored and  he was
sweating--something Familiars  did not  do unless  they were  under  extreme
duress.

  The  light was waning. Worried, Jenise looked over his shoulder to see the
distance remaining.

  _It was too far_! They were not going to make it!

  A tear slid down her cheek and she prepared herself for the worst. "Gian,"
she whispered shakily, speaking for the first time since he began.

  The  last  ray of  light crested  the peak  of the  hill, hovering  for an
instant as  if giving  them a  moment extra  of life  before it  disappeared
behind the rocky wall.

  The _valdt_ began to stir.

  Instantly,  Gian's arm came crosswise around her back to the right side of
her waist. In one strong move, he plucked her around to his front, shielding
her  in his arms. Jenise burrowed into  his warm chest, tears in her eyes at
his courageous action. Surely he was trying to shield her with his own body!

  "You cannot save me," she cried out.

  Gian  gathered his  remaining strength.  With one last  valiant effort, he
_leapt_ the remaining distance.

  They landed with  a crash on  the ground. Gian,  even then, protected  her
from the impact, rolling with her secured in his arms.

  A vine slapped down not a hairsbreadth from their entwined bodies.

  He quickly rolled them out of its hideous reach.

  When  she didn't feel the expected sting of the vine, Jenise slowly opened
her eyes. _He had done it_. Somehow, the Familiar had done it!

  Her lips pressed against the moist skin  of his throat. For an instant  he
hugged  her  tightly in  response, then  rolled off  her, still  gasping for
breath.

  Jenise scrambled to sit up.

  Ignoring the pain in her  cramped legs, she cradled  his head in her  lap.
Taking one of the gourds that still hung from his neck--although most of the
_systale_ water was  gone now--she poured  some water between  his lips.  He
drank greedily.

  Wearily,  he tried to focus up at her, his phenomenal eyes already glazing
over with exhaustion. "Do not... do not let me sleep too--"

  He didn't finish. The gentle rise of his chest told her he was already  in
spent  slumber. Amazing how he could simply fall off to sleep like that, she
marveled. How utterly... _catlike_.

  Jenise gazed down at  him; at that handsome,  strong face now softened  in
repose. He had defeated the _valdt_. She reflected on the incredible triumph
of skill and endurance she had witnessed.

  Not even a Familiar should have been able to do what he had done.

  She looked up at the stars.

  _Who was he?_

  When he opened his eyes, the third moon was beginning to rise in the  sky.
The  other  two moons  were almost  half-full, so  their light  was brighter
tonight. He had slept longer than he'd intended.

  Gian switched his focus from the night sky to Jenise.

  She was bowing over him, dozing as she sat up, still cradling his head  in
her  lap.  The long  strands of  her  pale golden  hair had  fallen forward,
draping them both as she sat sentry.

  A tender expression crossed his handsome features. It was an expression he
was not ready to show her when she was awake.

  Her  gold-tipped lashes made crescents on her smooth cheeks. He reached up
with two fingers  and lightly  stroked them, his  touch so  gentle that  her
sleep  was not disturbed. Not many, even among his own kind, would have been
able to endure what she had without a sigh of complaint. She had been  brave
that day.

  She had trusted him.

  Yes, he was beginning to understand. And more. He desired her.

  Deeply.

  It was getting stronger moment by moment.

  Even  though he'd expected  this to happen after  what they had shared, he
was nonetheless surprised  by the depth  of his wanting.  Soon, he  promised
himself.  When their position  was more secure. Then  he would show her what
true pleasure was.

  Gian Ren could not wait to  see the reflection such pleasure portrayed  on
her  open face  as he took  her. Again and  again. He would  bring her along
slowly, he decided. _Each time he would give her more._

  He wanted  to reveal  himself to  her. To  share so  many things  he  kept
hidden.  In time he  would open himself  to her, he  knew. Already, he knew.

  His knuckles  brushed  her  cheekbone  lightly.  The  feathery  touch  was
designed  to waken her  gently. The gold-tipped  lashes fluttered before she
gradually opened her eyes and gazed down at him in her lap.

  She smiled softly until her focus sharpened.

  When that happened, Gian knew she was truly awake. Her protective barriers
were  in  place. "How  are you  feeling?" she  asked gently.  He gave  her a
crooked grin. "I am alive and lying in the lap of a beautiful woman; how  do
you think I am feeling?"

  She snorted. "Seriously, Gian, are you all right?"

  He nodded.

  Her  hand smoothed  the tousled hair  from his forehead  in an unconscious
gesture. Gian purred softly. Like most Familiars, he loved to have his  hair
stroked.

  Not  that Gian would  ever admit to  it. There were  many spots that could
render a male Familiar  vulnerable to the female.  In addition to the  usual
areas, each Familiar had his own individual places of sensitivity. Places he
would never openly reveal.

  It was up to the female to discover them--if she could.

  "I cannot believe what  you have done, Gian.  Crossing the _valdt_--"  She
stopped, at a loss for words. She would never forget the way he had tried to
protect her at the end, shielding her with his own body.

  "It is all  right, you  do not  have to  say anything."  His hand  reached
behind  her neck  and pulled her  down to him.  To his lips.  "Just kiss me,
woman who seeks no pleasure, and I will know what you mean."

  She smiled  against  his  mouth,  causing him  to  smile.  He  kissed  her
thoroughly,  bringing  her sweet  mouth over  his. _The  Familiar licked her
lips_. She tingled all over.

  "Mmmm," she murmured, surprised.

  "Mmmm," he acknowledged, teasingly. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth
to carefully stroke and lap. _{You taste so good, Creamcat.}_

  She  twitched slightly, not  expecting to hear his  masculine voice in her
mind while he  kissed her. It  was a very  useful talent, she  acknowledged.
Especially  when  a sensual  voice like  his could  be used  to heighten the
erotic experience he was giving her.

  Jenise sighed into his plundering mouth. Gian purred louder.

  He took the  offering of her  breath and inhaled  it, his commanding  hand
behind  her neck making sure she  stayed just where she was--lowered to him.
By the time she realized that the  Familiar had her exactly where he  wanted
her, it was too late. Already, his spell was enveloping her, along with that
wondrous scent.

  Jenise closed her eyes and moaned aloud at the expert touch.

  _{Tell me}_ he coaxed her, his tongue sliding against hers in a  measured,
languorous  stroke. Jenise shivered,  a small sound  coming from her throat.

  {Yesss, speak  to  me,  my  creamcat.}  He  withdrew  his  tongue  to  nip
delicately  at the edges  of her lips  with his teeth.  Then he captured her
upper lip between his own and suckled on it.

  Jenise began to quiver at the incredible sensations. She did not know that
some Familiars had the ability to bring a woman to peak by their kiss alone.
However, she was about to  find that out; for Gian  had decided to begin  by
introducing her to this little talent of his.

  Jenise  had no idea  what was happening  to her except  that it felt good.
Incredibly good.

  His other hand  came around her.  The tips of  his skilled fingers  played
along the rim of her ear in a feathering caress. He slipped within her mouth
once more to rhythmically surge inside. Her entire body began to throb  with
his  heated laving. Jenise was not even aware she was making rapid sounds of
pleasure, so caught up was she in his feral passion.

  _{More, _taja_... more... }_ He  built sensation upon sensation. Her  body
was thrumming and hot, pulsing to the wild rhythm he set.

  Gian opened his mouth upon her then and gave her her first peak by purring
in a deep,  resonant rumble.  A strong vibration  sliced through  her as  he
prolonged the low, exciting sound.

  _{Sing for me, Jenise.}_

  She  cried out at the exquisite, pulsating sensation trickling inside her.
Gian felt her tremors against his mouth.

  _{Ah, yessss... }_  He swallowed  her beautiful, innocent  cries of  first
passion.  Jenise sagged limply over him,  trying to catch her ragged breath.
Her entire  body  was still  vibrating.  "Wh-what did  you  do to  me?"  The
thready, breathy voice did not sound anything like her own.

  The  Familiar looked up at her in the moonlight and smiled very slowly. It
was the smile of a satisfied cat.

  Jenise dumped him off her  lap and stood up,  brushing her dress off.  "Do
not do that again!"

  He  folded his hands  behind his head  and grinned up at  her. "How will I
stop myself?"

  Jenise exhaled  a gust  of air.  The  Familiar took  what he  wanted,  she
realized,  then he went for more. He was dangerous. She narrowed her eyes at
him. "Do not give me that innocent look! I know very well what you attempted
to do."

  "_Attempted_?" An aggrieved dimple popped into his cheek.

  Jenise  blushed. "Just do not do it  again. I was half asleep--you took me
unawares." As an excuse,  it was rather  lame. They both  knew she had  been
wide awake.

  Gian raised an eyebrow. "I see."

  "And do not raise that eyebrow at me either."

  His  lips twitched. "You sound  like a queen, Jenise.  Are you sure you do
not wish to be one?"

  _That_ she would not even respond to. She turned her back on him and began
walking over the hillock. To the _valdt_ with him!

  Gian's  sultry voice caught up with her. "Ah, _taja_, you do wish to go to
the Tunnel point, do you not?"

  "Of course I do!" she spat over her shoulder as she marched along.

  "Well... you are headed the wrong way." Her step faltered. Silence  ensued
as she thought of how she could correct this without losing face.

  "Turn around and go to the opposite hill," he called out helpfully.

  Her  shoulders  scrunched.  Resolutely, she  marched  herself around  in a
semicircle--just    to   make   it   seem   she   was   not   following  his
directions--before she followed his directions.

  Gian roared with laughter.

  Jenise ignored him. Familiars had the oddest sense of humor.

  The next thing she knew he was strolling beside her. She hadn't even heard
him come up from behind, which was highly irritating.

  "Will you forgive me?" he implored sweetly. Too sweetly.

  Despite herself,  her mouth  twitched. He  was unpredictable  and a  scamp
besides.  There was  no denying the  fact. "Well, if  you apologize nicely."

  "Please forgive me," he begged teasingly, clutching his heart. Not meaning
a word.

  Jenise  arched  a  delicate brow.  "Very  well,  since you  have  asked so
sincerely."

  A gleam came  into his  dual-colored eyes.  "My thanks  to you--woman  who
seeks _no_ pleasure."

  She slapped him with the _systale_ gourd.

  He chuckled, taking her hand as he led her into the moonlit night.

Chapter Five
============

  Crouched  down behind some  large bales of produce,  Gian scanned the tiny
outlying village for any signs of Karpon's men.

  They appeared to be safe for the time being.

  He turned to  Jenise, who  was kneeling beside  him. "Either  word of  our
escape  has  not reached  here, or  Karpon's men  have not  yet arrived," he
whispered to  her. "They  have not  even  posted a  sentry near  the  Tunnel
entrance."  He pointed to  the unguarded maw of  flashing lights which stood
directly in the center of the square. It was the Tunnel that led to the next
world.

  As  Gian  had suspected,  it was  unmanned, left  in continual  stasis. He
surmised that the small hamlet had sprung up around the Tunnel point.

  Jenise also scanned  the village. Karpon  could be very  tricky, and  even
though  they had shortened the journey here by crossing the _valdt_, she was
still wary. In either case, the Familiar was sure to draw attention. Besides
his  exceptional looks, the man was half-naked, wearing only the _tracas_ he
had stolen from the guard. Barefoot and shirtless, he was sure to be  stared
at.

  "Should we--"

  He  seemed to know what she was thinking. "No. It is too risky. The longer
we remain here, the  less our chances  of escape. Once  we pass through  the
portal,  our path will be  more difficult to trace.  I think we should leave
now and worry about my attire later."

  Jenise's brow furrowed as she thought the situation over. "What if it is a
trap?"

  "It may be... but I have no sense of it."

  So  far, the Familiar's  instincts had proven  remarkably accurate. He had
led them unerringly to this point.

  After Gian had awakened, they had traveled  the road to the south for  the
rest  of the night.  Near daybreak, he  had led them off  the pathway into a
rolling field. There he  had covered them in  leaves and brush,  effectively
camouflaging them from anyone who might be passing by.

  The tip of Jenise's ears turned pink as she recalled that he had taken her
in his arms under that blanket of leaves, telling her to sleep in that  low,
purring  voice of his. Surprisingly, she had done just that, his body warmth
and gentle caress soothing her into much needed slumber.

  She had awoken to  his hot, sweet  breath brushing the  side of her  neck,
under her ear, where he had burrowed that beautiful face while he slept. His
arms and legs were  tangled protectively around her.  She had whispered  his
name to see if he was awake.

  He  had sleepily murmured  something incoherent before  nipping his way up
the side of her throat. The tips of his fingernails scored her hipbones. She
was  beginning to  suspect this sexy  maneuver was a  favorite habit of his.
Together, the grazing strokes seemed to awaken myriad sensations in her  all
at once.

  Gian smiled slowly at her. "What are you thinking?"

  "Wh-what?" she stammered, caught off guard.

  A grin  curved a line next to his mouth. "The tips of your ears are pink."
He tweaked one  with his finger.  Jenise brushed his  hand away,  irritated.

  "What nonsense are you talking. Familiar?"

  "I  have noticed that every  time you seem to  be thinking about a certain
subject, the tips  of your ears  turn pink."  He crossed his  arms over  his
chest and arched a provoking brow. "I wonder what it could be?"

  Jenise's  nostrils flared. These Familiars  were far too observant when it
came to women! As if it was his concern what she was thinking about! "It  is
probably  an  adverse  reaction to  my  proximity  to you!"  she  shot back,
annoyed.

  His white teeth flashed  in a quick  grin. "I thought  it might be...  but
thank you for confirming it."

  Jenise stared at him disgustedly. "You know you should really work on that
humble attitude of yours--your lack of  confidence is starting to get on  my
nerves."

  He  bit his lip,  grinning. "Now where  have you ever  heard of a Familiar
that was any different, Creamcat? We are a humble people to be sure."

  "Gallingly humble, if you ask me."  She covered her pink-tipped ears  with
her hair. Gian's eyes gleamed in amusement.

  "Perhaps,  but we never  deliver less than promised,  _taja_." There was a
wealth of meaning in the heated glance he gave her.

  She could feel her ears getting pinker.

  Impishly, the Familiar bent  over and uncovered  them, nodding to  himself
when he viewed the results.

  Exasperated, Jenise exhaled loud and long. "I do not know how you can make
sport at a time like this! We are in grave danger and yet you--"

  He captured her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Never mistake--I take
the  danger and you  very seriously. It is  the Familiar nature, however, to
enjoy the moment  whenever possible. Life,  we believe, is  a passage  whose
complexity  is comprised of individual  moments. Therefore I choose to enjoy
_you_ in this moment, Jenise. Surely you would not fault me for that? If you
are  captured,  I  would  remember  my last  enjoyment...  shared  with you,
_taja_."

  "If _I_ am captured--you mean _we_, do you not? He shook his head.

  "They will not take me again,  Jenise. A Familiar's true strength is  that
he can never be owned."

  She gasped as his meaning sank in. "Surely you would not--"

  "I  would prefer to go down fighting. It  is as simple as that. I will not
give Karpon the pleasure of my execution."

  His brave  words  made  sense. "Then  I  will  do the  same,"  she  stated
courageously.

  Gian  cupped her chin. "No, _taja_, if  it comes to that, you must promise
me to stay alive to fight him another day. For both of us."

  An unbidden tear fell out of the corner of her eye. "I do not wish to stay
with him."

  He wiped the tear away with his thumb. "I know. Nor do I wish it for you,"
he said softly. "But do not worry overmuch; you see, I have faced much  more
powerful  enemies than he in the past and am here to tell the tale. Besides,
I have no intention of leaving you to  him." Puzzled, she looked up at  him.
"The principle of the thing," he whispered enigmatically, brushing her mouth
with his lips.

  "Come." He stood,  taking her hand.  "It is time  for you to  begin a  new
life, Creamcat. Let us see what awaits us beyond this Tunnel." With that, he
led her  through  the throng  of  people selling  their  wares in  the  open
marketplace that had sprung up in front of the Tunnel.

  Gian  shook his head,  thinking to himself how  similar tradesmen were the
universe over. These, like  most, hoped to catch  the travelers coming  into
this  world as  well as the  ones leaving. They  displayed inferior goods at
outrageous prices Haggling was expected.  He chuckled at the almost  comedic
nature of the scene.

  Unfortunately for the merchants, this Tunnel point did not seem to be very
active. During the  time he had  been observing  it, no one  had entered  or
exited  the  portal, which  meant that  the  trade route  was not  a heavily
traveled one.

  Although this would  make their  escape easier, he  wondered exactly  what
terrain  lay on the other side of  the Tunnel. From the lack of travelers he
could surmise that whatever was on the other side was probably nothing  more
than  a remote place  that served as  a way station  between two planets. It
very well might  be uninhabited,  serving simply as  a link  to yet  another
world.

  One  thing  was certain--whoever  was on  the other  side would  not be an
Alliance member. The  two of  them might well  be stepping  into a  barbaric
world  worse than this one. Especially since this was not the primary Tunnel
point on this world. His protective grip on Jenise's hand tightened.

  She looked at the tall Familiar questioningly.

  "You must stay by me at all times, Jenise. I know not what danger lies  on
the other side."

  "Yes  but we--"  She bit  her lip,  hesitating to  continue. Their special
agreement only lasted until they got off this world.

  For a moment her eyes watered. In  the short time they had been  together,
she  had come  to rely  on the  man. Jenise  suddenly realized  how much she
_liked_ the proud  Familiar. For all  his arrogance, there  was an  imposing
strength of character to him. And he had been her first....

  She would miss him, she was sure.

  He  squeezed  her hand  lightly, misinterpreting  her hesitation.  "Do not
worry; I will protect you."

  Moved by his gallant words, she nodded, keeping her sentiments to herself.

  In  no time at  all they were  standing before the maw  of the Tunnel. Its
bright, flashing lights  swirled and pulsated.  Curious, Jenise peered  into
the  portal, hardly believing she was about to take a step that would change
her life forever. Finally she  would be free of  this place! Though she  had
been birthed here, this place had never been her home.

  Someone exited the Tunnel, quickly hobbling past them.

  Gian turned to smile at her, then stopped suddenly, his back straightening
in a wary stance.

  "What is it?" she asked him, worried.

  He did not answer her. Slowly he turned, his gold and green eyes  scanning
the  crowd  of  merchants in  the  marketplace. _Someone  was  observing him
intently_.

  His eyes shifted back  to the Tunnel entrance  and rested on the  dwarfish
alien  who had just exited the Tunnel. The alien was leaning heavily against
a small, crooked staff.  His wrinkled  features and  long snout  gave him  a
curious appearance.

  As  the being  rested a moment,  his bumpy head  pivoted. Small dark eyes,
lost in multitudinous folds of skin, peered at them intently.

  Gian returned the scrutinizing stare if for no other reason than he was  a
Familiar  who would  not be  intimidated. For an  instant he  thought he saw
surprise in the alien's eyes. It was as if the alien hadn't expected to  see
a Familiar there; although why that should be was a mystery.

  Under  Gian's masterful, piercing look,  the odd alien rapidly turned from
him, hurrying on its way.

  "It is nothing to be concerned about, _taja_; simply a vagabond traveler."

  She smiled at him, relieved.

  And  in that moment it  struck Gian how beautiful  her smile was, how pure
and sweet and genuine.  He smiled softly  back at her and  led her into  the
turbulent cosmic miasma known as the Matrix.

  They exited the Tunnel onto a Hat plain, an unending vista of brown.

  The   dry,  mostly  barren  plateau  was  dotted  occasionally  by  sparse
vegetation--also brown. On this world, the binary suns were setting; already
night sounds of wild fauna echoed across the expanse.

  Gian's  acute senses immediately  scanned the area,  alert for any danger.
His grip on Jenises hand remained secure.

  "Gian... "  Jenise spoke  faintly  at his  side.  I feel..."  She  swayed,
unexpectedly dizzy.

  The  Familiar swiftly caught  her in his arms  before she toppled over. He
swung her  up in  his embrace.  "Jenise, was  this your  first time  in  the
Tunnels?" He was astounded.

  "Y-yes. What is wrong with me? Why do I... feel... so disoriented?"

  "It  is the effect  of the phasing  on the first  passage. You should have
told me before we  entered. There is  an elixir we might  have been able  to
obtain  in the marketplace to  ease your displacement symptoms. Although the
effect is temporary, you will feel quite ill for a while, Creamcat."

  Jenise viewed him through eyes that were bleary and frightened.  "You--you
won't leave me while I am like this, will you, Gian?"

  "_Leave you_?" He frowned down at her for the ridiculous statement. He had
carried her across a death pit on his back for an entire day! And had almost
died  doing so.  _Now she thinks  I will leave  her because she  is a little
dizzy_?

  No wonder Familiars adored women so!  Who knew how their convoluted  minds
worked?

  "Yes... our agreement... just until we entered the Tunnel..."

  Now he understood.

  He  gave her a tender look, stroking  her cheek with one finger as he held
her. "_Taja_, I would never--"

  But she  didn't hear  him; she  had already  passed out  from the  vertigo
caused by the transplacement through space.

  Night  was falling fast on this unknown world. Gian thought it wise not to
take any chances.

  Carrying her, he walked along the  plain until he spotted a lone  _nanyat_
tree.  He had seen this kind of  tree on other worlds. Symmetrical in shape,
the flat branches were just wide enough to lie upon for shelter. The  thick,
dark  fronds would shield them from view from anyone on the ground while the
height would protect them from unknown predators.

  Making his decision, he slung the unconscious Jenise--who had almost  been
the  sovereign ruler of a planet--over  his broad shoulder, much like a sack
of grain. He then  proceeded to climb  the tree with  her swinging over  his
back. Familiars were never ones for protocol.

  When he found the branch he wanted right near the middle, night stars were
already dotting the sky.  A meteor shower soon  created a dazzling  display.

  Jenise  opened her eyes to streaking lights whizzing in and out of swaying
fronds. Her brow furrowed. How could that be?

  Something warm and comfortable was wrapped around her.

  She blinked and tried in vain to stretch.

  Apparently whatever  was keeping  her warm  was also  preventing her  from
stretching. A masculine leg was thrown over her thighs. Strong muscular arms
were wrapped securely around her waist.

  She sighed. It  was the Familiar.  He hadn't left  her. She sighed  again.

  "Mmmm?" His teeth grazed her throat.

  She waited for . . .

  His  nails pressed  and scraped teasingly  at an angle  over her hips. She
smiled to herself. "Why are you holding me so tightly?"

  "So you do not fall  out of this _nanyat_," said  the husky voice next  to
her ear.

  "_Nanyat_?" Her palm felt along under her until the support seemed to just
fall away. Carefully, she peeked over the  edge of the branch they were  on.
It  was a long  way down. She was  astonished. "Gian, how did  you get us up
here?"

  She felt him smile against her neck. "Very carefully," he murmured.

  "Can we get down?"

  "Yes," he chuckled, nuzzling his chin  against her shoulder. "How are  you
feeling?"

  Jenise  rubbed her forehead. "Not too bad, most of the ill effects seem to
be gone."  She bit  her  lip and  glanced at  him  over her  shoulder.  "You
stayed." She spoke in a cautious voice.

  The  tip of  his tongue began  to tease her  ear. "Did you  really think I
would leave you?"

  "I was  not  sure."  She  sucked  in her  breath  as  that  wicked  tongue
delicately probed at the canal. The stimulating action sent shivers down her
spine.

  "How can I make you sure?" he whispered hotly in her ear.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Nothing...   "  His  Familiar  touch   skipped  along  her  heated  skin.
"Nothing... " His Familiar mouth captured hers. Hotly, fiercely.

  She  groaned something, whether  denial or encouragement  she had no idea.
With his skilled mouth drawing on her, he made her lose every thought in her
head save the feel of him.

  _{Open  for me, Jenise.}_ The telepathic command was accentuated by a sexy
little nip he gave to her bottom lip.

  "I--"

  His tongue stroked inside  her mouth. A  damp, sensitizing invasion.  Warm
puffs  of  breath escaped  her  lungs, going  into  his mouth.  Gian growled
softly.

  The Familiar kissed as if he loved the taste of her. Deep and  passionate,
he  laved  her lips,  her tongue,  the inner  recesses of  her mouth. Jenise
kissed him back, enjoying his expertise in this simple act.

  Only with him it was not so simple an act.

  She wondered if he was  going to do what he  had done the last  time--gift
her with that exquisite torture that made her...

  _Surely there was no name for it!_

  Remembering how he had opened his sensual mouth over hers to purr directly
into her throat, Jenise moaned and squirmed against him in anticipation. She
shouldn't  be thinking of such things or even inviting them, but it had felt
so incredibly good.

  Gian smiled  faintly as  he  licked a  molten  path along  the  delectable
fullness of her lips. He knew exactly what she was remembering.

  He intended to add to those memories in a most notable way.

  Gian  had no intention of bringing her to peak with his kiss as he had the
last time. He only wanted her to think he might.

  As he was forced to pace himself during this journey to Aviara, so too, he
must pace himself on this other, sensual journey with his creamcat. The time
had come for him to begin to introduce her to the real pleasure that existed
between a man and a woman.

  This  non-Familiar woman was about to learn a lot about the Familiar male.
Best he  teach her  carefully  about their  special desires.  Carefully  and
gently. _At first._

  So Guardian of the Mist quickly made up his mind, as was his nature on two
matters: the first, that he  _was_ going to take  her now; the second,  that
his touch upon her would be a slow and easy hand.

  Her  anticipation would lead  her unknowingly to follow  him as he led her
deeper into her own sensuality.

  In all  ways,  Gian  was  true  to  his  feline  self.  He  was  sometimes
mischievous.  He could be tricky. He was often protective. But he was always
smart.

  In all ways, he was a master strategist.

  Regardless of the parameters of the match, Guardian of the Mist played  to
win.  He was a powerful  Familiar in his prime  and, like most Familiars, he
was at his most dangerous when his intent was sexual.

  Jenise, who had just begun her life of adventure, had no idea how  serious
a Familiar could be when it came to certain matters.

  As  he continued  to kiss and  nip and lave  at her mouth,  using a highly
expert technique, Gian carefully untied the thick black ribbon that held her
cloak  together.  With a  master's  light touch,  he  spread the  cloak out,
letting the sides drape over the _nanyat_ limb.

  A light breeze caught  at the heavy  material, flapping it  gently in  the
sporadic wind. He liked the sound of it.

  His  clever fingers threaded into her  long hair, letting the pale strands
sift gradually through his hand as he examined its lovely sheen. The back of
his  other  hand brushed  against the  creamy skin  of her  collarbone, in a
feathery touch.

  All the while,  his creative  mouth and  tongue promised  her nothing  but
pleasure.

  Jenise  clung to those talented lips, unaware of the skill he was using on
her. She arched up as male fingers whispered a sensitizing pattern down  the
side of her breast, over the loose material of her gown.

  Gian's  open  mouth  teased along  her  jawline, his  tongue  flicking and
darting as he went. The same hand that just skirted her breast continued its
descent   in  a  gradual  exploration,  lightly  massaging  to  heighten her
awareness of his touch. His other hand tangled in her hair, gently  tugging.

  Calmly, he licked across her collarbone, his tranquil movements enervating
her. Then at the base of her  throat, just above her collarbone, he  suckled
delicately. There was a tiny _sting_.

  Jenise gasped, her hands sinking into his hair.

  The  sensitive spot  was a pleasure  center well known  to male Familiars.
Gian drew  carefully on  the tender  skin, purposely  leaving his  signature
bite--a tiny love mark.

  Now,  he would see it  every time he looked upon  her. See it and remember
the incredible feminine taste of her.

  Remember this first time of true pleasure.

  A roll of satisfaction soughed from the back of his throat.

  His palm press-rubbed  the length  of her  thigh and  calf, gathering  the
material of her gown in his grip as he reached her slender ankle.

  Lifting  the material, he let the tips of his fingers stroke up the satiny
side of her leg in an easy, meandering path. Before she realized his intent,
he  inserted  his muscular  thigh  between her  now-exposed legs  and rubbed
against the soft inner skin.

  Jenise blinked. What  was he doing?  It was certainly  more than  kissing.
More than she had intended. "Gian," she croaked, "perhaps we should--"

  He was not listening to her.

  His  white teeth captured the peak  of her breast right through the fabric
of her gown! She could feel that damp,  burning mouth as if no cloth at  all
lay between them. Jenise wriggled on his thigh to get his attention, but the
movement only seemed to make matters worse.

  Or better, depending  on one's point  of view. Mortified,  she could  feel
herself becoming damp. She opened her mouth to say something.

  Taking Jenise's squirming as encouragement Gian pulled her thigh up closer
around his hip and rocked enticingly against her. Still gripping the tip  of
her  breast between  his teeth, he  began to draw  strongly on the throbbing
nub.

  Jenise forgot what she had been about to say.

  The man was making her feel things  she had never felt before! And all  of
the  sensations were  pleasureable. Perhaps she  should explore this further
and see what transpired?

  He unclasped her gown at the shoulders, tugging it down to her waist.  His
mouth  truly captured her now  and if she thought that  what he was doing to
her before could  not be improved  upon, then she  was highly mistaken.  His
broad palm cupped her breast, holding it up to his lips.

  _A rough tongue scraped the swollen tip in a long, slow lick._

  Taking soft nibbles along the underside of her breast, he nuzzled his chin
along the plump  globe, purring contentedly  into the satiny  valley of  her
chest.  The erotic vibrations skittered  over her like pulsating waterfalls.

  Jenise's arms encircled his neck, drawing him closer to her as she decided
that she definitely liked what he was doing. She had already known this man;
had felt him  inside her in  the most  intimate way possible.  Now her  body
seemed  to be  humming for him,  reaching toward him  in a way  that was not
simply physical. Perhaps it was because of what they had shared in the  cell
where he was held captive?

  Absently, she stroked his nape as he purred roughly against her.

  By now she knew his scent.

  It  covered  her, exciting  her. She  also knew  what that  alluring scent
promised.

  When her hand grazed the _krill_-textured strands of his burnished  golden
hair,  Jenise realized that rumors about the exquisite feel of Familiar hair
were also  true. She  had never  felt anything  like it...  Stroking it  was
addictive.

  At her petting touch, Gian encouraged her by murmuring huskily.

  She  smiled faintly, pressing  her lips against his  smooth brow. He liked
her touching his hair, she discovered, surprised.

  If she only knew what else he liked.

  His tongue traced  a meandering route  down the valley  of her chest;  its
languid  flicking relaxing her yet stimulating her at the same time. When he
reached her navel, he circled the  perimeter of the small indentation,  then
teasingly poked at it with the tip of his tongue.

  In  a very unsovereignlike action,  she giggled at the ticklish sensation.

  Gian chuckled at her  innocent response, wondering if  she was aware  that
the  area  was alive  with  nerve endings  perfect for  certain stimulation.
_Friction_ being the first that came to his mind.

  She would be feeling that particular stimulation very soon now.

  He grinned to  himself as  he expertly plied  his sensual  arts upon  her.

  Nudging  the draping material  of her gown lower  with his nose, he subtly
bit the rounded  curve of her  lower belly.  It was one  of several  special
Familiar  bites that he  would be introducing  her to. This  one was an airy
graze using a gentle combination of teeth and pressure. Named _the  Kitten's
Kiss_, the bite was designed to entice but not devastate.

  Gian was not aiming for devastation.

  _Yet._

  As  far  as he  was concerned,  this  was her  first real  experience with
lovemaking. He  had  no intention  of  overwhelming her  with  his  Familiar
appetite.

  _Unless she asked him to._

  Then he would be most happy to oblige her.

  Jenise  shivered  from the  erotic sting.  Once again,  she began  to have
doubts about  the wisdom  of engaging  a Familiar  in such  activities.  His
tastes seemed far too sophisticated for her.

  Her touch became noticeably hesitant upon him.

  Guardian  of the Mist did  not give her time  to become any more hesitant.

  Moving up on her once again, he  covered her mouth in a fiery  possession,
driving  every concern out of her head. As he lingered upon her, kissing her
senseless, his hand  surreptitiously went  to the lacings  on his  breeches.
Familiar  dexterity being what it was, he unlaced the _tracas_ in no time at
all.

  Then he purposely sent her a very heated thought.

  _{I want to be inside you, Jenise. Like I was before... only this time,  I
want to show you what it is supposed to be... }_ He rubbed his shaft against
the delicate folds of her femininity.

  As he'd expected, she was very wet. He had taken great care that she would
be.

  Jenise  moaned at the thick surge between her legs. The Familiar slid back
and forth along her  nether lips, his mouth  coaxing, his body pressing  her
down  as he spoke  in her mind,  erotic messages, asking her  to let him in.

  _{Do you know what you felt like to me... ?}_ His tongue stroked hers. She
cried out against him, caught in his spell.

  _{You are sweet fire and spicy cream, _taja_... I have never felt anything
like it... }_ He rotated his hips  against her, the broad head of his  shaft
pressing heavily against her dewy moisture.

  A whimpering sound of desire came from her.

  It was good, but Gian wanted her more than ready for him. He held off even
as she opened her thighs for him.  His arms encircled her, one hand  sliding
up  under her hairline at the nape  of her neck. The other hand reached down
to cup her bottom, bringing her tightly to him.

  He twitched against her.

  Jenise thrashed in the intimate embrace, wanting him now with an intensity
she  never knew existed between a man and a woman. She whimpered against his
lips, begging him in guttural sounds to appease this longing he had created.

  _{Yes,  I will, Creamcat, but when I stroke inside you, I want to hear who
it is you are feeling...}_ He released her mouth to slide fast into her.  As
deep as he could go.

  "_Gian!_" She screamed out his name.

  He groaned a feral response before sharply biting her shoulder.

  There  was no getting  around the fact  that he was a  cat at heart. Wild,
intense, untamable.

  But he could also be very loving.

  His silken  lips  sipped on  her  jawline; then  he  let his  mouth  brush
tantalizingly  across the tips of her eyelashes as if he had longed to do so
forever. A low moan of gratification hummed from him.

  Cognizant of her untried state, he moved carefully within her, using long,
slow thrusts designed to acclimate her to him. The even rocking motion built
and built until Jenise thought she would die of it.

  "What--what do you do to me?" she panted raggedly.

  _{Put your other  leg around my  hip, Jenise,  and I will  show you...  }_

  Jenise  did as he asked, wrapping him completely in her embrace, wondering
what more he  could possibly do?  Surely nothing could  be more  pleasurable
than what he was doing now?

  She was soon to discover how wrong that assumption was.

  Guardian  of the Mist truly came to her then. Powerfully. Consummately. He
thrust into her with a steady rhythm that made her tremble all over.

  A wild pressure built between  her thighs where he  moved. More and  more.
_Too much!_ She tried to tell him. "I... something..."

  "Yes,  _something_," he  drawled out  loud before capturing  her breast to
draw upon it strongly, his hips rotating once again.

  Jenise came apart.

  She reared up  as rapid  explosions vibrated through  her. The  sensations
radiated  from the place  where they joined,  intensifying moment by moment.
Again she called his name, only this time on a wave of satisfaction.

  Gian covered her lips to experience her cries of passion as he, too, found
release.  A perfect release of their first completion. He sagged against her
before lifting himself on his elbows to stare down at her.

  Jenise gazed up at him in awe.

  Tossing his silken hair back, he gave  her a crooked grin. "So, woman  who
seeks no pleasure, now what do you think?"

  Her palm cupped his cheek. "I think from this day forward I shall be known
as 'woman who _seeks_ pleasure.'"

  He laughed huskily,  winking at  her. Since  they were  still joined,  she
could  feel his deep laugh move through  him and her. Curling his large hand
over hers, he turned his head to kiss the center of her palm.

  A puff of air escaped  her lips at the  warm-hearted gesture. He could  be
so... so... _unpredictable_. But then. Familiars--

  Her  brow  knitted as  she suddenly  remembered that  other rumor  she had
heard. The  one regarding  their  sexual skills.  Her expressive  aqua  eyes
opened wide.

  "Gian... they say that Familiars have the special ability to--to 'enhance'
during the sexual act. What does this mean?"

  He didn't answer  her; he simply  gave her a  very sexy, very  mischievous
smile.

  Then, while still joined to her, he gave her a very nonverbal explanation.
_He enhanced_.

  Her cries of ecstasy echoed across the plains for a long, long time.

Chapter Six
===========

  _Planet Aviara, House of Sages, High Guild_

  "We must send someone! And quickly!  Gian Ren has been missing too  long!"

  "Perhaps we should wait a little longer? What if we send someone and he is
angry that we interfered?"

  Yaniff, the most revered mystic in the House of Sages, closed his eyes and
groaned.  This debate had been going on in the High Guild for days upon days
and still nothing had been  decided. He thought of  the old saying that  two
wizards in a room usually resulted in three different opinions. It certainly
seemed to be true here.

  Let me see, he  ruminated whimsically to himself,  with twelve mystics  in
the chamber, that was about... eighteen opinions.

  An  _arghhh_ of acute pain sounded a lengthy note in his head. It was time
he stepped into the fracas.

  "_Interfered_?" Yaniff snorted in  disdain. "Interfered!" He pierced  each
member with a disgusted look. Since they were all sitting at the long debate
table and he was standing  off to the far right  side, Yaniff felt he had  a
pretty good advantage.

  As one, they all turned to stare at him, identical expressions of surprise
on their faces.

  It was not often that Yaniff voiced such a vehement sentiment. Usually the
old  wizard's opinions were shrouded  in the mysterious verbiage universally
adored by high-level mystics. Verbiage  designed to send lesser wizards  and
scholars into a frenzy of interpretation. Indeed, it was often remarked that
the more obscure the pronouncement, the more accurate the insight.

  The wizard named Gelfan  was the first  to recover from  the shock of  the
bold statement.

  This did not surprise Yaniff. Of all the members in the High Guild, it was
Gelfan who had to be watched  most carefully. The man was shrewd,  powerful,
and  not prone to  leniency. He was  a high sixth-level  mystic who wore his
immense power like a proud cloak.

  Yaniff had never been impressed by him.

  "You have something to say to us, Yaniff?"

  Yaniff came forward, leaning  on his tall wizard's  staff, his long  white
hair flowing behind him. A small crystal point flashed in his ear, as it did
from every member of the House of Sages. They were all members of the Charl;
an  elite  group  of  warrior  mystics  whose  special  skills  were revered
throughout the Alliance.

  In   addition  to  the  crystal  mark   of  the  Charl,  Yaniff  wore  the
crimson-magenta   robes  adorned   with  the   golden  symbols   of  a  high
seventh-level mystic. In all of Aviara there was none greater than he.

  As usual, Bojo, his winged companion, sat squarely on his shoulder.

  He captured each and every member in his penetrating regard as he  shifted
his  focus down the  long table. It  was well noted  that Yaniff's eyes were
darker than the darkest night, their depths were always unfathomable.

  Bojo captured the Sages in the  same black-eyed stare. The overall  effect
was daunting, to say the least.

  "Yes,  I have something  to say. We  have wasted too  much time with these
infernal, endless debates! It is time for action. _Taj_ Gian is missing;  of
that there is no doubt. There is great unrest on M'yan, the homeworld of the
Familiar people. We have an enduring, binding covenant with them and even if
we  did not, we personally owe such  action to Guardian of the Mist. We must
send a knight after him. _Now_."

  Gelfan's mouth pursed in  annoyance. "No one is  disputing our loyalty  to
the  Familiar people,  Yaniff. You need  not hold our  special alliance with
them before our faces as if we are unaware of it."

  "No? Then what is taking you so  long to act?" Ernak, a kindly old  wizard
who  could never make up his mind  on any issue because he talked himself in
circles, stroked his face thoughtfully. "We must debate such issues, Yaniff.
Otherwise, how would we know we were proceeding on the proper course?"

  "True, true," several voices chimed in.

  "But on the other hand," Ernak continued, "perhaps we do need to come to a
decision..."

  Yaniff stared at  Ernak with  a flat  expression. _There  Ernak goes_.  He
winced. _Round and round_.

  "True,  true," the  same voices concurred.  It was all  Yaniff could do to
contain himself.

  "I say  this!"  Wolthanth  suddenly  stood  up,  pointing  his  forefinger
straight  up in the air. Everyone  silenced to hear what momentous thing the
man had to say.

  Unfortunately, in the time it took for Wolthanth to stand and deliver that
uprised finger, he had already forgotten what it was he wished to say.

  Such  an occurrence  was a  regular one  and seemed  to go  along with the
general age factor in the room. To be a member in the House of Sages one had
to  be a Sage, and to be a Sage  one had to be _around_ for quite some time.
Yaniff shook his head, muttering under his breath. It was business as  usual
in the High Guild.

  Oh,  how he  would love  to hurl a  rapid power  bolt at the  wall just to
silence them all! Lamentably, the use  of magic within the sacred halls  was
strictly forbidden.

  He  took a deep breath instead. It was not as if he hadn't been putting up
with this for ages upon ages.

  Gelfan surprised him,  however, by  suddenly switching  his viewpoint  and
coming to Yaniff's aid. Or so it seemed.

  "Perhaps  Yaniff  is right--we  need  to stop  this  bickering and  make a
decision. I call  for a  vote. Those  in favor of  sending a  knight out  to
search for Gian, raise your hands."

  Seven hands rose. Eight if you counted Ernak's, which was raised, lowered,
and then  raised again.  Apparently  the eternal  struggle to  debate  never
ceased  in some philosophers. It mattered  not. With seven votes, they had a
decision. A knight would be sent.

  Already anticipating the next round  of torture, Yaniff waited  patiently.

  Gelfan started it by saying, "Unfortunately most of our high-level knights
are already on quests for the Charl. We will have to send Lorgin."

  Yaniff was ready for this. And he also knew where Gelfan was headed.  "No.
Lorgin  cannot  go." As  Lorgin's  mentor, Yaniff's  words would  carry much
weight.

  "Why not?" Gelfan asked slyly. "He is here and available. He also  happens
to be one of our best knights."

  Yaniff   knew   Gelfan's  methods;   the  man   was  seeking  information.
Consequently, he was very  careful about what  he said and  what he did  not
say. "This may prove a dangerous mission. Lorgin cannot be the one."

  Gelfan  was not about to accept that. "I fail to see why not--he is highly
trained and a fourth-level Charl."

  "Heed me when I say he must remain here with his mate."

  Several eyebrows rose at the cryptic comment. Yaniff, who had the gift  of
prophecy  as well as "the Sight"  was looking beyond--but to what? They knew
better than to question this most revered mystic. He would reveal only  what
he chose to reveal.

  Wolthanth  spoke,  effectively overruling  Gelfan: "We  agree, Lorgin will
remain."

  Yaniff nodded an acknowledgment to Wolthanth.

  There was silence for a  few moments as the  assemblage tried to think  of
another likely candidate.

  "What about Rejar?" Ernak asked finally.

  Alert, Yaniff replied, "What about him?"

  "He  is now studying to be of the Charl. Though he is new to his training,
he is still a son of Krue--"

  "Albeit half-Familiar," Gelfan added, insinuatingly.

  Yaniff's attention  switched to  Gelfan for  a moment,  his piercing  gaze
speculative.  There would be trouble here,  he realized... but not today. He
focused on the discussion at hand.

  "Perhaps Rejar  is a  good  choice then."  Ernak  rubbed his  chin,  still
thinking it over.

  "We will choose him," Gelfan stated.

  Yaniff  viewed them all, his gaze going  from one to the other. A flash of
annoyance lit his deep eyes. "No, we will not."

  All eyes focused on Yaniff.

  "_We will leave Rejar to unfold as he should_."

  It was then they all knew there was something here; something that  Yaniff
was  not yet  ready to expound  upon. The group  of wizards all  sat in deep
thought as they watched him, wondering whether to proceed with the topic  of
sending Rejar.

  They  were all  experienced mentors. One  of the problems  of dealing with
unfoldment was  the timing.  In such  matters, timing  could be  everything.
Every  mystic  present was  aware that  destiny  often rode  on the  back of
timing. And so, as one, they decided to move on to the next candidate.

  Only there was no other candidate.

  Zysyz, the youngest of the wizards,  informed the group of that fact.  "We
are  out of  candidates," he  baldly stated, making  his first contribution.

  Though it wasn't exactly an opinion,  it was true. Several members  nodded
approvingly at him.

  "Bojo,"  Yaniff grumbled under his breath, "please stop me from banging my
head against the wall." Bojo squawked, flapping his wings as though  amused.
Yaniff glanced at him in mock annoyance.

  "There is one other," Yaniff carefully announced.

  "Who?"

  "Who is it?"

  "There is?" They all spoke at once.

  Yaniff  held  up his  hands to  stop  the chatter  before he  supplied the
answer. "Traed."

  Dead silence fell over the sacred room like a heavy cloak. Finally  Gelfan
spoke. "_Traed ta'al Theardar_?" he asked in disbelief.

  "Traed  ta'al Yaniff,"  Yaniff corrected  him. He  had taken  Traed to his
bloodline, giving him his  name after the death  of Traed's natural  father,
Theardar.

  Silence reigned at the pointed reminder. Yaniff's bloodline was one of the
most revered in Aviara. Traed now  belonged to that line; therefore  extreme
caution  was needed.  No one wished  to insult Yaniff's  bloodline. To do so
would be the height of folly.

  Finally Ernak  mumbled, "We  know of  his power,  of course;  he  revealed
himself  to us with his arc when he called upon you to save Rejar. Which was
commendable of him," he added as an afterthought. "Are you saying his  power
is that significant?"

  "I am."

  "So  the son follows  the father," Gelfan sneered.  "The power in his line
drove Theardar mad--it will drive the  son mad as well." Traed's father  had
been  a sixth-level mystic  who could not control  his special gifts. He had
turned to darkness and had almost destroyed his son in the process.

  "This will not happen to Traed."

  "We cannot afford to take such a chance, Yaniff." Wolthanth agreed.  "What
if he cannot master his power? He has not been properly trained."

  "You  need a warrior. Traed is a  warrior; an artist of the blade. Trained
by Krue himself."

  "But mystically! He  has not  been trained!  He could  be a  danger to  us
all--a threat to our very existence!" _That_ was Gelfan.

  "Or  our savior." Yaniff mocked the group before him. "Ironic, is it not?"

  It was difficult to meet his eye, for each man at the table knew what  had
been  done in  the past to  Traed; indeed  they had all  participated in it.
Through no fault of his own, they had robbed Traed of his heritage.

  Great wizard that he  was, Yaniff knew when  to press his advantage.  "The
man  will conquer his power.  I believe in him. I  always have. We owe him a
chance to prove himself. _We owe him_."

  An uncomfortable pause followed. "Vote?" Gelfan spoke low.

  Thirteen hands rose.

  "Very well, Yaniff, we will leave it to you to send him."

  Yaniff nodded, turning to leave. Wolthanth  came up beside him. "I do  not
envy  you your task  in telling the  lad, Yaniff. He has  always been a most
stubborn youth; one who follows the beat of his own tune."

  Yaniff smiled ironically. "Yes, he does."

  "Obstinate, as I recall." Wolthanth's eyes twinkled.

  Yaniff   quickly  defended  Traed's  nature.  "I  have  always  felt  that
steadfastness  and individuality  were very good  qualities for a high-level
mystic."

  "True, true. Not only do they add  to his character, but he will never  be
one to be easily persuaded." Wolthanth grinned wryly. "Again, my condolences
on your task."

  Yaniff laughed  heartily, slapping  his old  friend on  the back  as  they
walked out of the chamber.

  Traed ta'al Yaniff sat brooding in the corner of a tavern.

  Booted  feet hooked over  the rungs of a  wooden chair, he morosely stared
into the depths of his horn of _keeran_.

  Yaniff was not overly concerned.

  This was the man's normal expression. Traed had ever been like the surface
of  a lake... the dark, quiet exterior  hid all kinds of mysteries below the
surface.

  But not from Yaniff.

  Yaniff had glimpsed the real Traed.

  The man who kept  himself under such firm  control was in actuality  quite
different beneath the exterior shield.

  In  keeping  with his  overall demeanor,  the waist-length  strands of his
midnight hair  were  pulled back  tightly  from his  sculpted  features  and
perfunctorily clasped with a twisted leather thong.

  Only  the light jade-colored eyes hinted at the roiling emotions below the
surface. For all his control, Traed could not completely prevent the  sparks
of  passion kindling in those eyes. They  were the sparks of an Aviaran male
of considerable power.

  For the men of their world, power was an immutable fact of life. It flowed
through them like a current and when they were moved by their emotions, this
current was  always  visible  in the  eyes  as  tiny bursts  of  light.  The
intensity  of these  sparks was  directly related to  individual potency. In
times of passion, the more power a man contained, the more he sparked.

  By their very natures, the Charl were high sparkers.

  Yaniff ruminated on Traed's appearance. _One wonders what would happen  if
he  were to truly let  that hair come loose...  There is untold capacity for
emotion within him. Emotion and compassion_.

  Compassion was crucial to a man with such power.

  Yaniff approached the table  and stood before the  turbulent man until  he
finally  deigned to ac-knowledge his  presence. Traed's head rose gradually.
When he saw who it  was who had come to  bother him, his nostrils flared  in
annoyance.

  "The answer is _no_."

  Chuckling,  Yaniff pulled  out a  chair, seating himself  across the table
from the green-eyed man. "You do not even know why I have come."

  "Yes, I do. You wish me to do something that I do not want to do."

  Yaniffs lips twitched. "Now how can you possibly know that?"

  "Because... you would  not seek me  out like this  if it were  otherwise."
Traed slammed his horn on the table.

  "Hmmm." Yaniff stroked Bojo's feathers. "Perhaps I simply want to converse
with you?"

  "No."

  "Hmm." Yaniff motioned the  serving man to bring  him a horn of  _keeran_.
"Perhaps I simply want to share a drink with you?"

  "_No_, Yaniff."

  The  server  placed the  horn before  the old  wizard. Picking  it up, the
ancient wizard sipped it contemplatively. "Come now, Traed, at least give me
a chance.  A man who does not know what he seeks cannot recognize it when he
finds it."

  The flat of  Traed's palm came  down on the  tabletop. He leaned  forward,
pastel  eyes  glittering.  "All  you need  is  a  chance! Think  you  I have
forgotten how you maneuvered me the last time, sending me to Ree Gen Cee Ing
Land  after Rejar? Playing  us both so  that I would reveal  my power to the
Guild in order  to save him  while he  would come to  acknowledge his  place
within the Charl? Meddling in our lives?"

  The  lad had the right of it  there. Yaniff shrugged nonchalantly. "I am a
wizard--it is what we do."

  As if that was an explanation.  Traed's eyes sparked briefly. "I will  not
do it, Yaniff."

  "Very well." Yaniff sipped his drink again.

  Traed nodded curtly, going back to his own drink.

  Whereupon  Yaniff tossed a figurative thunderbolt. "I suppose," he mumbled
into the horn, "that Gian Ren will be lost to us forever, then."

  Traed choked on his drink. Obligingly,  the crafty wizard leaned over  and
slapped his back.

  "Are  you telling me,"  he sputtered, "that the  Guild had the audacity to
ask me to go after him?"

  "Well... not quite."

  The jade eyes narrowed to thin slits.

  "They are not exactly asking."

  "I see. As usual, they decree and  expect others to follow. Well, I  might
remind  them that I was never fully  initiated into the Charl. I owe them no
allegiance."

  "Hmm." Yaniff sipped some more _keeran_. Waiting patiently for the pot  to
boil.

  "How dare they think I would honor such a call!"

  "Hmm?"

  "Did  they think to ensnare me with  my 'family honor'? I owe them nothing
and will give them the same!"

  "Hmmm."

  "Perhaps they think I would feel bound to you, Yaniff? Because I wear your
Cearix? Then they know me not!"

  "Hmmm."

  Traed slammed back his chair, his jade eyes sparking. "I care not for such
honor I tell you!"

  _The pot  is boiling_.  As if  he  had not  a care  in the  world,  Yaniff
finished his drink. _Time to add the spice_. "One might say Gian is almost a
blood relative to you, what with his relation to Rejar and, in a way, Krue."

  Traed paused in his tirade.

  _Ah,  the  magic word_.  Yaniff knew  that Traed  secretly longed  for the
recognition of Krue, a man he respected  and loved as a father. The man  who
was prevented from raising him as his son-of-the-line.

  Bested, Traed closed his eyes. "This is the last time, Yaniff."

  The  corners of  Yaniffs lips lifted  ever so slightly.  _Not quite_. "You
must leave at once, Traed; the situation is most grave."

  "Do you know where he was headed when he left M'yan?"

  "Not entirely. There is speculation he was headed in the direction of  the
far  rim. There is a planet there  that concerns me, called Ganakari. I have
followed 'sight' of him to that place but lost it. Start there."

  Traed nodded resignedly. Yaniff stood to leave.

  The green-eyed man forestalled him by placing  his hand on his arm. "I  am
not doing this for the reason you think, Yaniff."

  "Of  course not. You would never want to be confused with being honorable,
Traed."

  Traed's hand automatically went to the Cearix on his belt.

  Yaniff chuckled. "As I said. In any event, you do not know what _I_ think,
Traed."

  The  compelling eyes captured the old man. "That is true. It is what makes
you so all-powerful, Yaniff."

  Not _all_ powerful, the old wizard thought tiredly as he left.

  No, not all.

  When Yaniff returned to  his cottage, his new  student, Rejar ta'al  Krue,
was pacing the floor like a caged beast.

  Again, Yaniff was not surprised.

  For  a man who  was Familiar in appearance  and abilities, yet held within
him a revered Aviaran  bloodline, Rejar was a  most stubborn apprentice.  He
resented what he perceived as his loss of autonomy. He was always tugging on
the imaginary collar of the Charl that had been placed about him.

  Yaniff chuckled. Truly, the bloodline of Krue was a trial to him.  Between
Lorgin,  Rejar, and Traed, he was kept fairly busy. Then again, they were an
enjoyable lot. What was  more, they were  his lot. He  tickled Bojo under  a
wing  play-fully as he closed the  rickety wooden door behind him. Some days
it was good to be a cryptic wizard.

  Rejar stopped  pacing to  glare  at the  old  mystic; his  blue/gold  eyes
narrowing.

  _Here it comes_, Yaniff snickered to himself. _Part two_.

  Purposely  ignoring the Familiar, Yaniff made  his way to the table. Tomes
of wizardry were scattered about its scarred wooden surface. Bojo rose  from
his shoulders to settle on his usual perch in the rafters as Yaniff sat down
and opened an ancient leather-bound journal.

  He began to read a passage out loud to Krue's youngest son.

  Rejar began pacing  again. Familiars always  had to be  watched when  they
paced. It was a sure sign trouble was brewing.

  Yaniff  ignored the signs, continuing with the particularly boring passage
on the obscure nature of elements.

  A barely audible groan reached Yaniff.

  He tried not to smile as  he read aloud. Rejar was  a trial, but he had  a
certain way about him. Yaniff was very fond of Rejar. " 'And so from this we
see that the  elemental transitions are  accomplished when'--Rejar, are  you
listening to me?" Yaniff did not look up as he perused the passage.

  A gust  of  air  left  the  Familiar's  disgusted  albeit  beautiful lips.
Impatient with the endless lessons (which  had only just begun), he  stormed
over to the window and stared moodily outside at the yellow sunshine. It was
a perfect day.

  Which didn't help matters.

  Familiars loved to be out and about looking for mischief on a day such  as
this.  Who  knew what  delicious adventures  awaited the  bold? Rejar stared
longingly out the window.

  Trills sang in  the trees,  crystal chimes tinkled  in a  light wind  that
carried  the scent of _tasmin_ blossoms. He sighed, wondering what his wife,
Lilac, was doing. His lovely "flower" had  bloomed on Aviara just as he  had
predicted.  In fact, she was starting to develop some interesting thorns. He
shook his head, recalling their past eve  together and how it had ended  up.
He grinned sexily at the heated memory.

  Perhaps  she was lying  under a tree  right now taking  a midday nap? Yes,
with her hair  spread out across  the grass and  her luscious lips  slightly
parted, waiting for...

  "_Rejar_."

  "Yes...  yes... I am  listening," he murmured  distractedly. He would bend
over and lightly press--

  The corners of Yaniff's lips lifted  ever so slightly. As a  seventh-level
mystic,  Yaniff had the ability  to read minds. However,  he did not have to
read Rejar ta'al Krue's mind to know what the frisky Familiar was  thinking.
Ah, youth.

  "That  is good...  that is good,"  the old wizard  replied, not taking his
eyes off his book.  "Because if you  were not, you would  be missing a  very
important lesson."

  _That  was it_. Rejar fumed.  He was bored beyond  belief! Why had he ever
agreed to this? These lessons were tedious beyond endurance.

  He _had_ tried.

  It was not as if he hadn't tried!

  He could not believe his brother Lorgin had suffered through--No.  Knowing
Lorgin,  he  could  believe it.  His  brother  was a  paragon.  Nothing ever
bothered him! He snorted disgustedly.

  Well, he was a Familiar, not a Charl!

  Enough was enough.

  "Yaniff."

  Yaniff went on with the lesson, apparently not even hearing him.

  "Yaniff!" he intoned slightly louder and with much more authority.

  "Hmm?" Yaniff looked up, seemingly  perplexed; he seemed oblivious to  his
student's boredom.

  Rejar's blue/gold eyes flashed in irritation. The old man had no idea what
he was going  through! Hands on  lean hips, he  emphatically stated,  "These
lessons are not to my liking."

  "Oh?"  Yaniff appeared surprised. "And what makes you think they should be
to your liking?"

  Exasperated--and recognizing that the old mystic was about to ensnare  him
in  a dance of logic that he would invariably lose--Rejar threw his hands up
in the air, resuming  his pacing back  and forth in front  of the table.  "I
cannot stay caged up in here like this all day!"

  The wizard scratched his head. "Why not?"

  Rejar all but roared. "_Because it is not my nature_!"

  Yaniff's eyes, darker than the darkest night, gleamed. "Ah."

  "Perhaps  Lorgin or  even Traed  could--" Rejar stopped  in mid-stride and
pivoted about to stare at Yaniff. "What mean you, `ah'?"

  Yaniff shrugged. "I never said where the lessons must be."

  Rejar scrutinized him  through slitted eyes.  "Then why have  you kept  me
penned up in here for weeks?"

  Yaniff  raised an eyebrow. "I  have heard that no  one can keep a Familiar
who does not want to be kept."

  It came to  Rejar at  once. "That  was the real  lesson, was  it not?"  He
gestured  to the books strewn about  the table. "Not these other teachings."

  "Yes. Always know your true nature, Rejar.  When you do, no one, not  even
me, can pull you from it."

  Rejar  let the old man's  words sink in. He had  yet to discover the total
scope of his true nature, but for now he had learned a valuable thing.

  "So we may go outside  and walk awhile?" He  opened the door, letting  the
fresh  air in. The  gentle breeze ruffled the  long strands of his jet-black
hair.

  "Of course."  Yaniff got  up and  joined the  Familiar who  was also  part
Aviaran.

  "You  might have told  me sooner," Rejar murmured  as they stepped outside
into the warm Aviaran sunshine.

  "It was not for me to say. It was for you to realize."

  "Mmm. I suppose Lorgin realized it much sooner."

  "Lorgin never had this particular lesson."

  Rejar looked at him, surprised.

  "Each student is different inside, Rejar,  and so no two are ever  trained
the  same."  Yaniff smiled  softly. "It  is what  makes us  both student and
teacher to each other; it is what makes us always learn."

  Rejar seriously considered his master's words. "I see."

  "So there is your second lesson for the day, Rejar. Remember that learning
is like breathing--once we cease, we are no longer of this plane."

  With a flick of his fingers he closed the door behind them.

Chapter Seven
=============

  _She could not look at him without wanting him_.

  Jenise  walked alongside the Familiar,  keeping her head averted, her gaze
anywhere but on the  sensual feline man.  The tips of  her ears turned  pink
with  desire as she recalled everything he had done to her during the night.
Who would believe a man could have such devastating abilities?

  In no time at all he'd had  her screaming in ecstasy and yes, begging  him
for  more.  Jenise,  who  had  always thought  of  herself  as  an extremely
independent, reserved person, found it highly embarrassing.

  After he had done that--that _thing_ to her, she could do naught but  moan
in  his arms  like an  enflamed _ticna_. Her  thoughts strayed  back to that
incredible moment. Enhancing...

  It was as if every part of her had become sexually sensitized at the  same
time.  It was as  if the Familiar  had transferred his  own sexual energy to
her, making himself pulse throughout her body! The erogenous surge had  been
too  much. It had  shattered her, making her  scream out the Familiar's name
over and over.

  She'd lost herself in the alien augmentation. _To him_.

  Gian had simply rumbled his approval and taken her to a new peak. Although
he  was gentle in his movements, that  did not stop him from bringing her to
incredible heights.

  And the more he gave to her, the more lost she became.

  Her brow furrowed. She didn't like that part. The surrender.

  Afterwards, she  had cried  in his  arms as  he held  her. Cried  for  the
beautiful  yet frightening pleasure he had given her. Gian had comforted her
and stroked her, telling her in that husky purr of his that he had shown her
only  a small portion of what he wished  to do for her, what he could do for
her.

  He had  kissed  her face  tenderly,  along her  hairline--small  scattered
kisses--while  he hugged  her tightly  to him.  All the  while, he whispered
things to her in a language she did not understand.

  That worried her too.

  His  deep  voice  murmured  against  her,  uttering  things  that  sounded
forbidden.  The soothing, sexy murmurs had a spellbinding effect on her. The
Familiar had created  a profound  need in  her, and  because of  it she  was
vulnerable to him.

  He was overpowering... in his mastery, his sensuality, his appearance, his
personality, and his command.

  Jenise wasn't sure exactly what to do with him!

  One steamy glance from those  sultry green/gold eyes, which were  shadowed
over  by those  thick black  lashes, rendered  her captive.  No wonder women
craved these Familiars so!

  They were akin  to the  rarest, finest delicacy.  A succulent,  delicious,
completely   unpredictable  treat.  A  delicacy  that  could  deliver untold
ecstasy.

  These Familiars could become highly addictive!

  Which explained why they were hunted after in certain sectors.

  Jenise was confused. While she enjoyed the ecstasy part, it seemed to  her
that  such pleasures could prove dangerous. In what way she wasn't sure--but
females had to be very cautious, even  with ordinary males. With a man  like
Gian, who knew what trouble would ensue?

  Since  they had started out across  the plains early that morning, she had
discovered a new disturbing  element in their  relationship. It seemed  that
every  time the  man caught her  in his heated  dual-colored stare, she went
breathless right to the pit of her stomach.

  The other day, when he had helped her out of the tree and set her down  on
the ground, his smoldering gaze had perused her length in a slow, deliberate
way. She had actually tingled all over. Then the tips of her ears had turned
pink.

  His  mouth had  curved in  that secret  way as  he tucked  a small reddish
purple flower in her hair. She wondered how much he knew.

  Perhaps they should part company soon? A pang tugged her at that idea, for
she had come to truly like Gian Ren.

  Deciding not to think about it any further for the time being, she trudged
across the endless plain next to him. The binary suns rose higher in the sky
and  the temperature became unbearably hot.  She started to untie her cloak.

  "Leave it."  Gian  had  been  constantly scanning  the  terrain;  she  was
surprised he was so aware of her actions.

  She  gave him a questioning  look. "Even though it  is very hot, the cloak
will protect you from the damaging rays of the suns."

  "But I just want to remove it for a short time."

  "No." His hand  stayed hers. "A  short time is  all it will  take. We  are
close  to this planet's equator.  The rays of the  suns are too potent. Make
sure your hood covers you completely, _taja_."

  It was then that she noticed how red the skin of his naked back was. Since
she  had been avoiding looking at him, it hadn't occurred to her that, being
shirtless and barefoot,  he was  almost fully  exposed to  the lethal  rays.

  "Gian! You are burned! Here, take my cloak to protect you." She started to
remove it, but he forestalled her.

  "No, I will  be fine, I  assure you." Her  attentive gesture touched  him.
"Later  I will transform into my other self. When I change back I will be as
I was, free of injury."

  "But surely it is painful for you?" A thought struck her. If Gian were  in
his  cat form, his  fur would protect  him. "Why do  you not transform now?"

  He did not answer her  directly. He pointed to  the far horizon. "You  see
that mountain in the distance? We must head there."

  He  will not  transform because of  me, she realized.  For some reason the
Familiar felt better able to protect her  if he remained in his human  form.
On  the one hand,  Jenise was touched  by the gallant  gesture. On the other
hand, she did not want  the man to bake to  a crisp under the blazing  suns.

  She  touched his  forearm lightly.  "Gian, we have  encountered nothing of
concern here. Please spare yourself this unnecessary affliction."

  Gian looked down at her with hooded eyes. "_Taja_, this landscape is alive
with alien life forms just waiting to harm us."

  She blanched.

  "Do you see the yellowish brush on the rocks as it ripples?"

  She nodded warily.

  "It  is not what it  appears. It is a complex  symbiotic life form that is
extremely dangerous. One of many we have passed."

  Jenise swallowed.

  "The brush consists of  needlelike appendages which  are highly toxic.  If
threatened in any way, they will shoot quills at us as we pass."

  Jenise's  mouth parted as she scanned  the landscape. The entire plain was
covered with them! "What is keeping them from attacking?"

  "I have been sending them a _flicker-warning_. They seem to understand and
respect it--to our benefit. That could change at any moment."

  "I--I see."

  "It  appears  we have  entered this  place at  the time  of their seasonal
migration--when the suns are at their hottest."

  "Was that why you took us into the _nanyat_ last night?"

  "One of the reasons."

  Jenise was not sure she wanted to  know his other reasons. "But this is  a
trade route! Between Tunnels!"

  "Perhaps  that was why that  particular Tunnel was so inactive. Apparently
it is  not peak  season  for this  route." He  smiled  slightly at  his  own
understatement. The planet was a camouflaged hotbed of danger.

  "Would  you like me to rub _systale_  water on your back? The minerals may
help the stinging."

  "As much as I would love the feel  of your hand upon me, Creamcat, I  must
decline. We have to conserve the water for now."

  Jenise nodded.

  "We  should make the base of  the mountain before nightfall. It should not
be   too  difficult  to  find  a   small  shelter  for  the  night,  on  the
mountainside."

  "Where  is the  Tunnel point?  Are there  intelligent beings  here, do you
think? What kind of trade  do you suppose goes on?  Will we see a  caravan?"

  Despite the danger, the creamcat was excited about the adventure. Gian was
amused. Yes, she had many traits in common with his people. He reached  over
and  pulled her hood  about her face.  When he was  finished, only her small
nose peeked out.

  He chuckled, yanking the hood again  so it cloaked her entirely. He  would
not  want such an engaging  little feature to burn.  "The Tunnel point is in
the center of the mountain."

  Jenise gasped. "How could that be? How will we reach it?"

  "We must climb to the top. It will be an exercise, but not too  strenuous;
I can  make out  an ascending  path carved into  the side  of the mountain."
Familiar eyesight was especially acute.

  "Oh." The news of the long climb  in the burning heat did not excite  her.

  Gian  smiled. "The mountain is a  dormant crater, hollow on the inside. My
guess is that  a similar carved  path will  lead us down  into its  center."

  "What an odd place for a people to live," she commented.

  "There  are no  intelligent beings here,  Jenise. This planet  is simply a
link between your world and a sponsoring world, which sought to broaden  its
scope  by allowing the link. Do you know anything about the sponsoring world
at the other side of the next Tunnel?"

  "I know only that each of the  three Tunnel points on Ganakari leads to  a
different world. My mother's mate did not wish me to know too much, for fear
I would leave when I reached adulthood."

  "He loved you like a daughter, did he not?" Gian asked intuitively.

  A shield went over her lovely aqua eyes. "He caged us."

  Gian watched her carefully. She had much to reveal to him, and perhaps  to
herself. Again he realized the difficult path he faced with her. "There is a
difference between caging and protecting," he said softly.

  "I do not wish to discuss this with you."

  Gian decided to let the  matter rest for now.  There would be time  enough
later  for him  to explore this  with her. _If_  they survived. "Very well."

  They continued on, neither speaking, each pursuing his own thoughts on the
same topic.

  By midday the shadow of the mountain stretched over them.

  The  dome looked higher up  close than it had  from a distance. Its craggy
peaks blocked the suns from view.

  Gian knew they  would have to  make the  next Tunnel point  as quickly  as
possible,  for there  was nothing  that could  sustain them  on this planet.

  He was  severely  burned. Still,  he  led Jenise  along  the base  of  the
mountain  to  the carved-out  platforms which  trailed up  its side. Strange
symbols were carved  into the edges  of the stone  platforms, their  meaning
lost on the two travelers.

  Jenise noted that Gian's steps were unsteady.

  A few  times she had caught him shivering  as if he had a chill. There was
no doubt in her  mind that he had  been poisoned by the  fierce rays of  the
suns.  She hoped he would be able  to end his suffering soon by transforming
himself. Never would she forget that he  had done this for her, guarded  her
from the hostile life forms on the planet.

  _The  Familiar had  taken responsibility  for her_.  This behavior puzzled
Jenise. It was not what she'd expected from one of his kind.

  He was a complicated man. And a very ill one. He needed shelter.

  "Do you see a place for us to rest the night, Gian? I think I am too weary
to  go  on." She  was not  that tired;  she was  thinking of  him. The proud
Familiar would continue to protect her until he passed out or worse.

  "There is an  outcropping a little  ways up  the path. It  should lead  to
shelter." His handsome face was blistered red, his lips cracked and swollen.
Despite it all, he was still somehow beautiful.

  He stumbled on  the path.  Jenise winced  in sympathy;  she couldn't  even
imagine the pain he must be in. She quickly went to his aid, lifting his arm
over her shoulder.

  Without meaning to, her arm brushed against his injured skin. He could not
suppress the groan that escaped his lips.

  Jenise  had  had enough  of  his stubbornness.  "Gian, you  will transform
yourself right now! We have  left the floor of the  plain and I see none  of
the spiny creatures anymore."

  The  authoritative tone  she used amused  him. If it  weren't for the fact
that it would hurt too much, he would have grinned. Oh yes, he, Guardian  of
the Mist, would be sure to respond to such a command.

  He shook his head, then winced at the pain the movement caused.

  "There are other dangers," he replied just as authoritatively. "I will not
leave you unprotected."

  "I do not understand you! I assure  you, I will be most careful, you  need
not worry about me."

  This  time he did try  to smile, but failed. The  woman had no idea of the
dangers   to  watch  for   here.  He  could  not   send  a  powerful  enough
_flicker-warning_  in  his cat  form;  without his  protection she  would be
overtaken very quickly. "You will forgive me, Creamcat, but it is the way we
Familiar men are."

  "With  everyone?" A line  of confusion marred her  smooth brow. She hadn't
heard that.

  "No, not everyone. Now tell  me what you see to  the right of those  steps
ahead."

  She sucked in her breath. "Why can you not see for yourself?"

  "I am having trouble focusing," he reluctantly admitted.

  She  exhaled  heavily. _Males_.  "There is  an opening  in the  rock wall;
perhaps a small cave."

  "Good." He staggered slightly. "We need to get there quickly, Jenise. If I
fall  here, you will not  be able to get me  to shelter--I will be too heavy
for you."

  Jenise nodded. That was definitely true.

  They made their  way to the  small cave. Abruptly,  he stopped her  before
they  entered. "Wait!" His  eyes were now  swollen shut but  he seemed to be
using his other senses to "see" danger.

  "I can detect no life forms within; it appears to be safe, but be on  your
guard."

  "Yes, I will."

  They  entered the small opening. As soon as they were out of the daylight,
Gian sank to the ground, almost taking Jenise with him.

  "Please, Gian, change now!" She was  beginning to get frightened for  him.

  "I cannot, Jenise."

  "What? Why not?" she asked, horrified.

  "My energy levels are too low." He shook with a chill.

  "Why did you do this?"

  His  teeth began  to chatter. "I  have already ex-explained  that to you."

  _Not completely_. Jenise  gave him  a speculative look  before she  asked,
"What will you do?"

  "I  can sense water... there is another  cavern behind this; if there is a
small pool there,  I will  go into  the water  to see  if it  will help  the
burning.  One thing is certain, we must get to the next Tunnel point as soon
as possible, for I have  seen nothing on this  planet that can sustain  us."

  She  wasn't sure he could make it  to the next Tunnel point. From what she
knew of dual sun exposure, he would  become very ill in a very short  period
of time. "Gian," she whispered, "what if--"

  "Get  me to  the pool,  _taja_." His  normally beautiful  voice was raspy.

  Helping him to his feet, she guided  him along the rock passage. Soon  the
corridor  widened and a large cavern opened up before them. A small pool lay
in the center, its water clear.

  "You were right, there is a pool here."

  "Good. Unlace my _tracas_."

  _Unlace his tracas_? She looked at him warily. "Why?"

  "Because I need  to remove them  before I enter  the water," he  explained
patiently.

  Gingerly,  she plucked  at the  lacings, careful  not to  brush his burned
skin. As a consequence, it took her a very long time to undo them.

  When she got to the  middle section, she bit  her lip as she  contemplated
the  thick  bulge in  the leather  breeches. How  could she  do this without
touching him? She didn't want him to think she was--

  "Creamcat, what is taking you so long?"

  Her head snapped up.  "Um, nothing. Almost done."  She grabbed the  bottom
end of the lacing and yanked hard. The rawhide flew through the grommets and
zipped out; almost flying across the floor.

  "_By Aiyah_!" he roared.

  "Sorry," she mumbled.

  "Think nothing of it!" he snarled. "I needed a rope burn on my _kani_!  To
match the sunburn on my back!"

  "I said I was sorry." She really felt terrible about what had happened. So
she asked the question women universally  ask in these situations. "Does  it
hurt?"

  The  question universally  annoyed males. They  never could understand why
women asked  it. They  certainly did  not want  to answer  it and  admit  to
anything.  So they usually  responded the way Gian  did, which was a totally
unbelievable "No."

  Irritated, he threw his _tracas_ to the ground and stormed into the  pool.

  "At least it gave you some energy," she called after him, helpfully.

  Very  much the cat, he  hissed in response. Then  he groaned as his abused
body sank into the cool water.

  "Look, Gian, someone left some supplies here!"

  "What is  it?" He  cocked his  head,  listening to  her movements.  A  bag
rustled  as she excitedly pulled out  the contents. He heard her small sigh.

  "Not a  lot... there's  a gourd  of  _systale_... a  few loaves  of  dried
_pani_...  some bowls...  a fire-starter  stick! And some  _creote_ rocks to
ignite for the fire... and... a small vial of cleansing oil."

  "Can you bring me some of the _pani_?"

  "Of course." _Pani_ was  a dry, flat loaf  of baked grain. Many  travelers
carried it as it preserved well. It tasted awful but was nutritious.

  She knelt by the pool's edge and, breaking off a piece of the _pani_, held
it to his lips. He swallowed a few bites and drank the water she handed him,
but it was obvious he was in a lot of pain.

  "I  am sorry about the rope burn  on your... I am sorry, Gian." She gently
smoothed back his bronzed hair from his forehead.

  He caught her hand  and squeezed it  lightly. "It is  all right." A  chill
shook him.

  "You  should rest, perhaps you will  feel better." They both knew that was
unlikely.

  "I am going to attempt to transform."

  "What if you cannot?"

  He paused.  "If I  wait too  much longer,  I might  become delirious  from
fever,   Jenise,  in  which  case  I  will  not  be  able  to  focus  on the
transformation. It is best to attempt it now."

  It was what  he did not  say that worried  her. If he  waited too long  it
might  be too late. There  was no telling how ill  he would become. Her eyes
moistened. He had done this  to protect her. She must  do the same for  him.

  "You must do as you think right, Gian."

  Gian  wished  he could  see her  at this  moment. He  would have  liked to
remember how the creamcat looked when she said she trusted him. For  whether
she knew it or not, that was what she had just admitted. "Jenise--"

  She took his hand. "But you must eat some more _pani_ first to gather your
strength as best you--"

  "Jenise."

  "Yes?" Even though she tried, she could  not hide the shaky timbre of  her
voice.

  "When  I  transform,  I  will  need  to remain  in  my  other  form  for a
while--until my energy level rises. It should not be too long--as long as  I
can make the initial... it should not be too long."

  She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her.

  He  surprised  her by  returning the  nod. Apparently  he could  sense her
movement.

  "If you see  a flash  of light  and nothing  more, do  not be  frightened,
_taja_.  It simply  means I am  in my third  form. If that  happens you must
continue on to the Tunnel point. I will still be with you, although you will
not  see  me.  Will  you promise  me  you  will do  something  for  me then,
Creamcat?"

  "Of course, Gian." After what he had done for her, she would never  refuse
him.

  "You  must attempt  to get  to Aviara.  It is  very important.  Seek out a
wizard there named Yaniff. He will see  my... he will know who you are.  You
must tell him about the drug they used on me, Jenise. For my people."

  "Yes, yes I will."

  "Tell him, 'they know of the other.' "

  "_They know of the other_?" She was perplexed. What did this mean?

  "Yes. He will know what to do."

  "Very well then, Gian. I will do as you ask."

  "Trust Yaniff, Jenise. He will help you."

  "Help me... help me do what?"

  Gian hesitated. "Just promise me you will go to him."

  "I promise."

  "Good,"  he murmured. "Now, _taja_, if you  would help me out of here... "
He offered her his hand.

  She guided him out of the water  even though she suspected he was  guiding
himself and simply wanted to feel her touch.

  He  stood before her.  Virile as always. His  hand reached out and stroked
her hair. "It seems as though I have done this before," he commented  wryly.

  "You  have."  She smiled  poignantly. "The  time when  you jumped  out the
window."

  "Ah, yes. Well, let us not make it  a habit after this. The task seems  to
be  getting more  difficult." He tried  to joke,  but she could  tell he was
concerned.

  "No, let this be the  last time, Gian." Blindly,  he lifted her chin  with
his  finger. "Remember, if I  seem to disperse, I am  still with you. I will
always be with you."

  "Of course." A tear splashed on his hand and he knew then that she  didn't
believe  him. There was no third form;  he had been trying to make it easier
for her should something go wrong.

  "Jenise," he whispered. He inhaled  her scent before brushing his  swollen
lips against hers.

  A cry of despair came out of her and she tried to bring him closer to her.
What if he could not metamorphose into his other self?

  Gian broke away from her  abruptly, knowing that if  he did not, he  would
not be able to do what he must. For both of them.

  Guardian of the Mist did not hesitate even one instant.

  The  glowing began and he dissolved  right before her eyes. Jenise reached
out to the light but it was gone  before she could touch it. He was gone.  A
sob of anguish left her throat. Gian was gone!

  _Something silky curled around her ankle_.

  Jenise  jumped. Looking down,  she saw a  cat's tail curled affectionately
around her leg. The large black and  bronze and gold cat it belonged to  was
fast asleep at her feet. She smiled through her tears.

  His  energy had been  utterly depleted, but, once  again, the man had done
it.

  Jenise sank to the floor beside the  regal looking cat and cried into  his
soft, thick fur.

  Jenise  eyed the dozing  cat from her  vantage point in  the center of the
pool.

  He was still fast asleep, his  massive head resting on his powerful  front
paws.  Even  in  sleep,  he  appeared master  of  his  universe.  Fierce and
dominant. Not  one to  tangle with.  This was  Gian, she  acknowledged.  The
traits she saw in one were in the other.

  Gathering  the vial of  cleansing oil, she lathered  her long hair, taking
her time to wash. The pool was  comforting and it felt good simply to  relax
in its cool depths.

  Leaning back in the water, she floated across the gently rippling surface,
her hair wafting around her, her eyes closed.

  Was the cat watching her? She opened her eyes, glancing his way.

  No, the green/gold eyes were closed,  his head still resting on his  paws.
She  relaxed, dunking  her head  under the  water to  clear the  last of the
bubbles. She came up sputtering and dripping wet.

  Walking out of the pool to the create  fire she had lit, she knelt by  its
edge. Its warmth would help dry her off.

  Behind  her, the resting cat observed her out of slits of glittering green
and gold.

  Sitting on her haunches by the warmth of the fire, Jenise closed her  eyes
and began to doze lightly.

  _Strong  hands  threaded  through  her  hair,  arranging  the waist-length
tendrils over her shoulders,  bringing them forward  to cover her  breasts._

  "The  fire will dry  it better this way."  The deep voice vibrated against
her skin as he nuzzled his chin against her shoulder.

  Jenise opened her eyes. Gian  had already moved off  to the other side  of
the  fire. Picking  up another  _creote_ rock, he  tossed it  into the fire.
Immediately the blaze intensified as flames greedily consumed the stone.  He
was whole again and in his human form, she noted.

  No red streaking burns marred his smooth, golden-tan skin. His face was as
it had been before: devastatingly handsome.

  He reached over to the small bag of supplies for a gourd of _systale_  and
a piece of _pani_.

  Covertly,  she observed his  lithe movements, noting  once again the grace
with which he moved. She had heard this was a Familiar trait; that they  all
moved with this sinuous agility. It was captivating to watch.

  Naturally,  her thoughts went back to what he had done to her the previous
evening.

  It was a mystery, but  he had seemed to retain  all his power and  command
while  still  losing himself  in the  sensuality of  the experience.  He had
thrummed inside her, lifting her to new sensations. Sensations that had been
far too much for her to deal with.

  There was no question that he had taken _her_.

  Surreptitiously her glance fell to his capable hands. Those hands had slid
down her body, coaxing her, guiding her with every expert caress.

  Her  focus  moved  on  to  his  powerful  thighs.  Muscular,  well-shaped,
masculine.  She remembered the feel of those strong legs sliding against her
as he moved. Oh, how he moved!

  The tips of her ears turned pink as she recalled the intimate vibration of
him. A trickle of desire fluttered through her. _She wanted him._

  Somehow,  the Familiar had created this need in her, this craving for that
which she had never known before.

  She sneaked another peek at him as  he slowly chewed the _pani_. Even  the
simplest act of chewing seemed to be fraught with sensuality. His strong jaw
moved slowly; he swallowed the baked  grain in a leisurely manner before  he
sipped  some  water  from  the  lip  of the  gourd.  She  trembled.  She was
hungry--for _him_.

  She wanted his passion yet she was afraid to experience everything she had
last eve. The enhancement...

  Jenise  was  frightened of  how it  overwhelmed her;  of the  surrender he
demanded from her.

  She glanced over at the Familiar again. He continued to slowly sip at  the
water. She wondered if he had any idea what she was thinking.

  From beneath lowered lids, he met her look with a smoldering gleam.

  _He knew_.

  Leaning  back against the rock wall, he casually held his hand out to her.

  As if in a trance, Jenise rose, going towards him. She took the  proffered
hand.

  "Not too much pleasure this time, Gian Ren," she instructed him.

  "No, not too much, _taja_," he whispered throatily. "_Just enough_."

Chapter Eight
=============

  Traed exited the Tunnel in the royal village on Ganakari.

  His cool jade eyes surveyed the scene before him.

  Across  the way two  off-world aliens were arguing  with a native about an
item for trade; to one side of them a beggar was being thrown from a tavern;
and in the foreground a thief was making off with a bolt of fabric.

  It was like countless other outlying worlds he had been on.

  Barely civilized.

  At  first glance there seemed nothing out of the ordinary about it. So why
had _taj_ Gian disappeared here?

  Moving off to a relatively quiet corner, he ducked behind a market  stall.
One  of his gifts was the ability to "see." It was an expertise that occured
in some  but not  all high-level  mystics. This  talent would  show him  the
places where Gian Ren had been. If Gian was here, he should be able to "see"
him; if not, he would follow the  trail of pictures, "seeing" the places  he
had been.

  Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the image of Gian Ren.

  His  smooth brow furrowed  as the image of  a dungeon cell materialized in
his mind's eye. Chains hung from the  wall. The manacles at their ends  were
empty. Had Gian been kept prisoner here?

  The images continued:

  A room with a single window...

  A stream...

  A vine-covered valley...

  A small outlying village by... a Tunnel.

  Perhaps Gian had escaped and gone through the Tunnel? Traed tried to focus
his energy on the  image of the  Familiar. The picture  in his mind  wavered
suddenly  and  he saw  an ancient  sylvan forest.  An impression  of a small
thatched cottage came into view.

  Traed delved  into  the vision,  curious  as to  what  it meant.  Was  the
Familiar there?

  Now his inner eye focused on the interior of the hut. The furnishings were
sparse and old. A bed was by the fireplace. Someone was lying on the bed,  a
huddled mass writhing in pain.

  Traed  attempted a  closer vision.  _Gian_? The  strange vision dissolved.

  It was not Gian.

  Traed did  not  understand what  he  had seen,  so  he passed  it  off  as
unimportant.  He  was here  to find  Gian Ren  and must  focus on  his task.
Obviously the vision had not been accurate.

  Had he been mystically  trained, he would have  known that all visions  of
the  "sight" are  significant, if not  accurate. A trained  Charl would have
gone to the hut to investigate.

  Once again, fate  stepped in  and steered the  Aviarian away  from such  a
path.  He overheard two  merchants gossiping about the  escape of a prisoner
several days before. He listened carefully.

  "Took our lady! Stole our princess!"

  "They say he forced himself upon her, then made her accompany him."

  "What do you expect from  one of that kind?" The  man spat on the  ground.
"Aliens!"

  Knowing  Gian, Traed could only surmise  that said princess had begged him
to take her  along--although he had  a difficult time  imagining _taj_  Gian
agreeing to such a thing.

  Unless it suited him.

  Well,  he knew now that  Gian had been held prisoner  here and that he had
already escaped. Discovering the  reasons behind his  capture would have  to
wait.

  His priority was finding Guardian of the Mist.

  From  all accounts, he was  on the run; undoubtedly  he was trying to make
his way back to M'yan, his homeworld.

  Traed had seen the Tunnel the Familiar had used to flee, but he could  not
tell  which  of  the  other two  Tunnel  points  on this  world  it  was. He
approached the two men he had overheard.

  "You there!" he said in his usual  blunt way. Traed was not one to  soften
his manner.

  The two Ganakari turned, staring at him in astonishment.

  It  was not often  such a rich-looking stranger  came to their world. They
instantly assessed the  clothes he  wore. They  were of  the finest  Aviaran
weave,  enchanted by  the Weaver's  Guild of Aviara  from the  look of their
perfect appearance. Aviarans rarely visited non-Alliance rim worlds.

  One of the men stepped forward, bowing obsequiously. "May I be of  service
to  you?" He eyed  Traed's dark maroon cloak,  wondering if he could bargain
the man out of it.

  Traed came right to the point. "What Tunnel point did the prisoner use  to
escape?"

  The  man's cheeks flushed. "And why would you be wanting to know that? Are
you ally or foe to the Ganakari people?"

  "Neither. My business is not your concern. Do you or do you not have  this
knowledge?"

  "I know for a price."

  Traed sighed. He detested this kind of work. "What is your price?"

  The  man eyed Traed's black boots, wondering  if he could ask for those as
well. Taking in the  stranger's steely green gaze,  he decided not to  press
his fortune. "The cloak you wear."

  The  expression on Traed's  face might have  been called deadly amusement.
Anyone who knew Traed knew that this expression meant trouble brewing.

  When the handsome Aviaran did not verbally respond, the merchant foolishly
added, "And your boots."

  A muscle  ticked in the  firm Aviaran jaw. "I  will give you one clarified
stone."

  The merchant scoffed. "One stone!"

  "And..."

  The merchant's ears picked up. "And what?"

  "_This_." The  light saber  appeared at  his throat  so quickly  that  the
merchant  did not  even see it  clear the Aviaran's  waistband. He swallowed
nervously. Once released from the small  black box that served as its  hilt,
the  light blade,  or light saber  as it  is sometimes called,  was a lethal
weapon.

  "Do you accept my terms?" the  jade-eyed man murmured in a chillingly  low
tone.

  "Y-yes, I accept!"

  "Wise  decision."  He  retracted the  blade,  returning it  to  his waist.
"Speak."

  "He took the second  Tunnel point--it is five  days' journey on foot  from
here; although the Familiar made it in two."

  "He took a shorter route?"

  "There  is no shorter  route; the deadly _valdt_  lies between the valleys
and cannot be crossed." The merchant stroked  his chin. "It is a mystery  to
us how he did it."

  It  was no mystery to Traed;  Gian Ren was extremely resourceful. If there
was a way, Guardian of the Mist would find it. His acumen was well known  in
the  Alliance. "I need to  get there as quickly as  possible. How would I go
about doing that?"

  The other man came forward. "A _safir_ beast can shorten the time of  your
journey somewhat."

  Traed raised an eyebrow. "And where would I get such a beast?"

  The man bounced forward on the pads of his feet. "I happen to have one for
hire, if it suits you."

  "How much?"

  "Five clarified stones."

  Traed tossed him three.  The merchant beamed. "Come  with me! Perhaps  you
are hungry? I have many fine supplies fit for a long journey such as yours."

  Traed shook his head  as he followed  the man. It  never changed. He  only
hoped his journey to Gian would be completed quickly.

  There  was  no telling  what tortures  the Familiar  was suffering  at the
moment.

  Gian tugged Jenise  down next to  him so  they faced each  other, as  they
knelt on the floor of the cave.

  His   muscular  arm  encircled  her  waist,  bringing  their  upper bodies
together. His hand threaded  through her long hair,  sinking into the  mass,
entangling it about his fingers.

  "I was afraid for you," she admitted shakily, still not over the worry she
had felt when she realized he might not be able to make the  transformation,

  His  green/gold eyes captured  hers. He stared intently  at her. "I know."

  A small sound came from  her lips, a mixture  of desire and wariness.  Her
experiences with men--all men--had taught her to be cautious.

  "What else are you afraid of, Creamcat?"

  "Wh-what do you mean?"

  He examined her guarded features. "Why do you fear pleasure?"

  "I--I do not!" She struggled to break his embrace.

  He  held her fast. "Do you think it weakens you? Or is it something else?"
His fingers splayed against her scalp, forcing her to look at him. To answer
him.

  "If you take pleasure, then you belong to that which gives it to you. When
you belong to something,  then you are owned."  She lifted her chin,  almost
daring him to refute her.

  Gian  easily accepted her challenge. "No, _taja_, if you give pleasure and
receive pleasure, then you share the  pleasure, and when you come  together,
the union sets you free."

  "You  say  that  because  you  are  a  Familiar  and  Familiars  seek only
pleasure."

  His thumb played  with her bottom  lip. "Pleasure is  our nature, not  our
goal."

  The  lovely aqua  eyes reflected  turmoil. He  was reaching  her, he knew.

  But it would be a slow process.

  She said she was afraid for him,  which was true, but she was also  afraid
_of_ him. Of the sensual power he had over her.

  She   had  no  idea  of  the  levels  of  complexity  going  on  here,  he
acknowledged. It was a new experience  for any Familiar, he supposed; for  a
Familiar woman would be leading the pattern by now.

  It mattered not.

  He was more than happy to lead both the tone and pace himself.

  Guardian  of the  Mist had  discovered he  had a  partiality for difficult
creamcats.

  He was also discovering a  lot of other things  about himself that he  had
not  known before. For one, he was  becoming dependent upon her touch. For a
man who was  a most independent  Familiar, it was  a new experience  indeed.

  In  any event,  he did not  ponder the  outcome. Such was  not his nature.
Jenise would come to  him gradually but completely.  His lips brushed  hers;
the tip of his tongue giving the satiny surface a soft _lick_.

  Lifting  his mouth from  hers, he stopped a  hairsbreadth from the lips he
had just moistened to let her feel  his breath on her. The hot, light  puffs
of air blew over her in a tantalizing spice-dream.

  She closed her eyes as his scent sensitized her for him.

  Then  he pressed his mouth  to hers. A firm  placement which stated who he
was and what  he was about  to do. Gian  was a thorough  lover whose  sexual
knowledge  was  part  instinct,  part  experience, and  part  Gian  Ren. The
uniqueness of  the  Familiar  people transcended  to  the  individual;  each
Familiar  brought his own  individuality to the  experience he delivered. It
was another factor that made them prized on so many worlds.

  Unaware of  the meaning  behind  his motions,  Jenise returned  his  kiss,
craving the feel of him, the taste of him. Smoky _krinang_ spice covered her
as he  delved inside  with a  wicked thrust  of his  tongue. His  movements,
though simple, were surely art just the same.

  His fingers splayed on the back of her scalp as he took her mouth. A flood
of wanting assailed  her along  with the evocative  taste and  touch of  the
Familiar male.

  As  his fingers massaged her scalp,  his mouth skimmed over her jawline to
the edge of  her ear.  Fiery exhalation  feathered the  folds. She  trembled
anew.  The hot mouth solidly pressed on the skin of her neck, drawing on the
susceptible spot just under her ear.

  The peaks of her breasts hardened.

  Gian pulled her up tighter to him. He rubbed the firm, pointed tips  along
the skin of his chest. The sliding abrasion made her shiver.

  In response his manhood skimmed her nether curls in a light passing.

  Jenise  moaned from the exquisite tracing. Unbidden, her hands gripped his
wide shoulders, the tips of her fingers making small indentations.

  The palm of  his hand  pressed against  a protrading  nipple, rotating  it
around  the  center.  His  skilled teasing  action  heightened  the combined
feeling of satin lips  drawing on her throat  and male teeth biting  softly.

  "Do you know me, Jenise?" he whispered against her moistened skin.

  _Who  could  know  a cat_?  Quivering  from his  expert  love-touches, she
moaned, "I know you somewhat, Gian."

  She was surprised  at how true  that was--she  did know much  of him.  The
life-threatening  events they had shared  together had formed a certain bond
between them. She knew his  strength, his steadfastness, his  dependability,
his  pride, his playfulness, and his  tendency to take control. But in other
ways, the man was a complex puzzle.

  She lifted his stunning  face between her hands,  forcing him to meet  her
eyes. "Do you know me, Gian?"

  His  lids lowered as his gaze fixed on her lips. _The lips he had licked_.
"What do you think?"

  She kissed him fast, taking him by surprise.

  There was a new depth to the exchange. Gian held her close, a wild passion
building inside him.

  They were both becoming hot and damp and they both moaned aloud.

  His  hands cupped the backs of  her thighs, bringing her flush against his
desire. Boldly, he moved  her onto him while  he kneaded her firm  buttocks.

  Jenise couldn't catch her breath.

  White  teeth captured the jutting tip of her breast. He suckled vigorously
as he observed her watching him; his  full regard focused upon her. _It  was
too much_. Her eyes fluttered shut; a sound of raw need was ripped from her.

  The intense utterance of desire  reverberated through Gian. In a  graceful
action,  he lowered her to the stone floor of the cavern, immediately coming
atop her.

  "Let me know if this is too hard for you," he drawled huskily.

  Her aqua eyes popped open. "_What_?"

  He realized  what he  had just  said.  A grin  spread across  his  perfect
features. "I meant the stone"--his grin got wider--"floor."

  Jenise  snorted. He  had a  teasing sense  of humor  and it  showed at the
oddest times. Her arm went around his strong neck, tugging him down to  her.
"You will be the first to know if it is too hard," she shot back.

  He chuckled against her lips.

  And _stroked_ into her.

  The  way he had intended from  the very first. A long, penetrating thrust.

  She was still narrow from the newness of the experience. Her inner muscles
clamped tightly on him.

  With  fluid agility, he immediately changed her angle by bringing her legs
down from around his hips, positioning  them straight under him. He  gripped
her thighs close together as he remained snug within her.

  "Lie like this, _taja_." He spoke soothingly into her ear. "It will lessen
the discomfort of the deep stroking."

  Jenise nodded against his cheek. He showed her what he meant with a swift,
delving  thrust. It  felt tight,  but he  was right.  He was  able to thrust
deeper without it bothering her. _Much deeper_.

  Both their breathing accelerated wildly. Even so, Jenise would not let him
forget  his promise  to her.  "Remember, Gian  Ren, not  too much pleasure."

  He smiled against her throat. "Never, _taja_." So he began to pulse inside
her  with  gentle movements.  She wrapped  him in  her embrace,  kissing the
hollow of his shoulder.

  He tossed  his hair  back. Then  he flexed  carefully inside  her.  Jenise
jumped at the exquisite sensation.

  "Is it too much?" he asked sweetly.

  "No," she gasped on a moan.

  A small  dimple popped into  his cheek. "What about  this... ?" He rotated
his hips, pressing more fully inside.

  _That_ was when  Jenise knew he  intended to  toy with her.  She eyed  the
felinelike man warily.

  "Hmm?"  He rested his chin  on her chest and smiled  like a cat. He flexed
again.

  It was  getting harder  for her  to  catch her  breath. Tiny  pulses  were
twitching through her. "N-no."

  A completely  innocent  look  crossed  his exotic  features.  The virtuous
expression was not an easy accomplishment for one such as Gian.

  Jenise knew she was in trouble.

  He winked lazily at her.

  His long gilded  hair swung  forward and  he murmured  throatily into  her
mouth, "How about this, then, _taja_?"

  Withdrawing  partway, he captured  her earlobe with a  sexy little tug and
slid into her as far as he could go.

  "_Gian_!"

  He pulled her hips  up sharply as  he bore down a  little more. "Mmm?"  He
_palpitated_ from that hidden place inside.

  "Ohh!"  Jenise came apart, her nails  biting into his flesh as the tremors
took her.

  He liked the scratching. A low growl resonated from his chest. Holding her
immobile,  he  gave her  another  quick peak  by  grinding hard  against her
dampness.

  "Please!"

  And _again_ by waiting  for just the right  moment in her contractions  to
rotate and thrust. Reaching an entirely new depth.

  The  sensation was even too much for him. Jenise was still calling out her
satisfaction as he achieved his own peak, a fast, powerful release.

  Sitting up dazedly, Jenise placed a hand on her forehead. "I--I think that
was just enough."

  Guardian  of the Mist roared  with laughter. His green/gold eyes sparkled.
"I am known for the strength of my word."

  A Familiar's subtlety could be interpreted in so many ways.

  "We should  try to  get some  rest  now." Gian  grinned wickedly  at  her,
showcasing white teeth and that sensual lower lip of his.

  He  had made love to her three times already with nary a pause in between.
There was no doubt in Jenise's mind  that the Familiar could keep on  going.
Were all men like this? She was exhausted!

  Jenise  stared at that masculine  lip, remembering its velvety touch. What
was happening to her? One moment she  had been admiring him, the next,  they
were...

  Her  brow furrowed. Despite the fact  that she enjoyed their loveplay, she
was not sure they should be getting this close. Soon they would be forced to
go  their separate ways.  Surely their intimacy would  make the parting that
much harder.

  Gian watched her, highly amused. She  was beginning to awaken for him.  It
was  only right that he add to her confusion. He smiled slyly. "However," he
tantalized her, "if you prefer to explore--"

  "I'll sleep over  here! On _this_  side of the  fire," she stated  firmly.

  "Think you I would allow that after what we have shared?"

  She raised her chin. "It is not your decision, Gian."

  "Why would you not want to sleep here where I can keep you warm all night?
Where I can  hold you  and protect  you?" He got  up and  came towards  her.
"Where  I can  sleep easier  knowing you  are close  and in  my embrace?" He
picked her up  in his arms  and carried her  back to his  side of the  fire.

  "You will not let me stay on the other side, will you."

  "No." He lay down with her and covered them both with her cloak.

  Jenise  turned in the  circle of his  arms until she  faced the rock wall,
away from him. "You are difficult, Gian."

  "Yes."

  "Does your name mean Arrogant Beyond Belief in your language?"

  He laughed, a rich sound of amusement. "How did you know?" he teased  her,
rubbing his chin against her shoulder.

  She twisted to look up at him. "Really? It does?"

  He  laughed out  loud. "No, _taja_,  it does not,"  He winked roguishly at
her. "I am sorry to say... ."

  Jenise made a face. "Then it must mean Infernal Annoyer."

  He grinned, liking this. The Familiar adored games of any kind. And,  like
cats, they were ready to play at an instant's notice. In all ways.

  "How about Never Listens? Is that it?"

  "Um, what did you say?" He cupped his ear. "I did not hear you."

  She poked him in the side with her elbow. "Impossible beast."

  "Nooo, that is not it either."

  Her  lips twitched. "I did not mean...  never mind. So what does it mean?"

  He watched  her through  lowered lids.  "Guardian of  the Mist,"  he  said
evenly.

  "Guardian  of the Mist... what an odd name. Does it have a certain meaning
for you?"

  He answered her carefully. "It refers to my abilities."

  "In what way?" she asked curiously.

  "I am considered a master of the hunt."

  That she had already surmised. "But what does--"

  "To be an  effective hunter, or  protector, one must  have the ability  to
seem  to hide in mist, to come out  of nowhere, to be upon one's prey before
the target even realizes it has been marked."

  "I see." Jenise knew he referred  to much more than a physical  situation.
He  was speaking metaphorically  as well. She herself  had already noted his
acuity, his stealth. He was exactly as she had surmised. Dangerous.

  "Does it have any other connotations?" she asked shrewdly.

  "Yes." The green/gold eyes glittered beneath the black spiky lashes.

  Jenise paused a heartbeat. "What?" she asked.

  "I will tell you  some other time,"  he drawled. He  captured her lips  to
silence her.

  Two small, pretty pebbles were carefully placed on top of her cloak.

  Jenise  yawned and stretched, trying to  wake up. The stones had obviously
been chosen with great care for their  unusual color and shape. A gift?  she
wondered.  She  looked  over at  Gian  curiously. The  Familiar  was already
gathering their small  store of supplies.  _First the small  flower that  he
placed  in my ear... now this. How odd_. Although it was rather sweet in its
way.

  She decided not to  mention it to  him. By the covert  manner in which  he
bestowed  the little gifts,  it seemed as though  he might be embarrassed if
she did. She tucked the colorful pebbles  away in a concealed pocket of  her
cloak.

  Out  of the corner of  his eye, Gian noted her  accepting the gifts of the
_t'kan_. It pleased him.

  "These supplies were most likely left by some merchants who frequent  this
route  during the  trading season." He  tied the bag  with a _systale_ vine,
leaving some of the goods behind for the next traveler. "When we get to  the
next  world we must thank them and  arrange for payment somehow. I will send
something from M'yan for their thoughtfulness."

  Jenise felt the concealed  compartment of her  cloak. There was  something
she should tell him. "Gian, you do not have to--"

  "It  is nothing, I assure  you." He glanced over  at her. "We should leave
soon."

  She reached for her garment, pulling it on. Before she could pin the clasp
he  was behind her, taking  it from her hands. It  never ceased to amaze her
how silently he could move.

  Or how fast. Clasping her gown for her at her shoulder, he placed a tender
kiss on the curve of her arm.

  She smiled up at him. "What is that for?"

  "Everything." His passionate dual-colored eyes gleamed at her.

  Jenise  swallowed. It was difficult to get  used to his sexual ways. "I am
ready."

  Amusement lit  his  face.  He  raised  a  brow.  "Are  you?"  he  murmured
suggestively.

  Very difficult. "To leave," she clarified.

  "Ahhhh...  " He smiled slowly. "While  you were sleeping I discovered that
the path at the far end of this  cavern leads directly to the center of  the
mountain.  All we need do is follow it to where it joins the steps down into
the center. There we will find the Tunnel entrance."

  "I am glad we do not  have to go outside again;  I do not like this  place
overly much."

  "I  agree,"  he said  wryly,  rolling the  residual  stiffness out  of his
shoulders. Familiars always preferred comfort over bare necessities.

  Even if they could make a  hard floor seem positively luxurious simply  by
stretching out on it.

  "Although the company has made this cave more than it ever seemed it could
be."

  Jenise's lips parted at the eloquent and completely unexpected compliment.
She lightly touched his arm. "The same for me, Gian."

  He  inclined his head slightly, acknowledging  her words. He took her hand
to lead her. "Be  careful where you step.  Follow my footsteps--some of  the
rocks are loose and there are bottomless pits ahead."

  She  took his  advice. After all,  when it came  to being sure-footed, who
better to trust than a Familiar?

"They are no longer on Ganakari, my  lord." Karpon viewed the leader of  his
elite guard with disdain.

  "How can that be? You did as I told you? Sent out the extra contingents to
stop them?"

  "Yes, my lord, of course."

  "Then how is it an unarmed man and a woman were able to escape your  men?"

  "We  do not know. All we know for certain is that they somehow reached the
second Tunnel ahead of us. Several merchants recalled seeing them enter  the
portal. I am at a loss to explain it."

  "Fool! There has to be an explanation!"

  "Not  unless he was able  to fly like a  winged beast across the _valdt_."

  Karpon wondered... No; that was impossible  even for a Familiar! And  what
about Jenise? From all accounts, she was still with him. His blood boiled at
the idea of her in the Familiar's arms.

  Unfortunately, at present there was little  he could do about it. By  this
time  they  could have  linked to  another portal  and their  trail would be
difficult if not impossible to follow.

  So be it.

  He had lost  Jenise, but he  still had his  kingdom. Not a  bad trade,  he
supposed. In time, when he had more resources and men, he would go after her
to reclaim what was his.

  He rolled the vial of amber liquid in his palm. For now he would settle on
controlling a world.

  And all the Familiar he could capture.

Chapter Nine
============

  "_Seeking for Familiar_?"

  Traed  switched his focus from the mouth of the Tunnel to the creaky voice
coming from the direction of his elbow.

  The being standing  before him  had a  lot of  wrinkled skin  and a  large
snout.  Two dark brown eyes  gleamed out of the  folds of skin. "Seeking for
Familiar?" It asked again, waving its small, crooked staff.

  "And how do you know that?" Traed watched the life form carefully. He  was
cautious by nature; on a quest especially so.

  "Saw Familiar!"

  Traed arched a brow. "Really. And where did he go?"

  The  alien pointed to the Tunnel. Traed already knew that. "My thanks." He
started walking to the portal. The  odd-looking alien rushed up behind  him.
In  an instant  Traed pivoted  about, light saber  drawn and  pointed at the
protruding snout.

  The being stopped short with a small squeak. "No harm!"

  Traed wondered if  he meant  not to  harm him or  that he  would not  harm
Traed.  In either  case he  did not  lower the  blade. Krue  had trained him
always to be on his guard in new situations.

  Traed carried the advice one step further; he was always on guard in every
situation.

  "What  do you want?" His steely  tone caused another squeak to issue forth
from the alien.

  "Dangerous journey even for warrior. Gruntel guide you!"

  "Are you saying you wish to be my guide?" The snout bobbed up and down. "I
see. And why should I trust you?"

  The  question seemed to baffle Gruntel. He cocked his head to the side and
raised bushy eyebrows. "Not trust?" As if he'd never heard of such a  thing.

  The  expression was  so humorous  that Traed actually  chuckled. The being
appeared to be harmless.  He lowered his blade.  "Are you a... what  exactly
_are_ you?"

  "Aha-ha-ha!" He did a little dance. "Got warrior fooled, Gruntel does!" He
spun around, fat feet pounding the dirt.

  Traed watched the  show patiently. When  the antics had  quieted down,  he
calmly asked, "What are you then?"

  One  of three leathery fingers  pointed to his stubby chest. "Wiggamabob!"

  "A _what_?"

  "Wiggamabob. Lots Wiggamabob. Go here."

  "I see." Although he didn't. "Do you know the terrain beyond the  portal?"

  Again  the snout bobbed up and  down. "Gruntel merchant guide. Take many."

  _In what way_? Traed  wondered. The creature could  be trying to lead  him
into a trap. Nonetheless, Traed had no idea what existed beyond this Tunnel;
it might be wise to engage the alien's services.

  "Very well. You may guide me."

  Gruntel did another little dance, presumably of glee. He waved his crooked
staff  in the air as he hobbled  in front of Traed, beckoning him to follow.

  Traed crossed  his arms  over his  chest and  held his  ground. He  waited
patiently,  as was his wont, until Gruntel realized he wasn't following him.
The bumpy-headed alien stopped, circling about, a confused look clouding his
features.

  "No follow?"

  Traed  shook his  head slowly from  side to side.  "No follow. _Lead_. You
follow _me_ through the  portal." He was  not about to  allow himself to  be
ambushed by possible accomplices on the other side.

  On  these outlying worlds, the Tunnel portals were unmanned and to a large
extent, ungoverned. Just going through would be a risk. By leading, he  felt
that  if there was a danger of any kind, he would gain a precious instant of
reaction time.

  Sometimes an instant was all a man with Charl abilities needed.

  Traed passed the alien guide and stood before the pulsating maw. The  High
Guild  was not in favor of keeping  Tunnels open in stasis for many reasons.
For one, certain  fluctuations of  the space/time continuum  could occur  at
both  end sites. For another, the Guild preferred to maintain its control of
the Tunnels; such  a position strengthened  the Alliance as  a whole,  while
curtailing acts of unwarranted aggression.

  In  spite of  this, because of  their remoteness, certain  areas had to be
held in stasis. When Tunnels on remote  outposts such as this one were  left
open,  they were routinely phased by  the Gatekeepers for maintenance of the
temporal continuum.

  Traed was thankful the Tunnel was still in its unsealed phase.

  "Tell me what to expect on the other side," he commanded.

  "Not much. No beings. Place between worlds."

  Traed understood; the next  world served as a  connecting plane. "What  is
the terrain like?"

  "Flat as flat. Must climb to enter next. Listen to Gruntel be fine."

  "Hmm."  Traed withdrew his  Cearix from his waistband  as a precaution and
stepped through the  portal. A lightblade  could inadvertently harm  someone
where  it extended  while coming  through the  portal. By  using the dagger,
there was more risk to  him, but Traed would  not risk harming an  innocent.

  He came out onto a flat plain dotted with rocks and brush. A few _nanyats_
graced the otherwise barren  landscape. Gruntel almost fell  into him as  he
hobbled out of the entrance. Traed threw him a look.

  "Most  apologetic. Not like  Tunnels. Go through fast."  He grinned at the
tall Aviaran man, showing two pointed teeth.

  Traed's returned  a stony  expression. Which  was the  normal set  of  his
features.  Such obscurity  was one  of the  traits that  Yaniff most admired
about  him.  At  the  moment  the  Aviaran  warrior  was  conveying  patient
acceptance  of a universe out of his control. Traed was ever the observer on
the complexities and incomprehensibility of life.

  Seeing no immediate  danger, Traed  replaced his dagger  in its  scabbard.

  "Way to pass!" Gruntel pointed one of his three leathery fingers towards a
distant domed peak. Then he pointed up to the sky at the binary suns.  "Most
hot  now." He covered his  bumpy head with a swath  of dark gray fabric from
his robes. "Protect too, Aviaran."

  Traed nodded. He lifted the hood of his cloak over his head. "How did  you
know I am Aviaran?" He spoke low.

  "Knife-dagger. Aviaran."

  "Yes, it is."

  "Very old. Very powerful."

  Traed wondered how Gruntel knew that. Perhaps the strange little alien had
gifts of his own. "It is called a Cearix."

  "Cearix," he repeated  before scurrying past  him to begin  the long  trek
across the land.

  Traed stepped up beside him, taking one step to the alien's three.

  "Cearix," Gruntel repeated again.

  "Yes."  Traed's thoughts  went to  the legend  of the  Cearix, the Aviaran
ceremonial dagger.

  It was said that the Cearix of each man's line carried with it all of  the
truths  learned  by  each generation  that  wielded it.  According  to Charl
mystical belief, one would come whose powers were so great that he would  be
able  to "see" all knowledge passed down from the ages by holding the Cearix
within his hand. Such truths were said to be contained within the clarity of
a knife's blade.

  Although  he honored the tradition, Traed did not subscribe to the belief.
If it  were  true,  he  ruminated  as he  walked  on,  then  the  Cearix  he
carried--that of the line of Yaniff--would carry with it untold power.

  Traed shrugged. Such tales were simply the fables of old Guild members. He
preferred the reality of life.

  As the day wore on,  its unrelenting heat made  a misery of the  crossing.
But  finally as the long shadows of  the suns inched across the plain, Traed
and Gruntel reached the base of the mountain.

  "Steps for us to climb!"

  The small  alien guide  placed his  curved staff  on the  first  platform,
hopping up on it.

  Traed  gazed up, taking  in the distance to  the top. Unconcerned with the
climb, he started to place his booted foot on the platform.

  A sharp pain stung  his upper  chest above  his heart.  Tendrils of  fiery
twinges  radiated from the single point, crossing his torso. Clamping on him
like a vise.

  Stunned, he gazed  down at the  spot below his  shoulder. A thin,  pointed
quill  was stuck in him; its sharp point had cut right through his cloak and
shirt.

  "Honored Aviaran!" Gruntel  had caught  sight of the  quill. He  scrambled
down  several platforms  to aid Traed.  Taking the green-eyed  man's arm, he
tried to yank him onto the platforms,  out of reach of the shooting  quills.

  Despite the acute agony, Traed leapt onto the platform, his opinion of the
guide increasing by the moment. "Good, Gruntel."

  Gruntel gave him  a worried look.  A fat, leathery  finger pointed at  the
quill still protruding from Traed's chest.

  "It is nothing." Traed grabbed the spine and yanked it out without so much
as a  flicker of  expression.  Blood spurted  out  of the  opening,  quickly
saturating his cloak. The Aviaran warrior ignored the injury.

  "You  see? Let  us continue now."  He made two  steps before he collapsed.

  Gruntel stood over him, clucking his tongue.

  "Warrior not as strong as he thinks."

  With surprising strength, he  picked the man up  and flipped him over  his
knobby  shoulder.  The warrior's  ponytail dragged  across the  stones as he
hefted him up the pathway.

  Traed opened his eyes  to the sight of  a small pool in  front of him.  He
blinked. How had he... ?

  Then it came to him. _Gruntel_... _the quill_...

  He sat up fast.

  Too fast.

  A wave  of dizziness assailed  him. As was his  nature, he ignored it. His
hand went to the dull throbbing  above his left breastbone. A small  bandage
covered the spot.

  He noted his black shirt and cloak lying on the ground nearby.

  "Cleansed  wound, Gruntel did. Fix good! Maybe die if not for Gruntel." He
knelt beside Traed, offering him some broth.

  Traed smiled at  him slightly, grateful  for his care.  He took the  broth
from him. "I am in your debt, Gruntel."

  The  odd alien made a rude sound,  as if Traed had insulted him. "No debt!
Do for right!"

  Traed nodded, thinking that all such decisions in life should be so  clear
cut.  Right and  wrong. For some  strange reason, he  thought of his father,
Theardar. Light and dark. Life did not follow such narrow guidelines.  Edges
often  blurred.  Difficult  choices became  devastating  ones to  a  man who
wielded too much power....

  "Called name in your sleep. Many times." Gruntel peered at him  curiously,
his small, dark eyes penetrating.

  Traed lifted the broth to his lips and took a swallow. It was surprisingly
tasty. "Did I?" He did  not seem overly interested.  "What name was it?"  He
made to take another sip of the liquid.

  Gruntel told him.

  He  paused  with the  bowl halfway  to  his lips.  Even though  no outward
emotion showed on his features, it was obvious he was shaken.

  "A female?" Gruntel asked with keen interest.

  The green eyes became  shuttered. "It is of  no importance." He drank  the
broth, ending the topic.

  Gruntel  was not convinced. He had seen  the man's face when he called out
for that name. Contrary to what the Aviaran warrior claimed, the name seemed
to carry great importance to him.

  Traed  finished the broth and set the  bowl aside. His brow furrowed as he
felt the loose strands of  his hair. It was full  of little twigs and  dirt.
Frowning at the tangled mess, he looked at Gruntel for an answer.

  The   Wiggamabob  shrugged  sheepishly.   "Much  tall  for  warrior.  Hair
regrettably sweep behind." Gruntel snorted playfully. "Clean many steps!" He
grinned engagingly at him.

  Traed glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Hmmm."

  Gruntel did a little dance, apparently finding this very humorous.

  Traed stood up.

  Gruntel  stopped his dance with  his fat foot poised  in the air. "No, no,
no, no, no, too soon!"

  Traed closed his eyes, willing the  slight nausea to pass. With his  usual
iron  determination, he forced the queasiness  down and headed for the pool.
Pulling off  his boots  and black  fracas, he  jumped into  the cold  water,
Gruntel clucking disapproval behind him.

  He ducked below the surface. When he came up, Gruntel tossed him a vial of
cleansing oil. Unconsciously,  Traed's arm  shot up, his  hand catching  the
tiny  vial with  perfect precision.  Krue had  always said  he had excellent
hands. It was what made him a master of the blade.

  With his  customary  perfunctory movements,  he  lathered his  dark  hair,
combing  the knots  out with  his fingers.  It was not  an easy  task. A few
choice Aviaran epithets followed.

  That done, he waded out of the water to don his garments. He searched  the
ground for the leather thong he used to tie his hair back.

  Gruntel sighed loudly. "Gone. Lost on steps."

  Traed searched the cave for something else to use.

  "Nothing   work,"  Gruntel  offered.  "Must  wear  loose."  The Wiggamabob
grinned.

  Traed exhaled, tossing the waist-length strands over his shoulders.

  "Look different with hair that way."

  "Do I?" Traed answered distractedly. He donned his cloak.

  "Most different. Like warrior but... not."

  "I see." Traed was barely paying attention. He closed his eyes, trying  to
"see"  Gian.  Images  of this  room,  the pool,  flashed  by, followed  by a
corridor leading to the  center of the mountain...  steps leading down,  and
lastly, a picture of the next Tunnel.

  Gian had already exited this world.

  "We must leave now."

  "Gruntel say too soon for warrior to travel."

  Traed  crossed his  arms over  his chest.  "_Warrior_ says  we leave now."

  Gruntel clucked, using his  crooked staff to stand.  "No want you to  fall
dead. Got to make sure get payment from you, Charl who is knight."

  Traed  led the way to  the corridor. "I am not  a knight of the Charl," he
called over his shoulder.

  "No?" Gruntel  sniffed, his  huge  snout snuffling  the air.  "Smell  like
knight. Look like knight. Maybe taste like knight too?"

  Traed  narrowed his eyes as he  threw him a look. Gruntel grinned, showing
his two pointed teeth.

  Gian and Jenise stepped out  of the Tunnel onto  red sand and blowing  red
dust.

  In the distance, a forest of giant red crystals surrounded the open space.

  It had taken them almost a day to  reach the Tunnel on the last world.  As
they  walked through the center of the mountain, Gian had led her, carefully
monitoring her steps, for the going was treacherous in places.

  "Where are we?" She spoke quietly next to him.

  Gian's green/gold  eyes narrowed  as he  scanned the  area. Several  giant
egg-shaped  boulders  dotted  the  landscape  in front  of  them,  forming a
semicircular pattern in the red sand.

  Jenise was shocked  to see  someone emerge  from the  side of  one of  the
boulders  through  a natural  fissure.  The being  raced  to another  of the
boulders, slipping into a crevice to disappear from view.

  Gian exhaled slowly, his eyes scanning  the land again. He did not  appear
happy.  "This is a mining world, Jenise.  We must be on our guard here; such
places are usually lawless and attract a criminal element."

  "How many Tunnel points do you sense?"

  "Just one other."

  "Where does it lead, do you think?"

  "That we will find out inside one  of those." He pointed to the  boulders.
His  arm came around  her shoulders. "Stay near  me; there could be danger."

  She nodded. The wind began to howl.

  Gian lifted his face into the wind. "There is a storm coming."

  "How do you know?"

  "Familiars have electrical sense; we can predict the coming of a storm. On
this  world  it seems  to  be a  common occurrence.  Come,  we need  to seek
shelter." He hurried her through the  sand to the nearest boulder. The  grit
crunched beneath her feet; tiny granules of quartz glinted as the increasing
wind sculpted the dunes.

  Gian placed himself in front of her as they entered the rock. She realized
the protective gesture was simply part of his nature.

  Jenise's   mouth  gaped  as  she  got  her  first  look  at  the interior.
Rose-colored crystal  surrounded  them, jutting  out  from the  ceiling  and
walls, projecting towards the center of the space. The flooring was red sand
packed down to  form a  smooth surface.  Tiny crystals  sparkled across  the
room.

  They  appeared to be  in a tavern.  Clear crystal glass  formed all of the
furnishings. Candlelight  bounced  off  the crystal  walls  and  tables  and
chairs.

  Jenise thought it was lovely. "It is beautiful," she marveled.

  Several  patrons turned to stare at  her. The tavern was full of beings--a
jumble of species  from various  planets. Some  had obviously  come to  test
their   luck  in  the   mines,  seeking  their   fortunes.  Some,  like  the
tavern-keeper, had set up a business, charging a premium for lodging at this
end of the world space. Others were there to prey on those they could.

  Gian  pulled her closer  to him. "It  is beautiful, _taja_.  We are in the
center of a giant geode--I have seen them before on other mining worlds. But
do  not be overcome  by the beauty of  it; you must be  wary of everyone and
everything here."

  "Are you sure? They seem friendly  enough." She glanced over at a  Seckia,
who  was smiling at her and waving one of his tentacles for her to join him.

  Gian   frowned.   "Yes,  I   am  sure."   He  sent   the  Seckia   a  firm
_flicker-warning_ to stay away. The Seckia wilted in his seat.

  Gian  led her  rapidly through  the throng  to-wards the  front, where the
tavern-keeper was filling horns with _keeran_.

  "Do you have lodging for the night?" he asked the woman. She was a  Rykan.
Her  delicately pointed ears  twitched with interest as  she eyed the comely
Familiar.

  "For you, my kitty, kitty, I have whatever you need."

  Jenise peeked around  Gian's broad back  with interest. "_Kitty,  kitty_?"
she mouthed, smothering a laugh.

  Gian's  hand  discreetly motioned  her to  silence_. {We  do not  have any
clarified stones and we definitely need shelter. Be silent!}_

  "And how do  you propose  to pay for  this shelter?"  Jenise asked  rather
loudly. She had no right to feel irritated, but she was.

  Gian  exhaled  noisily.  So  much  for subtlety.  He  looked  over  at the
tavern-keeper and winked meaningfully.

  "Are you thirsty, kitty?"  The Rykan leaned forward  over the bar,  nearly
falling out of her shirt.

  Gian pretended interest. "Yes, I am." The woman smiled at him, pouring him
a huge horn of _keeran_. She ignored Jenise completely.

  "Thank you  very much,"  Jenise  intoned sarcastically.  _{Jenise.}_  Gian
picked up the horn and drank deeply.

  Jenise  made a face at  his back. Gian smiled behind  the rim of the brew,
knowing exactly what she was doing, for  the wall in front of him  reflected
her infuriated little visage a thousand times in the crystals.

  "And  what happened to your clothes, kitty?" the Rykan asked suggestively.

  Gian flashed her a sultry look. "I lost them."

  The Rykan grinned at him. "I like you."

  "Good."

  "Is she with you?" The tavern-keeper nodded to Jenise, speaking of her  as
if she were not there.

  "Yes, I am delivering her to a friend of mine on the next jump."

  "_What_?" Jenise kicked him in the shin.

  "She does not seem happy with the idea."

  Gian  shrugged his  broad shoulders as  if it  were of no  concern to him.

  "There are no rooms left here--but I  also own the tavern across the  way.
Tell them Jeeva has sent you. They will find a place for you."

  Gian smiled seductively at her.

  The  Rykan looked him over  and licked her lips.  "And when might I expect
_payment_?"

  Jenise had  heard enough!  She started  to move  forward, but  Gian's  arm
across  her chest forestalled her.  "I am tired from  my journey and need to
rest first."

  "Of course." She inclined her head. "I want you well-rested, kitty, kitty;
the rooms here do not come cheap."

  Jenise broke free of Gian's restraining arm. "I choose to pay for my room,
if you do not mind, Familiar!" Whereupon she opened her cloak and withdrew a
handful  of rare clarified stones, slap-ping  them on the glass counter. The
tavern-keeper's eyes bulged out.

  _{Are you mad? Put those away!}_

  Jenise ignored him. Lifting her chin, she demanded her lodging.

  The Rykan scooped  the stones off  the table-top. "A  wealthy patron;  how
nice." She signaled to a male Rykan, who came forward. "Take them across the
way. Tell them I said to give her the red room."

  Gian was furious  with Jenise.  By her actions,  she had  exposed them  to
every  thief in the vicinity. Word would spread fast that the pale woman was
carrying a fortune in stones on her. He gnashed his teeth.

  "Is there a place I might replenish my clothing?" he asked the Rykan  man.

  "Yes,  there  is  a  merchant across  the  way  here. His  goods  are very
expensive."

  Jenise waved her imperious little hand in the air. "It matters not."

  Gian began to simmer.

  Outside, the wind was even stronger now than it had been before. The Rykan
man sniffed the air. "Be a big storm coming soon." He looked down at Jenise.
"You stay here if you know what is good for you. Do not venture out.  Storms
here  are fierce and  dangerous. Sometimes they  come fast, without warning;
sometimes they build slowly like  this one. Those are  the ones you have  to
watch for."

  He led them into the next boulder.

  The  first thing  Gian noticed was  that this tavern  seemed to attract an
even worse element than the last. Several suspicious-looking beings  huddled
in  poorly lit corners. An opaque red glass partition led to another area in
the rear.

  Gian realized that several  geodes were connected to  this one as the  man
led  them up a glass staircase onto  a crystal platform. He stopped before a
solid red crystal door. Taking out a key, he unlocked the room.

  Jenise gasped in delight.

  The entire room was made of red crystal points much like the other tavern.
In  the center, clear crystal lattices  formed a bed, which had been covered
in sand-stuffed _krilli_ cloth. A small bathing pool lay in the far  corner.

  "It is lovely!" She turned to Gian, beaming.

  The smile died on her face at his stern expression.

  For  an instant  she had forgotten  the scene in  the tavern. Her nostrils
flared as she  also remembered  the shameless way  he had  tried to  barter.

  No, it was not right of her to fault him.

  Gian  could do as  he wished. Their pact  was at an end;  he had more than
kept his side. He had  delivered her safely out  of Ganakari and then  some.

  A sinking  feeling assailed  her. Whatever they  had shared was  now at an
end. As a Familiar, he would be  wanting to seek his pleasures. It had  been
wrong of her to interfere.

  "You were right. I am sorry to have spoken out of turn."

  Her apology took him by surprise. "You understand then?"

  "Yes. Of course."

  He relaxed. "Good."

  "Your obligation to me is finished. I--I thank you for--"

  "_My obligation_?"

  "Yes. We are now free of Ganakari. Our pact is over. I understand that you
wish to--that is, if you wish to meet that woman... "

  Gian's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that  it matters not to you one  way
or the other?"

  She  fidgeted  with her  cloak, unsure  of  how to  respond. Of  course it
mattered to her. She just did not want him to know it.

  "I see. For your information, _taja_, I  did not know you had any  stones.
In  any case,  I had  no intention  of meeting her;  I was  simply trying to
secure us some lodging."

  Jenise waved her hand. "It is your concern."

  His eyes narrowed  to green/gold slits.  A strange light  glowed in  them.

  Jenise  was oblivious to  the storm brewing inside  him. "I have plenty of
stones; would you prefer your own room?"

  He inhaled and exhaled, reigning in  his tem-per. "I know you have  plenty
of  stones; the entire tavern and  probably three quarters of the population
here know it!"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Whatever made you take those stones out, Jenise?"

  "I thought--"

  "No, you did not.  You have made  us a target for  every cutthroat in  the
area."

  She  hadn't realized that. "Oh." She worried her lip. "I have not had much
experience with such things."

  "So I have seen."

  He was referring to more than the  stones. Her eyes stung at his  comment.

  Gian  realized at once how she  had misinterpreted him. "Jenise, I did not
mean--"

  "I know what you meant." She turned her  back on him. He tried to put  his
hands  on her shoulders but  she pulled away from him.  "I wish to bathe and
rest, Gian."

  "Very well. I will go to the merchant that man mentioned and procure  some
clothing.  Afterwards, I will be downstairs in the main room should you need
me. Keep this door locked behind me at all times."

  He started to leave.

  Jenise forestalled him. "You  may need some stones  to purchase the  items
you need." She held out a hand brimming with clarified stones.

  Gian hesitated, reluctant to take them.

  "Unless  you have  a better  way of  obtaining merchandise?"  She arched a
honey-brown eyebrow. "Perhaps this merchant is female as well."

  Her ploy worked.  Gian gave her  a disgusted  look but he  took the  gems.
"They will be returned to you when we reach Aviara."

  "You  mean when you reach Aviara. We  need to go our separate ways, Gian."
Jenise could not believe the pain it  caused her to say those words to  him.

  Gian  hesitated at the door. "I will talk to you later, _taja_." He softly
closed the door behind him.

  She found him later sitting alone at a table in the tavern.

  Apparently no one wanted to test his good fortune by approaching Gian, for
his  demeanor was quite dark. There was  an aura of strength to him that was
extremely intimidating.

  Seeing him in this new  light, from a distance,  Jenise was struck by  how
mysterious  Gian  could  be,  how  many  sides  there  were  to  his nature.
Throughout these many  sides there  was a  steadfast quality  about him,  an
inner core of strength and power.

  She  had  seen him  fearless,  courageous, mischievous,  playful, sexually
loving, and concerned. But never like this.... Dangerously brooding.  Jenise
shook off the unsettling intuition.

  She  noticed that he had purchased and  donned a dark green cloak, a white
shirt, and black boots. If possible, he was even more spell-binding  dressed
in the simple garb.

  He  looked  up  in  surprise  as she  approached  the  crystal  table. "Is
something amiss? I under-stood you were to rest."

  Pulling out a crystal seat, she sat opposite him. "I changed my mind." The
truth  was  that thoughts  of  separating from  him  had plagued  her. After
bathing she had tried to rest but could not.

  Jenise thought of what  she had gained  by leaving Ganakari--her  freedom.
With that freedom came the pain of knowing him. Leaving him.

  Nothing  came without a price, she  reasoned sadly. She was not sorry. She
had a brave heart; she was a Frensi!

  Dipping a segment of _paxi_ fruit  into sweet sauce, Gian offered her  the
delicate morsel. She shook her head. She had no appetite.

  He  took a bite of the fruit, savoring the tangy juice. Like everything he
did, the action evoked a certain sensuality.

  He watched her through  veiled lashes. Like a  cat making plans.  Reaching
for his horn of _keeran_, he took a long swallow of the brew.

  Placing  the horn down  on the table, he  began dipping another segment of
fruit as he spoke to her. "I am  headed to Aviara, as you know," he said  in
that soft, low voice of his.

  "Yes, I know."

  "If  you will  recall, I  have told  you there is  but one  entrance to my
homeworld of M'yan and that is through Aviara."

  "Why is that?"  she asked, suddenly  curious. "Surely the  Mystics of  the
Charl could open as many Tunnels as they chose to your world."

  "We  have  an agreement  with them.  We explore  for them;  in return, the
entrance to M'yan is watched over  by the High Guild and constantly  guarded
by the Charl knights."

  "Sounds pretty one-sided in your favor."

  Gian smiled ferally. "Perhaps, but the Guild does not mind. Our allegiance
to each other  goes back  through time.  Familiars and  wizards are  natural
allies. You might say we go together like lightning and thunder."

  She  knew  which part  was  lightning--the Charl.  That would  make him...
_thunder_. Before  she  could fully  explore  that compelling  concept,  she
wondered why the Familiar would need such an agreement. She asked him.

  "To  protect us  from unwanted  and uninvited  visitors. We  are a private
people."

  "You are not capable of defending yourselves?"

  He arched a brow. "What do you think?"

  "I think whoever negotiated such a treaty was brilliant."

  "Oh, do you?" He sipped his _keeran_ in a measured way.

  "It freed your people to pursue  other interests without having to  expend
energy on defense."

  "The wizards think we are worth the effort."

  Jenise clicked her tongue. "Have them fooled, do you?"

  A dimple indented his cheek. He shook his finger at her, sipping his drink
again.

  "Who negotiated such a  treaty? We should send  this person to  Ganakari."

  The  Familiar almost choked on his drink. "Why would you even think such a
thing? I can assure  you Ganakari is  the last place he  would wish to  be."

  Jenise  shrugged. "Perhaps he  could help the  Ganakari deal with Karpon?"

  Gian looked at her obliquely. "I do  not believe he will do that,  Jenise.
If  anything, he will seek retribution on  them. You see, it was the King of
all Familiar who negotiated that treaty."

  That bit of news upset her.

  A king would not have a tendency to be lenient in this case.

  Jenise worried for the people of Ganakari. From what she had seen of Gian,
they  would never stand a chance against an entire attack force of Familiar.

  She leaned forward in her seat, placing her hand on his arm. "He must not!
The people had naught to do with it--it was Karpon!"

  He  looked down at the table, a  muscle ticking in his jaw. Then he looked
up, meeting her  eyes. "Karpon will  pay for what  he has done  and what  he
intends  to do to my people," he said quietly. "If the Ganakari people stand
with him, they will pay as well."

  "If this king is  as clever as you  say, then he'll find  a way to  defeat
Karpon without harming the Ganakari!"

  A small, secret smile curved his sensuous lips It was an expression of his
she had often  noted, and it  never failed to  captivate her. The  enigmatic
smile held a wealth of meanings.

  "Perhaps you should come to M'yan and tell him yourself."

  "I  do not  think he will  listen to me;  he would consider  me an enemy."

  "You helped me escape."

  Jenise was not sure she wanted to be pulled, into this. When she had  left
Ganakari,  she had left that life behind. "Perhaps he will not see it as you
do."

  "Who?"

  "The king."

  He smiled. "Perhaps not."

  Jenise decided to change  the subject. "Have you  found the next  Tunnel?"

  "Yes."  He nodded.  "It is  a half  day's journey  from here,  in the next
mining camp."

  "Oh." Jenise folded her  hands on the table.  "When will you be  leaving?"

  Gian  sat back in the chair and  watched her. Did she think he would leave
her in a place like this, unprotected  and at the mercy of cutthroats?  That
she would even entertain the idea maddened him.

  He tamped down his anger, forcing himself to speak calmly. "What would you
do here?"

  "I--I do not  know. I  suppose I will  go to  the next world  to see  what
awaits me there."

  "I thought you might like to accompany me to Aviara."

  "What?" Her mouth parted in surprise.

  "Of  course, it  is your choice."  He viewed her  through his black, spiky
lashes. "Since you have no destination in mind, I thought you might consider
the journey to Aviara. It will be an interesting journey and once we link to
Aviara, you will be  in Alliance territory,  a much safer  place for you  to
explore."

  "Hmmm, I had not thought of that."

  "Yes. We could help each other, Jenise."

  She was puzzled at that concept. From what she had seen, this Familiar was
very self-reliant. "How could I help you?"

  His incredible eyes flashed with sudden humor.

  Her cheeks colored.

  "Other than that," she stated baldly.

  Gian grinned. "It is  not unusual to  see a Familiar in  the company of  a
woman. Together we would not attract as much attention."

  He  had to be jesting! Alone or in  a crowd, as soon as Gian walked into a
room,   everyone  stopped  to   stare  at  him.   His  appearance  was  that
extraordinary.  Besides,  no Familiar  ever  spent much  time with  the same
woman.

  "I will think on it."

  Her evasive answer infuriated  him. A rumble  of thunder sounded  outside.

  In  addition to having electrical sense, Familiars were sometimes prone to
hypersensitivity   to  atmospheric  conditions.   Their  acute  senses  were
heightened  by  intense  electromagnetic waves.  It  was another  reason the
Familiar  stayed  close  to  the  Mystics  of  the  Charl.  They  liked  the
intensification of their senses that occurred around Charl power.

  In  this case,  however, Gian's feelings  of possessiveness were combining
with his protective  instinct. It  was a  dangerous mix,  heightened by  the
oncoming storm.

  When  a young miner walked into the  tavern a few moments later and Jenise
happened to glance his way in a more-than-leisurely manner, Gian's  emotions
flared  up  synchronously with  the loud  crackle of  lightning that sounded
over-head.

  "You   would  not  be  satisfied  with  him,"  he  bluntly  stated  as  he
deliberately sipped his _keeran_.

  Jenise  gasped. She had  not been eyeing the  youth with anything but idle
curiosity! But since Gian had implied otherwise, who was she to disabuse him
of  the notion! Her own anger flared at his attitude. Who could decipher his
shifting moods!

  "Oh, why not?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

  "He would not be as gentle with you as I have."

  "You, _gentle_?" She scoffed at the ridiculous assertion. "The first  time
we truly... You enhanced!"

  The next table of patrons looked over at that declaration.

  "_Pfft_! It was a simple augmentation." He pointed at her, using the piece
of fruit in his hand. "I have not even begun to show you what levels we  can
attain."

  A female miner at the other table dropped her horn of _keeran_.

  "And  what makes you think I am interested in such levels!" she flung back
at him.

  He smiled slowly. His cat smile.

  "I hate when you do that."

  His white teeth bit  into the fruit in  a leisurely motion. Juice  sprayed
out.  A droplet fell on the corner  of his lip. "Do what?" His tongue licked
the droplet off  in a slow  swipe as  he watched her  through lowered  lids.
Green and gold gleamed at her.

  "Stop it," she gritted out.

  He  dipped another piece of fruit into the sauce. Instead of biting it, he
began delicately licking the sauce off the segment. "Stop what?" He  brushed
the edge of the fruit along his sensual bottom lip.

  The tips of Jenise's ears turned pink with desire.

  "He would not satisfy you, Creamcat."

  Jenise  was tired of  his games. Raising a  queenly eyebrow, she responded
coolly, "As if it is any concern of yours."

  At that moment  a loud crash  of thunder  shook the geode.  Inside, a  few
crystals  splintered off and fell to the floor. Gian abruptly stood, sending
his chair crashing to  the floor, where it  shattered into pieces.  Familiar
possessiveness  intensified by the violent  storm had transformed him into a
raging force.

  He pulled Jenise up out of her chair in one move.

  "Gian!" she  squeaked.  A  few  heads  turned  in  interest  to  view  the
altercation  between the  powerful Familiar and  his beautiful companion. As
casual as  Familiars  were  in their  relationships,  they  became  fiercely
possessive about those they cared for.

  Gian's  fingers speared through her hair, pulling her head back so she was
forced to lift her face to his. "_Who has touched you but me_?" he  demanded
in  an  arrogant tone.  The  feline in  him was  hissing;  the cat  had been
unleashed.

  Jenise had never seen him like this. He was wild! "N-no one, Gian."

  He knew  that, of  course;  he would  sense other  touch  upon her  in  an
instant.

  "Perhaps  you need a reminder then of my touch." Before she could respond,
he tossed her over his shoulder and strode up the glass stairs.

  "Gian!" Jenise pounded  on his  broad, muscular shoulders.  "Gian, let  me
down!"

  He  ignored her. As far as Gian  Ren was concerned, he had been as patient
as he was ever going to be. She bounced on his back the entire way.

  "What do you think you are doing!" She tried to pinch his buttock but  she
couldn't get a hold of his firm backside.

  "I  am going to show you what it is to be truly made love to by a Familiar
man. This Familiar man!"

  It was time for him to pounce.

Chapter Ten
===========

  Gian opened the door to their room with a booted kick, slamming it  behind
him the same way.

  His  reaction  was so  powerful that  Jenise expected  the thick  glass to
shatter. The door shook ominously but held together.

  "Gian, this is madness--put me down and stop this at once!"

  If the  situation  had  been  different, he  might  have  laughed  at  her
imperious  attitude. However.  Guardian of  the Mist  was not  in a laughing
wood. He was intensely focused and predatory.

  All of these feline  emotions were gaining strength  along with the  storm
outside.

  He quickly brought her forward, standing her in front of him. Whereupon he
immediately tossed her cloak to the floor along with her dress. In the brief
time  it took  her to regain  her balance, he  had already taken  one of the
krilli cloths covering  the bed  and ripped two  long strips  of the  silken
multi-colored fabric.

  "What are you doing with--"

  He  did not answer  her. Grabbing her  wrist, he turned  her from him, and
before she realized his  intent, tied her securely  to the crystal  lattice.
"Gian! Untie this!"

  His response was to fasten her other wrist in the exact same manner.

  She  tugged at  the silk  bonds that captured  her, keeping  her in place,
outspread before him.  Out of the  corner of her  eye she saw  a dark  green
cloak  float to the floor.  It was rapidly followed  by a white silken shirt
and black leather breeches. Then came the dull thunk of boots.

  Jenise sucked in her breath.  What did the Familiar  plan for her? He  was
highly aroused, of that she was certain.

  Rich  _krinang_ spice blanketed her, readying her for him. Jenise realized
that the intoxicating sexual  scent was not simply  a Familiars' magnet,  it
was  also his snare.  It captured the  woman, teased her,  made her want him
even as he enticed her into the union.

  The naked  skin  of  her back  felt  his  warmth behind  her,  his  rapid,
scorching  breaths on her shoulders. The room was cool; why is his breath so
hot? She swallowed.

  The first heated touch  of his satin lips  upon her shoulder blade  caused
her to jump. She gasped. Gian was smoldering! His talented lips and scalding
tongue began to trace a determined path from her shoulder blades to the base
of her spine.

  Jenise wriggled in the restraints trying to escape that devastating mouth.

  It did no good.

  He had completely  trapped her;  there was nowhere  for her  to go.  Their
situations  had been completely reversed; now  she was the one who was bound
before him.

  "Gian."  She  attempted  to  break  through  his  intense  mood  with  her
no-nonsense tone.

  In  response, his fingernails rapidly scraped  up the front of her thighs.
This was  followed by  the edge  of his  teeth grazing  up the  side of  her
throat. He was not listening to her.

  Again  he traced the  path down her back,  his skilled tongue flicking and
laving. But not  meandering. Gian  was focused  and all  the more  dangerous
because of it.

  He  knelt upon the floor behind her. His long hair brushed along the backs
of her thighs.  Jenise quivered as  the dark golden  strands lightly  passed
over her skin.

  Capable  hands firmly  clasped her hips.  Suddenly, his mouth press-played
with the dimples at  the base of  her spine, just  below her waist.  Another
tremor  ran through her and  she tried to suppress  the moan which sprang to
her lips.

  _The tip  of his  tongue ever  so  lightly traced  the centerline  of  her
buttocks_....

  Jenise was shocked.

  Again  she twisted in  the binding ties. She  could not escape his sensual
touch! When he rounded the curve of one smooth buttock, he bit her  sharply.

  Outraged, Jenise hissed at him.

  A resonant  growl was his response.  _Gian apparently liked her reaction_!
In fact he was encouraging it. Jenise groaned; how was she to deal with him?

  The  tips of  his thick  eyelashes skimmed along  her leg  until his mouth
found the back  of her  knee. Jenise  was very  sensitive here  and when  he
swiped  the flat  of his tongue  across the crease  she desperately tried to
move her leg away from him. His capable palms captured her calf, putting  an
end to that hope.

  Male fingers strummed up and down her inner leg as he continued to torture
her with his talent.

  He traveled down to her ankle, suddenly catching the tender spot above her
heel  with a quick grip of his  teeth. Tingles flowed up her leg to... right
there. A small sound escaped her parted lips. The Familiar knew every  pulse
point  of  sensitivity in  the  female body;  each  line that  connected the
pleasure centers and heightened arousal.

  Gian's broad shoulder wedged  between her legs  from behind, forcing  them
apart. With a hand on each of her calves, his upper body slipped through the
vee of her stance. In a fluid motion, he stretched out on the floor  between
her legs; his long silken hair spread out under him.

  Lazily,  he let his burning gaze scorch the length of her inner legs up to
the pale curls at her juncture. From  his vantage point on the floor he  had
quite a view.

  In  the same  deliberate yet  leisurely manner, he  gradually lifted those
spiky black lashes to meet her stunned look dead-on.

  His green and gold eyes were hazy with dangerous passion.

  So intense was his smoky stare that Jenise could feel it igniting her, and
could  feel herself  becoming even more  damp for him.  It angered her, this
sexual power he had over her.

  "Stop this! It is not my choice!"

  He flinched for a moment  as if he had been  struck. Then his feline  eyes
narrowed to slits of burning emerald and amber flames. Adept fingers reached
up to lightly stroke back and forth on her dewy curls.

  "This is for  me, is it  not?" he drawled.  Boldly, he finger-stroked  her
overflowing dew. "I see no one else here."

  Jenise gasped in outrage. "How dare you! You caused it!"

  She  had no idea what she had unwittingly said. One side of his sexy mouth
lifted in dangerous  amusement. "True...  therefore it appears  I _am_  your
choice; am I not?"

  Jenise  tried to  kick him, failing  when his quick  reflexes captured her
ankle. He  had twisted  her meaning  to suit  himself. Despite  her  obvious
desire, she was furious with him.

  "Perhaps  I feel  you, yet  think of  another," she  foolishly goaded him.

  It was  not a  wise thing  to do,  and if  she had  known more  about  the
Familiar  nature,  she never  would have  done it.  Familiar males responded
rather vehemently  to such  provoking.  The expression  on his  face  became
lethal,  powerful, and merciless.  He resembled a fierce  cat just before it
pounced on its  hapless prey.  Her aqua eyes  widened. "Gian,  do no--"  The
commanding  hands on the backs of her thighs pulled her forward as he sat up
between her legs.

  The position brought  his mouth  and a certain  part of  her anatomy  into
perfect  alignment.  Her mouth  parted in  disbelief. What  she was thinking
was... Surely he was not going to... to...

  She could feel his hot breath as it ruffled the curls at her juncture. She
swallowed nervously. "Release me, Gian, and I will--"

  "I  have told you  that I do  not bargain." The first  touch of his silken
tongue had her calling out in a combination of shock and ecstasy.

  Swiftly, he buried  himself in her,  then smoothly withdrew  with a  long,
deep  lap.  He  was  blatant,  masterful;  no  hinting  touches  or hesitant
movements. He stroked inside her, tasting and teasing, starting a relentless
pattern that soon had her begging him to stop the torture.

  Jenise began to make a considerable amount of noise.

  _{You  taste even  better than  I imagined. Creamcat...  }_ He mercilessly
licked and suckled and grazed her with his teeth.

  Jenise   stood  on  tiptoe,  trying  to  get  away  from  the  unbearable,
overwhelming  sensations. There was nowhere she could go. She could not even
close her thighs to him, because he had positioned himself between her legs.
Firmly,  Gian brought her  back down to his  mouth. Her entire body trembled
with his exotic touch.

  "Ohhh... please... you must. . ." _Stop_. But she could not bring  herself
to say it. The pleasure he was giving her was too intense to walk away from.
Too incredible not to experience.

  _{Purrrrrr... }_ he  purred against  her, the  tips of  his nails  lightly
scoring along her lower back.

  She  did not know that  Gian was about to show  her never to tangle with a
Familiar man unless you wished to be entangled. Inserting his tongue in her,
he suckled hard and _growled_ low in his chest.

  Jenise screamed. Several times.

  Gian  leaned back on the palms of  his hands, hair trailing down his back.
He looked up at her through that silky veil of lashes. It was the stare of a
knowing cat.

  Breathing  raggedly, Jenise  gazed down  at him  too spent  to do anything
else. She watched him, alert for any sign of what he intended to do next; he
was very aroused.

  With  a fluid  agility, he sprang  up in front  of her, literally towering
over her. Insolently,  he lifted her  chin with  a flick of  his finger.  He
kissed her hard and deep. It was a kiss of possession.

  Jenise tasted herself on his mouth. And him. And _krinang_ spice.

  Abruptly  he  broke off  the exchange  and strolled  purposely behind her.

  She turned  her head,  following  his measured  step. The  light  footfall
sounded  somehow ominous.  "Gian." She tried  to speak to  him. He would not
answer her. It was then she knew that his feral mood had not abated.

  In some  strange way  she wondered  if he  was purposely  ignoring her  to
heighten the mood; her anticipation and wariness were combining into a heady
desire. She did  not fear Gian;  he would never  harm her, of  that she  was
certain.

  The Familiar had risked his life too many times to save hers.

  A strong  arm  encircled her  waist,  bringing her  back against  his hard
length. A muscular thigh wedged between her legs.

  Jenise's breath came in rapid pants. He hesitated.

  Just enough so that  she became aware of  her own unsteady breathing.  The
tantalizing pause of a true predator.

  "Gian," she whispered again.

  He  hitched her into position  and slid fast into her.  As far as he could
go.

  Jenise cried out  at the full,  throbbing impact. He  was so deep  inside!

  Behind her Gian snarled softly. His low, sleek voice sent hot puffs of air
against her ear. "Do you think he could do this for you?"

  "W-who?" She had completely forgotten the young man in the tavern who  had
so fueled his temper.

  Gian bit her shoulder; a sexy, sharp nip designed to chastise and adore at
the same time.  He rubbed his  face in her  hair as his  other hand  reached
around  to capture a breast in his palm. Squeezing the soft mound, he caught
the hardened  tip between  two outstretched  fingers, tugging  and  rolling.

  Jenise shifted her head back, moving with him as he caressed her hair with
his face, burying  himself in its  pale thickness. Much  like he had  buried
himself in her nether curls.

  For  a  moment  Gian glanced  over  her  shoulder to  watch  their shadows
flickering   across  the   crystals.  His  shadow   lay  over  hers,  moving
synchronously to her moves, entwining around her.

  A predatory  smile curved  his well-shaped  lips. It  was called _N'taga_.
Shadow dance.  And it  was considered  highly provocative.  "_N'taga  leetan
shateer,  taja_." He drawled huskily in  the Familiar tongue. _I have placed
my shadow upon you_.

  His hand slipped from around her waist to brush between her  cream-colored
curls,  finding her.  There he  teased the ultrasensitive  spot, rapidly yet
lightly flicking the swollen nubbin.

  "Do you think he  would know when  the right moment  was to--" He  stopped
moving his finger.

  Jenise  cried out in agony, the absence of his touch a torture. She begged
him to touch her again.

  Instead of  obliging her,  he flexed  inside, where  he was  still  deeply
embedded.  It was  like _thunder_  rumbling through her.  "By _Aiyah_, Gian!
Please."

  She did not know what she was asking of him.

  But he did.

  He began to move  inside her, bringing  her with him as  they rocked in  a
swaying back-and-forth motion.

  "Do  you dream he  can do this...  " He barely hinted  in a deadly, sultry
voice what he was about to do.

  Jenise's eyes widened as the full brunt of the enhancement hit her. Unlike
last time, this time he moved inside her as he sent wave upon wave of sexual
fulmination skipping through her. Jenise  was devastated. "_No, Gian,  no_!"

  It was too late for both of them.

  Gian  became wild, pagan, animalistic. For  the first time in her embrace,
he released his true  Familiar passion and his  feral cries rose with  hers.

  The  mingled sounds of their lovemaking  almost took down the crystal room
around them. With  each and  every untamed thrust  he took  them higher  and
higher. Deeper and deeper.

  His beautiful, spirited Jenise matched him move for move. She followed his
lead; she led him when she could. _She shattered him_.

  And Gian Ren, Guardian of the Mist, loved her so much he thought he  would
die of it.

  Afterwards, she sagged limply against the _krilli_ bonds.

  Gian quickly untied her and carried her to the lattice bed. Placing her on
top of the silken coverlet,  he got in beside her,  taking her in his  arms.
His special hunt was over.

  She was his.

  He covered her with himself and promptly fell asleep.

  _She was going to leave him_.

  Jenise  peeked over the broad male  shoulder covering her. If she was very
careful, she could possibly slip out  from under him without waking him.  It
was  a very  tricky thing to  do. She wondered  how he could  be such a deep
sleeper yet wake in the blink of an eye.

  As usual he had  wrapped himself around her  in the oddest position.  This
time  luck was with her. Just as she was about to make an attempt, he rolled
off her onto his side. She jumped up before he rolled back.

  Experience told her he would not sleep long without wrapping himself about
her  again. It  was as  if he  needed to  be assured  of her  safety even in
repose. Often,  he actually  shielded her  with his  body as  he slept!  She
wondered if it was a Familiar trait or simply Gian's own. The man had a very
large streak of protector in him. She  supposed that was one of the  reasons
he was called Guardian.

  Jenise shrugged. It was no concern of hers. Not anymore.

  For  the man also had a great  deal of feline sensuality in him that could
apparently be fueled by the oddest occurrences. The terrible storm had since
abated; it would be safe to leave now.

  Or  as safe as it  was likely to get on  a world full of itinerant miners.

  She sighed.

  She would have preferred to wait until  the next world to part company.  A
small lump formed in her throat. That was not quite true, either.

  Nonetheless, Jenise was a realist. They were going to have to part company
sooner or later. The man was a Familiar, wild and free. As far as she  knew,
Familiars  were  never serious  in  their sexual  relationships. Even  if he
was--though she assured herself he wasn't--she had waited her entire life to
escape  Ganakari so that  she might develop her  own true nature. The Frensi
nature.

  He had overwhelmed her this eve. His actions, his lovemaking, his passion,
his boldness.

  Gian   Ren,  she  discovered,  was   like  the  Hlix  River  on  Ganakari:
ever-changing, completely unfathomable.  A mysterious  adventure that  would
never be solved. It was good she was leaving.

  She kept repeating that to herself as she started to get dressed.

  Pulling  her  gown on,  she bent  to pick  up the  _clasp and  bumped into
something very solid._ She jumped and whirled around.

  Gian was standing directly behind  her. The gown she  had just put on  but
had not clasped slithered to the floor.

  Like  a true feline, Guardian of the Mist watched her silently, going over
his options. As he saw it, he had three choices. He could be aggressive.  He
could  be enraged, as was  his right. Or he could  show her his kindness and
understanding.

  Another Familiar, in the same circumstances, would have chosen one of  the
first two options; Guardian of the Mist chose the latter.

  "You  are leaving me without  saying good-bye, Jenise?" He _was_ genuinely
hurt.

  Her gaze  dropped. She  could not  look him  in the  eye. The  way he  had
phrased  his question combined with the  disappointed tone in his voice made
her feel terrible. She swallowed the  lump in her throat. "I--Yes, I  must."

  He examined her features. Her jaw had a set, determined appearance but the
slight tremble  of her  lips told  the whole  story. He  needed to  be  very
careful.  Much stealth  was called for  and he planned  to tread cautiously.

  "I would worry for you if you left now," he said softly, beguilingly.  "It
is  the middle of the night. Come back  to bed. You can leave on the morrow,
when it is safer."

  She chewed her lower lip. "You will let me leave?"

  "Of course. It is your choice. Come back to bed now." He held out his hand
to her, coaxing her to take it.

  He  was right--it was too dangerous to leave now. And he did say she could
leave on the morrow. She swallowed again as moisture filled her eyes.

  Gingerly she took the proffered  hand. He led her  back to bed. When  they
were  lying down again, he  hugged her to him. "I  should not have... I have
shocked you." He kissed her forehead  tenderly. "I keep forgetting that  you
have  not--no, that is not true. I do  not forget that for a moment, you are
such a rarity, Jenise. It is simply  that I..." He stopped, not sure how  to
continue.

  Familiars  did not generally apologize for their sexual activities. On the
contrary, sensuality was always encouraged. Gian  knew that it would not  be
the  last time he experienced something new with her. She was different--not
Familiar.

  Gian was an experienced man in all ways of life. He knew he would have  to
bend  in some areas for her, and he  was prepared to do just that. He wanted
her that much.

  He tried again. "I am . . ."

  "What?" she whispered.

  He stroked her hair. "I am sorry. Truly sorry. I never meant to upset  you
like  this. Not to the point that you felt you had to leave in the middle of
the night."

  When she burst into tears and hugged him to her, he was more sorry than he
could  say. Above all.  Familiars had kind hearts.  Predatory but kind. They
played the game to win, but for fun.

  They never intentionally hurt women, for they loved them too well.

  "Gian, oh, Gian, I do not want to leave; it is just that--"

  "Shh, shh. I  know. I  know." He  began kissing  her face,  her nose,  her
forehead, her eyelids and lashes. A litany of small kisses.

  Jenise  was hardly aware  of returning his tiny  kisses. She, too, pressed
her lips to his chin, his nose, his lashes.

  He slipped inside her naturally, as he gently loved her. Showing her  that
he could.

  She pressed her tear-streaked face to his, kissing him sweetly. Her middle
finger glided down the centerline of his chest.

  Gian shivered  and  purred appreciatively.  She  had found  one  of  those
special spots on him.

  He paused to gaze down at her in a most innocent way.

  She  reached  up, cupping  his incredibly  handsome face.  "You can  be so
sweet, Gian."

  He had beguiled her back into his bed. Where she would remain.

  He smiled at her.

  And took her.

  There is an old Familiar saying: Just because the cat is not in  sight--it
does not mean he is not there.

  Jenise stretched out against a warm body.

  The  Familiar was lying  on top of  her, wrapped around her  in one of his
usual tangled positions.

  It was time they got  up. She nudged the sleeping  man with a roll of  her
hip.

  He was too cozy to move. Gian gave her shoulder a little bite in his sleep
and burrowed his face deeper into her neck.

  Jenise grabbed a hank of  his hair, trying to lift  his face. "We have  to
leave."

  Without opening his eyes, he sleepily sought out her lips. Gian started to
kiss her but fell back asleep before he could finish. He slid off her  mouth
and back into the nice warm nook in the curve of her neck.

  They  had been up long into  the night making love. Between outrunning the
_valdt_, getting burned to a crisp, and everything else he had gone  through
on Ganakari, Gian was happy to be in a nice soft bed with a nice soft woman.
A sheer lassitude of feline comfort overtook him and he just wanted to  stay
where he was, in total bliss.

  Jenise kicked him. "Get up!"

  He  snarled softly but got up. Sitting  on the edge of the bed, he yawned,
stretching sinuously. Then he mussed up his already tousled hair by  rubbing
at his scalp with splayed fingers.

  Jenise's  lips twitched. He  looked adorable. She had  never seen him look
adorable before.

  Breathtakingly handsome,  yes.  Sizzlingly sensual,  definitely.  But  not
adorable.

  Putting her hand to her mouth, she attempted to hide her smile.

  He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "What?"

  "Oh, nothing." She grinned at him. Adorable.

  "Mmm..."  He  stood  up  slowly,  stretched  again,  and  lumbered  in the
direction of the pool.  Full of energy, Jenise  mischievously jumped out  of
bed.  Passing him,  she reached  the small  bathing area  first. He frowned.

  Waving her fingers at him, she got into the tiny pool and started to wash.

  Crossing  his arms,  Gian leaned  against the  smooth part  of the crystal
wall. Jenise cupped some water in her hands and, lifting them, let the  warm
water trickle down her arms and chest.

  "Ahhh--that feels good."

  He arched his brow.

  She did it again. "So relaxing!"

  No response.

  A third  time. "Completely... _EEEE_!" Gian  had bent over and scooped two
large handfuls of water at her.

  Leaning on the edge of the pool,  she flipped a sodden strand of hair  out
of her eyes. She gazed up his impressive length. "It still feels wonderful."
Her grin dimpled her face.

  Gian roared with laughter, shaking his finger at her. She laughed.

  He got down on his  haunches beside the pool,  leaning close to her  face.
"And why are you in such a good mood this day?" he whispered.

  Coyly,  her lashes shielded her aqua eyes. A becoming blush bloomed on her
cheeks.

  "I see."

  She raised her  lashes for an  instant, sending him  a smoldering  glance,
then  quickly lowered  them. She  crooked her finger,  beckoning him closer.

  Gian leaned in further, entranced by the seductive look she had given him.
He  had never seen such a look on  her before; he was not even aware she was
capable of such a look. His blood thickened. "Gian?"

  "Mmmm," he purred near her lips.

  "How long does it take to get to the next Tunnel?"

  He paused, green/gold eyes  flashing with amusement.  Clever as a  kitten.
"_Whhhhy_?"  he mouthed,  letting his  lips barely  touch the  corner of her
mouth.

  "Because I wish to reach it before dark."

  "Ummmm--It will take us about half a  day." The tip of his tongue  touched
the tiny indentation in the curve of her upper lip.

  She tested him. "You did say that--"

  "So I did. But _my_ choice is to accompany you." He licked her lips.

  She shivered at the delicious contact. "I suppose you are entitled to your
choice."

  "Yes."

  She smiled, nipping his mouth.

  "Come with me to Aviara, Jenise. I know you will be safe there."

  "Very well. I will start my journeys  from there. I believe you are  right
about  staying in  Alliance space.  From what  I have  seen thus  far, it is
probably better for the single traveler."

  Not much better in some quarters. She was naive to think so. And even more
naive to think he would ever let her travel unescorted anywhere but on Myan.
"Good choice," he purred.

  Once on Aviara, it would be an  easy thing to bring her to his  homeworld.

  And he felt not the slightest twinge of remorse at his scheme.

  Gian  Ren  never  denied  his  nature.  He was  Guardian  of  the  Mist; a
full-blooded male Familiar who played with her in all seriousness.

Chapter Eleven
==============

  The dust had died down with the wind.

  Jenise and Gian made their way along a crude red dirt path which they were
told led to the next encampment and Tunnel.

  The  winding path led them  through numerous crystalline structures, their
odd, twisted shapes starkly beautiful. When the wind blew, a whirring  sound
ensued,  humming to  the very  ground. Jenise thought  it wonderfully alien.
Gian smiled at her delight. He enjoyed the experience with her, sensing  the
joy of her first impressions.

  The  journey was  pleasant until  they reached a  flat plain.  In front of
them, not too far in the  distance, stood a towering crystalline  structure.

  Jenise began relating to him an incident from her childhood. She had found
a small, clear  crystal. Thinking  the pretty  sliver was  magical, she  had
lovingly  treasured it. Somehow, Karpon had  found out. He had asked her why
she would like a  piece of rock  and not him. Jenise  had answered that  the
face  of the crystal told no lies. He took the stone from her and crushed it
under his boot heel. From that day on she had hated him.

  Gian listened to her story thoughtfully. Suddenly, he stopped her  forward
step.  He scanned the  structure in front  of them, a  concerned look on his
face.

  "What is it?" she asked worriedly.

  "There are beings concealing themselves within the large crystal structure
ahead."

  "Is it a danger?"

  "I believe it is, _taja_."

  He  had no sooner  finished saying that  than a voice  called out to them.
"_We want the stones the woman has in her cloak. Give them to us and we will
let you live_!"

  The being was lying, of course. Gian could tell that.

  Jenise began untying her cloak.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Giving  them the stones, naturally. You  were right, it was foolish of me
to show them."

  "Do not take off the cloak, Jenise."

  "Do not be foolish! A few stones are not worth dying over."

  "They have no intention of letting us go. Once they have the stones,  they
will kill us."

  She blanched. "But they will kill us--"

  "Regardless,"  he  finished, letting  her know  the truth.  Checking their
position, he saw at once that they had no defense to speak of--they were out
in the open with nowhere to hide.

  Something  whizzed through the  air. Gian's hand snapped  out and caught a
long crystal shard in  midair, not a hand's  length from Jenise's face.  She
sucked in her breath.

  A voice called out, "_That was a warning. Give up the stones_."

  "If  what you say is  true, why do they not  simply kill us? Why pretend?"

  A muscle flexed in his cheek. "You are a beautiful woman.... " He let  her
draw the only conclusion.

  She  gazed out towards  the crystal formation. A  veil of fear crossed her
features.

  "I will not let that happen," he said.

  Her head whipped to him. "What do you mean?"

  "Stand behind me," was all he would say.

  She did as he bade. The man  called out once more, "What is your  answer?"

  "I  will give you an  answer," Gian yelled back. He  hurled the shard in a
powerful arc towards  the structure.  Unerringly, it  found its  way into  a
narrow space in the wall. A scream issued forth, followed by silence.

  Four  shards were hurled at them at once. Gian caught the shards one after
another, immediately sending them back the way they came. Every one hit  its
mark cleanly, ending its deadly trajectory with the final cry of its victim.

  "_We are done playing, Familiar! It is over for you both!_'"

  Gian pulled  Jenise up  against him.  Even with  his incredible  reflexes,
there  was no way  he could fend  off fifteen or twenty  shards at once. The
situation was grave, to say  the least. He would try  his best to fight  off
the  attack, but he  doubted he could. Ultimately,  he would protect Jenise.
Rather than let  her fall into  their clutches, he  would disintegrate  them
both  by dispersion. Such a thing  could occur during a metamorphosis, if he
did not take form.

  _{Put your hands upon my back, Creamcat,  so I may feel them.}_ She  would
have to be in contact with him at the exact moment.

  "Yes," she whispered shakily; doing as he bade. She did not understand his
request fully, but she trusted him.

  A barrage of shards came hissing through the air at them. Gian stood tall,
making  himself a  broader target.  He circled  one arm  back around Jenise.

  His senses told him thirteen spears were com-mg directly at him. Too many,
he acknowledged resignedly. _{Jenise, I--}_

  A flash  of light singed the air in front of his chest. Instantly thirteen
shards exploded,  pulverized in  a crackling  explosion. The  Aviaran  light
blade arced through the air in a blur of movement.

  "_Taj_   Gian."  Traed  inclined  his  head  in  greeting  as  he  stepped
protectively in front of the couple. His incredibly adept blade continued to
connect with the deadly missiles being hurled at them.

  "Traed," Gian responded wryly. "Good to see you again." Gian feinted left,
taking Jenise with him as  he dodged several shards.  "And I mean that  most
sincerely."

  Traed's  enigmatic lips curved. "How many are there behind the barricade?"
The warrior knew Gian's  Familiar senses would tell  him how many he  faced.

  "I  have taken down five already, so seventeen." He threw another shard he
had caught. A scream followed. "Sixteen."

  Traed nodded  in acknowledgment,  never taking  his eyes  from the  lethal
weapons being thrown at them.

  "You do realize we have a problem here." Gian spoke matter-of-factly as he
deflected yet another spear.

  "Yes, I do." Traed answered just as blandly. Jenise marveled that the  two
men  could speak  so calmly.  As if they  weren't fighting  for their lives!

  Both men did their best  to fend off the  attack. However, there were  too
many marauders; Gian and Traed could not keep this up indefinitely.

  Traed   pulverized   seven   shards   in  a   lightning-fast   display  of
swordsmanship. The explosion of the crystal  for some reason made him  think
of the crystal point Yaniff always wore in his ear.

  The symbol of the ever-changing facets of Charl power...

  _Crystal  can  transmute energy_,  a  voice whispered  in his  head. Traed
raised his brows at the sudden idea. "Stand back from me, _taj_ Gian."

  Gathering Jenise to his side, Gian  carefully moved a few paces back  from
the   Aviaran  warrior.   While  Traed's   left  arm  plied   his  blade  in
lightning-fast maneuvers,  he stretched  out  his other  hand--five  fingers
splayed--in the direction of the crystal formations to his right.

  He called forth his latent power.

  It rose up in him as it always did, greedily.

  Arcs  of  light traveled  up  his body,  circling  around him,  growing in
strength and  number. The  sky above  them,  which had  been clear  just  an
instant   before,  now  darkened  ominously.  A  rumble  of  thunder sounded
overhead.

  Jenise stared in wonder  at the chiseled features  of the Aviaran  warrior
who  had saved their lives. His green eyes were sparking with his power! She
had heard of this, but had never seen  it. It was often said that the  Charl
carried  a light  within them and  therefore could endure  any darkness that
surrounded them. Looking at this tall, contained man, she could well believe
it.

  Five  jagged bolts crackled from  his wide-spread fingers, aimed precisely
at the  crystalline  structure to  his  right.  The bolts  hit  their  mark,
illuminating  the facets  of the crystal.  It almost seemed  as if they were
absorbed into it.

  At first nothing happened.

  Suddenly star bursts  began to  appear in random  patterns throughout  the
crystal,  gaining in strength and  number. Traed's power bolts were changing
the internal  structure of  the crystal,  causing it  to generate  a  strong
piezoelectric field.

  Five deadly arcs came back, aimed directly at them.

  "We will be scorched to cinders!" Terrified, Jenise hugged Gian tightly to
her.

  Just as the  bolts were  almost upon them,  Traed lifted  his light  blade
straight  out, capturing the killer bolts on it. The arcs hissed and snapped
as they circled hungrily around the blade.

  In a smooth action, Traed pivoted the pulsing blade, aiming it directly at
the outcropping in front of him.

  The  augmented power bolts zinged from the blade, pulverizing a section of
the outcropping in a shower of red dust.

  The bandits began to yell as they attempted to run for shelter_, "He is  a
Charl warrior!_"

  In  a  calm manner,  Traed sent  out  another five  bolts to  the crystal,
repeating the procedure. The bandits scurried about like insects. The second
blast  took off half of  the front facade of  the barricade they hid behind.

  "You do not waste time, I see."  Gian spoke approvingly as he watched  the
beings who would have destroyed him and Jenise meet their own fate.

  The corners of Traed's lips curled. "It was becoming tedious."

  A final BOOOM! rent the air, decimating what was left of the barricade. He
lowered his weapon as the last of the bandits scurried off.

  _Someone was running up on them from behind_…

  Gian whipped  Jenise behind  him and  crouched low,  preparing to  attack.

  An odd-looking alien was huffing and puffing to reach them.

  Traed's   arm  on  Gian's  shoulder  forestalled  him.  "It  is  my guide,
Gruntel--he is harmless, if a bit slow."

  "Wait for Gruntel to fight!" the guide called out. As if the bandits would
have the courtesy to begin fighting on his arrival.

  "It is already finished, Gruntel." Traed folded his arms across his chest,
shaking his head as  the Wiggamabob lumbered toward  them. Traed rolled  his
eyes. Well, at least his heart was in the right place.

  When  the Wiggamabob finally  reached them, Gian stared  at the alien in a
piercing way. The guide looked familiar to him. Then he recalled that he had
seen him just as Jenise and he had entered the first Tunnel on Ganakari. The
Familiar attempted to  use his  special senses  to ascertain  what he  could
about the strange alien.

  Gruntel,  not understanding  the Familiar's action,  responded by sniffing
the proud Familiar in a meddlesome way.

  "Stop that at once!" Gian brushed the snuffling snout away.

  Jenise giggled behind her hand.

  Traed glanced aside, eyes twinkling with mirth. An unusual occurrence  for
him.

  "So  Traed, how did  you find me?"  Gian ignored the  guide, who was still
sniffing at him from a distance.

  "Yaniff sent me."

  Gian grinned. "Yaniff, my old friend. I will have to thank him for  coming
to  my aid, and you  as well, Traed. You saved  our lives. I will not forget
it."

  Uncomfortable with  praise, Traed  shrugged off  the valiant  deed he  had
performed as if it were a mundane thing.

  "One who smells tasty is correct," Gruntel chimed in.

  Gian frowned at the odd guide, but Gruntel was oblivious. He leaned on his
crooked little staff, catching his breath.

  Jenise stepped  forward. "I  am Jenise."  She  held out  her hand  to  the
Aviaran. "I, too, thank you."

  "Forgive  me, _taja_;  in all the  excitement, I have  not introduced you.
This is Traed ta'al Yaniff. He is a member of my extended family."

  Traed's eyes flicked to Gian. He had heard him call the woman _taja_.  And
she  was not a Familiar woman. Was this the princess the Ganakari claimed he
had stolen?

  _{She does not know.}_ Gian sent the thought only to Traed.

  Traed raised an eyebrow, looking questioningly at Gian over Jenise's head.
_{It is complicated. Leave it for now.}_

  Traed inclined his head at Gian, taking Jenise's proffered hand. "There is
no need to thank me."

  "Of course there is." She smiled prettily at him. Traed could tell at once
why Gian would abscond with such a woman. She was captivatingly beautiful in
a unique way.  While  they had  been  fighting,  she had  stood  her  ground
bravely.  She was exactly the kind of woman Traed admired. Unusual and bold.

  His admiration must have been apparent. Gian sent him a _flicker-warning_.
Traed  smiled ever so slightly.  Familiars were extremely possessive of what
they considered theirs. He acknowledged Gian's right with a respectful  nod.

  In  fact, Gian was one of the  few men that Traed did respect. Guardian of
the Mist was universally admired  throughout the Alliance and especially  on
Aviara.  He  had  the  reputation of  a  man  who was  cunning  yet  fair. A
courageous and honorable Familiar,  whose word in all  things was his  bond.
Among his own people, he was well loved.

  "Jenise  is accompanying me to Aviara." Gian met Traed's eyes. A wealth of
subtlety lay in that statement.

  "Then our journey will be all the more--"

  Gian raised his brow.

  "Enchanting," Traed finished diplomatically.

  Jenise smiled. "What a lovely thing to  say. If you are an example of  all
Aviarans,  then I must  confess I look forward  to visiting your homeworld."

  Gian immediately bristled  with feline jealousy.  "I am afraid,  Creamcat,
that you will find that Traed is _unlike_ most Aviarans."

  "Really?"  She examined the strong, controlled warrior speculatively--from
his waist-length dark  hair to his  sparking jade eyes.  "In what way?"  she
asked curiously.

  Hands on hips, Gian turned to Traed, daring him to answer _that_ question.
Traed actually smiled.

  It wasn't until much later  that Traed wondered if  the voice he heard  in
his  head reminding him that crystals  transmute power was actually his own.

  The rest  of the  journey to  the mining  camp was  uneventful except  for
Gruntel constantly snuffling at Gian and Gian shooing the Wiggamabob away in
irritation.

  They reached the  Tunnel point  before nightfall, grateful  to leave  this
world behind.

  This  mining camp was completely deserted. Gian told the group that he had
heard this was not unusual  when a strike had  been found. Though they  were
glad  not  to have  to come  in contact  with any  more of  the disreputable
inhabitants of this place, they would have liked the opportunity to question
the locals about the next world.

  Jenise took a deep breath. "I wonder what we will find on the other side."
So far they had not had much  luck with the planets connecting through  this
line of Tunnels.

  Gian squeezed her hand, offering her his support. "I will be right by you,
_taja_."

  "No worry!" Gruntel  piped up.  "All nice.  Good place.  Good people.  You
like."

  Traed turned to the guide. "Are you sure, Gruntel?"

  The  guide  bobbed his  bumpy head  up  and down.  "Much good  place. Very
comfortable."

  Traed turned to Gian and Jenise. "We can hope it is so." He sidestepped in
front  of Gian, saying in an  aside to him, "In case  he is wrong, I will go
first, _taj_ Gian." He removed his Cearix from his waistband.

  Gian nodded, grateful for the additional protection for Jenise.

  Traed set  one foot  inside  the Tunnel.  He  pivoted halfway,  saying  to
Gruntel, "Much nice, hmmm?"

  "Much nice," Gruntel affirmed.

  Traed stepped through, the corridor that joined worlds.

  Gian  waited a  few moments in  case Traed  sent them a  warning, but none
came. Which might mean nothing or everything.

  "Come, Creamcat." Gian led Jenise into the maw. Gruntel was close at their
heels, sniffing.

  If  anyone had been in  the mining camp, he  would have heard the Familiar
man hissing at the Wiggamabob.

  Followed by the imperative, "_Stop it_!"

  Followed by feminine amused laughter.

  The land before them was starkly beautiful.

  Until the cold hit them.

  "Did you not  say much  nice?" Traed pulled  his cloak  about him,  giving
Gruntel  a skeptical look. The guide beamed, taking a deep breath in the icy
air. He  exhaled with  great satisfaction,  grinning broadly.  "Much  nice!"

  Jenise smiled even as she shivered. "It seems he likes the cold."

  "It would seem so." Traed replaced his Cearix.

  "I wonder which way we go?" Jenise pointed to the three icy paths in front
of them. They were standing  on a hillock in a  forest covered with ice  and
moonlight.  The air, though  cold, was crisp and  clean and invigorating. It
was night on this world.

  "Follow path to center!" Gruntel chirped.  He bounced to the front of  the
group and happily led the way.

  Gian  looked at Traed, questioning  if they should follow. Traed shrugged.
"It is as good a way as any."

  "True."

  They fell in behind the self-proclaimed guide.

  Gian brought Jenise under the warmth of his cloak.

  "Is this better?" he whispered to her.

  "A little." She nodded, feeling his  sultry heat through the double  layer
of cloaks. "You are always nice and warm, Gian."

  A smile  tugged at his  lips. "I was  thinking the same  of you." His hand
under the cloak tickled her side.

  She laughed, enjoying the moment with him. A thin layer of snow coated the
ice  on the  path. Their  footfalls made crunching  sounds in  the night and
everything around them  was bathed in  silver light. "Silver  and ice,"  she
spoke softly. "It is almost magical here."

  Gian gazed down at her. "Yes."

  Her  breath caught in her throat. The silvery moonlight made him even more
stunning, if that was possible. "I am so glad to share this moment with you,
Guardian of the Mist."

  Jenise   believed  in  moments.  The  Frensi  taught  that  ultimately one
perceives the reality of one's life by  the moments he chooses to commit  to
memory. When these chosen moments are strung together throughout a lifetime,
their patterns  form a  mystical helix  that the  inner spirit  climbs.  The
Familiar belief was much the same.

  Her  simple words touched  him greatly. "I as  well, Creamcat." He brushed
her lips with his own.

  Gian reached inside the  waistband of his _tracas_.  "For you." He  handed
her  a small faceted sliver of red  crystal. "To replace the one Karpon took
from you."

  Tears came to her eyes at the Familiar's kind gesture.

  She held the treasure in her palm protectively, closing her hand over  the
tiny  gift. For the rest of her life she knew that every time she gazed upon
Gian's gift she would remember the  incredible night they had shared in  the
crystal room.

  He had given her yet another moment to vibrate along her lifeline. "I will
treasure it always."

  "As I treasure you." He kissed  her mouth purring against her sweet  lips.

  Gruntel tugged Traed's sleeve. "Look! See what they do!" He pointed to the
embracing couple.

  Traed shook  his head  at the  nosy guide.  "Do not  look upon  that!"  he
hissed.

  Gruntel scratched his bumpy head. "No?"

  "No."  Traed turned the wayward guide  about to face front as they marched
along.

  "Hmf! She think he tasty too!" Gruntel complained.

  "Not in the same manner." Traed  rolled his eyes, continuing on the  path.
_Quests_!

  Towards dawn, they came upon a stone abode next to an icy, flowing stream.
They had not  seen any  beings during their  journey through  the night  and
Jenise was starting to wonder if Gruntel had been correct.

  "Go there!" Gruntel said excitedly. "Friend. Rest for day."

  "Is he saying we are to find shelter ahead?" Gian asked Traed.

  "It would seem so."

  "Are  you tired, Jenise?" He hugged her to him. "Or do you wish to go on?"

  "No go on!" Gruntel jumped up and down. "Too far to Tunnel. Too dangerous.
Must have help!"

  "Dangerous?  What do you mean  by dangerous?" Gian demanded, concerned for
Jenise.

  "Way too steep. Need help."

  "I believe he  is saying that  the route becomes  difficult to  navigate."

  Gruntel bobbed his head at Traed.

  "Perhaps we should take his advice, _taj_ Gian. He has proven correct thus
far."

  Gian glanced down at Jenise. He knew she would not admit it, but he  could
tell she was wearying. "We will stop."

  Traed and Gruntel went ahead.

  "Why  does he ask you  what to do, Gian? Traed  seems like a man who would
not ordinarily  do such  a thing."  Jenise  gazed up  at him,  an  inquiring
expression gracing her soft features.

  Gian paused. "It is his way."

  "It does not seem to be his way," she responded shrewdly.

  Gian  shrugged, pretending  no interest  in the  topic. In  reality he was
astounded by her astute observation. He would have to warn Traed to be  more
circumspect.

  Gruntel pounded on the wooden door with his crooked staff.

  High-pitched  yipping came  from inside, followed  by raspy grumbling. The
door opened a  few moments  later to reveal  a fur-covered  being who  stood
almost  as tall as the two men. He had round brown eyes, a round black nose,
and two small, pointy ears  sitting at an angle on  the top of his head.  He
tapped  the side  of his forehead  to indicate he  had no translator device.

  Gruntel took over  the conversation  for them,  speaking to  the being  in
snorts and guttural sounds. They obviously knew each other.

  Gruntel turned to them, grinning his two-toothed smile. "Ogga let you stay
for rest."

  Traed nodded. "Tell him we thank him for his kindness."

  Gruntel translated.  Ogga's tongue  hung out  of his  open mouth  in  what
everyone  assumed was his version of a grin. He ushered them inside into the
warmth.

  Jenise looked around  the main  room of the  small abode,  happy they  had
decided to stay here. The room was lit by a huge fireplace. Heavy woven rugs
covered the floors and there were  low cushions scattered about for  resting
upon. A kettle of soup was heating over the fire, its fragrant herbs filling
the room.

  She sighed. Shedding  her cloak, she  sank wearily down  upon the  nearest
cushion.  Gian sat next to her. Jenise marveled anew at his feline ways. The
Familiar sat very close to her, touching  her at various points of her  body
with his. It was as if he were silently letting her know of his presence and
protection while at the same time telling anyone watching that he considered
this person one of his own.

  Traed  recognized the pose immediately, for he had seen it countless times
in the  past with  other Familiars,  both male  and female.  It was  another
Familiar  enigma--they  were fiercely  independent  and yet  they positioned
themselves as guardians to those they cared for.

  Ogga was a gracious host. He offered them all bowls of the steaming  soup,
handing  the first bowl  to Gian. Somehow  he knew the  Familiar was the one
whose approval he had to gain.

  Guardian of the Mist cocked  his head to one  side and examined the  brew.
Using  his special senses,  he ascertained that the  concoction would not be
harmful to them. "It is safe," he said in a low tone. Even though Ogga could
not  understand him,  he did not  wish to  insult the generous  alien in his
home. He handed the bowl to Jenise so that she might refresh herself  first.

  She  gratefully took  the brew,  for she  was quite  hungry. She swallowed
several times before stopping to inform them that it was delicious.

  They all eagerly drank theirs.

  After they had finished eating, Gruntel and Ogga carried on a conversation
by  the  fire--much like  old friends  do. After  a time,  Gruntel turned to
Traed. "Ogga say he take you on to Tunnel with his Wee-chukchuk."

  "Wee-chukchuk... what is  that?" Traed  was stretched  out across  several
cushions,  his hands folded  behind his head. Despite  the relaxed Pose, the
Aviaran was, as always, fully alert.

  "He say very fierce, very brave.  Can go over ice. Wee-chukchuk  respected
by all. Only take if they like."

  "Hmmm."  A strand of his  hair caught under his cloak  as he turned on his
side. He yanked it out, irritated. "Ask him if he has a leather thong to tie
back my hair."

  Gruntel snorted something to Ogga. Ogga's tongue lolled out in a grin. "He
say no. Too bad for warrior who think he not Charl."

  Traed narrowed  his eyes.  Ignoring Gruntel's  obvious pleasure  over  the
situation,  he watched Gian place a sleeping Jenise carefully down on one of
the cushions. He idly  wondered what it  was like to care  for a woman  that
much. To feel that kind of...

  The  path of thought disturbed him on  many levels, so as was his wont, he
squelched it.

  "She was exhausted." Gian covered her with his cloak.

  "Is she your _tajan_, Gian?" Traed asked bluntly.

  "I have said so, have I not?"

  "I know you were captured on Ganakari--I saw your physical path."

  Gian was impressed with Traed's ability. "I did not know you possessed the
Sight, Traed."

  A small, ironic smile curved the dark-haired man's chiseled lips. "No, not
many do. I revealed myself to the Guild to save Rejar."

  Gian sat up. "Rejar has been found?"

  "Yes." Traed  filled  him  in  on  the  story.  "And  he  brought  back  a
non-Familiar mate, Gian."

  Gian  had to  hold back  his laughter  so as  not to  waken Jenise. "Rejar
always did have to be first when it came to blazing new paths."

  "True," Traed agreed as he thought of his capricious  brother-of-the-line.
He  was  sure the  half-Familiar was  not  having an  easy time  of Yaniff's
lessons. The  few he  had taken  as a  youth were  enough to  tell him  that
someone  like Rejar must be tugging  at the harness. Traed's eyes gleamed as
he pictured how Lorgin must be mercilessly teasing him.

  "So you have saved Rejar as well. I owe you much, Traed."

  The Aviaran bristled. "You owe me nothing."  Traed did not like to owe  or
be owed. Such was his nature.

  "Nonetheless... " Gian stated firmly.

  A dull  bronze colored Traed's high cheek-bones.  "How did you get free on
Ganakari?"

  "Jenise helped me to escape."

  "It had to be more complicated than that."

  "It always is. She is not Ganakari; she is Frensi."

  "Frensi?" Traed looked over at her speculalively.

  "What is it?"

  "Do you know anything about the Frensi?"

  "Not much. Just that they are a nomadic people."

  "There were some Frensi  on Zarrain where I  lived. They are a  passionate
people."

  A very male smile crossed Gian's face but he said nothing.

  "Ah." Traed could just imagine. "Has she danced for you?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "You  would not have to  ask if she had. They  say a Frensi female has one
special dance in  her and  she performs  it only once  in her  life for  one
Person.  It  is rumored  to be  a mystical,  beauteous sharing.  She uses no
words, just movements, to resonate with  the soul of the watcher. The  dance
depicts  the image of pure love. Once  seen, the one who has witnessed it is
forever moved."

  Gian was stunned. He gazed at her  as she lay sleeping. "I did not  know,"
he murmured.

  Traed switched the subject away from love and devotion, wondering what had
ever made him bring _that_ up. It was unlike him. "The Guild is most anxious
to see you."

  "And  I them. We have  much to discuss. The  Familiar are in grave danger,
Traed. I will call in every favor owed us by the Charl."

  Traed raised his eyebrows. For  Gian to say such  a thing, it was  serious
indeed. "I will get you and your _tajan_ safely to Aviara, Gian."

  "Of that I have no doubt. Yaniff has sent only the best to me, for which I
am grateful."

  Traed inclined  his head  at the  words of  praise coming  from a  man  he
respected.

  "Let  us  get some  rest. I  have the  feeling our  journey will  not be a
peaceful one."

  "True. We must deal with these fierce Wee-chukchuks." Traed paused, saying
in  his usual  bland way, "Perhaps  they will like  your tasty smell, Gian."

  Gian arched  his  brow. "Why  should  they  be an  exception?  It  appears
everyone else does."

  Traed snorted.

  Both men lay down on the cushions to get a brief rest.

  The following night when the moon rose, Ogga led the group around the back
of the cottage.

  A low, raftlike  platform rested  there on  rails. In  the center  of  the
platform  were two waist-high  poles with crossbars.  Ogga motioned for Gian
and Traed to stand at the poles while Jenise and Gruntel sat at their  feet,
facing forward.

  "He  get Wee-chukchuk now,"  Gruntel informed them.  "Hope they like. Very
fierce."

  Gian and Traed nodded seriously.

  Loud barking sounds came from  behind the shed. By  the sound of it,  Ogga
had  his hands full. The  two men prepared for the  battle of wills that was
sure to ensue.

  Ogga rounded the corner.

  Leading him  were eight  tube-shaped animals  with fluffy  heads,  lolling
tongues, wide paws, and wagging double tails. They stood only one-and-a-half
hands high. Gian's and Traed's  eyes both widened incredulously but  neither
man said anything. Out loud. Both, however, were thinking the same thought_:
This is the fierce beast_?

  Ogga hitched up the Wee-chukchuks and climbed onto the platform. He waited
anxiously.

  At   first  the  Wee-chukchuks  did  nothing  but  fuss  around,  checking
everything out. Ogga seemed nervous.

  Then as one they lifted their round noses in the air and tested the scent.
At the same time, they all turned their heads and stared at Gian.

  The Familiar narrowed his eyes at them.

  Eight  Wee-chukchuks broke into actual  little grins, their smiling mouths
showing their little white teeth. Then they faced forward and began to  pull
the platform.

  "We go now!" Gruntel shouted happily.

  They went. At a _zorph's_ pace.

  Sometime later they still hadn't cleared the front yard.

  Gian's  mouth twitched. The absurdity of  the situation got to him. He was
trying desperately not to laugh. Jenise began giggling into her cloak. Traed
blinked  and  stared off  to the  right.  A suspicious  snort came  from his
direction.

  Gian pinched  the bridge  of his  nose. _{What  are we  doing?}_ he  asked
anyone  who would listen. The platform barely crawled onto the main pathway.

  Traed turned to him  and said quite  seriously, "We are  Wee-chukchuking."

  Both  Jenise and  Gian roared with  laughter. The corners  of Traed's lips
twitched.

  "Good thing they liked your  scent, Gian," Jenise added facetiously.  "Who
knows how long it would have taken us otherwise?"

  This  time even  Traed laughed as  the strange cart  crept along the path.

  The Wee-chukchuk proved  themselves useful  when the land  started to  dip
down  into gullies. Their  wide, sharp paws  dug into the  ice and they were
able to pass through areas that would have been difficult for the  travelers
to navigate on foot.

  Jenise thought the starlit journey through the icy forest was particularly
lovely. The cool,  crisp air,  the silvery  branches against  the dark  sky,
created  a magical  scene before her  that she knew  she would never forget.

  Gian stood behind her, his  muscular, leather-clad legs bracing her  back.
His  presence added  to the mood  of this  night, for even  though she still
would have enjoyed the scenery had he  not been with her, it would not  have
been  the same. There was a sense  of excitement around the Familiar. He was
like an adventure unto himself.

  What was more, he made her feel so incredibly alive! Not simply because of
his  sensual  expertise;  it was  everything  about him.  She  suspected her
impression was not due only to this journey they were on. It would always be
that way around him. Gian was a unique, vital presence.

  Once again she grew sad at the thought of leaving him.

  As  if he  sensed the momentary  change in  her mood, he  reached down and
stroked the side  of her neck  with two fingers  as he spoke  to Traed.  The
unconscious,  tender gesture affected  her deeply. She affectionately rubbed
her cheek against the back of his hand.

  Near daybreak, they reached the Tunnel entrance.

  It stood alone in  the middle of  the woods, a  sislent, pulsating maw  of
light.  Jenise  guessed that  its location  was significant  in that  it was
hidden. She was  proven correct when  Gruntel informed them  in his  stilted
speech  that this  Tunnel led  to an Alliance  world. Once  they exited this
Tunnel, there would be another close by that would lead directly to  Aviara.

  Both men cheered at the news.

  Though Jenise was also happy that the most dangerous part of their journey
was apparently over,  she was also  somewhat downhearted, for  she knew  her
time  with Gian would soon be over. Back in the beginning, when she had gone
to him  as  he  lay  chained  to  the  wall,  she  had  never  imagined  the
relationship that would develop between them.

  But  then, she hadn't anticipated someone  like Guardian of the Mist. _How
could she have_? Surely there was no one like him.

  Gruntel surprised everyone by saying his good-byes.

  "You are not coming with us?" Traed asked the guide as he took him  aside.

  "No  come. Gruntel finished here. Take you as promised. Need go home now."

  "I see." For some strange reason, Traed  felt somewhat sad to see him  go.
He  had actually come to  like the Wiggamabob. And  the guide had helped him
when he had been struck with the poisonous quill. "Would you like to come to
Aviara  with us?" he surprised  himself by asking. "I am  sure we can find a
place for you."

  Gruntel shook his head, his small eyes bright. "Need go home," he repeated
sadly.

  Traed  nodded acceptingly. Taking from his cloak a uniquely designed black
and silver pouch heavy with stones, he held it out to Gruntel as payment for
his services.

  Gruntel  grinned,  eagerly scooping  up the  pouch. "Much  good pay, Charl
knight!" He did his little dance, turning around on his fat feet.

  Traed smiled slightly. "Gruntel, I am not a Charl knight."

  Gruntel secured the stones inside  his gray robes, ignoring Traed's  claim
as he had from the beginning. "Accomplish great deed--save us all. Maybe get
special reward from Charl!"

  Traed's features instantly turned to stone. "There is nothing I want  from
the Charl."

  Gruntel  cocked his  bumpy head  to the  side. "Want  something. In heart.
Deep.   Gruntel  know."  A  dull   bronze  highlighted  the  Aviaran's  high
cheekbones. He turned away.

  "Ask  for heart's need. Never hurt." He patted the warrior's back with his
fat, leathery hand.

  The Aviaran paused before  saying softly, "Farewell,  Gruntel. I wish  you
well." He began walking toward the Tunnel entrance.

  "Remember  Gruntel's words, Charl knight!"  Gruntel called after him as he
entered the portal.

  Traed hesitated briefly but continued on.

  Gruntel leaned on his crooked little  staff, making sure they all  entered
the Tunnel safely. Satisfied, he continued on his way.

  A Wiggamabob always took his job as guide very seriously.

Chapter Twelve
==============

  By  their  own reckoning  of time  passage,  they arrived  in the  Hall of
Tunnels on Aviara later that same day.

  Jenise marveled  at the  beauty of  the planet.  The wide  streets in  the
village  were of  paved stone and  led to  a center plaza  flanked by shops.
There were  blooming  trees  and  flowers  everywhere,  their  exotic  scent
sweetening the air.

  It  was daytime  here on  Aviara and Jenise  looked up,  noting the clear,
light blue sky. Just a  hint of breeze wafted her  hair. Trills sang in  the
trees  and  bushes and  she saw  that crystal  chimes were  hung in numerous
places; their  soft, tinkling  sounds lent  a harmonious  atmosphere to  the
lovely scene.

  Aviara  was even more beautiful than she had heard. Inhaling deeply of the
flower-scented air, she sighed. "It is beautiful, is it not?" Gian smiled as
he took in the welcome sight.

  "Yes,  even more lovely than  I imagined." She beamed up  at him. "I am so
glad I came here with you! It was  one of the places I had always longed  to
see."

  His  gaze shifted  to her. "Your  joy pleases  me." He lifted  his hand to
remove a stray lock of hair from  her face. "It is your choice, but  perhaps
you would like to see M'yan as well," he offered.

  Overhearing  the Familiar,  Traed raised an  eyebrow. Gian was  a wise and
deadly hunter. Such tactics as these  were not unknown to Aviaran  warriors.
He watched the scene play out before him, fascinated.

  Jenise's  eyes widened in  surprise. "The Familiar  homeworld?" No one was
ever allowed on M'yan  except by personal  invitation. The Familiar  guarded
their  privacy zealously.  All kinds  of rumors circulated  about the place.
Some said it was a mysterious  world, harsh and unforgiving. Others  claimed
it was a place of untold ecstasy.

  Whatever  its nature, Jenise was sure such an opportunity would never come
her way again. She  would be foolish not  to take the chance  to see it  for
herself.

  "That is very generous of you, Gian."

  Traed   folded  his  arms  across  his  chest.  _Generous_.  Gian  had her
completely ensnared. He patiently watched Guardian of the Mist appear to act
humble. It was a sight not to be missed.

  "Then  you will come?" Gian beseeched in a sincere tone. He knew very well
what such an invitation to explore would mean to her.

  "If you do not think it would be any trouble... " She had o idea that  the
Familiar  had purposely  waited for just  the right moment  to issue such an
invitation.

  Gian smiled  much  like the  cat  he was...  the  one in  control  of  the
intricate game he played. "No trouble at all, _taja_."

  "Then I should like that." She smiled gratefully up at him.

  "Good." He took her hand. "You shall be ours, of course."

  "Ours?" she looked at him, puzzled. "A figure of speech."

  It  was more than that, Traed knew. When a Familiar took you into his home
and said those words, he was claiming  you to his family. His home was  open
to you as if it were your own.

  Before  she could question him about  what the saying meant, he firmly led
her in the direction of the home of Krue and Suleila.

  It was a lovely day; they had  survived to reach Aviara; she was going  to
have the rare opportunity to view M'yan; and she would not be leaving

  Gian for some time to come. All in all, she suddenly felt happy.

  Traed  noted  Jenise's light  step and  shining eyes  and had  to hand the
victory to Guardian of the Mist.

  Not that there had ever been any doubt of the outcome. Still, he  wondered
what  her reaction was going to be  when _taj_ Gian got her safely ensconced
on his homeworld.

  Traed's chiseled lips curled. From what he had seen of Jenise, he did  not
think she was going to take the situation lightly.

  He  almost envied  Gian his battle  to come. Speaking  for himself, he had
always had a liking for danger.

  Of _any_ kind.

  Before they could reach Krue's home, the ancient wizard Yaniff met them on
the road.

  "Gian!" He heartily slapped the Familiar on the back.

  "Yaniff, my old friend." He hugged the wizard in greeting. "I have much to
thank you for, it appears."

  "_Pssht_! You have nothing to thank me for. I am only glad to see you  are
well and unharmed."

  "Yes,  but you must thank Traed for that.  If it were not for him we would
not be here."

  Yaniff looked at Traed approvingly. "I never doubted you would do less, my
son."

  Bronze  highlighted Traed's cheeks. Uncomfortable with praise of any kind,
he muttered, "_Taj_ Gian makes more of it than it was."

  "Are you  saying  that _taj_  Gian  exaggerates, Traed?"  Yaniff  shrewdly
rejoined.

  Either  way he answered, Traed was caught. Annoyed at the wizard's ability
to trap  him  in such  a  way, he  stared  stonily ahead,  refusing  to  say
anything.

  Yaniff  chuckled. "You have done a valiant thing for the Guild and for the
Familiar, Traed. Do not  be shy to  say so." Yaniff turned  to Gian. "I  can
glean what has transpired from your mind." He looked pointedly at Jenise. "I
will apprise the others of the situation.  Do you wish to speak to the  High
Guild now?"

  Gian  thought for a moment.  "Yes, I will. Jenise,  Traed will take you to
Krue's home, where you may rest until I come. Suleila, his wife, is a member
of my family."

  Jenise  bit her lip,  hesitant about going to  a stranger's home expecting
shelter. Gian cupped  her cheek.  "It is all  right, Creamcat.  She will  be
happy to have you. You will like her very much, I am sure."

  "Perhaps I should go to an inn?"

  "No.  Traed, take her to Krue's." Immediately Traed came forward to do so.

  "Gian!" Jenise protested his high-handed attitude.

  "I know you will be cared for there  in the home of my family. I will  see
you  soon." He bent down and  imperiously kissed her lips_. {Tell Suleila to
keep silent.} _  He sent  the thought  to Traed,  who inclined  his head  in
acknowledgment.

  It  wasn't  until she  was being  led  away that  Jenise wondered  how the
Familiar had managed to get  her to do exactly as  he wanted. She had  never
heard  that tone  of command from  him before! It  was rather... forceful. A
niggling worry crossed her mind.

  Gian entered Krue's home some time later, finding Traed in the great room.
The  warrior's hair was once more pulled  tightly back in a ponytail. He was
sipping a cup of warm _mir_ as he idly thumbed through a book.

  Obviously he  was waiting  for Gian  to  return so  that he  might  leave.
Despite  the fact that three other warriors resided in this household, _taj_
Gian had entrusted Jenise to him. Traed would not leave until the trust  was
returned to Gian. Such was the Aviaran way.

  "Where is Jenise?"

  Traed  looked  up  as  the  Familiar entered  the  room.  "She  is resting
upstairs."

  "Where is everyone else?"

  "Krue and Suleila went to see Melody."

  "Ah, Lorgin's babe. Yaniff has told me Krue is besotted."

  Traed smiled slightly. "Yes, it is something  to see. The babe has him  at
her bidding. He claims she looks just like him."

  Gian  laughed at  the picture  of a legendary  Warrior such  as Krue being
brought to heel by a mere babe. "Does she?"

  Traed shrugged. "I am not one to ask of such things."

  Gian had observed that although Traed was a part of the family of Krue, he
was apart. It was Unfortunate for all concerned. "Where is Rejar?"

  Traed  steepled his  fingers, resting his  chin on the  tips. His mood was
indecipherable. "Rejar is at Yaniff's."

  "Yaniff's? What does he there?"

  "Ah... you would not have heard. Rejar has joined the Charl."

  Gian's brow raised. "_Willingly_?" he  asked disbelievingly. He could  not
imagine  Rejar subjecting himself to the discipline needed to become a Charl
warrior. Rejar had ever been of a capricious nature. Loving life and  women.
And not always in that order. In all ways that Gian could see, he was a true
Familiar.

  Traed smirked. "Willingly... that is a matter of some debate."

  Both men chuckled. Although half  Familiar and half Aviaran, Rejar  seemed
to  have inherited the  most independent qualities  from both sides. Rejar's
father Krue and Yaniff had both railed  at him for years to join the  Charl,
but  to no avail. The men of Krue's bloodline followed the path of the Charl
warrior. Gian could only speculate on what machinations Yaniff had  employed
to  get the frisky Rejar to comply.  He would find that out later, but right
now, he had more pressing matters on his mind.

  Gian became  serious. "I  have  apprised the  guild  of the  situation  on
Ganakari."

  Traed put down his drink. "And?"

  "Karpon  must  be stopped,  of course.  And  the nature  of the  drug they
administered to me must be ascertained.  It is my belief that certain  steps
should be taken in the meantime to ensure the safety of the Familiar. I have
done what I thought best." He did  not elaborate on what that was but  Traed
sensed there was much on Gian's mind.

  "I am sure you have done the right thing, Gian."

  "The Sages wish to see you, Traed," Gian said in a quiet voice.

  Traed  was not happy with  this. He had no  desire to be embroiled further
with the mystics' unending schemes. "Why do they wish to see me?"

  "I have told them what you did to save us."

  Traed's nostrils flared. "I wish you had not, Gian."

  "They would have seen it, regardless... in my mind."

  "No. You could have shielded your thoughts from them."

  Gian sighed. So, Traed  knew that Familiars  could shield themselves  from
high-level  Charls. "It would  not have been  right. You deserve recognition
for such a deed. They wish to speak to you."

  Traed stood resignedly.  When the  House of Sages  requested an  audience,
there  was little choice  in the matter. "No,  they want something from me."

  "It was not the impression I received."

  "You know them not. Believe me, in  the end, they will want something.  If
not this day, then the next." He quietly closed the door behind him.

  "Then I am sorry, Traed," Gian said to the empty room. A warrior with such
power as Traed's,  who refused  to be Charl,  was walking  a very  dangerous
path.

  _Perhaps it would be good for Traed to come to M'yan for a while as well_.
The more Gian considered it, the more he realized what an excellent idea  it
was. For both of them.

  In fact, he would insist.

  Traed  stood tall before the House of Sages in the High Guild. Insolently,
he threw his  shoulders back,  meeting each and  every eye  that faced  him.

  It  was his first  time to be  called before them as  a group, even though
separately, he had met them all.

  Although they had never made  any decrees regarding him personally,  their
actions  against  his natural  father had  punished him  as well.  It was an
unjust chastisement of an  innocent boy that had  affected his entire  life.

  And he had suffered greatly because of it.

  He would not welcome a summons to this chamber on any day.

  Gelfan  was first to  speak. "We would compensate  you, son of... Yaniff."

  Traed's pale green gaze narrowed. The man could not even bring himself  to
say  his name.  "It is  not necessary. I  seek no  compensation from _you_."

  Ernak cleared his throat, clearly  embarrassed by Gelfan's rudeness.  "You
misunderstand, Traed. We, the Sages of the High Guild seek to make up for...
for the way we have dealt with you."

  "The way you have dealt with me." Traed's dry tone caused several to avoid
his piercing look.

  Ernak  was one of them. He looked  away uneasily. "The way we ignored your
position in all of this. Surely you see that was not our intention. In light
of  your abilities, we seek to mend this error. A power such as yours cannot
be overlooked or ignored. Whether you desire it or not."

  Traed snorted, crossing his arms contemptuously over his chest.

  Gelfan's palm  slapped down  on the  table. "He  needs guidance;  that  is
obvious! That power cannot be allowed to run amok!"

  Traed  raised  a scornful  eyebrow.  "Really. And  which  one of  you will
designate to not allow me to go  about my way?" The challenge was there.  He
impaled each member save Yaniff with a chilling glare.

  As  expected, no one spoke.  Who in his right  mind would challenge such a
power?

  Yaniff stepped forward. "This is not necessary, Traed." He used the  voice
of  a Charl  master to  his student.  "_Think well  ere you  speak your next
words_."

  Traed hesitated despite himself.  He had been  about to challenge  Gelfan.
Yaniff's  warning resonated through him.  Besides protecting him, Yaniff was
letting him know  that Gelfan  might welcome such  a challenge  for his  own
ends.  Traed  would not  go against  Yaniff.  "As you  wish, Yaniff.  Out of
respect to you and you alone I hold my tongue."

  Wolthanth was impressed. "What can we  do for you, Traed? Surely there  is
something.  I, for one, do  not feel right about  what has transpired in the
past. In any event, even  if the incidents of the  past had not affected  us
all, we still would wish to compensate you for this valiant service you have
performed. You have saved Guardian of  the Mist, something both our  peoples
applaud.  Under  the circumstances,  there  was not  another who  could have
brought him  out  alive. It  was  your level  of  power and  ingenuity  that
delivered him back to us. You have rewarded our trust in you and now we wish
to reward you in kind."

  It was an  eloquent speech.  Wolthanth had  neatly turned  aside his  past
grievances  and focused instead on the present.  By his words he had made it
very difficult for Traed to refuse a reward. Nonetheless, there was  nothing
he wanted from them.

  Suddenly  he heard  Gruntel's words  again. _"...  ask heart's desire..."_

  Why not? What did he  have to lose? "Very  well, Wolthanth. The Guild  may
begin  to make amends by granting me my rightful name, which has been denied
me these many years."

  Silence reigned in the cavernous room.

  Finally Zysyz spoke. "What name is that, Traed taal Yaniff?"

  Only the slight flickering of an eyelash betrayed Traed's hurt. "There  is
a name that belongs to me--indeed is part of my bloodline--which you in your
wisdom have denied me." He bit the bitter words out.

  Traed turned to Yaniff,  genuine sorrow etched on  his face. "Forgive  me,
Yaniff,  and know  that I do  this not to  dishonor your name,  which I hold
above all others. There  is another whose name  I should bear, however.  One
whose blood-line is directly tied to mine. Does he not stand for my mother's
line?"

  "_He does!_"

  All eyes turned towards the sound  of the powerful voice which spoke  from
the doorway to the chamber. Krue.

  He strode forward, his commanding presence a force in the hall. He came to
a halt abreast of Traed.

  "The lad is  right." Krue placed  his hand on  Traed's shoulder.  "Reverse
your ruling; it is past time to put away old hurts. The Tan-Shi will have to
understand and if they do not, it will be their misfortune. For I will claim
this  Traed as my  son. I should  have done so  when he was  but a child and
would have if  not for the  constraints you placed  upon me. Constraints,  I
would  add, that doubled my sorrow--to lose my sister and my son-of-the-line
as well."

  Wolthanth spoke. "Krue, there was more to that decision than you  realize.
As  retribution for Theardar's  insult to the Lodarres  line, you would have
sought to face Theardar for the rights to his son. This we could not allow."

  "Yes,  Krue," Gelfan added. "Theardar  was a sixth-level mystic even then.
At the time, you were  but a four. Against such  power, you would have  been
helpless."

  Krue's  lavender eyes captured the Sages  in their steely glow. "Think you
so?" he uttered  in a chilling  tone, causing  a few members  to look  away.
Krue's reputation as a legendary warrior was well known.

  Gelfan  narrowed his eyes, not liking  the way the conversation was going.
Sages were not to be questioned.  "Perhaps not," he admitted. "But we  could
not take such a risk."

  "You should have allowed _me_ to make that decision! It involved the honor
of my family."

  Yaniff spoke to Krue. "We  could not. It was  my say the Guild  followed."

  Krue  turned a shocked face to Yaniff.  "Your say? But why? You were on my
side of it--you told me so yourself! Why would you do such a thing?"

  "_Rejar_."

  Both Traed and Krue appeared stunned.  Finally Krue spoke. "But Rejar  was
not  an issue then. Why, I had not--that  is, Suleila and I... I had not yet
performed the Transference with Suleila."

  "Exactly." Yaniff pierced Krue with a steady look. "As I say, we could not
risk your going against Theardar."

  Everyone  was silent  for many moments.  What had Yaniff  seen? Somehow it
involved Rejar and was  of vital importance. But  what? The Sages  pondered.

  "I  do not understand these things, Yaniff. I confess they disturb me more
oft than not. For  I wonder where the  line between vision and  manipulation
lies. Lately these lines blur for me and I begin to resent much."

  "It grieves me to hear you speak thus, Krue."

  "And me."

  "I have known you all your days; I beseech you to listen when I ask you to
honor my words. It is Rejar and it has always been Rejar."

  "I cannot credit this!" Krue spat.

  "What do you speak of?" Traed was completely left out of this exchange  of
mystical significance.

  The  Sages turned horrified eyes to Yaniff. "We cannot credit this either.
Surely you have misread the signs,  Yaniff?" Gelfan was clearly shaken.  "He
is of the Familiar; he is not--"

  "It _is_ as I say."

  Strangely enough, it was Krue who recovered first. "I am not here to argue
my son's place in your  visions, Yaniff. I am here  to claim another son  to
me. This son."

  He faced Traed, placing his hand upon his shoulder. "I claim this Traed as
my right by bloodline, by Charl mystical belief, by Aviaran law, by my heart
as  well, as Traed ta'al Krue, acknowledged  brother to the sons of my loins
Lorjin and Rejar. It is done. Embrace your father, Traed. Though it  grieves
me that this moment comes so late, better than never."

  Moved,  Traed  embraced Krue.  Jade eyes  damp, he  went down  on one knee
before him. "I acknowledge you as father of my bloodline and of my heart  as
well. I hereby know myself. _I am Traed ta'al Krue_!"

  Not one voice called out to dispute the fact.

  Yaniff watched, more pleased than he had been in many a year as Traed rose
to his feet, bringing  with him his  rightful heritage and  the name of  his
mother's  bloodline.  On Aviara,  when  a father  disgraced his  lineage, he
forever lost the right to claim his sons. Such sons by law then belonged  to
he  who would stand for the mother's  line. In this case, Krue had the right
to claim Traed.

  Krue and Traed  left the hall  together, and Yaniff  thought it was  just.

  "Are  you sure  the babe is  getting enough rest?"  Krue glowered down the
table at his eldest son, Lorgin.

  "Yes, father, I am  sure," Lorgin answered him  dully. He casually  turned
away  from his father  towards his brother Rejar  and crossed his eyes. Krue
was driving him mad! Yes,  it was his first. child  but, by _Aiyah_, he  was
not an idiot!

  Rejar  smirked  at his  brother, glad  for once  not to  be the  one under
scrutiny.

  Lorgin's wife, Adeeann, beamed at Krue as  if he were the wisest and  most
caring  of olde-fathers. In truth, she was enjoying this. For which he would
make her pay later.

  "I do not think it safe for her in that tree you live in," Krue  grumbled.

  Lorgin  knew  what was  coming next.  His father  was once  again going to
"suggest" his son move back to the family home.

  Temporarily.

  For the next twenty years.

  He wondered if his father was still suffering from the shock of his errant
son, Rejar, bringing home a wife. Yes, that must be it. Had to be.

  Lorgin  fumed. Why did he always have to suffer because of his brother? He
glowered at him across the table, brows lowered. Rejar blinked innocently at
him.

  "Oh,  but the tree is so pretty." Lilac winked at her husband, Rejar. They
had found a nice, secluded spot on one of the branches a few nights ago. She
shivered as she remembered what he had done to her that night.

  Rejar  glanced at her out of the  corner of his eye. He discreetly ran the
tip of his  tongue across  his sultry lower  lip. Lilac  shivered anew.  Her
husband  had not  been named  "Gifted" in  the Familiar  tongue for nothing.

  The tree is perfectly safe.  Father," Lorgin reiterated for the  hundredth
time.

  "I fail to see how it is safe when she can crawl off a limb and--"

  Lorgin  rubbed the side of his forehead, where the throbbing was starting.
Krue had been going on  like this for weeks and  he was getting worse.  "She
cannot crawl yet, Father." He groaned as he imagined what Krue would be like
by that time.

  "Nonetheless, who can say what--"

  A loud shriek of disgust came from the direction of Krue's Familiar  wife,
Suleila. Everyone stopped eating to stare at her, stupefied. Including Krue.

  Suleila had  had enough.  "I  vow, Krue,  if you  do  not stop  with  this
ridiculousness, I will scratch your eyes out!"

  Krue's mouth parted in shock.

  Suleila  threw her hands up  in the air. "The  babe is perfectly fine! She
eats well, she  sleeps well, her  digestion is perfect,  and yes, she  looks
like you! Now will you let us have some peace!"

  All  eyes shifted to Krue to see what his response was going to be to this
most unusual but highly applauded set-down by his wife.

  "Hmf." He resumed his meal.

  The rest of the diners gratefully followed suit.

  "Scratch my eyes out?" he murmured to Suleila in a low tone.

  Suleila's lips twitched. "At  the very least." He  flashed her a look  she
knew well. "I look forward to it," he drawled in a low tone, so no one could
hear. He could still make her blush. "My boy, would you pass me that  purple
woodcock  over there?" Aunt Agatha peered at the plate through her lorgnette
as she nudged Traed.

  No one had a clue  what woodcock was, but Traed  passed the old woman  the
dish  of Aviaran _calan_ stew just the  same. Aunt Agatha had come back from
Ree Gen Cee Ing Land with Rejar and his wife, Lilac. Aviara had not been the
same since.

  A single knock sounded on the door.

  Malkin,  their servant, opened the door  and was so unnerved by the person
who stood there that he lost his ability to speak. So the visitor simply let
herself in and entered the room where they sat.

  All conversation came to a dead stop as each person looked up.

  "Who is it?" Jenise whispered to Gian when no one would speak.

  _{It  is the  revered Tan-Shi  Mother. She is  the mystical  leader of the
feminine sect. They say she is the knowledge-bearer of all female wisdom  on
Aviara. It is unheard of for her to leave the monastery.}_

  "Why has she come do you suppose?" Jenise murmured.

  _{She  has heard that Krue has acknowledged Traed to his line. In doing so
he has violated an oath between the Charl and the Tan-Shi.}_

  Both Lorgin and  Rejar had  already been told  about Traed  and both  were
relieved. Although the brothers themselves had long acknowledged Traed, they
knew of the strain placed upon their father by the Tan-Shi.

  Jenise eyed the elderly woman closely.  Her hair was silver and hung  down
her  back. Her robes were black and  unadorned yet somehow they did not look
plain with her proud carriage. Like Yaniff, she carried a long staff with  a
crystal  at the end. Her eyes were clear silver, fathomless. Even though she
never glanced  Jenise's way,  Jenise had  the distinct  impression that  the
woman knew she was studying her.

  Krue  found  his voice  first.  "Revered Mother,  we  are honored  by your
presence here. Come and  sit at my  table." He stood,  offering her his  own
seat at the head.

  The  Tan-Shi Mother declined. "I  am not here to  sit at your table, Krue,
although I thank you for your gesture."

  He frowned. "If you  have come about  Traed, then you  waste your time.  I
have claimed him, as is my right."

  Traed,  who was  obviously uncomfortable at  being the center  of all this
attention, stared down at his plate, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

  His anger at the Guild and the Tan-Shi was deep-seated.

  "I am not  here to discuss  your right either,"  she informed the  Aviaran
warrior.  The Tan-Shi Mother  never minced her words.  She was direct and to
the point.

  Krue responded  with like  boldness, seeing  no reason  to temper  himself
despite  his immense respect for  her. "I will fight for  him," he said in a
soft but deadly voice.

  Traed looked at Krue, surprised.

  "He is my son--you will not take him from me again."

  The corners of the  Tan-Shi Mothers lips twitched.  "You will not have  to
fight  for him, Warrior. It is time we set aside the past. The debt has been
paid. The  destruction  that was  caused  by one  Charl  was made  right  by
another."  She looked pointedly at Yaniff, who remained silent at his end of
the table. Then she nodded at Traed, acknowledging him and his right to  sit
beside Krue in his home.

  Traed pointedly ignored her.

  Krue,  in his first act  as father, kicked Traed  under the table with his
boot. Grudgingly, Traed inclined his head. Slightly.

  The woman's silver  eyes twinkled as  if she found  some amusement in  his
reluctance.  "Stubbornness can be  a good trait for  a Charl warrior, Son of
Krue."

  Yaniff snorted. "So I have  been telling him since  he has been a  youth."

  Traed  narrowed his eyes. "I am not  a Charl warrior. Nor will I ever be."

  "We will speak of that later, Traed." Krue returned to his seat.

  "No, Krue, we will not."

  Rejar and Lorgin both winced, knowing what was coming. Gian, watching  the
scene play out before him, waited for Traed to find out what it really meant
to be a son.

  Krue did not disappoint. He  set his goblet on he  table with a clink  and
pierced  the younger  man with  a steely  look. "I  said we  will discuss it
later."

  The muscle played in Traed's jaw but he remained silent.

  _Excellent_, Gian thought,  _already he  takes the  role of  a son_.  Gian
wagered  that many a battle of wills  would take place in the future between
the two strong-willed men. _Yes, I think  I will ask Traed to come to  M'yan
for a while. He will need the time to adjust to what taking the name of Krue
truly means_.

  But Gian was  in for  his own surprise  when the  Tan-Shi Mother  suddenly
said, "I will speak with the _tajan_ of Ren."

  Gian raised his steady gaze to hers. _{On what matter?}_

  "It is a private matter."

  Gian  knew he could not refuse such a  request, even if it was stated as a
demand. _{Very well,}_ he assented. _{But she does not know.}_

  The Tan-Shi Mother's voice came  back to him in  his mind and he  realized
she  too had the ability  to send her thoughts.  _{Your secret is safe, _taj
_Gian. I wish to speak to her of... other things.}_

  Gian inclined his head, although he was wondering what those other matters
could be. "Jenise, the Tan-Shi Mother wishes to speak with you."

  Jenise,  who was in the  process of tasting a  colorful leafy thing on her
plate, squeaked, "Me?"

  Gian almost grinned at the comical expression of apprehension on her sweet
face. "Yes. In private."

  She looked from the Mother to Gian, then back to the Mother. "Why does she
want to speak with me?" she whispered nervously.

  Gian was amused. "I do not know," he whispered back teasingly. "Why do you
not ask her."

  "Come,  child. We will go  sit in the garden for  a few moments. There are
matters I must speak to you about."

  Jenise rose  and, throwing  Gian one  last beseeching  look, followed  the
robed woman outside. Gian chuckled as he watched her hesitant steps.

  Yaniff  also watched  them leave as  he calmly  fed Bojo a  strip of meat.

  "What do you wish to speak to me of?" Jenise sat down next to the  elderly
woman on a stone bench.

  "I would speak to you about your perceptions of power, my child."

  Jenise  fidgeted in her  seat, somewhat surprised that  this old woman had
been able to see into her in such a way. Power had ever been a touchstone to
Jenise.

  "What of it?" she asked quietly.

  "You tell me," the Tan-Shi Mother wisely instructed.

  Jenise  sighed. "I like not the way men wield it, the trappings of it, how
they use it to control... I want no part of it."

  "Explain."

  "Karpon... he is--"

  "I know about Karpon. Continue."

  "He twists and turns his  power; he thinks he uses  it, but it uses  him."

  "Excellent." The Mother nodded. "Go on."

  "Traed  appears to have incredible abilities and he is not in harmony with
his power.... "

  The Mother's silver eyes gleamed. "Most astute."

  "And Gian...  Gian  has incredible  _sexual_  power.  He uses  it  to  his
advantage in whatever way he can."

  "Gian has more power than you think."

  Jenise snorted, not understanding what the Mother was implying. "I am well
aware of his gifts; he has fairly beguiled me."

  The old woman smiled.  "Of course he  has; I would  have expected no  less
from him."

  Blushing, Jenise returned her smile.

  "Tell me, Jenise, does he overwhelm you?"

  "Yes," she admitted.

  "And  this bothers you because you fear you lose yourself to his passion."

  "Yes. It is the way with men and power--no matter what power they wield. I
do not wish to be part of their play of power."

  "You  already  are and  always have  been. You  cannot deny  the path your
destiny takes."

  "Perhaps not." Jenise shrugged. "But I can seek to alter the route of  it,
can I not?"

  The Mother's expression was enigmatic. "In matters of reasoning, you would
have made an excellent Tan-Shi."

  Jenise's aqua eyes flashed at the compliment. "Perhaps I should join you?"
She hadn't thought of it before, but maybe she would like such a life.

  A dry,  crackling laugh rumbled through the old woman's chest. "Child, you
are not of the temperament."

  "Why not?"

  The Mother s lips  twitched. "In order  to be a  Tan-Shi, you must  divest
yourself of... let us simply say that you enjoy your Gian too much."

  "Oh." She colored.

  The  Mother  patted her  arm in  a  kind way.  "Which is  a good  thing as
well--simply a  different pathway.  Besides,  I think  Gian Ren  would  have
something  to say if you suddenly declared your wish to join us." She winked
at her.

  Jenise was  surprised  at  the  Mother's  misconception.  She  immediately
corrected her. "He has nothing to say! It is my choice."

  The  Mother  chuckled. "He  was always  clever," she  murmured to herself.

  "What?"

  "I said you are clever and will make the right choice."

  Jenise nodded,  her  hand  playing  with the  folds  of  her  garment.  "I
understand  your need to be apart though. I have seen the power the men here
wield. In  a way,  you have  done as  I have.  Removed yourself  from  their
ceaseless strategies and quests."

  "You  are wrong,  Jenise. We  are nothing alike  in that  regard, for what
motivates the Tan-Shi is the opposite of what drives you."

  "What do you mean?"

  You are running away because you distrust power. We of the Tan-Shi  choose
not to be warriors; instead we seek to explore our true female power."

  "Female power? What is this female power you speak of?"

  "I  can only tell you what it is  not: is not male power. It does not come
with the flash  of a blade  or the  strength of a  fist. It is  not born  of
physical  strength but intuitive  recognition. That is  where our true power
lies. In the knowing and in the wisdom."

  "Against male  power,  what  is  that?  You  would  do  better  to  become
warriors."

  "No.  Though it is true we could become as strong as warriors, that is not
the way to become our most powerful."

  "How can you say  that?" Jenise knew well  the power that men  brandished.
She had been subjected to it her entire life.

  "Our  Tan-Shi power  is likened  unto water; it  is a  gentle and soothing
ripple. It is fluid and ever-changing; it flows with life and when it  meets
an immutable obstacle, it knows to flow around it. Yet it is water that will
wear away the mighty rock."

  Jenise thought about  what the  Tan-Shi Mother  was saying.  "Why are  you
telling me this?"

  "Because  you are who  you are, Jenise," she  replied ambiguously. "In the
future you will need to think of these things in your life. When you hold  a
babe  in  your arms,  you have  much  influence on  the perceptions  of that
child."

  "_Babe_? What are you speaking of? I will have no babe! I will not  mate."

  The  Mother's eyes gleamed. "There will come  a time soon when you will be
faced with a vital decision. Remember  that male energy is likened to  fire;
it  roars and crackles and  consumes, for such is  its nature. Then think of
the water which flows with life. Fire cannot consume water water can consume
fire. Which do you think is ultimately the stronger?"

  Jenise stared at her, staggered by this insight.

  "Fire  commands all to be  his and so becomes  enslaved by his rule; water
yields to change direction and so flows with freedom."

  Jenise had  never viewed  it in  such a  way before.  Nonetheless, it  had
naught to do with her. Her course was set.

  The  Tan-Shi  Mother  stood.  "Water can  continually  change  its course;
remember that too. It is what makes the female so very powerful."

  With that she left.

  Jenise sat there  for a long  time wondering exactly  what the  mysterious
epigrams meant.

  And why the Revered Tan-Shi Mother had chosen her to tell it to.

Chapter Thirteen
================

  When  Jenise  returned  to  the  others, Gian  told  her  they  must leave
immediately for M'yan.

  "So soon?" She had hoped to stay and explore Aviara.

  "Yes; the situation with Karpon is very grave, Jenise."

  She flushed at  her own  insensitivity. Here  she had  been worried  about
seeing  the sights of Aviara, while  Gian's people were faced with a serious
threat from Ganakari. "I am sorry, Gian. Perhaps it would be best if I visit
another  time? After... when things are... " She was not sure how to finish.

  Gian rose from  the table to  approach her. "I  will not hear  of it,"  he
intoned softly. Ambiguously.

  "If you are sure." Jenise did not want to be an imposition.

  "I  am  sure."  He turned  to  Krue and  Suleila.  "I will  keep  you both
informed."

  "Please, Gian." Suleila was also concerned for her people. "You will  come
soon to visit us again?" she asked Jenise.

  "I  would like  that. I  am grateful  for your  hospitality and kindness."

  Suleila smiled,  liking  her  very  much.  _{You  have  found  yourself  a
treasure, Gian.}_

  His  lips curled. _{One might  say so.}_ He sent Krue  a glance as he said
out loud, "Traed, I would like you to come to M'yan on the morrow."

  Traed paused in the process of taking  a bite of food. "For what  purpose,
Gian?"

  Krue  met Gian's eyes  and understood. The Familiar  was going to give his
new son some  breathing room. He  recognized the wisdom  of Gian's plan.  He
silently  thanked Gian  with his  eyes, before  saying, "It  matters not the
purpose, Traed. When _taj_ Gian invites a member of the Lodarres line to his
home, we accept unconditionally. Is that not so, Gian?"

  "That is so, Krue."

  Traed's  nostrils flared. There was naught he could do--except go to M'yan
on the morrow.

  "Very well,"  he bit  out, annoyed  at  being so  maneuvered. "I  will  be
there."

  Rejar,  who had  been watching  the whole exchange,  exhaled ruefully. His
brother Traed  had a  slight reprieve,  but  it would  not last  long.  Krue
expected his sons--all his sons--to be Charl warriors. Rejar had a hard time
picturing his dour  brother, Traed, on  the happy, frolicsome  world of  the
Familiar,  where the senses ruled all.  It would almost be worth going there
just to see such a thing. Rejar reflected on the possibility of  fascinating
entertainment.

  _{Do not even think it.}_ Gian leveled a no-nonsense look at him.

  Rejar flashed his relative a mischievous grin.

  Before  they left, Gian asked  Yaniff to clear Jenise's translating device
so that she  could understand  the Familiar  tongue while  on M'yan.  Yaniff
briefly touched her forehead, saying to the Familiar that it was done.

  For  a reason she could not name,  Jenise had a very peculiar feeling. The
Tan-Shi Mother  would  have  told  her  it was  the  power  of  her  woman's
intuition.

  Gian  and Jenise stepped onto the Familiar  world of M'yan just as the sun
was beginning to set.

  It was a world of tropical splendor.

  A profusion of heavy red and purple flowers greeted her eye. The humid air
was scented with the foliage surrounding them. There were so many species of
animals! It was a world  of sounds and color and  scents. A place where  the
senses were heightened and stimulated.

  She  took a deep breath  of the sultry air and  as it tingled through her,
she realized she had never felt so alive!

  "What causes it?" she asked Gian in wonder.

  "We know not, but M'yan has this effect on all who come here. It is why we
guard  our home the way we do. There are those like Karpon who would seek to
take it from us were they to learn of its nature."

  Jenise watched Gian; watched him here  in his own world where he  belonged
so  completely.  It came  to her  that  M'yan and  the Familiar  people were
strangely connected. The elusive beauty of both touched upon those they  met
to  echo forever. No wonder rumors  abounded about this place. Would it call
to her in the recesses of her mind now that she had glimpsed its tantalizing
essence?

  As the Familiar undoubtedly would?

  They  encountered no one en route to  his home. Gian explained that it was
the time of day  most Familiars liked  to take a brief  rest. They would  be
rising  soon with  the setting sun.  Secretly, he had  planned their arrival
exactly at this time to avoid meeting anyone. Gian observed Jenise's delight
with  everything around her. She was smiling now, but she would not be soon.
A pang of sorrow hit him; he wished he did not have to do what he was  about
to do. He sighed.

  There was no other way.

  It was the nature of moons and stars and Familiars.

  He took her hand in his large one and resolutely led her to the home of he
who was known as Guardian of the Mist.

  It was a rather  imposing jumble of a  residence, Jenise concluded as  she
glanced  up  at the  enormous structure,  topped by  crenellated turrets and
open-air verandas.

  As soon  as they  entered  the enormous  abode,  they were  surrounded  by
servants  and others - all exclaiming over his return. One authoritative man
finally shooed everyone way.

  "What can I get you. Your Majesty?"

  Jenise gasped, her incredulous gaze flying to Gian. She knew he had  heard
her shocked exclamation. Apparently he was choosing to ignore it.

  "Nothing,  Nirim,  we  will retire  to  my chambers  immediately."  If the
servant was curious--and  Gian was  positive he was--he  admirably held  his
tongue.

  The servant Nirim bowed.

  "What do--" Jenise began.

  Not  answering, Gian  simply tugged her  after him as  Nirim escorted them
down several halls, up a level, then down more halls until he stopped before
a wide, heavy door.

  "Your _utal_ will wish to speak with you."

  No  doubt he  would. His  mother's brother was  his first  advisor. He was
definitely going to have something to say.  "Not now. Tell him I will  speak
with him on the morrow."

  Nirim   nodded.  "Should  I  send   someone  to  Her  Majesty?"  he  asked
solicitously.

  "No."

  Jenise's brow  furrowed.  Gian opened  the  door, yanked  her  inside  and
slammed it shut.

  They stared at each other in silence.

  Finally Jenise spoke. "You are Ruler here?"

  He pierced her with a steady look. "Yes."

  She  lifted her chin  a notch, a terrible  feeling sinking into her bones.
"Of this principality?" she asked in a shaky voice.

  "Of _every_ principality. I am King of all Familiar, Jenise."

  His words were like a blow to her. "I see."

  "Do you? My eye  color determined my  destiny the moment  I was born,  for
there  is but one child  born per generation who  has three golden flecks on
green. Such a male is said to be 'king' Familiar; that none can compete with
his abilities and so he rules."

  "I see."

  "Although not customary, this trait has been passed down through my family
for many generations; so it  was that my father  ruled before me. The  trait
does have a tendency to stay in royal houses."

  "I see."

  "We  are a  clan people. Each  clan has its  own ruler. I  rule them all."

  "I see."

  He crossed his  arms over his  chest. "Can  you say naught  but 'I  see'?"

  She  inhaled a short breath  and exhaled it as  her temper flared. With an
iron will, she tamped it down. "I  did not know that Familiar eye color  was
significant."

  "No,  we keep that knowledge amongst ourselves. You can imagine what would
have occurred if Karpon knew who I was."

  That much was true. _But he could  have told me_. Her temper rose  another
notch. "Rejar's eyes--blue and gold... "

  "Blue  denotes that the house he comes  from is also royal. There are many
variations and subtleties amongst the clans."

  "I see."

  Gian watched her carefully. Like a  hunter patiently waiting for his  prey
to   spring.  "The  Mist  is  another,  secret  name  for  my  people. _Taj_
Gian--literally. King Guardian; Gian Ren--Guardian of the Mist."

  Jenise looked at the wall behind him,  too furious to meet his calm  gaze.
_Taja_...  The word echoed in her mind. A word she foolishly had assumed was
a simple endearment! Her  hands shook with  anger. "When did  you mate  with
me?"

  "The very first time."

  She  felt her eyes moisten but she  staunchly refused to give in to _that_
emotion. "How did Nirim know?"

  "Our senses are different from yours. I placed my mark upon you."

  She glanced down at herself. "I do not see anything."

  He smiled without humor. "I assure you, it is there for all to see."

  She sucked in her breath and finally  raised her eyes to his. "You  cannot
mean this!"

  "It was your choice," he intoned evenly.

  _That  did  it._  Jenise's  controlled  facade cracked  just  as  Gian had
intended. "My choice?! My choice!" she  ranted, throwing her arms up in  the
air.  Like  a _true_  Familiar, she  began to  pace before  him. Gian's eyes
flashed with sudden heat as he watched her.

  She stopped  before  him, her  head  snapping up  to  capture him  in  her
outraged look. "You took the choice from me just as Karpon did! Wherein lies
the difference?"

  Gian visibly flinched. "You dare say  that to me?" he rasped. "Compare  me
to such a man?"

  She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth, for in truth there
was no similarity between the two. Karpon had tried to force her to bend  to
his will for the sake of his power. Gian had protected her and pleasured her
and showed her what it meant to--

  It mattered not!

  "You lured me and tricked me, setting the parameters to suit you!"

  "You did not mind when you wished to  use me in a similar fashion and  you
believed  yourself to have  power over me.  Think on that."  His voice was a
rumbling purr.

  Jenise blanched. "It was not the same!"

  "Really. I will remind you  that you bargained with me  for the use of  my
body. What right did you think you had to do that?"

  She looked away.

  "Tell  me," he said softly, with a  thread of menace, "would you have left
me there to rot if I had refused you?"

  She swallowed. "You are twisting things. It was not my doing that you were
captured."

  "True.  But it was your _responsibility_  once you knew the situation." He
staggered her.

  "This is why you  have such a  reputation, Guardian of  the Mist! You  can
twist  reality with  words to muddle  your opponent! You  should be proud of
such an ability."

  He viewed her obliquely. "Are you my opponent, Jenise?"

  "If not, then what?" she flung back at him.

  He exhaled heavily. "I warned you back on Ganakari that appearances can be
deceiving.  You _chose_ not to heed  that warning. Now you are mine--how did
you put it? Ah, yes--_to take_."

  Her breath hitched in her throat. "What are you saying?"

  "I am a male Familiar."

  "So? What point are you trying to make?"

  "That is my point." He began pacing toward her with deliberate steps. "Did
you expect me to behave in a way foreign to my nature? We sense our mates; I
knew who you were the instant you entered that cell. I am who I am. You  are
who you are... to me. Therefore, I am--"

  "A _predator_," she sneered.

  "When it suits me." He stalked closer to her.

  "A hunter!" she threw at him, incensed.

  "Depends on what you deem the hunt," murmured, coming closer.

  "A  king!  You  are a  king!"  She yelled  what  she considered  the worst
offense.

  "Very much so." He caught her  face between his strong palms, forcing  her
to look up at him. Then he lowered his silken mouth close to hers. "And you,
Creamcat, are my queen." He covered her  lips and took her breath. A  sharp,
quick inhalation.

  Jenise  panicked, pounding on his broad  chest. The warm, dry lips cleaved
to hers, a firm, unyielding siege.

  And when she began to grow faint, he casually blew into her mouth.

  Letting her know it was his breath alone.

  _His_.

  She ignored him after he released her. She disrobed silently and got  into
the  enormous, low bed,  which was covered in  silken jade and gold _krilli_
cloth and cushions.  The same  color as  his eyes...  In fact,  many of  the
fabrics  and furnishings  seemed to reflect  his eye color,  as if the tones
represented a symbol of--

  She did not want to think of those mesmerizing eyes or anything else about
Guardian of the Mist.

  When Gian disrobed and joined her, she turned her back on him.

  He slid in next to her and took her in his arms.

  "Leave me be." Her voice was cold.

  "You are my mate."

  "Then that is unfortunate for you."

  His eyes sparked with anger but he released her. Familiar men did not take
well to being denied their  mates. And Gian was  very much a Familiar  male.

  Tired from the events of the past days, Jenise quickly fell asleep.

  In  the middle of the night she awoke with an intense desire that bordered
on pain. Her  breasts throbbed, her  nipples tingled, her  skin hummed  with
arousal. The curls between her legs were wet.

  Gian  came over her, the moon surrounding  him with a halo of muted light.
His incredibly handsome features were starkly sensual and starkly  resolved.

  She  wanted him so  much she ached with  it. "What did you  do to me?" she
moaned.

  He did not speak to her. His  fingers delved into her hair to capture  her
in  his possessive, feral hold. He did not take his eyes from her as he slid
fast into her, hot and determined.

  Jenise threw her head back and cried  out at the sensual torture that  was
at once pleasure and pain. Pleasure from his touch and pain from needing it.

  "_What do you do  to me, Gian_?"  she gasped as  he silently answered  her
with ecstasy from his body.

  His bold thrusts told her.

  His lapping tongue told her.

  His grazing teeth told her.

  His stroking palms told her.

  He  was Guardian  of the Mist.  King of all  Familiar. And she  was his to
take.

  When Gian entered his official chambers the following morning, he was  not
surprised  to see that H'riar, his  _utal_, was already waiting for him. His
first advisor had the  reputation of being relentless;  no matter how  small
the matter at hand, he never rested until it was resolved.

  The  man's dark hair was slightly graying  at the temples; he was past his
incarnations. Gian  respected H'riar  immensely and  often sought  his  wise
council.

  He  wondered which topic H'riar would  bring up first... Jenise or Karpon.
Whichever one it was  would indicate to  Gian which of  the two his  advisor
considered the more urgent.

  Gian  hoped it was the  latter. He was in no  mood for an altercation with
his _utal_.

  Especially not after the turbulent night he had spent with Jenise. When he
left, she had still been sleeping.

  During  the night, he had made her give herself to him... in every way. He
had mastered her with his sensual skills, but he had no illusion as to  what
her reaction was going to be to him in the light of day.

  His hopes were not to be answered by H'riar. The advisor wasted no time in
confronting him. "She is not Familiar," he stated bluntly.

  Gilan exhaled deeply. "So have I noticed."

  H'riar raised a brow. "I am serious, Gian."

  Gian sighed. "What would you have me say?"

  "The people are concerned... about many things."

  "They need not be  concerned about Jenise--she had  naught to do with  the
situation  on Ganakari. If  it were not  for her, I might  not be here right
now--she aided my escape."

  H'riar was impressed. "I will let it  be known. Although a _tajan_ who  is
not Familiar will take some getting used to."

  "They will come to love her." He faced H'riar. "You will see."

  H'riar  accepted his king's assessment.  "Traed has arrived. I have placed
him in the third spoke. Already word has spread of what he has done for  our
Guardian." He snickered. "I vow he is very uncomfortable with all the praise
he is receiving."

  Gian grinned. "No, he would not like it."

  "The people wish  to have  a mating celebration  for you  tonight. I  have
approved  the  festivities.  The  heads  of the  clans,  their  advisors and
families are already  journeying here.  I am sure  the people  will wish  to
honor Traed for his heroic deed as well."

  A muscle  worked in Gian's jaw. Jenise was not going to be amenable to any
marriage celebration. H'riar  would not  know that, of  course. "You  should
have consulted with me first."

  The  advisor was surprised. "I truly  did not think it necessary. There is
always a celebration when the _taj_ takes a mate."

  Gian wiped  a hand  over his  face. What  could he  say? He  did not  want
anyone,  including H'riar, privy to his personal problems. He woud just have
to think of a  way to get  Jenise to go  along with it.  "You are right,  of
course. My apologies."

  H'riar  smiled softly. "I understand--it is the situation on Ganakari that
has you worried. What of Dariq, Gian?"

  Gian shook his head sadly.

  H'riar's eyes moistened with tears. "This news saddens me greatly. He  was
a sweet, kind youth and on his first adventure too."

  "I  know. He would  not have had  much of a  chance against them, H'riar."
Gian was pained by the young Familiar's terrible fate.

  "I will let his family know."

  Gian nodded in sorrow.

  "Tell me what has transpired on Aviara with the Guild."

  "I have told  them that Karpon  is not alone--he  has an accomplice.  They
seemed very interested in that and asked me to recollect what I had gleaned.
As they usually do, they looked into my mind to see if they could learn more
than  I from the  glimpses I had--a  black fingernail and  part of an orange
ring."

  "Could they?"

  "They were all as baffled as I had ever seen them, including Yaniff.  They
are  still  debating what  to do  about this  situation. Yaniff  seemed most
concerned. He later  told me that  he wondered  if the real  danger was  not
Karpon but this unseen threat."

  H'riar  rubbed the back of  his neck. "If Yaniff  was concerned, then I am
truly worried."

  "Yes, I as well."

  "What of the poison? Can they neutralize the drug?"

  "No, not unless they obtain a sample of it. None of the High Mystics could
get a sense of its essence from me."

  H'riar was concerned. "What will we do, Gian? Our people will be powerless
against such a threat."

  Gian took a deep breath. "I have told the Sages to seal the Tunnel."

  H'riar gasped. "But Gian!  That will curtail the  freedom of the  Familiar
people!  Are all of our activities to be monitored by Aviara now? The second
Tunnel was our secret door!"

  "Think you I do not know that? I assure you, I have thought on this  well,
_utal_,  there is no other alternative--not  if we want to ensure the safety
of our children. There is nothing to prevent Karpon from stealing them  from
us; there is nothing to stop him!"

  "Could we not guard the Tunnel against such an attack?"

  "There  are too many of them and they are well armed. In addition, we know
not what friends  they have. The  potential losses are  too great. His  fist
slammed  down on a tabletop. "I  will not lose another Familiar to Ganakari.
Dariq was the last!  It is bad  enough that for  years Oberion slavers  have
hunted  us in certain sectors, but now this! I vow I am heartily sick of it!
If Karpon should gain entrance to M'yan our very world will be in  jeopardy.
I know his kind; he will not stop until he can call M'yan his."

  "We  could fight him." H'riar said  seriously. "No Ganakari could stand up
to a Familiar."

  "True; I took  down many,  but what  of the  drug, _utal_?  It renders  us
helpless  at their feet.  We must bide  our time and find  out the source of
this drug. Until we do, I will protect the Mist."

  "There will  be  a  great  sadness  amongst  the  people.  To  lose  one's
freedom--is there a worse thing for a Familiar?" H'riar asked sadly.

  Gian  looked at him evenly. Never would he forget the effect the insidious
drug had had on him. The horror of it. "Yes, _utal_, there is."

  H'riar knew then what Gian had  gone through. He wisely acquiesced to  his
decision. "When will the Sages do it?"

  "Tonight."

  "I will inform the people."

  Gian  inclined his head.  Walking over to  a window, he  stared out at the
incomparable view of the  Placid Lagoon. M'yan, his  home. So beautiful.  So
untamed. Like his people. The sealing of the secret Tunnel had been the most
difficult decision he had ever been forced to make. Somehow, he suspected it
was only the first in a long line to come.

  _A  sudden tremor shook him_. A bead  of sweat formed on his brow. Closing
his eyes, he rested his forehead against the window frame.

  "Your Incarnation approaches." H'riar spoke quietly. Even from across  the
room,  he  had noted  the signs.  The man  had been  through enough  of them
himself to recognize the symptoms.

  "Yes." Gian  tried to  regulate his  breathing which  suddenly  fluctuated
erratically before becoming even again.

  "Does she know?" H'riar walked over to stand behind him.

  "No." Another body tremor seized him.

  H'riar  placed a kind hand on his shoulder. "What will you do, my sister's
son?"

  "I will tell her soon. It will be her choice."

  "She may not survive it," H'riar felt compelled to point out. "There never
has been a non-Familiar woman who--"

  "She will survive it." Gian pierced him with a meaningful look.

  H'riar sucked in his breath. "You mean to sacrifice yourself?"

  "If need be."

  H'riar squeezed his shoulder. "Who will rule us then?" he asked devotedly.

  Gian smiled faintly. "There is no reason to think she cannot go through an
Incarnation."  Whether she wanted to or  not was the essential question, but
that doubt he kept to himself.

  "That is true. We have nothing to go by--yours will be the first between a
male  Familiar and a non-Familiar mate. A fitting place to start... with the
ruler of us all!" He slapped  Gian's back affectionately, trying to  lighten
the  seriousness of  the situation.  Gian appreciated  his _utal_'s gesture.

  "You will have no  Familiar child, though,  Gian. Whatever chance  existed
that  a son or  yours would be _taj_  is forever gone." It  had been a great
source of pride  to Gian's family  that for many  generations the _taj_  had
come from their direct blood descendants. Such an unusual occurrence denoted
the exceptional strain within their house and clan.

  Familiar offspring from mixed  unions were rare. Only  one child had  ever
been born Familiar from such a union, and that was Rejar.

  Gian  glanced  at his  advisor from  under  veiled eyes  as he  flexed his
shoulders. "She will birth a Familiar babe."

  H'riar grinned.  "Oh, what  are  you now--a  Charl  mystic? Think  you  to
possess their gift of prophecy?"

  Gian  threw back  his head in  a leonine  pose. "Of course  not! I possess
something much better, _utal_."

  "And what is that, son of my sister?"

  "Familiar arrogance!"

  H'riar's deep laughter echoed through the halls.

  Jenise rose from the bed and walked over to the wide window.

  The scene before  her was  one of  utter beauty.  A lagoon  of aqua  water
surrounded by tropical plants and fronds.

  A soft  breeze laden with  the scent of _krinang_  spice ruffled her hair.
_Gian_. He was this world. Mysterious and beautiful to look upon.  Dangerous
and unpredictable to know.

  She was furious with him!

  He  had left her while she slept and she was glad of it. Last night he had
ravaged her. Over and  over. He had  brought her to peak  so many times  she
lost count. And throughout it all he remained steadfastly silent.

  He let his body speak for him.

  In  no  uncertain terms,  he showed  her  this other  side to  his nature.
Dominant and conquering.

  _He had tricked her as to who he was. _

  Tricked her  in  the worst  way  possible!  Although the  clues  had  been
there... .

  The way he had saved them from the _valdt_, the steadfast endurance of the
man, his extraordinary abilities, his refusal to give up even in the face of
the  overwhelming odds  against them. All  of those attributes  pointed to a
superior individual.

  To a man who was King of all Familiar.

  Her mind went back to that first time, in the cell on Ganakari when he had
"accepted"  her terms. She remembered he  had told her then that appearances
could be deceiving. How right he was!

  At the time,  she had not  known what he  meant. In her  conceit, she  had
thought herself in control of the situation and the chained captive. Now she
knew better. Who could ever control a Familiar?

  He had been  right about one  thing yesterday -  she had had  no right  to
propose such a bargain to him.

  But  desperate situations called for  desperate measures. And she had been
so very desperate.

  He knew  that. They  both had  been desperate.  The memory  of his  breath
teasing  at her ear weakened her in a way she could not name. He had been so
very passionate as he stood  behind her, ready to  take her_. Ready to  snag
his unsuspecting prey_.

  His  heated, soulful murmurs came back to her. Hot, sensual phrases, which
at the time she  believed to be  words of passion. How  wrong she had  been.

  With  her new knowledge of the Familiar  tongue, she recalled a few of the
arcane phrases he had uttered...

  _Ei mahana ne Tuan_, I discard all others...

  _A jhan vri re Tuan_, For me there is no other....

  Jenise bit her lip as  tears welled in her eyes.  _Why had he done such  a
thing_?  He had told her that Familiars could sense their mates. If that was
so--and from everything she had seen of  the Familiar, she had no reason  to
doubt it--why had he not let her make her own choice?

  Why had he not waited?

  His  purring  voice came  back to  her  anew. His  powerful hand  had been
wrapped securely around her hair and his silken lips were at her thoat.  "_I
ask you to wait... tell me to stop._.. "

  She had told him he must not stop. And so he'd done as she had demanded of
him.

  But she had not known!

  _If you had_, a voice inside her said, _would it have made a  difference_?
She  had been desperate escape Karpon and  had been ready to do, indeed _had
done_, anything to accomplish it.

  It was a complicated, tangled mess. And it all centered, as everything had
in her life, on power.

  Perhaps  Gian had no choice initially.  Perhaps since he realized what she
could be to him, he was bound to  do what he did. But after? All those  days
they had traveled together--he could have told her.

  But then he was a predator. His purpose was to ensnare her.

  Her nostrils flared. It would not do. He must release her now.

  A tear found its way down her face. She staunchly wiped it away.

  As far as she was concerned it must be over between them.

  If  in the future she had a  longing for _krinang_ spice and ached for the
feel of smooth, dark golden hair with singular black strands, she would just
have  to remember what price is demanded  of those who embrace the source of
power.

  Resolved, she waited patiently for his return.

Chapter Fourteen
================

  Despite her morose  mood, Jenise  gazed up  in amazement  at the  twisting
trunk  of the gnarled tree  that grew through a hole  in the flooring and on
through the roof above. It was mid-morn  and she was still waiting for  Gian
to appear.

  Small trills sang happily in the leafy branches. _Inside the room_.

  She  had never seen a tree growing  inside an abode before but decided she
liked the effect of it. It was  a rather peaceful addition which conveyed  a
nice feeling to the room.

  There was a rock-lined pool in the chamber as well, its source continually
refreshed by a small fountain which trickled forth streams of harmed  water.
The  gentle,  bubbling  sound  of  the fountain  soothed  her  frayed nerves
somewhat as she relaxed in the scented water.

  Someone had placed flower  blossoms in the pool.  The exotic white  blooms
had  pale pink centers and  were really lovely. Jenise  picked one up in her
cupped palms to sniff at it. The sultry fragrance teased her, evoking images
of  warm tropical nights and even  warmer passion. _Sparkling green and gold
eyes dilated with lambent hunger... _She shivered at the memory.

  A rich, purring voice brought her out of her reverie.

  "The _tasmin_ flower is believed by  some to be a sexual stimulant."  Gian
stood in the doorway intently watching her.

  Jenise  looked  away from  him, blushing  as she  recalled the  things the
Familiar had done  to her  in the  middle of the  night. With  his lips  and
tongue and teeth. He had licked her from head to foot and back again.

  He bit her the same way too. Gian liked to bite.

  She shivered anew.

  As  angry as she was at him for his subterfuge, she could not deny the way
she had responded to him physically.  Towards dawn, she had actually  turned
it  about and taken him. Something  she had enjoyed tremendously. As had he.

  She almost moaned aloud as she recalled the way Gian had looked as he lay,
sprawled  beneath her, watching her with a slumberous expression as he urged
her to continue by whispering a multitude of naughty things he expected  her
to do to him.

  Her  initial  shock  had abated  somewhat  with her  understanding  of his
nature, but her resolve concerning their future would not.

  Her initial shock and hurt had abated somewhat with her understanding; but
her resolve had not.

  Since  the early morn,  Jenise had given  a lot of  thought to her present
situation. Gian was reasonable. She would  just have to make him  understand
that as far as she was concerned, this mating of his was impossible.

  It  was not as if she did not  _want_ him. That she would never be foolish
enough to deny.

  In truth, she was quite  taken with him. But this  had nothing to do  with
her desires. She simply had a need to be free of any entanglements.

  Once  the Familiar  listened to  her--really listened to  her--she knew he
would see her side of it.

  "Is it?" she asked. "A sexual stimulant, I mean."

  He strolled over to  the pool, kneeling  at its edge. "I  will tell you  a
secret about such things, _taja_."

  _My queen._

  From what she had learned of him, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he
purposely called her  by that particular  endearment. The implication  irked
her.

  She  glared  up  at  him,  crystal  droplets  of  water  sparkling  on her
gold-tipped lashes. "And what is that secret, Gian?"

  Before answering, he snapped off a petal of the flower she was holding and
brushed  its velvety surface  tantalizingly across the  surface of her lips.
"Almost anything can be a sexual stimulant in the proper hands."

  By   way  of  demonstration,  the   tip  of  his  talented  tongue  lapped
languorously  over  the same  petal. The  handsome Familiar  viewed her from
beneath lowered lids as he did so. The effect was highly provocative to  say
the least.

  Jenise  drew in a quivery  breath. Last eve, he had  done much the same to
her. With his tongue. _Back and forth_...

  "I can taste your essence. It is combined with the essence of the _tasmin_
flower.  As rich  as the _tasmin_  flower is, Creamcat,  your taste is still
richer."

  The tips of her ears turned pink.

  "Sometimes," he continued in a husky voice, "our senses let us 'see' taste
as colors."

  The idea fascinated her. "Do you see color now?"

  "Yes." He purred low.

  "What--what color do you see?"

  He  smiled  slowly. "Red  with a  hint of  purple beneath  a cool  wash of
white."

  Jenise fumed.  She was  sure he  was provoking  her. "And  what does  that
mean?"

  "It  means," he drawled  sexily, "that you  are both very  angry at me and
very aroused _for_ me beneath that cool exterior you are showing."

  Jenise crossed her arms  over her pointed  breasts and immediately  showed
him her back.

  He chuckled, low. "Also an enticing view."

  Her  shoulders hunched;  she ducked lower  in the water.  She did not want
Gian enticed! She wanted him to listen to her!

  "I can also sense many variations in your flavor that I cannot describe to
you in words."

  "And do you like this flavor?" she asked quietly.

  "I crave it." His sexy voice rolled in his throat.

  A shiver  washed down her  back. She glanced at  him over her shoulder and
spoke the truth. "As I crave your flavor."

  "Jenise," he breathed  on a purr.  He was deeply  moved by her  admission.
Another strong tremor raced through him.

  She  turned away from him again. "But  Gian, you must see that this notion
you have of us being mated is not realistic."

  He was silent for a few  moments. Completely silent. She wondered what  he
was  thinking. Unable to  take the suspense any  longer, she peeked over her
shoulder at him once more.

  He had  folded  his  arms  across  his chest  and  his  brow  was  arched.
Apparently he did not agree with her assessment.

  "I mean it, Gian. We are not suited. And I have no desire-"

  He snorted.

  She  ignored  him.  "No  desire  to  be mated.  Please  do  not  take this
personally."

  A dimple popped into his cheek. "Of course not. Why would I?"

  "I wish to explore, as I have explained to you. Like the Frensi. I need to
be free, Gian. If it were not for that... perhaps... that is, you... "

  Green  and  gold eyes  flashed  with amusement  He  wasn't supposed  to be
enjoying this! He  was supposed  to be agreeing  with her!  She cupped  some
water in her palms and splashed him with it.

  He laughed as he stepped back out of harm's way. It was that rich, rolling
laugh of his that always tingled down her spine.

  "I am serious!"

  Grinning, he held  out his  hand to  her. "I would  like to  show you  our
home."

  He was definitely not listening to her. "It is your home, not mine."

  "Come." Smiling, he motioned with his outstretched hand, compelling her to
take it.

  Gingerly, she did.

  She would convince him... it would just take a little time. After all,  he
was  a Familiar, used  to ensnaring what  he desired. This  tour would be an
excellent opportunity to enlighten him. She couldn't expect the man to  have
her  elevated sense  of reason--he lived  by instinct.  It was up  to her to
point that out to him. Loudly.

  Gian lifted her  easily out of  the water. Her  wet body, glistening  with
water droplets, brushed against him.

  Once again she noticed that a tremor shook him.

  "Here,  use this." He handed  her a large, soft  cloth to dry herself. She
was surprised that he did not do the drying himself, taking advantage of the
opportunity to caress her curves.

  Instead,  he was looking at the wall,  away from her. This was unlike him.
Curiously, she observed him. A slight  sheen of sweat dotted his upper  lip.

  "On  my instructions, several _krilli_  caftans, imported from the _sacri_
on Aviara, have been delivered for your pleasure. They are in the next  room
awaiting your choice. _I_ will await you at the bottom of the stairs."

  Jenise  gave him an odd look. It was also unlike him to leave like this...
especially if he thought he could watch her as she dressed. In the past, she
had noted that the small task seemed to give him immense enjoyment.

  But then Familiars were so unpredictable; who could fathom what they would
do next?

  "During our jaunt, you  may _try_ to  convince me of  your need to  wander
unguarded  through dangerous  worlds filled with  all manner of unscrupulous
beings." He gave her a  very male look that  said, "not in this  millennium"
just before he dipped through the door.

  He  knew what she was  about! The entire time,  he had simply been playing
with her! The  boot she  threw at  his arrogant  head bounced  off the  door
frame.

  "I am leaving, Gian!" she yelled through the closed partition.

  "Of course. I will see you downstairs, Creamcat." His voice trailed off as
he left.

  Jenise muttered to  herself as  she grabbed  the first  caftan she  found,
putting  it on without looking at  it. Familiars could be so infuriating! As
soon as she  was dressed  she stormed  after him.  She had  no intention  on
letting  up on him. Gian was waiting for her exactly where he'd said--at the
bottom of the stairs.

  Gian watched her stomp towards him, amusement highlighting his features as
he  took  in the  caftan she  had  donned. Jenise  glanced down  at herself,
shocked to discover that the beautiful, rare _krilli_ cloth was in tones  of
red  and purple  shot through with  strands of white.  According to him, the
exact colors of her present taste!

  "It was an accident," she gritted out.

  "_Mmmm-hmmm_," he drawled.

  "You are impossible!"

  He smiled in an altogether feline way.

  "I do not understand how  you can even think  a woman could possibly  tame
you!"

  "What  makes you even think I would  wish such a thing?" he whispered back
in challenge.

  "Well, you speak of mating and such!" she sputtered.

  "Mating has naught to do with taming. Or other things you have confused it
with."  His spellbinding  eyes glittered with  secrets. "Familiars cannot be
tamed, Jenise."

  "What does  mating  have  to  do  with, then?"  she  flung  back  at  him,
exasperated with his feline ways. "According to you?"

  "I will let you discover that. Now come."

  M'yan  was a world of delights.  Everywhere she looked there was something
new and fascinating to see.

  The royal abode, she quickly learned, was structure of impossible  angles,
levels,  convoluted  halls, and  hidden nooks.  It appeared  to her  as if a
tradesman-builder had gone mad.

  Gian explained to her that to a Familiar it was a place of great interest,
for there were endless intricacies to explore.

  "But it is so... so odd."

  His  well-shaped lips  twitched. "We  enjoy such oddities.  This being the
royal ruling  house, you  might say  it is  by far  the oddest."  He  smiled
boyishly at her.

  She gave him a suspicious look.

  "Our people always long to come here; invitations are coveted." He blinked
playfully. "Truly."

  She could see why.  Despite its unpredictable layout  and decor, it was  a
beautiful  place. Familiars had an eye for  detail and it was evident in the
silken fabrics and furnishings,  which were rich in  both color and  design.

  There  were all kinds of pleasing  places to lose oneself. Hidden alcoves.
Secret stairways. Winding stairways and mysterious stairwells.

  As Gian  continued the  tour of  the  house, Jenise  also noted  that  the
chambers  were sumptuously  appointed without being  overbearing or stately.
The focus  seemed  to be  on  comfort. Beds  and  furnishings were  low  and
sprawling, with an overabundance of cushions.

  Familiars  appeared to be enamored of textures as well; in one chamber she
counted twenty-five different fabrics! All  of them exquisitely blended.  On
Ganakari,  even the ruling house did not have such wealth, for these fabrics
were highly costly, not to mention  extremely rare. She had never seen  such
vibrant colors! They flooded her senses, instantly elevating her mood.

  "It  is so unusual, Gian!" An exclamation of delight escaped her lips upon
discovering a window garden complete with thick, soft cushions and  fragrant
spice plants.

  "I  will come  back to  this spot"--she grinned--"If  I can  find it!" The
house, designed for Familiars,  who never got lost,  relied on their  innate
tracking  ability rather than any  logical layout. After the numerous twists
and turns they had taken, she truly  doubted she could find the spot  again.

  Gian  chuckled.  "We  adore  such  complexity, as  I  said;  but  you will
eventually learn your way about. And if you should become lost, you need not
worry; I will always find you."

  That was what worried her.

  "What if I do not wish to be found?" she murmured pointedly.

  He  raised his  eyebrow. "Tell me,  in what  way do you  believe that will
affect my actions?"

  Her face flushed in irritation. "Gian, we need to talk about--"

  He interrupted her by  pointing out the  window to a  small child who  had
fallen  asleep in  the garden below.  Surrounding her in  slumber were eight
little kittens. He chuckled.  "It appears they got  tired from their  play."

  Jenise  could not help smiling as she gazed on the endearing scene. During
their tour, Jenise's mouth had fallen open as scores of cats scampered about
everywhere.  She had never  seen so many cats.  They walked and played among
the people, doing as they pleased, some causing great mischief.

  She had observed that they all  had two different-colored eyes. They  were
Familiars, of course.

  "Do  the  children  get into  much  trouble?" She  glanced  at two  of the
kittens, who had  woken up and  were now  hissing at each  other in  playful
sport.  One suddenly pounced  on the other  and the two  balls of fur rolled
down an incline tangled up together.

  "Yes." He laughed as he watched them. "They get into much trouble."

  "But surely you discipline them?"

  He shrugged.  "Not  too much.  We  like them  to  get into  trouble.  Such
mischief-making  is part  of our attractive  nature, is it  not, Jenise?" He
gave her a beguiling look.

  She scoffed.

  He took her hand  and led her  to yet another wing  of delights. Here  she
caught the smell of food cooking nearby. Her stomach growled.

  He  chuckled. "I  thought you might  be getting hungry.  You will find our
food is as varied as everything else here and just as tempting." He led  her
out  onto  a balcony,  motioning for  her to  sit at  a small,  low table. A
trellis of flowering vines secluded the choice spot. A light breeze  ruffled
her hair.

  "I will be right back."

  He  quickly returned,  bearing a  plate of  delicacies for  her. The small
appetizers were intricately shaped and of  many colors. Her features lit  up
as  she recognized a tiny face painted on one of the round pieces. Until she
noticed it was _her_ face.

  "Why--how did they do this?"

  "During our walk, you passed  by one of the cooks.  She has made these  to
honor and welcome you."

  "What  a dear thing to do." She picked up the tiny confection, laughing as
she noted the  set of the  features. The cook  had drawn her  with her  eyes
rolling upward. She must have seen her this morning, when she was having her
discussion with Gian  at the bottom  of the  stairs. Placing a  hand to  her
mouth, she giggled.

  Gian  took the confection  from her and, grinning,  popped it into his own
mouth.

  "Gian! I was to eat that!"

  "You will have your  chance, for she  is making hundreds  of them for  the
feast tonight."

  "What  feast  tonight?"  She picked  up  another confection,  which looked
suspiciously like Traed, and bit into it. She could not wait to see the dour
Aviaran's face when he realized his miniature head was painted on these tiny
treats. Just the thought of it made her giggle again.

  Two dimples curved Gian's cheek. "You see how it is here, Creamcat?  There
is always something whimsical to delight you."

  "Mmm...  What  feast,  Gian?"  She  noted that  he  had  not  answered her
question.

  "Ah, that." He stretched out beside her across several cushions.

  "Yes, that." She picked up another treat. "Who is this?" She indicated the
unknown face.

  Gian  looked over her shoulder. "That is my _utal_, H'riar. He is my first
advisor. You will meet him tonight."

  "At the feast."

  "Yes."

  "Gian. What--is--this--feast--for?"

  He smoothed back a strand of her pale, waist-length hair. "It is to  honor
Traed as a hero of M'yan.... "

  "Oh. Well in that--"

  "And to celebrate our mating."

  "No."

  "_Taja_"--he took a deep breath--"it is customary for--"

  "No. I will not." She placed the treat back on the tray.

  Gian  bent over her, lifted it  off tray, and swallowed it. Jenise frowned
at him.

  "The people  are expecting  this,  Creamcat. There  is  naught I  can  do.
Already  the clan  heads are on  their way here  for the celebration. H'riar
approved it  without  my knowledge."  He  did not  add  that he  would  have
approved it regardless.

  "Is that true?" She peered at him intently.

  "Yes,  we always  speak the truth."  He looked at  her through half-veiled
eyes.

  "Then I am sorry for you, Gian, but you must cancel it."

  "I cannot."

  Jenise sighed. "Gian, I do not--"

  "I ask you  for this,  Jenise. Come  this eve  and enjoy  yourself. Be  my
_tajan_. If you will do this for me, then you may discuss what you wish with
me on the morrow."

  She stopped. It was a  concession. A big concession.  And one she was  not
expecting  from Guardian of  the Mist. He was  saying that he would consider
what she had to say  if she did this for  him. Once again, the Familiar  had
surprised her. "Do you mean it, Gian?"

  "Of course."

  Jenise  took a deep  breath. She owed  the favor to him.  He had saved her
life countless times; without him she never would have left Ganakari.  "Very
well. As long as we understand each other. What do I have to do?"

  His  green/gold  eyes  shimmered  triumphantly.  "Something  terrible," he
drawled in a teasing manner.

  Her mouth formed an O.

  He snickered. "Simply  be yourself  and have  a wonderful  time._.. as  my
tajan_."

  She looked at him suspiciously. "That is all?"

  "Yes."

  "What will happen when they realize there is no mating?"

  He  snagged the same strand of hair  that he had earlier smoothed and drew
it between his lips as if it were a blade of grass. "Allow me to worry  over
these matters, hmmm?"

  "Very  well. Since you are king, you can worry over everything," she said,
teasing him back.

  "I do, Jenise.  I do." He  pulled her over  his hip and  covered her  lips
firmly with his own.

  Yaniff  and Rejar walked  through the forest,  following an ancient trail.

  It was late in the  day and Rejar was thinking  of returning home soon  to
Lilac. He missed her when he was not near her.

  He  smiled faintly. She often teased him about his "kitten" ways. He could
not deny that it was a new  experience for him. An experience he  treasured.

  Foliage  carpeted the  forest floor and  it was cool  and green and silent
where they walked. Rejar noted the pleasurable crinkling sounds their  boots
made as they traversed the needle-strewn ground.

  Somehow, it was a good sound.

  The  revelation struck him that he _liked_ walking with Yaniff; especially
when they were relaxed, simply speaking of this matter or that. Not that  he
would ever admit it to the old man.

  Unnoticed by Rejar, Yaniff cast the Familiar a small, pleased smile.

  "Yaniff,  do you think all will be well with the Familiar people? I know I
am concerned."

  "We all  are, Rejar.  My confidence  is  in Gian.  He will  safeguard  the
Familiar.  My real concern lies in what he has told us about this mysterious
accomplice of Karpon's."

  "You had no warning of this in your sight?" Yaniff often had premonitions.
In the past many of his premonitions had warded off disaster for both Aviara
and the Alliance.

  "No, I saw nothing. And that  worries me." Yaniff absently stroked  Bojo's
feathers.

  "Perhaps   there  was  nothing  to  see  and  we  make  too  much  of this
accomplice." Rejar scanned the treetops, noting their rich color against the
sky.

  Yaniff's  dark eyes pierced the younger  man. Of all the things that Rejar
needed to learn, one of the most  important was to focus. "Do _you_  believe
this to be so?"

  Rejar  looked at the old mystic,  surprised. Yaniff was asking him if _he_
had sensed anything. What was he  thinking? "Yaniff, you know I have  naught
of those abilities."

  "Mmmm." They walked on.

  Rejar knew the wizard was implying something. "What _mmmm_?"

  Yaniff  gestured with his staff. When  the old wizard did that, he usually
was up to something.

  Rejar gnashed his  teeth together,  positive another  esoteric lesson  was
coming!  What had he been thinking  about--a nice, relaxed walk? For once he
would like to take a simple stroll without having to think so deeply!

  Yaniff chuckled. "Why waste the opportunity? Surely you can move and think
together,  my young friend. I, myself, have witnessed you doing thus on many
an occasion when you were in the company of females."

  Rejar flushed, realizing too late he  had not been shielding his  thoughts
from  Yaniff. "As I have  been telling you all of  my life, Yaniff, I do not
have this Charl power you speak of."

  The old wizard waved his staff about, confirming Rejar's suspicions  about
the  lesson with his next words. "The  nature of power comes from within. If
you believe  you  do not  have  it inside,  then  you are  truly  powerless.
Conversely,  if you  think you have  it within you,  then there it resides."

  Rejar blinked  as the  meaning of  his master's  words sank  in. "You  are
saying  I do  not show my  Charl power because  I believe it  is not there?"

  "You have  never acknowledged  it to  yourself, Rejar,  and so  it  sleeps
within you."

  Rejar  snorted in disbelief. "I cannot credit  this! Am I to just say yes,
you are here inside"--he thumped his chest--"and there it will be?"

  "It is more complicated than that and yet in some ways it is that simple."

  Rejar  arched  a black  eyebrow as  he  teased the  wizard. "You  speak in
riddles again, Yaniff."

  Yaniff snickered. Rejar  and his  ways... "You cannot  simply think  these
things into being, Rejar." _At least not at this stage._

  "I am not sure I understand you, Yaniff."

  "Let us look at Guardian of the Mist."

  "Very  well." They rounded a curve in  the path and headed deeper into the
forest.

  "Gian never wonders about  his power because  it is not in  him to do  so.
That  is why  he is  so very  much in control.  His strength  comes from his
instinct and this he knows. He  never questions himself." Yaniff glanced  at
Rejar shrewdly. "But then _he_ is a Familiar."

  "As am I."

  "Not entirely."

  Rejar shot him a look. True; not entirely. "So you are saying if I reflect
upon my inner strength then I am powerless?"

  "Not so."

  The wizard confounded him. Rejar threw up his hands in disgust. He did not
have the patience for these lessons that led him in circles!

  Yaniff's  eyes twinkled as he watched him. "It is the nature of a Charl to
reflect. You, Rejar, are also Charl."

  "So you say," he flippantly responded.

  "So it is."

  Rejar's mouth firmed in annoyance. "Then  how am I to balance these  sides
of myself? The Charl reflects; the Familiar reacts!"

  They both bent under a low-lying branch. The forest suddenly gave way to a
hidden lake. The  men stopped by  its edge  to gaze across  the calm  water.

  "You  must learn to take those qualities  from each side that will be most
beneficial at any  particular moment. Not  an easy thing  to master, but  an
important one."

  Rejar let the intriguing notion sink in as he stared out across the water.
Water, Yaniff  had told  him,  was always  mystical.  Sometimes it  had  the
ability   to  bring  forth  revelations.  He  idly  wondered  if  Yaniff had
deliberately brought him on this path to this place for just such a purpose.

  "If you think to ask that then you already know the answer." Yaniff stared
straight ahead.

  Rejar exhaled heavily. "And how am I to do as you say," he asked  quietly,
"balance my inner self?"

  Yaniff's  lips  curved  mysteriously.  "You  must  rely  on  your Familiar
_instinct_ to lead you. Mystical growth comes from an opening within, not by
a show of outward force. Might must never be mistaken for true strength. Our
abilities can  be the  catalyst to  our deeper  power if  we but  heed  this
lesson. That is the real strength of a Charl."

  Rejar concentrated on Yaniff's words, his blue and gold eyes reflective as
he gazed upon  the water before  him. The  Familiar in him  would bring  out
the--

  _Power_.

  Instinct and Charl power . . .

  His  blue/gold Familiar eyes gleamed  as comprehension sank in. Willingly,
he unveiled his special senses, letting everything flow through him at once;
letting his instincts guide him home.

  _Something  seemed to  stir within  him_... a  deep, nestled consciousness
that began to unwind. It uncoiled from the pit of his belly, tingling up his
back  to travel down his arms. It grew and grew, building and building, this
feeling, this something that was coming from inside him!

  He felt the vibrations  clear to his toes  before they seemed to  resound,
reverberating through him.

  Blue  and  gold Familiar  eyes  began to  flame with  incandescent glowing
sparks. Brighter and  brighter they  blazed. His  captivating eyes  ignited,
gathering  strength and luminescence. His entire body began to hum with this
strange vibration.

  The forest  around them  literally quaked!  The wind  whipped through  the
trees  and the  sky itself  suddenly roiled  with turbulent  masses of dark,
gathering clouds. _It was then that the very ground shook beneath his feet_.

  Before  he knew what was happening, twin beams of crystal-white light shot
from his Familiar eyes.  They were aimed  directly at the  lake he had  been
viewing.

  A deafening crack resounded.

  In  a flash,  a great ball  of steam  rose high into  the sky, evaporating
immediately into threads  of mist.  Whereupon everything  became still  once
more.

  Silent,  yet not  the same  for the  lake that  had been  there an instant
before was no more. Its water had been instantly vaporized by the tremendous
flux of energy.

  Shocked,  Rejar turned a  stunned look upon his  master. The twin beams of
light had come  from his own  eyes! _What kind  of power was  this_? He  had
never seen anything like it.

  Yaniff  chuckled dryly at his  student's awestricken expression. A student
should have more faith in his Charl master. "Thus you see a small measure of
your abilities, Rejar."

  "What  kind of  thing is it,  Yaniff?" Rejar was  visibly shaken. He could
still feel the power  crackling through his veins.  An undertone of  concern
laced his voice. "What does this mean?"

  A satisfied  look crossed  the old  wizard's face. "It  means, my student,
that your true nature has shown itself at last!"

  _And in that same instant of being, all the mystics in the realm of Aviara
and  beyond,  in this  plane of  existence  and beyond,  in the  Tunnels and
beyond, stopped  to recognize,  to acknowledge,  and to  pay homage  to  the
staggering power that had just been revealed to them._

  _Power unbound._

  _Power foretold._

  _Power that could see truth._

  _It came from he who was named Gifted._

Chapter Fifteen
===============

  A white caftan laced with gold had been laid out for her.

  Jenise  assumed it was for the  festivities that evening. She picked up an
edge of  the  garment,  fingering  its  smooth,  soft  texture.  It  was  an
extraordinary  fabric. The material  would glide against  her skin and shift
with the movements of her body as she danced.

  _As I dance..._

  She sat down on the edge of the bed. As far as she knew, Gian did not know
of  the Frensi custom  of the Dance.  Not that it would  be an issue between
them.

  From what she knew of him, Gian was not a man to expect anything that  was
not  freely  given.  He might  use  feline  strategy to  obtain  his desired
results, but in the end, he would  never take that which was not offered  to
him. Still... her mother's consort was ever bitter that her mother would not
perform the Dance for him.  She could not, for  she had performed the  Dance
for Jenise's father.

  Frensi  women  loved best  only once.  Their perfect  love. Sometimes, for
various reasons, this love was given to someone they would never mate  with.
Rarely  they were fortunate  enough to find that  perfect love and mate with
him as well.

  Her hand glided down  the satiny fabric.  The garment she  was to wear  to
celebrate  their mating. Her mind registered its feel upon her palm, but her
thoughts were on Gian...

  "You look lovely,  _taja_." Gian  picked up her  hand to  warmly kiss  the
center of her palm.

  The tip of his tongue delivered a quick, steamy message before he released
her. "Our men will be desirous of your beauty tonight." The look on his face
was one of pride.

  Jenise  blushed at the  compliment; although after  viewing him, she could
see why the Familiar had such reputations for perfection of form. He was, as
he always had been, breathtaking.

  He  was  dressed  all in  white,  much like  her.  His white  boots, white
breeches, and white  flowing shirt  were all  laced with  gold strands.  The
stark  white color  against his  golden-tan skin and  long, bronze-gold hair
created a vivid  contrast. And  there was  always that  mysterious curve  to
those lips of his.

  "It  is you who are beautiful, Gian."  The only time she had ever seen him
more handsome was when he wore nothing at all.

  Her lips twitched at the indecent  thought. _Jenise, what has happened  to
you_? she asked herself, She wondered at the changes that had recently taken
place inside her that she could view a man so... so... _sexually_.

  His fingertip brushed her pliant lips. "And what are you thinking,  hmmm?"

  She grinned wickedly. "Nothing."

  He raised an eyebrow in plain doubt. "I see. Are you ready to go?"

  "Yes."  Taking her arm,  he led her  to the massive  chamber that had been
designated for the mating celebration.

  The massive double  doors were thrown  wide as they  entered the  chamber.
Jenise  was amazed by  the sheer size of  the room as well  as the number of
Familiar who were there to attend.

  Everyone stopped speaking when they entered.

  A sea of  Familiar  faces,  male and  female,  all  strikingly  beautiful,
greeted  her. She could see that some of the Familiar were grouped together,
presumably by the clans Gian had mentioned before.

  Not a sound was heard in the  chamber as everyone stared at her in  shock.
Clearly,  they  had been  expecting  a Familiar  woman. Jenise  stiffened by
Gian's side, again questioning  the wisdom of  appearing together this  way.

  _{Relax and give them a moment to adjust.}_ Gian squeezed her hand.

  A distinguished man stepped forward. His hair was slightly silvered at the
temples and there was an air of reserved wisdom about him. He stood directly
by  Gian's side. Jenise  recognized him from  the face on  the treat she had
taken earlier as Gian's _utal_, H'riar.

  The advisor's gesture was definitely a  message of strong support for  the
_taj_ and his choice of bride.

  Unconcerned  by his people's  silent reaction, Gian  smiled warmly at her.
Taking their  joined hands,  H'riar  raised them  high  into the  air.  "The
_tajan_  of Ren!" he yelled out, his rich voice booming throughout the hall.

  There was a pause, then fifty men came forward--all the heads of  Familiar
clans.  They  joined  their  fists  as one,  raising  them  together  to the
ceiling_. "The _ tajan _of Ren_!" they all shouted together.

  Gian's eyes lit up in an altogether feline way. He smiled broadly.

  Without warning, he whipped Jenise around  in front of him and lifted  her
high  in the air, twirling her  about. A deafening roar reverberated through
the room as all the Familiar shouted at once with a joyous sound.

  After that, things got amazingly boisterous.

  Jenise was soon to  learn that the Familiar  were a fun-loving people  who
adored  celebration.  Several clan  musicians picked  up their  _obats_. The
unique, concordant sounds they produced were sensual, exotic, and at present
lively.

  Many  Familiar  broke  into  unrestrained  dance  swinging  their partners
through the air  in provocative  movements which revealed  their wild,  free
nature.  They didn't  seem to  care whom they  danced with--as  long as they
danced. Men danced with  men, women with women;  they wove about,  switching
off  until, in  a seamless pattern,  men were dancing  with women, then back
again. The intricate steps were flawlessly executed.

  Jenise watched, wide-eyed. "Are they always like this?" she asked,  amazed
by the dexterity and passion she was witnessing.

  "No.  Usually they  are wilder.  Wait until the  night progresses, Jenise.
Then you will see  how the Familiar can  celebrate happiness." He winked  at
her, his face alight with pleasure.

  Jenise's  breath stopped. She would  remember Gian like this, she thought.
Always. His  captivating features  glowed  with the  pure happiness  of  the
moment.

  "Look,  Gian, there is  Traed." Sure enough, the  Aviaran warrior stood at
one side of the chamber, apart from everyone else, as was his wont.

  Jenise watched as he glanced over at the table which was overflowing  with
all  manner  of delicacies.  She  could tell  the  exact moment  the warrior
spotted the treats with his likeness  painted on them, for his eyes  glanced
over them, then immediately shifted back.

  His  handsome brow furrowed as he inspected the tiny treats with a puzzled
expression.

  While he was  peering at them  in mystification, a  pretty Familiar  woman
strolled  over and picked  up the Traed  treat. She placed  it in her mouth,
letting it dissolve slowly.

  Traed arched his brow.

  Jenise giggled.

  Gian chuckled. "He will find  his experience here a  new one, to be  sure.
Let us greet him, Jenise."

  She  nodded, happy to see the  Aviaran again. His quiet, controlled manner
had impressed her greatly  during their journey. No  matter how he tried  to
conceal  himself, there  was a  caring side of  his nature  that always drew
others to him.

  "I am  glad  you  have found  your  way  here, Traed."  Gian  clasped  his
shoulder.

  "_Taj_ Gian." He inclined his head at Jenise. "_Tajan_."

  "Traed, I am happy you have come."

  "Tonight,  in  addition to  welcoming  the _tajan_,  we honor  Traed ta'al
Krue!" H'riar came forward, his sure  voice quieting down the chamber.  "For
his  valiant service to our Guardian of  the Mist, we gift him with entrance
to M'yan whenever he so desires. From this day forward he will be considered
as one of us!" A great cheer rose as all saluted the Aviaran warrior who had
saved their king and queen.

  Traed was  speechless.  He  faced  Gian. "This  is  not  nessary.  It  was
nothing-"

  "Do  not  speak further  lest you  insult me.  Surely you  do not  mean to
indicate our lives are nothing."

  Bronze highlighted his cheeks. "Of course not. However, I--"

  "Good!" Gian slapped him heartily on the back.

  Traed was clearly  irritated by the  turn of events.  The Aviaran  warrior
glowered.

  Gian  grinned. "You will  have to endure  it, I am  afraid, my friend." He
gestured in the direction  of the pretty woman  Traed had noticed  earlier_.
{Have  you ever been  with a Familiar  woman?}_ He sent  his thought only to
Traed.

  Traed shook his  head, his jade  eyes sparking briefly  as he watched  the
sensual dark-haired Familiar woman move to the music.

  _{You  will find it unlike any  of your other experiences. They claim they
are not satisfied until they scream and scratch and beg for more.}_

  Traed cocked his brow.

  _{Although, I admit, I  prefer creamcats.}_ Glan  glanced down at  Jenise,
then winked at Traed.

  Jenise looked back and forth between the two of them. "What are you saying
to him?"

  "What makes  you think  I am  speaking with  him?" He  gave her  his  most
innocent look.

  "Now I know for sure."

  Both men smiled.

  "I  must introduce Jenise to the clans." Glan took her hand. "I will speak
with you later, Traed." Gian glanced meaningfully at the young woman who had
caught Traed's eye.

  Traed  started to  nod, then froze.  His chiseled face  paled as he looked
straight ahead into  nothing as  if he had  been physically  staggered by  a
sharp  blow.  Concerned, Gian  rushed to  his side.  "What is  it Traed?" He
looked down and noticed that the Aviaran's Cearix was glowing. The dagger at
his  waistband  lit  to  a bright  flash  before  fading back  to  its usual
appearance.

  "_Something miraculous  has  happened_.... "  Traed  was still  shaken  by
whatever it was he had felt.

  "What? What is it, Traed?" Gian put a hand out to steady him.

  "It is... Rejar?... _It is Rejar_." He seemed stunned.

  "What  about Rejar?  Is he  all right?" Gian  was concerned  for his blood
relative.

  Traed blinked, coming back to himself. "Nothing. I am fine now."

  He did not look fine. The man  was still white around the mouth.  Whatever
had occurred had shaken the normally controlled warrior.

  Gian  scrutinized him closely. "If you are  sure you are all right, then I
will see you shortly."

  "Yes."

  He led Jenise away,  still wondering what could  have so moved the  stolid
Aviaran. Whatever it was, it involved his kinsman Rejar. Gian made a note to
ask Yaniff about it. The mystic would  arrive later this eve along with  the
Sages, who were to seal the Tunnel.

  So  far  the  people were  putting  on brave  faces,  but Gian  knew their
happiness would be  short-lived. Joy  would be  shadowed by  sorrow on  this
occasion.

  Gian  brought Jenise forward, introducing her individually to the heads of
all the clans. The process took a  long time, lasting well into the  evening
as  each in turn introduced her to  his family and advisors. Gian laughed to
himself, knowing  that Jenise  would never  remember all  of these  people's
names.

  But  Jenise  was making  her  own observations.  The males,  she curiously
noted, were almost all in their  prime. All striking. All supremely  virile.
All  sensual. All  _different_. No  wonder these  men were  so sought after!

  Jenise wondered what Gian  was going to tell  these people when she  left.
She  shrugged. He had told her he would  deal with it, and she was more than
content to let him. Tonight was to be her gift to him. She knew Gian was not
a man who would ask for much, but he had asked her for this.

  The request alone had convinced her to do it for him. Karpon's brother had
never asked her  mother for anything.  Over the course  of their  tumultuous
relationship,  Jenise had developed an  immense fondness for Guardian of the
Mist. There was little, she realized, she would not do for him.

  _Except stay here as his wife._

  A pang struck her chest.

  No. Frensi women needed to be free… She could not allow herself to  become
a pawn of power again.

  So  she smiled at his subjects and  took their best wishes and praise with
the best of grace. And Jenise ached inside.

  _She ached for what she possessed yet could not have. _

  Gian glanced at her as she met his people. He engraved upon his memory her
lovely  face and delicate  profile, whose subtleties he  had mapped with the
touch of his lips on more than one occasion. She was his, and yet...

  _He ached for what he had, yet did not possess._

  A buzzing of voices  started up near  the tall windows.  Like a wave,  the
voices  gained  in volume.  A  litany of  sorrow. Gian's  features instantly
sobered. The Sages had arrived.

  Putting an  arm around  Jenise's  shoulders, he  led  her to  the  nearest
window; a path opened before them between the Familiar. He gazed down at the
center courtyard  below,  where  the  secret Tunnel  of  the  Familiar  lay,
surrounded on all sides by the protection of the royal abode.

  Jenise gasped. "I did not know there was another Tunnel!"

  "None but the Familiar do," Gian explained. "At least not until recently."

  "What do  you mean?"  She turned  to him,  bafflement marring  her  smooth
features.

  "Karpon  somehow learned of it. His threat to my people is on many levels,
Jenise."

  Jenise felt  terrible. "But  you--" she  swallowed--"you never  told  me."

  "No."

  "Why, Gian? Did you not trust me?"

  His  finger stroked the downy softness  of her cheek; his thumb grazed her
lower lip. His green and gold gaze  captured hers as his mouth touched  hers
lightly.

  _He had not wanted her to leave._

  If  she had known  of the second  Tunnel in the  courtyard, she might have
been able to--

  A hurt expression  crossed her  features.  "I would  not have,  Gian.  Not
without saying good-bye."

  "You almost did once before." He spoke low.

  "That  was different." She doubted she would have been able to do it then,
either. But he did not  need to know that.  "You cannot keep something  that
does not want to be kept, Gian. You, a Familiar, should know this."

  "I  do know it. You misunderstand. I was protecting you from Karpon. Since
he knows of this Tunnel, he  could easily overtake you along the  connecting
portal  routes. Already I have sent out word to call all Familiar home. Some
will not make it."

  Her eyes  filled  with tears.  He  had  been protecting  her  once  again.
Protecting them all. "I had not thought of that."

  "No. "

  She turned to the window. "What are they doing?" She pointed to a group of
men below.

  "They are from the House  of Sages. They come  here under my direction  to
seal the Tunnel."

  She was shocked. "They can do that?"

  "Under  extreme circumstances, yes. It  is, rarely done, though. There can
be mystical repercussions." Just what those repercussions were, he would not
say.

  They  both  watched the  group of  thirteen--ancient and  powerful wizards
all--as they formed a triangle before the portal.

  Yaniff was alone at  the front, his power  being the greatest. Behind  him
stood  Wolthanth and  Gelfan. And  behind them  four other  mystics. And six
behind that,  forming the  Triangle of  Sages. The  formation was  a  highly
specific  placement  designed  to  augment their  individual  powers  into a
unified flow.

  There was  no  greater power  in  their  universe than  the  Formation  of
Thirteen.

  At least there hadn't been until a short time ago.

  The  chamber became utterly silent as the Familiar sadly watched an avenue
of their freedom being closed off to them forever.

  Yaniff lifted his staff  high, beginning the ritual  by calling forth  his
power.  It flowed around him, gathering strength, its bright, lightning-like
arcs curling over his legs and  arms and torso. Yaniff directed the  current
of his power up the staff to the faceted crystal at the end, where it glowed
brightly. Tipping the staff in his hand, he released the guided current into
the maw of the portal.

  The  clans' _obats_  began to  play a  mournful dirge  as Wolthanth called
forth his power in  much the same  manner. He tipped his  staff and his  arc
joined Yaniff's as it flowed into the Tunnel.

  Jenise would never forget the awesome, sobering sight of the ritual or the
sound of the  dirge that  played around  them. She  felt the  spirit of  the
people,  felt their sorrow and tears.  They had been persecuted--and in some
cases enslaved--simply for  the beauty  of their  being. Now  they would  be
forced  to stay close to their home planet as well. How would they adjust to
such restriction?

  Gelfan joined the first two wizards,  his power leaping into the  combined
beam.  And so it went; one by one the mystics' individual powers joined side
by side, connecting forces to seal the opening.

  _{You have reminded me of what is important, Creamcat.}_

  "I have?" She looked at him, perplexed.

  "Yes." Gian suddenly turned away from the scene below. He faced the crowd.
"A Familiar cannot be contained!" he called out, loud and clear.

  The  stricken crowd  heard his words.  The call began  to ring through the
hall as  more and  more joined  in his  chant, each  avowing the  same_.  "A
Familiar cannot be contained! A Familiar cannot be contained_!"

  Gian  motioned to the _obat_ players. "I prefer to dance in joy than watch
in sorrow!" He caught Jenise, pulling her  to the center of the floor.  "For
our  freedom is  in here!" He  pounded his  chest with his  fist. "In here!"

  A boisterous clamor rose in the air as all cheered their flamboyant king's
response  to the situation.  In that moment  Jenise could see  why he was so
loved by his people.

  The music changed. Now it was spirited, sensual, its beat contagious. Gian
tossed  back his  hair in  a proud stance.  He encircled  Jenise slowly, his
slumberous gaze capturing her. Then he placed his palm firmly on her  waist.

  "What  do I  do?" Jenise  whispered frantically,  having no  notion how to
perform this Familiar dance and not  wanting to disappoint them all at  such
an important moment.

  _{Encircle  my waist with your  right arm. Throw your  left arm in the air
like this.}_ He demonstrated.  She followed his lead  as he swung her  about
gradually.

  He  started slowly but soon went  faster and faster, turning her round and
round.

  Jenise began laughing gaily.  Gian smiled at her,  the music infusing  him
with spirit.

  He  released her suddenly as his boot  heels rapped on the floor, a series
of intricate  masculine  steps pulsing  to  the beat.  The  onlookers  began
clapping  to the rhythm of his staccato steps, Jenise watched, spellbound by
his masculine grace  of movement, his  style, his beauty.  He entranced  her
with  his striking steps, making love  to her with expressive movements that
were at once highly sensual and commanding.

  He leapt into the air and landed on one knee. With a sweep of his arm, the
dance spoke of his claim to her and his joy in it.

  He  slid across the floor on his  knees, coming to a stop exactly in front
of her. He tossed his hair back and became the untamed male. Powerful  hands
clasped  her waist. In an unorthodox  manner, his face pressed lovingly into
her stomach. Feeling passion's beat, he _swayed_ with her to the music in  a
sensual undulation she would never forget.

  Without  warning, he sprung into the air  again, taking her with him as he
whirled her about in his arms.

  His wild spirit infected the crowd. Soon others joined them; to dance;  to
celebrate. To be free.

  Gian  gathered her to him, tight  in his embrace, still twirling with her.
With his strength, he easily picked her up in his arms, kissing her hard and
fast on the mouth before releasing her once more.

  They both laughed.

  The dance picked up speed. Jenise became breathless, unrestrained with the
movements as the enchanting music flowed through her too.

  She walked around him  slowly, just as  he had done to  her, and spun  him
about. She moved up to him and back, swaying seductively with the music. She
showed him a small portion of a Frensi woman's talent for the dance.

  Gian's dual-colored eyes flashed with admiration and more.

  _{I will always find my freedom in you, Jenise.}_

  Jenise's mouth parted in astonishment. Before she had a chance to consider
his  revealing words, he lifted her again high in the air and twirled around
with her.

  The celebration continued long into the night as the strange glow from the
sealing  of the Tunnel lit the room  with odd flashes of light. The Familiar
people danced with their king and queen. To freedom of the spirit.

  Traed walked through the night jungle.

  The slithers and  sounds of  nocturnal creatures shadowed  his steps.  The
dark tangle was full of deadly menace. He did not care. On the contrary, the
silent Aviaran welcomed it.

  He embraced the danger, the shadows.

  Coarse vegetation surrounded him like a  thick shield. He liked that  too.
To  be hidden yet  not hidden. Breathing  deeply of the  humid air, he could
discern the scent of earth, vegetation, and elemental life.

  A _santark_ suddenly growled to his left. He spun about on his boot  heel,
light  blade already  drawn. The  immense beast  stopped in  its tracks, its
lethal fangs bared. The two stared at each other.

  The _santark_'s pink eyes reflected the Aviaran in their depths--a  fierce
warrior on the verge of battle.

  Traed  willed the  wild beast  to attack  him. The  _santark_ watched him,
frozen in its place. For the span of three heartbeats, Traed did not take  a
breath.  His  entire being  was alert,  ready  to fight.  To battle  for his
survival. To _feel_ alive.

  The beast snarled a deadly warning.

  Traed's pale green eyes  sparked with the light  of challenge, a flash  of
satisfaction  glowing there. In a puzzling move, the Aviaran lifted his chin
arrogantly, standing straight before his adversary. Then he slowly _lowered_
his blade, making himself a perfect target.

  The beast crouched low, preparing to strike.

  Traed  actually smiled, his hand motioning to the creature to come and get
him.

  The _santark_ hesitated. In  the face of such  odd behavior from prey,  it
was suddenly not sure what to do.

  Traed's  eyes narrowed to slits of  glinting jade. "Will you disappoint me
as well?"

  The santark arched its back.

  Traed stared him down.

  With a hissing cry, the  _santark_ leapt aside, quickly disappearing  into
the undergrowth.

  Traed's  nostrils flared. Turning in disgust, he stormed back to the royal
abode.

  Hidden in the foliage,  wizard's eyes, that were  darker than the  darkest
night, watched his passage. They held more than a hint of concern.

  On the planet Zarrain, where Traed had lived for a time, there was a plant
native to its desert. It was called  a _lutus_. The _lutus_ grew strong  out
of the harsh sands and adverse conditions of the terrain around it.

  Much like Traed.

  When  the _lutus_ was opened, it was revealed to be full and hollow at the
same time. Much like Traed.

  Yaniff stroked the feathers  of Bojo as  he considered the  possibilities.

  Late that night, Yaniff met with Gian in his private study.

  Gian  motioned the  old wizard  to sit  as he poured  him a  cup of warmed
_mir_. "Did you enjoy the celebration, my friend?"

  Settling himself comfortably on the low cushion, Yaniff picked up the mir,
sipping gratefully. "I am much too old for such wildness."

  Gian gave him a disbelieving look. "Mmm-hmm."

  Yaniff  smiled into his cup. "Never mind that. It seems your festival went
very well. Despite the sealing of the Tunnel."

  Gian rubbed his jaw. "Yes, it did."

  "Jenise has much to come to terms with--in her mind."

  "I know. But I have the confidence she will."

  "Ah, Familiar arrogance!  How I  miss it sometimes."  The wizard  grinned.

  Gian  snorted. "Now Yaniff,  you have your own  Familiar from what I hear.
One who can give you all the arrogance you need to liven up your dull life."

  Yaniff snickered into his cup. "He is not quite as arrogant as you were at
his age, Gian. But then, few are."

  "Mnam. Give him time."

  Yaniff chuckled. Gian shook a finger at him. Wizards and their  Familiars.
Always a special bond.

  "Tell me, Yaniff, what transpires with Rejar?"

  Yaniff   paused  in  his  drink.  "What  makes  you  think  something  has
transpired?"

  "Traed. He  was  completely stunned  tonight  during the  celebration.  He
stopped  as if he were thunderstruck. I noticed that his Cearix--or should I
say _your_ Cearix--was glowing. Now what was that about?"

  "Rejar has come into  his power." He  placed his empty  cup on the  table.
Gian refilled it. "It released earlier today for the first time."

  "I see." Gian watched the ancient mystic with narrowed eyes. "And what was
so miraculous about it? Is it not a normal occurrence for a Charl? A rite of
passage?"

  "Yes,  it is."  Yaniff returned  his look. "This  was somewhat different."

  Gian exhaled slowly. "Then you were right all those years ago."

  "Yes."

  "Good."

  Both men were silent in their own thoughts. "I need you to do me a  favor,
Yaniff."

  "What is it, Gian?"

  "I  would like you to open a  signature arc, an image arc, onto Ganakari."
As a high-level mystic,  Yaniff had the  ability to send  a message, via  an
arc, through time and space and dimension.

  Yaniff raised his eyebrows. "To what purpose?"

  "I wish to pay Karpon a little visit... shall we say, once removed?"

  Yaniff  smiled wickedly. "Say when, my  friend." He downed the last of his
drink.

  "You are not taxed from the sealing of the Tunnel?"

  Yaniff scoffed at the ridiculous question.

  Gian grinned. "Then _now_, I think."

  The wizard inclined his  head. A bolt  of power was  directed at the  wall
from his fingertip. It sizzled and snapped. Soon a tiny opening appeared, no
bigger than a small stone. "Speak,"  Yaniff said. "He will see your  image."

  Gian  crossed his  arms insolently over  his chest and  propped his booted
feet up on the table. He was going to enjoy this.

  Karpon sat down in his favorite seat before the fire.

  He was of a mind to go over  his plans for his assault on the Familiar.  A
highly  trained clandestine force would make the first attack on the morrow.
This force had instructions to find and take as many Familiar as they could,
using the rectal drug to render them malleable. Since the Familiar had a yen
for adventure, many of  them instantly traveled. In  fact, Karpon had  heard
they couldn't bear not having their "adventures."

  The  beauty of the plan was that  by the time the Familiar realized that a
great many of  their number were  missing, it  would be far  too late.  Such
abductions were difficult if not impossible to trace.

  The captives were already spoken for on the market.

  Karpon  had received  a tidy sum  for them sight  unseen; his coffers were
bulging. He hadn't believed the price  a prime male specimen brought on  the
illegal  trade market! It was more than his greedy imagination had foreseen.

  Suddenly a shimmer filled his vision. An image appeared before him. It was
a man.  His  arms  were  crossed over  his  chest,  his boots  propped  on a
tabletop. He looked vaguely familiar....

  _Familiar_!

  "You!" He jumped out of his seat  to call the guards, but stopped when  he
realized the man was not actually there.

  "What sorcery is this?" he sneered.

  "_You will not easily get another Familiar within your power, barbarian_."

  Karpon jeered at the image.

  "_The Tunnel on M'yan  has been sealed forever--there  is no entrance  for
you._"

  Karpon  paled. The numerous stones he had already collected on account had
come from some very  dangerous beings. They would  not take kindly the  news
that he could not deliver.

  "_Jenise  is mine. She  is with me here  and here she will remain--forever
out of your reach_."

  Karpon hissed at that piece of news. "Who are you?"

  "_In case you are wondering who I am," the image seemed to answer him,  "I
am  Guardian of the Mist.  King of all Familiar.  Is it not unfortunate that
you did not know who I was when you had me chained to the wall like a beast?
Just  think what you  could have done with  that information… no telling how
much you could have gotten for me in trade_."

  The image flickered and died out.

  Karpon's fist crashed onto the  arm of the chair. He  had had the King  of
the  Familiar in his power? And he  had lost him! All because of Jenise. Now
the Familiar had her.

  A roar of outrage bellowed from him.

  It was not over.

  Not nearly over.

  Jenise was fast asleep by the  time Gian entered their bedchamber. It  was
almost  dawn. Disrobing, he slipped under the silken coverlet, taking her in
his arms. He had found a way  to thwart Karpon without harming the  Ganakari
people. Exactly as his _tajan_ had asked of him.

  His  retribution was  only beginning,  though. Karpon would  answer in the
future for what had been done to him in that cell; he would pay for what had
been done to Dariq.

  A strong tremor shook him. Then another.

  His  time was approaching. He would not be able to put it off much longer.

  It complicated his task with her; if  he had his choice, the timing  would
be  much different.  There was  no way of  knowing how  a non-familiar woman
would react to what was ahead.

  The luxury of choice, however,  was not his. He  would speak to Jenise  on
the morrow.

  Then she would have to make her true choice. For good or ill, Gian had run
out of time.

  Despite his discomfort, he tangled himself  around her, as was his  feline
way.

  The entire night he held her as the tremors continued to assail him.

Chapter Sixteen
===============

  Jenise sat by the edge of the lagoon.

  Hidden  by fronds and  dense foliage, the choice  spot allowed her privacy
while still affording  her a perfect  view of  the aqua water  as it  gently
lapped  the shore. Off to her right, a waterfall cascaded into a large pool;
its flowing sound was a soothing balm to any troubled spirit seeking  peace.

  Idly,  she tossed some  pebbles into the  water, hatching concentric rings
spread across the surface.  The initial simple action  of the stone  hitting
the  water always caused more complex  aftereffects. _An analogy to my life,
she thought_.

  The stone hitting the water was  much like her first encounter with  Gian.
Their  coming together  had been  a quick,  decisive action.  The ripples of
consequence were still reverberating through both their lifelines.

  She had never sought such complexity. Yet it had found her.

  In her quest for  freedom and simplicity of  spirit, somehow her life  had
become more layered. More entangled. More enriched...

  _Gian_.

  It always came back to Gian.

  He  would not easily release her, that  she knew. Despite what he had said
to her, a man  like Guardian of the  Mist would not give  up his battle  for
her; it would go against his very nature to do so.

  And  what about her? _Did she not  want him herself_? Want him. Crave him.
Taste him. Even when he was apart  from her she could still feel him  inside
her, part of her.

  He had grown within her like another seed of herself.

  Jenise  had never  been sure about  destiny before; but  now she wondered.
Were they meant  to be together?  She could not  deny the strange  closeness
between them; the way they came together like pieces of a puzzle made whole;
the way they fit.

  But   if   she  embraced   this   concept  of   destiny,  where   was  her
self-determination?  Her freedom?  What future  could she  make for herself?

  Thoughts in turmoil, she tossed another stone into the water.

  Hidden as she  was, she was  still not surprised  to feel Gian's  presence
behind her. There was no place that the Familiar could not find her if he so
desired, of that she was certain. If she left him, it would have to be  with
his complete agreement.

  A condition  that seemed highly unlikely. She felt him sit down behind her
silently. Allowing her the privacy of thought if not space.

  So like a cat... Finally she spoke  as she gazed out across the water.  "I
am a prisoner here."

  "No," he answered her softly. "You are not."

  "But you will not let me leave!"

  "It  is too dangerous." It was not  the answer she wanted; it was not even
an answer to her  accusation. But then, she  was learning that the  Familiar
were  masters  of subtlety;  their words  were often  chosen to  produce the
outcome they sought.

  She exhaled noisily, exasperated. In a  strange sense, she was charmed  as
well.  The dichotomous  nature of the  cat--ever alluring, ever frustrating.

  Gian was well aware  of her mood. "I  only want you to  come to know  this
land,  this  people, as  I do."  His  voice dropped  a register,  becoming a
soothing, coaxing purr. "Do you not think it a beautiful place?"

  "Yes, it is. Very beautiful. But it is not my place."

  He leaned forward so she could feel his heat at her back while he smoothed
a section of her long hair over her shoulder in a caring gesture.

  "Yes, _taja_, it is."

  Her shoulders stiffened. "Do not call me that."

  "I  have taken  a bond  for you."  His breath  feathered the  curve of her
throat. "For  me  there can  be  no other."  His  lips pressed  against  her
shoulder. "I want no other."

  "Please  do not, Gian!" She shrugged her shoulder away from his warm lips;
his touch, as always, was confusing her.

  Gian stayed the course.  His strong arm came  around her waist,  embracing
her,  pulling her back close against him.  "Why not? We both want each other
and the need gets stronger each day that passes. Surely you feel it. I  love
you, Creamcat."

  Jenise  closed her eyes at his admission.  A tear tracked its way down her
face.

  He nuzzled her neck. "Do you not  love me, Jenise?" He purred against  her
delicate skin.

  "_Yes_."  she breathed,  admitting the truth  to herself as  well. "I love
you, Gian."

  His lips latched onto her throat, drawing gently on her, lovingly on  her.
"When  this business with Karpon is  settled, I will take you everywhere you
wish to go, Jenise. I will show you the Alliance, tempt you with new worlds,
gift you with all that I have to share."

  Jenise  was overwhelmed at his offer.  She hadn't considered that he might
be willing to go with  her. "You would do this  for me? Leave your  people?"

  He  smiled slightly against her skin. "I would never leave my people... it
is not a question of that."

  She turned in his arms, pulling slightly away to look up at him. "But  you
just said--"

  His  beautiful  green/gold  eyes captured  hers.  "It  is the  way  of the
Familiar to explore. I can give you  what you want, Jenise. In time. If  you
trust me."

  _Maybe  he could_. Already, he had surprised her on many counts. At times,
he had bent for her,  changed direction. And he  had the courage to  attempt
new  pathways--as he  had proven  to her  countless times  on their journey.

  She bit her lip.

  Perhaps she had not seen the situation clearly? Gian was not simply a  man
who  exerted  power;  he  was  a  Familiar  who  shaped  power.  Did  he not
metamorphose himself? Would not this ability  touch other parts of his  life
as well?

  The revelation struck her.

  Long  ago, when  they had met,  she remembered thinking  that the Familiar
would set her  free. Perhaps it  was not  a mere thought  but a  prophecy...

  Could Gian be the key to her heart's freedom?

  Was  he right when he  had said that such love  could unbind the soul? Her
aqua eyes filled with emotion as she watched him, revelation upon revelation
hitting her at once.

  "I  simply ask you to think on it." His fingers brushed her lips. A strong
tremor hit him. Beads  of sweat dotted  his brow. He  pulled back from  her,
almost doubling over.

  Jenise  put  a hand  on his  arm, pulled  from her  thoughts by  his ashen
complexion. "What is it Gian? Are you ill?"

  He sucked in a deep breath, regaining his composure. "No; I am not ill.  I
have  asked you to think on these issues,  and yet I am afraid that there is
one decision you need to make now, _taja_. A very important decision."

  She gave him a worried look. "Wh-what is it?"

  "There is something that  Familiar men do not  speak of to anyone  outside
the  Mist.  It has  to do  with our  very natures.  In the  wrong hands such
information could prove disastrous to my people. What I am about to tell you
is  one of the many reasons we  keep to ourselves in matters of bonding; one
of the reasons we cloak ourselves in secrecy."

  Jenise was torn between his trust in her and wariness of a knowledge  that
perhaps  she would  be better off  not knowing.  Her courage as  well as her
concern for him won  out. "Does it  have to do with  this trembling you  are
having?"

  His  eyes gleamed in appreciation; she would hear him out. "Yes. It has to
do with what we call the Incarnation."

  "_Incarnation_? What is it?"

  Gian enfolded  her in  his  arms, bringing  her  close against  his  chest
despite  the small tremors  still racing through him.  "Have you not noticed
that most of the males here are of a certain age?"

  Jenise's brow  furrowed. She  had  noticed that  the  other night  at  the
celebration.  "Yes, but  I thought...  well, I am  not sure  what I thought.
Everyone knows Familiars are so... so... " She faltered for words.

  He chuckled. "Mmmm. One of the reasons we are as we are is because of  our
Incarnation.  When a Familiar  man reaches his  peak level somewhere between
the age of  thirty and forty  standard years--and for  each of us  it is  an
individual timing--we incarnate."

  "What do you mean by incarnate?"

  "There  is a process we undergo that enables the male Familiar to maintain
the height  of  his  physical  perfection throughout  the  majority  of  his
lifetime."

  "I do not understand; are you saying you do not age?"

  "No,  we age, but only within  a ten-year span after our first Incarnation
is achieved. There are nine Incarnations  in the male Familiar's life,  each
spanning approximately a decade of time."

  "So   you  maintain  that  optimum  level  as  you  call  it"--her  cheeks
blushed--"for ninety standard years?"

  He nodded. "Our productive years, in which we indulge the physical part of
our natures."

  The  concept was most alien to her. "What happens after you have completed
these nine cycles?"

  "We begin to age naturally for the remainder of our life span. My  _utal_,
H'riar,  has completed his  Incarnations. It is just  one reason he makes so
worthy an advisor; he has experienced much in his days."

  "Is it so vital then for you to remain perfect?"

  Gian grinned  broadly.  "Thank you,  _taja_,  but you  misunderstand.  Our
physical  appearance has naught to do with this. What is important is for us
to maintain the peak of our physical _stamina_."

  "Why?"

  "It is our greatest strength and our greatest gift to our mates."

  Jenise gave him  a wary  look. "Just  how is  this Incarnation  achieved?"

  Gian exhaled. "Well, you see, the man and the woman--"

  Jenise's mouth dropped open. "Surely you jest?"

  Gian winced. "I am afraid not, Creamcat."

  "But... _how_?"

  "I  must explain to you how we Familiar view these things. We believe that
within our sensuality lies  a gate to true  spirituality. When we are  mated
our  sexual  natures  take  on  deeper  levels. It  is  part  of  a lifelong
exploration between the  male and  his mate.  This process  takes us  higher
within ourselves, both as individuals separately and as one together."

  "It sounds beautiful... ."

  "It is, Jenise, although I have yet to experience it with you."

  "With me?"

  "Yes."

  She swallowed. "What would it involve?"

  "For  a male Familiar, release and  completion are two separate things. We
aspire to pleasure a woman by  bringing her to numerous releases;  sometimes
making  love for days at a time.  Each time the female reaches her peak, her
energy releases  to  the  male--which  in  turn  raises  his  energy  level.
Eventually,  if  they  are in  harmony,  they enter  into  the tiers  of the
Incarnation ceremony; what  we call the  Nine Hundred Strokes  to Love.  The
energy will flow back and forth between them, raising them to a higher state
of being.  You have  seen me  metamorphose  into my  cat self."  She  nodded
shakily, stunned by what she was hearing.

  "A  similar event occurs,  only the male  will begin to  take on an energy
form, bringing his mate along with him until Incarnation is achieved. It  is
a rite  of endurance, a trial  and a passage and a  blessing all at the same
time,   which  brings   about  not  only   physical  changes  but  spiritual
fulfillment."

  He watched her carefully. Jenise felt the Weight of the stone in her hand.
"Do both mates have to undergo this Incarnation?"

  "The male must; the female has the right to choose."

  There it was at last. So he had  been telling her the truth all along.  It
would  ultimately be her choice. "There  has never been a non-Familiar woman
who has gone through this?"

  "No."

  She sucked in her breath, "What if  I can't... I am not Familiar, Gian!  I
may not be able to... "

  His  hand cupped her cheek. "If I  see you are having difficulties, I will
disengage."

  "What happens if you do that?" He glanced away and would not speak. Jenise
clutched  his arm. "It  is too risky, Gian!  What do the men  do who are not
mated? Surely there must be some alternative."

  A muscle ticked in  his jaw. "There  is. There are  priestesses who  guide
unmated  males through this. Such  an option is not open  to me, nor would I
take it if it were. I have taken an oath for you; I cannot break it."

  Nor would she want him to--but if his life were in danger... ?

  "No. I cannot," he said, seeming to read her thoughts.

  "Is there no other way?"

  "In certain  unusual  circumstances, a  male  can sometimes  complete  the
Incarnation  himself by entering  a deep meditative  trance. However, such a
state is extremely difficult to achieve; it can be dangerous for him."

  There did not seem to be much choice. Not if she cared for him.

  "Have you done this before, Gian?"

  "Just once. There is  a small Incarnation line  on my inner thigh  that--"

  "I  have seen it." He cocked his brow at her. She blushed. "I wondered how
you had gotten such a marking, especially there."

  A dimple curved the side of his mouth.

  "You went to these priestesses the last  time?" For some reason a wash  of
unreasonable jealousy gnawed at her insides.

  "Yes... as we all do when not mated."

  A dismal  thought occurred  to her. "So  you retain your  vibrancy as your
mates age?" Her nostrils flared as she realized what that meant. "That  does
not seem very fair or desirable to your females."

  Gian  chuckled. His arm snagged around her neck, tugging her forward. "Ah,
but that is why we keep it such a secret." His teeth grazed the side of  her
throat in a teasing manner.

  Jenise  sulked. He could afford to smile  about it. He was not the one who
would--

  At her pitiful expression, Gian  could not go on  with the jest. "Age  has
its  own beauty, _taja_. Even  so, at the moment  of Incarnation we can give
life, Jenise."

  She gasped. "You mean... ?"

  "Yes; We can gift our mates with Incarnation as well."

  Her mouth dropped open.

  He closed it with the edge of his finger. "I will not be gifting you  with
such a thing until the next Incarnation."

  Her mouth dropped open again.

  He  glanced down at her  through his thick veil  of black lashes. "You see
now why this information must never get out."

  "Yes," she  whispered, still  stunned by  what  he had  told her.  If  the
Familiar  had been hunted before, she could not even imagine to what lengths
some would go  if it were  known they  could bestow youth  with their  love.

  A tremor  shook him anew. His dry lips pressed her forehead. "I will await
you in our chamber. Make your choice."

  With that he released her and left as silently as he had come.

  And while Jenise  looked out  across the water,  trying to  make the  most
important  decision of her  life, Gian Ren entered  their chambers to decide
whether or not he should wait to give her the most precious gift of all... .

  A gift he could only attempt to bestow once every ten years.

  She weighed the pebble in her hand. No matter how careful she had been, no
matter how she had tried to withhold herself from him, it did not matter  in
the end. He had captured her.

  Jenise  knew Gian's nature; he  could do no less.  He had been honest with
her about that.

  She wanted back that part of herself that he had taken. She wanted him  to
have  it forever.  Gian Ren had  seeped into her.  He was in  her heart, her
mind, her soul.

  He was the tidal  wave and the  lapping ripple. He had  hunted her bit  by
bit,  zealously  guarding what  he had  seized until  she dwelled completely
inside him. Taken.

  Then he simply offered her his heart.

  How dangerous these Familiar were!

  She squeezed her eyes shut  even as she squeezed  the stone in her  palm_.
She  wanted that  noble heart._  She wanted  _him_. The  significance of the
Familiar exchange of breaths came home to  her. To be whole together, to  be
alive in each other's arms, to share the same breath...

  To find an exalted peace.

  She  did not pretend  to understand the mystical  ways of the Familiar; or
how they  recognized their  mates. But  she  had come  to believe  in  their
ability  to do so... for he had  shown her the meaning of this infinite love
they shared, a love that was ever-changing and ever-growing.

  A love that was untamed. Unbound. _Free_.

  She opened her palm and released the security of the stone.

  She came to him as he knew she would. He had prepared the chamber for them
himself.  First, he lit hundreds of  scented tapers; their glow was soft and
ambient like love that endures.

  He removed all of his garments. Then he scattered _tasmin_ blossoms in the
pool  along  with fragrant  oils,  placing the  aromatic  vials next  to the
cushions and _krilli_ cloths that spread  across the floor and low  bedding.
The  silken cloths were in colors  of purple and red, arranged in mysterious
patterns, patterns designed to evoke the senses. To evoke her "taste."

  He scattered petals over the  coverings, allowing their luscious scent  to
rise  in  the air,  knowing the  heat  of their  entwined bodies  would soon
release yet more of the fragrance.

  He opened the doors to the balcony, letting in the muted tropical  breeze,
closing  his  eyes briefly  as he  listened  to the  sensual music  of _lati
_filaments as they hummed in the night wind.

  His blood beat  heavy in  his veins, pulsing  through him  in an  ancient,
expectant rhythm.

  The  Incarnation  was  a mystical  transformation  to the  Familiar. Their
sensuality became a true  physical expression of love.  It was a journey  of
discovery and renewal, for body, heart, mind, and spirit.

  The  male gathered his  Incarnations about him  throughout his life, pivot
points of remarkable change, growth, and  if he was blessed, much more.  His
female  would awaken  him fully.  She would become  the catalyst  for him to
bring true power into passion.

  He would share this with his  Jenise. He would give himself completely  to
her  and, he  hoped, she to  him. He  would surrender himself  to her female
energy. She would conquer  him even as he  took her. Her woman's  sensuality
would release him and rebirth him.

  He would become older and newer in the embrace of her love.

  Gian placed a bowl of fruit on the woven rug, straightening to look at her
as she entered the  chamber. Their eyes met.  Aqua to green/gold. Both  knew
what this meant.

  He held out his hand to her.

  She took it.

  Slowly  he walked behind  her, lifting the  fall of her  hair to place his
lips against her nape. He unclasped  her caftan, watching it slide down  her
body.

  Lifting her in his arms, he stepped into the pool with her.

  His  fathomless  eyes  reflected  the  room's flames  as  he  watched her,
examining each of her features silently.

  "What do I do, Gian?" she whispered.

  He smiled slightly.  "Incarnation is spontaneous  and intimate. There  are
nine tiers; I will lead you through them to direct your energies."

  Her  hand cupped his strong  face. "Then I trust you  to do so, my _taj_."

  He sucked in his  breath at the  simple words that said  so much. She  had
called  him her king and  in so doing had acknowledged  not only who he was,
but who he was to her.

  He turned his face to  place a scorching kiss in  the center of her  palm.

  "I have not made my ultimate decision yet," she said hoarsely.

  "Yes, you have."

  He  lowered her until she stood in  front of him. Scooping up a handful of
water, he watched  the scented  stream trickle  over her  full breasts.  The
gentle bubbling of the water in the pool soothed as it stimulated.

  Jenise listened to the filaments chime, a light echoing sound which seemed
to overlie the wondrous scent of  _tasmin_ and _krinang_. _Tasmin_ from  the
floating  blossoms, _krinang_  from Gian.  From outside, she  could hear the
jungle calls of animals.

  "M'yan," he whispered.  "It speaks to  us even now."  He ladled more  soft
water  over her  skin. "Once it  is in your  blood, it will  never leave you
Creamcat."

  _Like him_.

  Her lids fluttered closed  at the heady sensations  washing over her,  not
the  least of which was his  skimming touch. Barely there. Yet unmistakable.

  She swayed in the  water as he  poured the scented  liquid into her  hair,
infusing the strands with wet warmth.

  Smoothly,  he dipped into the water before her, tossing his hair back when
his head broke the surface. His fingers clasped her waist under the surface,
bringing her closer to him.

  Once more he dipped under the water. Soon, she felt the lick of his tongue
on the  curved rim  of her  navel. A  warm lick  surrounded by  the  cooler,
lapping  water.  A  small  sound  issued from  her  lips.  _{Which  laps you
better... me  or the  water?}_ His  voice purred  in her  mind as  she  felt
another  hot lick  further down between  her legs. Her  fingers clutched his
shoulders. _Him or the water_? It was not even close.

  He broke  free of  the surface  and gazed  up at  her, droplets  of  water
dancing  on  his thick  black lashes,  catching the  flames in  the room. He
smiled slowly at her. Too sexual to be sweet, she knew.

  He shook his head, flinging a spray  of droplets on her and laughing in  a
low tone when she jumped back.

  His  arm snagged  her around her  waist, bringing her  wet, heated body in
contact with his. He dipped  his head to brush her  lips in a satin  caress.
Light  touches  of water.  Light touches  of Gian's  lips. Light  touches of
burning skin. All designed to tantalize and provoke.

  She murmured something incoherent as she lightly nipped his chin.

  He lifted her out of the water. Stood with her in the center of the  pool,
letting the fragrant water sheet off them before he carried her to the plump
cushions on the floor. There  he carefully placed her as  if she were on  an
altar for him.

  He  blew on her  body, the barest  warm breeze, from  her shoulders to her
toes. His heated  breath evaporated  the clinging water  droplets. Her  skin
tingled everywhere his breath touched.

  "Gian--"  She placed her palms against  his upper chest, feeling the satin
texture of his  skin. "Hold me...  " Gently, yet  decidedly, he removed  her
hands  from him, placing them by her sides. He did not want her touching him
yet.

  Taking a vial of _krinang_ oil, he warmed it in his palms.

  Pouring small amounts into  his hands, he massaged  the oil into her  body
with  long, firm strokes. Everywhere his hands passed, her body rose to meet
his touch.  So  he  touched  every  part of  her  body  with  his  moistened
fingertips--from the curve of her lips to the curl of her foot.

  The oil on her skin glistened in the light of the tiny flames. Gian's eyes
glistened as well, embers of Familiar desire that Jenise recognized.

  He reached over to a bowl  of _gharta_ fruit, carefully slicing the  spiny
exterior until the pink flesh within was revealed.

  "Close  your eyes, Creamcat," he murmured.  Cutting a segment off, he took
the succulent fruit and  rubbed it along her  lower lip, letting the  juices
trickle into her mouth.

  "Mmmm...  " She swallowed the sweet  juice. Gian leaned over her, his long
hair brushing her breasts. Slowly,  he licked the sticky-sweet residue  from
her lips. Jenise shivered.

  He  sat back  on his haunches  and as she  opened her eyes,  he placed one
large palm on her heart,  the other on her  lower abdomen, feeling the  rise
and fall of her breath. He matched his breathing to hers.

  Taking  her  hands, he  placed  one on  his heart,  the  other low  on his
abdomen. She could feel their breath. Syncopated. _Harmonized_.

  He watched  her,  observed  her  features,  the  tiniest  nuances  in  her
expression. His glance as potent as a touch.

  Jenise  knew  what  he  was  doing  then.  He  was  leading  her  into the
Incarnation slowly, heightening  all of her  senses for him.  Unfortunately,
she  did not possess as many senses as  a Familiar woman. "I wish I had more
to give you."

  "I embrace that which you  offer, Jenise, for it  is my intention to  gift
you  with the identical experience enjoyed by Familiar women, utilizing only
the five senses you possess."

  If she hadn't already  adored him, these words  alone would have done  it.
And there was that beloved feline arrogance of his! Her lips twitched as she
teased him. "You are very confident that you can."

  He shrugged disarmingly.  "Of course. In  fact, I am  of the opinion  that
with  my superior methods, your experience  will surpass any other." He gave
her a sexy wink.

  "Your best trait is your humbleness. Guardian of the Mist."

  He laughed,  enjoying the  sexual  banter. He  kissed  her. A  full,  deep
contact  with his mouth. Then he  sipped delicately at her upper lip, gently
suckling on it.

  And the bottom lip as well.

  The tip of his tongue teased at  the seam of her mouth, begging  entrance.
Jenise  drew  it inside,  suckling on  him. Gian  held her  close; he purred
against her,  stimulating  her auditory  sense  as he  rubbed  and  nuzzled,
felinelike and playful.

  In  the same playful manner,  he explored her with  his mouth from head to
toe--the soles of her feet, the rim of her navel, the crease behind her knee
all knew the press of his velvet lips.

  Their breathing became deeper.

  He  began the first tier of the  ceremony by penetrating her deeply as she
lay beneath him. He was dominant yet  tender to her, the combination of  his
strength  and sensitivity  his true power.  The depth of  his strokes varied
with the pace of his thrusts as he followed the ancient incremental  pattern
of  eight shallow,  one deep. Jenise  was stunned by  the highly stimulating
movements.

  He seamlessly brought her to the  second tier. Seven thrusts shallow,  two
deep.

  That was when he began to shift her position as if performing the steps of
an intricate, well-learned dance. In front of him. Over him. To the side  of
him.

  By  the time he reached the third  tier, Jenise knew that the coming night
would be more  than she  had imagined. The  Incarnation picked  up pace  and
rhythm,  acquiring an almost trance-like quality.  No matter how he tried to
control his passion, with each tier, Gian was getting wilder.

  He bit  her shoulder  and placed  her under  him so  that she  lay on  her
stomach. Sliding over her, he entered her from above and behind. "Raise your
hips for me," he purred coaxingly in her ear. When she did, he bit the  back
of her nape.

  Then he showed her how to move her body; how to open her inner muscles for
him. He became  hissing cat and  sensual man; purring  feline and  demanding
lover.

  He was still.

  He moved.

  He captured her warmth.

  He showered her with undulant waves.

  He  surrendered himself  to the  passion that  he unleashed  in her. Wild.
Free. He rode the crest of her waves, holding back and yet not holding back.

  Jenise wrapped him to her, held him, loved him.

  But most important, she let him be Familiar.

  She did not shrink from his feral thrusts, his untamed responses, his wild
passion cries.

  By the time he  reached the sixth  tier, she could  not catch her  breath.
When  he had spoken of  the Nine Hundred Strokes to  Love she thought he had
been speaking figuratively. Now she was not  so sure. What if she could  not
go on?

  His  white  teeth grazed  her  throat and  she  forgot everything  but his
flawless touch.

  By the seventh  tier, she knew  she was his  to take. In  whatever way  he
wanted.

  As  she tried to regain  her own pacing by turning  over onto her back, he
sat on his knees before her, raising  her legs to his shoulders. He  clasped
her  ankles firmly, nipping the undersides of  her heels as he pulled her up
onto his  lap and  penetrated her  fully.  She cried  out at  the  exquisite
sensation.

  _Then screamed at the vibrational enhancement that followed_.

  "Gian! Gian, please!" she begged him.

  He lightened his touch then, hearing her in his passion haze.

  The  palm of his hand came down flat on her feminine core even as he moved
within her. He nudged the  heel of his hand in  on her and pressed  sharply,
sending  her over the edge.  As he had countless  times already since he had
started.

  However, at this stage, the rapid vibrations of her release were a  danger
to him. During Incarnation, it was crucial that the male not achieve his own
release until he reached the ninth level.

  Growling something indecipherable, he placed her fingertip firmly  beneath
his  manhood. "Press," he commanded. Shocked, she stared mutely at him. _{It
will allow me to experience the pleasure without release, _taja_.}_ She  did
as  he asked. He threw back his mane of hair and groaned long and low in his
throat.

  Withdrawing from her and placing his hand beneath her hips, he raised  her
to  him. Then he loved her with  his mouth. Jenise began sobbing. It was too
much!

  Gian was trying desperately  to hold back,  but he was in  the grips of  a
ritualistic  feral  mating. He  changed their  positions. Lying  on his side
while enjoined to her,  he tried to stop  for a moment--an unheard-of  thing
for a Familiar man to do in the midst of Incarnation.

  "You  must surrender yourself  to each moment,  _taja_," he said brokenly.
"Each touch… each breath... it is the only way...."

  She nodded shakily.

  His  thrusts  continued  in  the  incremental  pattern.  Now  his  special
enhancements  strummed in syncopated  pulse. It occurred  to Jenise that the
legendary enhancer of  the Familiar was  so much more  than a simple  sexual
augmentation.   While  they  occasionally  used  the  technique  to  magnify
pleasure, she now knew  that the ability was  intricately connected to  this
ritual of Incarnation.

  When  he reached the  eighth tier, she  knew he was  holding back for her.
Beads of moisture dotted his forehead, his beautiful dual-colored eyes  were
passion-glazed,  his hands shook.  "I must stop for  your sake," he croaked.
"I--"

  A strong tremor rocked his body. And hers. He groaned in pain.

  _He cannot stop the Incarnation_, she realized…

  He would not survive it.

  "_No_!" Weak as  she was from  the wild love-making,  she clutched him  to
her,  refusing to let him stop. She was  not a Familiar woman, but she was a
woman who could fight for what she loved! She knew the strength was in  her.
She would show this Familiar _the power of a woman's heart_.

  "No,  Gian! I  want you to  continue! Do you  hear me? I  will not let you
stop!"

  A burst of energy and longing seized her with her resolve.

  She rolled  with him,  bringing  him beneath  her.  He grabbed  her  hips,
bringing  her flush  against him  as he  surged up  into her  with a dynamic
penetration. Her hands rested  on his chest as  she leaned over him,  moving
her hips, showing him that she was a match for any Familiar woman!

  Gian's eyes narrowed in approval as he hatched her.

  A soughing purr rolled from his chest.

  There  was only a moment to wonder if  the cat in him had been testing her
all along... .

  With a mighty effort, his arms encircled her and he sat up with her in his
lap. Still pulsing within her. Not getting weaker but stronger and stronger.

  With their arms around each other, holding each other tightly, he  sharply
nipped  her shoulder, using the _Sting  of Honey_ bite. A highly provocative
and skilled maneuver designed to elevate sexual fervor.

  It worked.

  Jenise cried out,  losing herself  in the  expertise of  his lips,  hands,
teeth, and strokes.

  He entered into the ninth level.

  Nine sharp pulses of enhancement.

  Nine strokes, all deep.

  Jenise moaned into his mouth. He hissed into her throat.

  Photons  of light began  to circle him, rising  from his core, pulsing and
glowing with his movements as the sexual energy between them rose higher and
higher into something new.

  Her  feminine strength  seemed to  be lifting within  her. A  glow lit his
form, blinking on and off as parts of him throbbed, humming as if he were in
the  process of  metamorphosing. Only he  was not transforming.... Something
else was happening.

  Pulses were skittering along her; she looked down at her own arms, shocked
to see the glow around them as well!

  He  took her mouth  in a blazing  kiss. Uttering a  fierce yell, he opened
himself entirely  to  her, releasing  everything  to her.  Surrendering  his
strength, his power, his love.

  Both of them cried out at the sheer beauty of the moment.

  Holding each other fast.

  As the spasms and pulsations went on and on.

  Until  finally  they  sagged against  each  other, heads  resting  on each
other's shoulders.

  Jenise blinked.  _She had  done  it_! She  had  brought Gian  through  his
Incarnation! And she was not a Familiar woman. She cuddled her cheek against
his shoulder in a loving gesture as she tried to regain her breath.

  A small tickle  _itched_  in the  palm  of her  hand,  trying to  get  her
attention.  Uncurling her  fingers, she  gasped as  a tiny  yellow sphere of
light rose upward.

  "Look, Gian," she whispered in awe.

  Spent, still breathing raggedly himself, Guardian of the Mist gazed up  at
the  free-floating ball of light. Sudden  moisture filled his green and gold
eyes; an expression of unbound happiness lit his handsome features.

  "What _is_ it, Gian?" she uttered softly,  awed by what she was seeing  as
well  as what  they had recently  done together. They  were still intimately
joined.

  The tiny light bounced over  Gian, almost lovingly, before darting  around
her. "It is our son, _taja_."

  Jenise gasped. "_Our son_?"

  "Yes, and he is Familiar!" His face glowed with pride.

  Gian held out his palm and the little light flitted to rest on the surface
of his palm. "Will you take him, Jenise?" he asked reverently.

  Jenise was stunned. Familiar procreation  was much different than  Frensi.
While  she hesitated out  of shock, the  tiny light began  to fade. "What is
happening to it?" she cried, alarmed. "Why is he fading?"

  When Gian spoke,  his tone was  sorrowful. "You have  not accepted him.  I
understand that it is too soon--"

  "I do accept him!" she called out urgently, afraid that with her ignorance
of Familiar ways she had somehow harmed their child. She had not thought  to
have a child, but now that he was here... well, that was different!

  Gian  gave her such a look of love that Jenise knew she would never forget
it. Cupping  the tiny  light, he  solemnly placed  his palm  over her  lower
belly. With a strange ZIP! the light was gone.

  "Where did it go?" she gasped.

  Gian  chuckled at her expression. "In  you, _taja_. His physical body came
to being within you this eve, but it is the spirit we created together  that
gives him his true life."

  Her  hand covered her  stomach, hardly believing that  their child was now
residing there. _Gian's child_. Her eyes filled with tears. "Did you know of
this before we started?"

  He  shook his head. "I  knew there was a possibility,  but that was all. A
Familiar man can only bestow such  a gift during Incarnation, but even  then
the  energies must be exactly right  for conception to occur. Although I had
the ability to prevent it, Jenise, I could not bring myself to. So rare will
be  the opportunity for us... " He brought her hand to his mouth. "I decided
it would be your choice."

  Her fingers brushed  his lips.  "_Decided_ it  was my  choice, hmmm?"  The
never-ending subtlety of the Familiar.

  His eyes sparkled at her. "I see you begin to understand us."

  She laughed. "Hardly."

  "Good.  I prefer  to remain  a surprise to  you, my  Creamcat." He grinned
engagingly at her.

  For the first time she noticed he appeared more vibrant and somewhat  more
youthful.  Her strength had given this to him. A feeling of power rose up in
her. "The Tan-Shi Mother was right then."

  "What did she say?"

  Jenise gave him a coy look as  she ran her little finger lightly over  the
small  second line that had appeared  on his upper inner thigh. "Never mind,
Guardian of the Mist, you have gotten  me into quite enough trouble for  one
day."

  He  laughed,  hugging her  to him.  "Ah,  but I  have _nine_  lifetimes of
trouble for you."

  She smiled against his throat. "Yes, I believe you do."

  He purred huskily.

Chapter Seventeen
=================

  Lorgin sat on the grassy knoll, bouncing his infant daughter on his  knee.
His  father, Krue, scrutinized his every move  as if he were about to commit
an unspeakable blunder in the care of his daughter.

  Lorgin sighed mournfully.

  When it came to his first _nearchild_ Krue was worse than... well, he  was
just  worse! Who could have guessed that  such a fierce warrior would get so
_overtaken_ by a mere babe?

  Lorgin cocked his blond head to the side and stared at his daughter as  if
he were trying to see what strange command the tiny thing wielded. She gazed
up at him  with her enormous  amethyst eyes  and gave him  a foolish  little
grin.

  His  heart  melted as  it  always did.  Well, yes,  he  could see  she was
exceptional! He gave her a gentle hug.

  "I vow Lilac and  I shall wait a  long while before we  have a babe."  His
brother Rejar had sauntered over.

  Most likely to cause trouble.

  Rejar  confirmed Lorgin's opinion  when he gave his  brother an evil grin.
"After all, I  would not want  to do  anything to interfere  with this  fine
_rapport_ you are building with Father."

  Lorgin's  nostrils flared.  It was unusual  for Rejar not  to be under the
watchful eye of Krue. Somehow, since Rejar had returned with a wife from Ree
Gen  Cee Ing Land everything had turned upside down! Including the fact that
his brother was entering the Charl--a thing he had sworn he would never  do.

  Rejar  casually tickled  Melody under her  chin. The babe  reacted as most
females did around the half-Familiar; she gave him a dreamy look of complete
adoration.

  Lorgin's amethyst eyes narrowed.

  He  lightly smoothed  over his  daughter's fuzzy red  hair. "I  am not too
concerned, brother... knowing  you, it  should not  be too  long before  you
garner Father's _undivided_ attention once again."

  Rejar  gave his  brother his  famous gamin grin.  The smile  that said, we
shall see. Lorgin  snorted. The  family had  gathered on  this hillside  for
Rejar's  initiation  ceremony. It  was  a secluded  glade near  the Towering
Forest where most of the Lodarres  line had been initiated. Lorgin  himself,
was  initiated in this very spot when he  was but a young man. He noted that
Traed and Gian and Jenise were making their way up the knoll to them.

  "How many Charl  does it  take to don  a cloak?"  Adeeann, Lorgin's  wife,
cheerfully asked him.

  Lorgin  rolled his eyes. His wife had started these "how many Charl" jokes
and they had  taken Aviara  by storm. "Will  you cease  these Charl  jests!"

  Adeeann  gave him  a smug look  and waited. Lorgin  sighed. "How many?" he
asked, resigned.

  "Five."

  "Five?" Rejar raised a black brow.

  "One to  don  the cloak  and  four  others to  nod  approvingly!"  Adeeann
grinned.

  Rejar roared with laughter.

  Lorgin  gave her a reproving glance out of the corner of his eye, although
his lips lifted at the corners.

  Gian went over to greet Rejar. Jenise found herself alone with Yaniff. The
old wizard congratulated her, his dark eyes twinkling.

  "How do you know?" Jenise smiled at him, surprised.

  "I am a mystic," he replied with a gleam. "I know many things."

  Jenise  shook her finger at  him. "And what do you  see of our child?" Her
hand covered her abdomen protectively. "Only good things, I hope.

  Yaniff grinned at her.  "Could Guardian of the  Mist sire anything  less?"

  Jenise laughed. "You do know him well!"

  Yaniff  chuckled. "I cannot tell you much,  but the babe will be of golden
hair--lighter than Gian's, darker than yours. His eyes will be aqua and gold
and like his father's."

  "Like  his father's?"  Jenise questioned,  for Gian's eyes  were green and
gold.

  "Yes... like his father's."

  His meaning sank in. "The aqua eye... ?"

  "Will have three tiny flecks of gold."

  Jenise inhaled a deep breath. "He will rule M'yan then."

  Yaniff stared at her silently.

  "What else, Yaniff?"

  The ancient mystic rubbed  his chin. "He will  inherit your Frensi  gift."

  She blinked at this. "The gift of the Dance?"

  "Yes."

  "But...  that is  impossible! It is  only passed  on to the  females of my
race."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "Because it has always been so!"

  "Ah. Mayhap that it is because it has always been _believed_ so."

  She bit her lip  as she pondered  his words. "Perhaps...  Then he will  be
able to--"

  "Express  his love through the Frensi Dance  but only once in his life. To
his perfect love, yes."

  Jenise thanked Yaniff  as she  patted her  stomach, praying  that her  son
would not only recognize his perfect love, but also experience it throughout
his lifetime. Her  gaze went to  her husband. Something  Rejar had said  had
amused Gian, for he threw back his head in laughter, his perfect white teeth
flashing_. He is so handsome_....

  So incredibly strong.

  Her heart thudded in  her chest. Gian  was like a tidal  wave. He rose  up
from  nowhere, gathered  strength and  surged over  her. And  like the tidal
wave, one  could not  assess what  had  occurred until  after the  wave  had
broken.

  Gian  had happened  to her  like this.  While the  track of  his storm had
always been clear to  him, she had  not realized the  depth of the  undertow
until she had been pulled into his maelstrom.

  She loved him so very much.

  Loved  him as Guardian of the Mist. Loved  him as Gian Ren. Loved him as a
Familiar. Loved him as a man.

  She had found  him on her  way to escape;  he had led  her to freedom.  Of
body. Of spirit. Of being. Through Gian her Frensi nature had been released.

  Walking over to him, she placed her hand lovingly on his lower back as  he
spoke to the sons of Krue.

  While  he spoke, he discreetly lifted into her touch, arching the curve of
his back in blissful feline recognition. Jenise smiled to herself,  stroking
him softly.

  "Are you ready to begin, Yaniff?" Krue took the old wizard aside.

  "Yes, everyone is here."

  "Mmmm."  Krue's glance fell on Traed,  a slight frown marring his face. "I
had hoped for a double initiation."

  "He will not come easy, Krue. There is too much within him from the past."

  "Think   you  I  do  not  know   that?  Nonetheless,  he  is  a  Lodarres,
son-of-my-line. He needs to take his rightful place among his family."

  Yaniff watched Traed speculatively. "Perhaps. Perhaps not."

  Krue faced Yaniff, a  fierce expression on his  features. "There has  been
enough rebellion with him! He will join the Charl."

  Yaniff  appeared  bemused. "Traed  has inherited  your stubbornness, Krue.
There is much of you in  him. It will be interesting  to see the two of  you
'discuss' this."

  Krue narrowed his eyes. "Who said anything about discussion? He is my son,
he will do as I bid him."

  "Ho-ho!" Yaniff doubled over in laughter.  "Much as your other sons  have,
hmmm?"

  Krue  hunched his shoulders.  "Can I help it  if I have raised independent
sons who know how  to think for themselves?"  One amethyst eye glittered  at
the old wizard.

  Yaniff  chuckled. "Let  us hope  that Rejar can  curb himself somewhat--at
least for the duration of the ceremony." Both men caught Krue's youngest son
in the act of running a suggestive palm over his wife's backside. They shook
their heads.

  Lilac shooed Rejar's hand away. Krue snickered.

  "His frolicsome ways are a trial to me, Krue."

  Krue knew that  Yaniff jested by  the look  of pride the  wizard gave  his
student. Rejar had done well.

  Yaniff  motioned the half-Familiar to him as the family members sat on the
lawn in a semi-circle before them. As Rejar turned to join his Charl  master
he happened to glance behind them.

  From  every pathway, mystics were converging  on the knoll! They came from
all directions, endless lines from every house on Aviara. And they were  led
by the Sages themselves.

  They filled the fields around them and still they came.

  "What is this?" Rejar murmured to his brother Lorgin.

  Lorgin  watched the  procession coming  towards them. "They  come for you,
Rejar."

  "But why?" He was stunned.

  "To witness your initiation."

  Rejar's smooth brow furrowed. "I do not understand."

  "Come, Rejar." Yaniff  took the Familiar  by the arm,  instructing him  to
kneel before him.

  In  his hand, he held  up a crystal point which  dangled from a small gold
circlet. The old wizard's voice rang out loud and true.

  _"The crystal is clear and hides no falsehood;
It is the window of vision and the veil of reflection.
Its being is pure as its nature is faceted."_

  Yaniff bent over Rejar, placing the golden circlet with the dangling point
next to his ear. A glow came from his fingertips.

  _"This is the mark of a Charl.
Let it guide your actions in light throughout your life.
Let it always remind you that wisdom is a necessary mate to true power.
Thus the supplicant becomes the warrior...."_

  The  earring  pierced Rejar's  left  ear cleanly.  The crowd  murmured its
approval. Yaniff stood back.

  _"Thus the warrior becomes the mystic.
Arise Rejar ta'al Krue, knight of the Charl,
future holder of the true power!
THE TENTH POWER!"_

  The crowd began chanting his name. "Rejar! Rejar! Rejar!"

  Rejar was staggered at Yaniff's  words. _The tenth power_? The  difference
between  power  levels was  exponential;  a fourth  level  was not  twice as
powerful as a second--it was that power raised to the fourth level.  Yaniff,
the  greatest power in the land, was a seventh-level mystic. Wizards such as
Yaniff  had  the  ability  to  see  potential  power  levels.  Tenth  power?
Impossible!

  "What   mean  you,  Yaniff?"  he  whispered  hoarsely.  "I  have  not such
abilities--"

  "Yes, Rejar, you do."

  "But I... I do not..."

  Yaniff placed a  fatherly arm  around his  broad shoulders.  "Think you  I
would  cast you off without guidance? You  have much to learn, Rejar. I will
teach you all that I know; the rest you will teach yourself."

  The second son of Krue was slightly pale around the mouth.

  In truth he did  not seem happy  with what Yaniff  had revealed that  day.
Rejar  had never wanted such a destiny. But then destinies were not of one's
choosing.

  He cast a wary  glance at his  wife, Lilac. As he  suspected, she was  not
overjoyed  either. She  took in  the crowds with  a wary  eye, her concerned
focus shifting back to her husband.  They were both wondering what this  new
revelation would mean to them. To their lives.

  Krue  looked at  his younger  son, his  speculative gaze  shifting back to
Yaniff. There were many questions in that warrior's eyes. Questions from his
past.  He looked then at his Familiar  wife, Suleila, who was staring at her
son in shock.

  Krue's penetrating  eyes  returned to  Yaniff.  It  was the  glance  of  a
seasoned  warrior who had seen much in his life, a seasoned Charl who sensed
there was more to this then met the eye.

  Suddenly the crowd parted and the Tan-Shi Mother stepped through, followed
by a hooded contingent of her personal disciples. The rumblings of the crowd
grew as they passed by; it  was so unheard of for  the Tan-Shi to come to  a
Charl initiation.

  This  was a  momentous day on  Aviara, this day  of initiating Rejar ta'al
Krue.

  The Tan-Shi Mother approached  Rejar, standing before  him. She threw  the
hood  of her  cloak back.  Long silvery  hair blew  in the  light wind. "The
Tan-Shi recognizes Rejar ta'al Krue!"  She cupped the half-Familiar's  hands
in   hers.  Her  entourage  threw  back  their  hoods,  a  sacred  symbol of
recognition and acceptance. A first in Aviaran history.

  The Aviarans shouted the name of Rejar into the sky.

  Rejar knew not how to  deal with this. What did  they expect from him?  He
was as he had always been; he did not feel any different whatsoever.

  "Of course not," Yaniff murmured next to him. "For you have always been as
you are. It is not in the being but in the recognizing."

  Rejar viewed  him cautiously.  He shielded  his thoughts  from all  Charl.

  "Good."  Yaniff nodded approvingly. "Begin  to be very cautious, Rejar. It
will serve you well."

  The men of the houses lowered themselves on one knee before him. Each held
out a Cearix to him as they bowed their heads in homage.

  "What are they doing?" Rejar did not like this at all.

  "They  offer  you their  heritage." Yaniff  motioned to  Traed, who knelt,
offering up Yaniff's Cearix as well. Even his own brother, Lorgin, had knelt
before him, his hand outstretched with his father's Cearix.

  "Why do they offer this to me?"

  "Because  you can  see the 'truths'  of their ancestors.  You are the one,
Rejar."

  "_No!_" he hissed in an unsteady voice.

  "It is so. You must  choose one Cearix to  be your first. Choose  wisely."
With  that Yaniff went  down on one  knee before him,  holding out a Cearix.

  _{You offer  me Theardar's  blade?}_  Rejar did  not  know whether  to  be
insulted or not.

  "It  contains many truths, my  student. The most painful lessons sometimes
reveal the deepest knowledge."

  Rejar stood on  the hillside  and let his  blue/gold gaze  scan the  crowd
kneeling  before him. What  should he do?  Clearly, he would  have to make a
choice. He noticed that the elder wizard Gelfan had been very slow to bend a
knee and offer his blade. He raised his black eyebrow.

  Yaniff watched him closely.

  Rejar reached out and took Gelfan's Cearix.

  _Sharp,  he is_...  Yaniff smiled  to himself. With  Rejar's acceptance of
Gelfan's Cearix, he had  formed a powerful bond  with Gelfan's house.  Rejar
had  just made  it much more  difficult for  Gelfan to undermine  him in the
future.

  In the days  to come  Yaniff would  advise him  on which  houses to  align
himself  with and  in what order.  Such strategy was  crucial, but Rejar had
always excelled at games of strategy. Soon  he would put his real skills  to
the actual test.

  Ultimately,  Rejar's passion would become  his salvation or his trial. His
kind heart would undergo the ordeal  that always faced men of extreme  power
and conscience.

  From  all that was to come, the complete Rejar ta'al Krue would be forged.

  Yaniff thought of the purity of the  crystal he had placed in Rejar's  ear
and  prayed  that  the  half-Familiar  Charl  would  always  find  its clear
resonance within to lead him home.

  At the end of the day Yaniff  took Rejar aside privately and handed him  a
small,  crooked staff  upon which was  tied a leather  thong. "An initiation
gift for you, my boy."

  Rejar looked dubiously at the odd staff, which came only to his knee. "And
what am I to do with it?"

  "Why,  nothing. It has already  been done." Chuckling mysteriously, Yaniff
walked away.

  Rejar shook  his head,  shrugging his  shoulders. Sometimes  wizards  were
quite  odd. His heated  glance honed in  on his wife. It  was time they made
their way home.

  The crystal earring swirled as it hung from his lobe.

  He wondered how ticklish such an earring would be on certain parts of  his
wife's anatomy.

  A mischievous grin spread across his sultry features as he sought her out.

  _Taj_ Gian leaned back against the  fluffy green and gold cushions of  his
bed as he waited for his wife to come to him.

  What  was taking her  so long? She  had told him she  needed a few moments
alone. Being feline in temperament, he understood such a need. But that  had
been some time ago!

  He  was just about to  toss aside the silken coverlet  and go in search of
her when the  door to their  chamber opened. Jenise  closed the door  gently
behind her.

  Then she faced him.

  With  a motion of her hand, she  unclasped her gown, letting it slither to
the floor. Their eyes met.

  Gian rested back against the bedrest  behind him, waiting for her to  come
to him.

  She did--but not in the manner he expected.

  Her  body began swaying slowly to a seductive tune she hummed. A tune that
at once seeped into  his senses, bringing him  alive, awake to the  present.
Her  hands twined in  one intricate position and  yet another, moving to the
seductive rhythm with  a grace of  movement he had  never witnessed  before.

  The  long strands of her pale hair swung free as she undulated her body in
a symbolic display of utter feminine beauty. Gian watched, spellbound.

  As she slowly crossed the room to him, she dipped and stretched and flowed
to  the erotic, mesmerizing tune. Her  actions revealed her passion for him,
spoke to him more eloquently than words ever could have done.

  His firm lips parted as  he realized it was the  Frensi Dance of Love  and
that she was performing it for _him_.

  For  the first time in  his life, Gian Ren let  the tears flow freely down
his face as he beheld her dance--a physical expression of her perfect  love.
He  could understand why  men spoke of it  in hushed whispers, with longing.
She became like  a living work  of art,  her steps, her  rolls, her  sensual
gyrations... the story she told with her body.

  He  would remember this for the rest of  his life. In all that she was, in
her dance, he saw the true power of the female. Endless. Enduring.

  Mutable.

  Female power.  Inner  strength.  Encompassing spirit.  Its  passion  light
released to be free when the male and female united on every level.

  He opened his arms to her as her tune caressed his heart.

  It came from the lips of his beauty, his creamcat... .

  _His soul love_. Whose lips he licked.

Chapter Eighteen
================

  Yaniff  slowly climbed the highest peak  in the mountains of the Sky Lands
of Aviara, the birth-place of Traed's natural father.

  It was said that the clearest  visions visited some on these lofty  peaks.

  His  winged companion, Bojo, dropped  a uniquely designed black and silver
pouch laden with clarified stones into Yaniff's hand. The wizard opened  the
string  and scattered them  over the mountaintop. Their  source, and the way
they had been attained, made them a perfect mystic's lens.

  Strong gusts of wind tugged at his  crimson robes as he looked across  the
land.

  Clouds  were  building on  the horizon,  although in  reality the  day was
clear. The roiling formations were dark, deep, and dangerous.

  Yaniff watched the signs carefully.

  _There was a storm coming in_. It rode the echoes of future history.

  He listened closely--

  The crest of the forewind whispered to him,

  "_Gifted_..."


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