Dara Joy - Rejar

Prologue

He was a totally sexual creature.

Handsome as sin, sensual as silk.

His name was Rejar.

He was descended from an ancient, arcane race known as the Familiar; and it was said they walked in two forms. That of human and cat.

Shrouded in mystery, the Familiar were both revered and reviled by those that knew of their existence. Because of this they kept to themselves for the most partexcept in matters of casual relations. In that regard, their alliances were legion, their reputations well deserved.

For the males of their species were like no other.

A singular trait of the male Familiar was his ability to completely lose himself in the sensual self. So acute were his senses that he often derived pleasure simply from bestowing pleasure.

Adult males lived for the sensuous. Reveled in it. Became it.

The Familiars erotic magnetism, once focused upon his prey, was difficult, if not impossible, to resist. Strangely, once roused to passion of any kind, he could be both ruthless and endearing at once. Intrepid predator yet rare delicacy.

And then there was the additional element.

The rumorthe whispered myth the Familiar would neither confirm nor deny.

Legend had it these males possessed a special trait which was peculiar to their species; a physical trait so compelling that it had, at times, caused them to be hunted down and enslaved simply for the possibility that this enticing bit of lore might be true.

It was believed that the male Familiar possessed the physical ability to enhance his sensuality during the sexual act.

The fact that this enhancer was not visibly present did not stop the tales of its existence. Moreover, if the male Familiar decided to employ this unique ability in his mastery of pleasure-giving, the effect was said to be devastating.

Throughput time, stories continued to circulate of how some of their males were so skilled in the sensual arts that the use of this innate trait combined with their extraordinary felinelike erotica delivered an unparalleled experience.

This was part of his legacy

But it was well known amongst all Familiar that Rejar taal Krue had been gifted with much more.

And his special journey was about to unfold....

Chapter One

London, 1811

Driver! Driver! I insist you go faster!

Lady Agatha Whumples turned a harried face to her niece in the somewhat cramped confines of her coach. Whatever is the man thinking of, my dear? The Duchess will not await us for tea!

Lilac Devere looked at her elderly maiden aunt and sighed. The woman was peering haughtily up at the ceiling through her lorgnette and pince-nez, as if the driver could see her disdain through the walls of the coach. Her aunt was a trial sometimes, but she loved her dearly.

Auntie Whumples, if you hadnt insisted that society arrive late, we would never have been in this position in the first place.

Lady Whumples fluttered her fan. Of course society arrives latebut not with the Duchess! Whatever will she think? I hope that dreadful Lord Byron wont be there. Go faster, I say! She whacked the roof of the carriage with her cane. That driver has always been the most inconsiderate

Hes been in your employ for fifty years!

Be that as it may, my child, his impertinence will not stand. It will not stand! She thumped the seat for emphasis, dislodging several beads from the bodice of her daydress. And another thingthe man has beady eyes. I dont like beady eyes!

As usual. Auntie had gotten completely off subject. Lilac patted her hand. Calm yourself, Auntie Whumples, surely

Without warning a brilliant flash of light filled the coach.

It was followed by a low, deafening rumble.

There was a loud thump! and the carriage shook.

Lady Whumples was tossed against the window. Lilac braced her hands against the sides of the coach to prevent herself from falling forward.

What was Lilac started but never finished.

At the same time both Lilac and her aunt stared wide-eyed at the opposite seat.

A great black cat sat there, gazing speculatively at them even though his feline demeanor implied that this was his coach and that they were intruding upon him.

The strange animal had two different colored eyes.

Lilacs mouth dropped open.

Auntie Whumpless pince-nez fell off.

Then Auntie screameda high-pitched, extremely loud wail of pure terror. It is a beast! A great beast which will surely kill us where we sit! I shall faint! Driver! Driver!

The driver, with fifty years experience driving for Lady Whumples, ignored her and kept going.

Composing herself, Lilac tried to calm her aunt. Hush, Auntie! Rememberwe are women of logic. The poor thing probably jumped into the coach to get out of this chilling drizzle. It must have been here all the time, hiding under the scat and was just now frightened by the lightning. Its just a cat. A rather large cat. And those eyes ...

Its a lion, I tell you! It will ravish us!

As if it understood her words, the cat stared mischievously at Auntie Whumples and slowly licked his chops.

Auntie started screeching again, but Lilac laughed out loud.

It was a lovely trilling sound that pleased the senses. The young woman leaned forward closer to the cat, unknowingly displaying a goodly portion of bosom. You have beautiful fur, kit, long and thick. It looks so silky. And youre quite the adventurer, arent you? I like that. Perhaps I should take you in....

Auntie Whumples gasped. What are you saying? You cant take that cursed beast into the house!

The cat focused on Lilac, blinking slowly at her with those beautiful dual-colored eyes and Lilac made up her mind.

I can and I will. Youre coming home with me. Then she made a motion which sealed her fate: she softly stroked the fur behind its left ear.

The cat angled his head into her hand as if her touch was ecstasy itself.

What do you say about that, cat?

The Familiar known as Rejar closed his eyes and purred.

* * *

He was on a different plane of existence.

His senses told him that much. But where? One instant he had been hurtling through the Tunnels, cast about the eddies and currents: the next, a portal seemed to open beneath him {if beneath had any meaning in the space he was in}, and he fell headfirst through the opening. In an attempt to protect himself. he had metamorphosed into his cat self.

The conveyance he was in rolled to a stop and the two females exited, with a great deal of fuss from the old one. She banged her walking stick several times. her face turning a fiery red. When the driver opened the door to let her out, she rapped him smartly on the side of his leg with her stick, screeching her way past him.

Oddly, the man only smiled.

The lovely younger one shook her head, muttering something under her breath, before following after her.

He distinctly heard the older one adamantly exclaim that the beast would not be in the coach on their return. The younger one firmly replied that if it was still in the coach when they returned, she was taking it home.

The beast would be here. At least until he learned where here was.

Thankfully, he could understand their languageat least most of it. Similar to the language of his brothers wife, it had differences in cadence and syntax that puzzled him. Was he somewhere in Adeeanns universe?

He closed his eyes as he remembered exactly how lie had come to be in this predicament.

It had all started with the Shimalee, an ancient Charl icon which had the power to bend space and time. There were twelve Shimalees total, nine of which were linked throughout existence to form the matrix known as the Tunnels.

Now, thanks to him, there was a matrix of ten.