Upon further exploration, Jax was fairly certain that this planet was not inhabited. Much of it was a desert wasteland, although mountains loomed in the distance. After leaving the yawning cave of the Tunnel point, Jax traveled in the direction of the mountains, for his senses told him that the next probable Tunnel entrance was there.

Brenda stirred slightly in his arms, but she still failed to regain consciousness. Jax looked down at her and a warm smile spread across his face. How could she imagine that he would leave her now -- when she was at her most helpless -- dizzy and alone in a strange environment? Was her experience with men such that she really had that little trust? No wonder she was so adamant about never taking a mate. Jax raised his gaze to the path ahead as an even broader smile lit his face and a twinkle sparked in his eye. He would enjoy changing her mind about that, too.

As a yellow moon rose in the night sky, Jax came to an oasis in the desert. There were some straggly bushes and scrubs, but he was delighted to see their bed for the night -- a sotnat tree. The leaves were broad and long, and the limbs were sometimes known to be as wide as a man’s armspread. Jax recalled that, as a boy, he and several other Familiar friends had joined hands to circle the trunk of a sotnat tree. It took five friends plus Jax’s brother to complete the circle.

As Jax stood at the base of the tree, he looked up into the branches and found the answer to his prayers. There was a large central branch that would be wide enough to hold both he and Brenda. Leaves above them would form a barrier to any harmful rays of the early morning sun. No predators -- animal or otherwise -- would be able to spot them hidden among the branches. Even if they did, the heights that Jax intended to climb would require strength that only another Familiar could match.

Jax shifted Brenda in his arms, crooning to her softly. But she still remained asleep, nestling her head even further into the crook of his arm. "Ahhh, sweet zira," Jax smiled. "It is a good thing you’re not awake. Somehow I think that if you knew what I intended, you would perform your foot-stomping dance for me again."

He set her down on her feet briefly, only to catch her at the waist and heave her over his shoulder. He re-adjusted her weight so that it was distributed evenly, and then, wrapping his right arm tightly around her waist, he began to scale the sotnat tree.

Eventually, Jax made his way to the branch he had spied from the ground. He lay Brenda gently down on the wide limb, and then stretched out beside her on his back. She frowned in her sleep at the loss of the warmth of his body, but then as soon as she felt him next to her, she sighed in contentment and snuggled closer to him, laying her head on his chest and wrapping her arm around his waist.

Jax looked up at the sky as a storm of shooting stars lit the night. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before his zira came around and realized that he, too, was her destined mate for life.

Tomassif buried his head in his hands. The High Council of Tron had been meeting for seven days, debating whether or not they should send a Knight of the Thren out to look for Jax Sharay.

Tomassif was the Chief High Wizard of Tron, but at the time, he was not the elected head of the Council. It had been decided eons earlier that the position of head of the Council should be rotated among all the wizard members. Tomassif’s only consolation was that female wizards were not yet permitted to join the Council. If women had been present, the debate would have gone on even longer.

Tomassif struggled to conceal a yawn as the current chairman, Shawneer, rose to his feet again. Tomassif generally respected Shawneer as a prudent wizard. He had preserved peace among Imperial planets during his tenure as chairman, but this issue seemed to have him at a complete loss.

"Fellow Council wizards," Shawneer intoned gravely, "the question before us still remains. Shall we send someone to Charporta in search of Jax Sharay or not?"

A fairly young wizard, Justar, rose from his seat at the round table to address his colleagues. "Honored wizards, it is my opinion that we should definitely send someone to Charporta. It has been many days since we have had communication from Jax Sharay. And we must remember that he was sent in search of another Familiar, Lukathan. The disappearance of both of them does not bode well for the situation on that planet."

Many of the gathered wizards nodded agreement with Justar. His rationale was compelling for one so young. But then another young wizard, Jasonnak, rose to his feet. "I respect your opinion, wizard Justar. But have we fully considered the possibility that Jax Sharay may be involved in some complicated negotiations for the release of Lukathan? What if the Knight of the Thren that we send interrupts that process? The end result may be worse than the situation is now."

More wizards nodded in agreement with Jasonnak. Tomassif turned and faced the corner where he stood. He was far too restless to ever remain seated at a table at one of these sessions. Tomassif’s powers were far beyond any of the other wizards, and so they allowed him his eccentricities. As he slowly pounded his forehead against the corner in frustration, he heard a low murmuring in the Council.

"I think……." A low, gravelly voice rang above the others. Edwart struggled to rise to his feet, and the wizards on either side of him grasped his arms to aid in the process. "I think……" All the wizards in attendance leaned forward anxiously to hear what the most elderly of the wizards had to say on this weighty question.

{He has probably forgotten what he thinks by now.} Tomassif’s thoughts were only the result of his desperate worry for his political ally and old friend, Jax.

"I think……" Edwart began again, and the wizards inhaled as one in anticipation. "I think……..that we should think about this very carefully," Edwart finally pronounced seriously. The wizards looked from one to the other, not quite sure how they should react to his opinion. But since he was the senior wizard on the Council and age was still respected as imparting wisdom on Tron, they all began to nod vigorously and ask each other why they hadn’t thought of this sooner.

Tomassif’s patience broke. "I can’t believe this!" he finally stormed. All eyes turned to face the mystic in the corner of the room. He pushed away from the corner and, using his long walking stick to add to his majestic appearance, made his way to the table. When he reached the table, everyone there looked to him hopefully.

"Wizards of Tron, let us face the facts. Lukathan was sent by this very Council to explore the planet Charporta and speak to the rulers there about the possibility of its joining the Empire. When days had passed without word from Lukathan, Zir Jax Sharay took it upon himself to follow Lukathan to Charporta and assure his well-being. Now, days have passed without word from Jax."

Tomassif’s dual-colored eyes, one being blue and one being amber, bored into his fellow wizards. "It is obvious to me that Jax is missing. The Familiars on Meer’an are in chaos." Tomassif began to walk slowly around the table, looking deeply into each wizard’s eyes as he made his points. "Need I remind you that we on Tron share the obligation of several treaties with Meer’an? And beyond that, we owe Jax personally a debt that we will probably never be able to repay." He stopped dramatically and pounded his walking stick. "There should be no need for further debate. We MUST send a Knight of the Thren to Charporta immediately to make sure that Zir Jax is safe."

The wizards slowly looked from one to the other. Finally, Edwart began to rise slowly to his feet. All eyes turned to the elder. "Fellow wizards, I agree with Tomassif. I propose that a Knight of the Thren should be sent to Charporta immediately." He turned to Shawneer. "I put the motion to a vote."

Tomassif raised his eyes in silent thanks to the gods that some action would finally be taken. As Shawneer called the role, each of the wizards cast their vote in favor of sending someone to investigate Jax Sharay’s disappearance.

But then Tomassif noticed that Edwart had remained standing, which was a feat in itself at his advanced age. "Wizard Edwart," Shawneer intoned, "your motion has been approved. Do you wish to add something?"

"I think……." All wizards leaned forward again. "I think…….." Edwart took a deep breath and Tomassif began to hit himself against the head with his stick. "I think that now we should begin the debate of whom to send."

Tomassif whirled and returned to his corner in frustration. If the discussion about which Knight to send took as long as the decision to send someone, Jax was as good as dead.

Shawneer rose slowly to address the wizards. "Now that we have decided to send a Knight of the Thren, we have a problem, fellow wizards. Most of the Knights are currently already on quests. Several have gone to Salemat for the signing of the newest Imperial treaties, and several were dispatched to Genwab to settle the unrest among the peasants."

"Are *all* of the Knights assigned to quests?" Justar queried.

"I believe that Jerrar is available, is he not, Tomassif?" Shawneer turned to Tomassif, who, as the wizard with the most mystic of powers, supervised the training of Knights of the Thren.

"Jerrar cannot go," Tomassif said flatly.

"But he is Jax Sharay’s brother, is he not?" Justar probed. Many of the other wizards nodded and Tomassif cursed softly under his breath, whirling to face the corner again and praying for strength. "He is a Familiar, a native of Meer’an, and a Knight of the Thren and Jax’s own brother." Justar looked at the other wizards. "I should think that he would be more suited to the quest than any other Knight."

Tomassif took a deep breath and prayed for strength to cope with these young, upstart wizards who thought they already had the knowledge of the Sages. "Knight Jerrar, good wizard," Tomassif began slowly and with his utmost attempt at diplomacy, "must remain on Meer’an right now." The wizards continued to give Tomassif looks of curiosity, so he sighed. "If the news *must* be spread among the entire Empire, his mate Barbeen is just about to deliver Jerrar’s first child. As a woman of Earth, she is not yet fully accustomed to the Familiar birthing process…" The wizards began to blush as a group and stared at their hands so as not to look at each other. "I apologize for my digression. Jerrar and Barbeen are not living on Meer’an presently." The wizards again looked up in shock. "After Jax’s disappearance, it was thought to be safer if they resided on Tron until the child is born. They are with Jax and Jerrar’s parents even now."

Shawneer stared at the table, embarrassment flooding his features. "Of course, Tomassif. The Council completely understands the delicate nature of Jerrar’s detainment." He looked to all the other wizards and then back to Tomassif. "But then, if all of the other Knights are on quests, whom shall we send?"

Tomassif leaned on his staff. "Scorpian, of course."

The noise level in the room rose to nearly intolerable levels. Every wizard either rose to his feet in indignation or raised his hands, lamenting how ridiculous Tomassif’s proposal was. Finally, Shawneer managed to silence them and looked to Tomassif, who remained calm in the midst of the storm.

"Surely you jest, Wizard Tomassif," Shawneer began delicately. "Although Scorpian is also a Familiar, he is newly Knighted and has been known for his…… erratic……behavior in the past."

"But we all agreed that Knighthood might bring an end to his impulsive actions," Tomassif argued. "If we never give him a chance to show how he is controlling his powers, how will we know if we were right to confer Knighthood upon him?"

"But you yourself argued that this is a crucial quest," Justar replied. "Is it wise to send an un-tested Knight into such a situation? Would it not be wiser to wait until an experienced Knight is available?"

"Perhaps there is some wisdom to Tomassif’s proposal," Jassonak interjected. All the wizards were astonished that the young, surly wizard agreed with Tomassif about anything. "Two Familiars have gone to Charporta and disappeared. Why should we send one of our *best* Knights into a situation that has a history of claiming victims?" Some of the wizards began clearing their throats uncomfortably and looking down at their folded hands, but Jasonnak pursued his point. "If we need to lose a Knight on this quest, at least our loss would not be as great if we send Scorpian."

The wizards sat in stunned silence at Jasonnak’s words. Finally, Tomassif recovered enough to pull himself to his full height. His eyes flared with gold and purple fireworks. "Wizard Jasonnak, have you forgotten that when the Council decided to confer Knighthood upon Scorpian, I claimed him as son? Is it your wish to insult everyone of my bloodline, or only Scorpian?"

Jasonnak began to stutter, trying to think of an answer that would prevent lightning bolts from striking him within seconds, but Edwart intervened. "Fellow wizards, I think Tomassif has made it more than clear that Scorpian is indeed the Knight to be sent on the quest to find Jax and bring him safely back to Tron. I put it to a vote."

Ten minutes later, the double doors to the Council chambers finally opened and the wizards emerged. Jasonnak made a hasty exit, thanking the gods again that he continued to draw breath. Edwart and Tomassif left arm in arm. "How will you find Scorpian?" Edwart questioned. "I thought he had not been seen since he returned from that quest to Earth to bring back Jerrar."

"I know where he is," Tomassif replied, leaning heavily on his walking stick. Tomassif groaned inwardly. The problem would not be in finding Scorpian. It would be in convincing him to accept this quest. The young Knight was not overly fond of Jerrar or his younger brother, Jax Sharay. This would be the second time he would be called upon to save the life of a member of the Sharay bloodline. Tomassif decided that a liberal dose of paga at the nearest tavern would improve his thinking powers.

*~*~*~*

Brenda lay in Jax’s arms as the first streaks of dawn filtered through the leaves of the sotnat tree. He smiled as he watched her wrinkle her nose and rub it with the back of her hand. After only knowing her for a little more than five days, Jax had decided that one of the most delightful sights in the universe was watching his zira wake up. At least – so far. When he finally got to see the light that would appear in her eyes when she experienced the full extent of pleasure with him – THAT would be a sight he would never tire of.

Brenda stirred and tried to roll free of his embrace, but Jax continued to hold her in his arms. As her eyes fluttered open, she looked into his brilliant blue ones and returned his smile. "You didn’t leave me," she said in soft amazement.

"Did you really think I would? When you were still feeling the effects of travelling the Matrix?" Jax neglected to add that he would *never* leave her, knowing that she wasn’t quite prepared to hear that yet.

Brenda wriggled a little but he continued to hold her fast. "I appreciate your concern for me, Familiar," she said, trying to push his arm from around her shoulders, "but I’m really feeling much better now. You can let me go."

Jax put on a mock serious look. "Ahh, but then you might fall, angel."

"Fall?" Brenda froze and her eyes darted from side to side. "Fall where?" She tried to sit up a little but Jax held her in place. She finally began to take note of her surroundings – broad green leaves and the blue/purple sky above. "Jax," she repeated, growing more vexed, "where ARE we? Did you take me through another Tunnel point?"

Jax sighed in relaxation and looked around him. "No, Brenda. We are still on the planet that linked to Charporta." He looked back to her, smiled, and lowered his head to nuzzle the place where her neck met her shoulder.

"JAX!" Brenda insisted, pushing him away from her neck, "WHERE on that planet are we??"

Jax looked deeply into her eyes, and then lowered his head to her shoulder again, trailing his lips softly up the side of her neck. When he got to her ear, he whispered, "I carried you a ways from the Tunnel exit and then found us a suitable resting place for the night." He nipped at her earlobe, and then added, "In a sotnat tree."

Brenda’s first thought was to push him away, but then she gripped him more tightly. "In a TREE? We are in the branches of a SOTNAT TREE?" Jax murmured an affirmative reply, his words muffled as he trailed heated kisses from one ear to the other by way of the soft skin under her chin. Brenda was finding it difficult to remain angry with him as his attentions began to remind her of the way he had awakened her the morning after they crossed the ravneau.

"Jax," she finally gasped out as her breathing was becoming more rapid, "shouldn’t we be getting out of this tree and continuing our journey to the next Tunnel point?"

Jax raised his face from hers and Brenda saw the fireworks in his eyes that already answered her question. As the faint scent of zilliang spice and humid musk and raw masculinity began to enfold her again, he spoke his simple answer. "Later." He lowered his lips to nearly touch hers. "*Much* later."

She whimpered softly as Jax rubbed his lips across hers, tempting, teasing, in an agonizingly slow motion. Finally, when he heard her breath coming in soft pants, he gave in to his own building desire and kissed her.

Brenda sighed with something close to pure joy when he ended her sensual torment. Thoughts of an earlier morning flooded her consciousness. Would he take her to that place of exploding sunsets and glorious fulfillment again? As Jax’s tongue teased at the seam of her lips, Brenda admitted to herself that she wanted him to show her that paradise again, and she allowed his tongue entrance into her warm and anxious mouth.

Jax had to stop himself from smiling. He knew very well what Brenda was expecting. She was remembering that his kiss had brought her to her peak, and she expected it to do that again. But Jax had decided long before she awakened that this morning, he would bring her to the pinnacle of pleasure in a more Familiar fashion -- he would finish what they had started in Corinthon’s dungeon.

Jax continued to devour Brenda’s lips as he deftly undid the fastening of her cloak and pushed it off her shoulders. As Brenda’s petite hands moved to his shoulders, Jax trailed kisses down her neck towards the top edge of her gown. Brenda was beginning to wonder why Jax wasn’t kissing her anymore -- how could he bring her to the magic again when he was moving down to her......

Brenda’s eyes fluttered open rapidly and she gasped aloud when his mouth paid homage to her breast through the thin fabric of her gown. "Jax," she whispered on a shaky breath, "what are you......oh.....oh, Jax."

{I can take you even higher, Brenda. Let me show your soul how to fly.} Jax sent the torrid thought into Brenda’s already spinning consciousness as he pulled the gown from her shoulders and began to trail soft kisses at the swell of her breast. As his lips grew closer to the center of her breast, she began to groan aloud. When he reached his target, she arched her back off the solid branch of the tree, threading her hands deeply into his blonde, tousled curls.

Somewhere in Brenda’s mind, a memory floated back. One of her mother’s maids had run away for a brief sensual adventure with a Familiar long ago. She had the other maids panting with envy when she described the addictive pleasure of stroking the Familiar’s hair. But Brenda decided that the maid’s descriptions didn’t even come close. Jax’s hair was like spun clouds, or the softest down found on a bird’s breast. She ran her fingers through it again and again as Jax continued to kiss and caress her into mindless wanting.

Jax, in the meantime, was finding it difficult to take this seduction as slowly as he originally intended when Brenda began stroking his hair. Although most Familiars knew all of a woman’s sensitive spots, the erogenous zones for Familiars varied from one to the other. Brenda didn’t realize that for Jax, one of them was having his hair stroked. He started to purrrr in contentment, increasing the ardor of his actions, which only increased the movements of Brenda’s fingers through his hair.

With great effort, Jax finally pulled his lips away from Brenda’s breasts, tracking his kisses to the hollow of her throat. When he reached the particular spot in that indentation that was well-known to Familiars as being one of a woman’s most sensitive spots, he gently nipped her with his teeth, following it with soothing attentions from his tongue.

Brenda startled the sharp sting of the bite and its corresponding tug at a place deep inside her. When Jax continued to stimulate the spot, she found herself wanting him even more. Brenda didn’t realize that Jax had just marked her in a fashion that was a Familiar tradition. The small mark, which was invisible to the naked eye of most creatures, would immediately stand out every time Jax looked upon Brenda, reminding him of the pleasure they had shared the first time they truly joined.

As Jax’s hand swept down her body past her breasts, Brenda again knew the beginnings of confusion. But then, when she felt it begin a new quest, inching its way up her thigh, she realized that Jax had fully intended for this morning’s activities to go far beyond kissing. Just as she decided to make some objection, Jax’s voice sounded in her consciousness again.

Brenda didn’t need much more encouragement. His lyrical voice, combined with the hazy sensual cloud that now surrounded her, took her past the point of no return. She felt her body growing damp in response to Jax’s ministrations. Jax’s hand left her for a moment – just as Familiars were most talented at removing the clothing of their partners, they were stunningly talented at removing their *own* clothing in record time. His fingers flew as they unlaced his breeches and before Brenda could blink an eye, the breeches had gone the way of her cloak and his hand was back again, working magic between her legs.

"Jax," she finally groaned, "after you have saved my life so many times, do you wish to *kill* me with this wanting?"

Jax smiled and continued his caresses. "I have only *begun* to show you the pleasures that a Familiar can bring to a woman, Brenda." At her astonished gasp, Jax shifted their positions on the tree branch so that Brenda was fully beneath him. When the length of his naked body caressed her nearly naked form, she threaded her fingers deeply into his hair and pulled his lips down to hers, initiating a blistering kiss that almost left *him* breathless.

Jax was desperately trying to take this initiation into sensual pleasure slowly for his novice zira, but her writhing body beneath him was almost his undoing. As Jax pressed his lower body against Brenda’s, he bent to her breasts and lavished them with heated kisses again. He teased at her womanhood with his body, eliciting more groans and unintelligible pants. When he finally slipped his hand between them and found her more than ready, he sent her one more scintillating thought.

Brenda knew a moment of hesitation when she realized that Jax was going to do again what he had done in Corinthon’s dungeon. At first, memories of the initial pain almost caused her to tell him to stop. But then she remembered the tantalizing hints of pleasure when they were joined. When Jax began to trail kisses down her stomach, nipping her softly near the juncture of her legs and then soothing it with his tongue, all capability of rational thought left her.

She continued to make soft noises of wanting, but when Jax finally joined her fully with one powerful movement, she cried his name aloud. Jax crooned softly in her ear as he waited for the initial discomfort to subside. When he continued to track his lips up and down her neck near her ear and saw the top of her ear turning a brilliant shade of magenta, Jax smiled to himself and began to move.

Brenda’s mouth formed a small "o" when Jax began the age-old rhythm. She felt as though she were climbing the highest mountain – as though some sort of cataclysm were building in her lower body where they were joined. "Jax!" she managed to rasp, "I don’t know…..I feel….."

Brenda’s hands moved to grip Jax’s shoulders as he continued to build sensation upon sensation. When she thought she was about to either die or faint from the exquisite, enveloping sensual stimulation, she heard Jax’s voice one more time.

Although Brenda had missed the meteor shower the night before, it was nothing compared to the explosion of light that occurred in Brenda’s body. Her fingers dug deeply into Jax’s shoulders, and he knew exactly what had happened, even if he hadn’t felt the spasms that went through her entire body. Her eyes flew open and looked into his, which were alight with violet and lapis fireworks. When Jax saw the pleasure light her own brown eyes with topaz sparks, he followed close upon her release with his own. Even to an experienced Familiar, Jax had never felt this complete before. He never realized that it would feel this right when he found his true mate.

Later, when both of their hearts had returned to a normal rhythm, Brenda still lay in Jax’s arms. They lay facing each other since they were still joined, both of them loathe to break that bond so soon. As Brenda traced a finger over Jax’s face, a playful grin lit her features.

"What brings a smile to your face, angel?" Jax asked, pushing her hair back from her ears and finding them their normal color.

Brenda shifted even closer to Jax, wriggling her hips against him a little. "You do, Familiar," Brenda answered. "Everything about you makes me smile."

Jax watched as her ears began to blush. "Everything? Could you be a little more specific about that, angel?" He knew that he could afford to tease her – joined as they were and still in the tree, it would be impossible for her to begin the foot-stomping dance.

Brenda’s ears grew pinker as her eyes glanced down shyly. "Jax – can I ask you a question?"

"From the color of your ears, I think I’m going to like the answer," he replied, but then when she impishly slapped his chest with her hand, he continued, "You may ask."

"A long time ago, one of my mother’s maids …..well," Brenda stammered, "she told stories of a Familiar and how he….." Her ears turned to a dark shade of rose but she still couldn’t look Jax in the eyes.

"Yes?" He tipped her chin up so that she had to look at him.

"…..well….she said that this particular Familiar could *enhance* the physical union, even after it was completed," Brenda said, her words rushing out like a torrent. "Can all Familiars……enhance?"

Jax looked deeply into her eyes, and she saw just the faintest hint of fireworks in his again. His sensual cloud still wrapped around them like a warm blanket. As a mischievous smile spread across his face, Jax gave Brenda her answer. Since they were still joined, it was really quite simple. He just……enhanced.

*~*~*~*

Much later, Brenda lay sleeping in Jax’s arms. He watched the slow rise and fall of her chest, and he gently traced his finger across her lips, which were still slightly bruised from their kisses. As he looked up at the sky, Jax propped his head up on his arm to make some resolutions.

He would warn her the next time he intended to enhance. As soon as she woke, he would morph into his cat self and then back to human. That would heal the large gashes her fingernails had made in his back. Jax looked over at some neighboring trees. The birds would probably come back later, when the echoes of her cries of pleasure finally died. As she shifted in her sleep and caught her breath, another spasm and shudder coursing through her body, Jax brought his right hand down to softly stroke her hair to soothe her.

He looked around again. Yes, the birds would be back. Later. He heard another faint echo. *Much* later.

To be continued…..

Author’s note: I am using the same term as Dara Joy uses in her book for Jax’s extraordinary power of "enhancing." Somehow, any other synonym just failed to have the same mystical, sensual connotation. And the character of Scorpian is meant to be Robert – not Mac.