Chaeya

Srae Iss-Ka-Mala

Many people aren’t satisfied with how their lives turned out. At middle age, they learn to just live with their choices and make the best of things.

But what if you found out your life contained a much richer legacy than you could ever imagine?

What if you could be given a second chance, but in a completely different place . . . a different world?

Not only has 40-something Claudia Bellows lived an unfulfilled life as a failed entertainer, she has felt a square peg forced into a round hole most of her life. Then there is that recurring dream she’s had since childhood. A man of Persian or East Indian descent lying in a glass case. She suffered horrible night terrors as a result of seeing his seemingly lifeless form. During her adolescence, she discovered he wasn’t dead, but merely sleeping. Being stuck in the dream world with him, she began to talk to him, intimating her most secret wishes and desires. However, she never believed her handsome prince was anything more than a dream. He was a mere fantasy leftover from a life which has yielded only disappointment.

Mendon Pelaea Yaaden, Supreme Commander of the Farenjannos, has been in stasis for over 600 years. Executed for a crime he didn’t commit, he had no idea his mentor, Varais Iss-Ka-Mala, had saved his life. It was only when the thoughts of a young woman invaded his dreamless void did he realize he had finally found the promised one, Varais’s daughter. After eons of fighting, the war between the Kirans and the Khadjirans will finally come to a head. He could at last restore his honor and that of the Farenjannos. The child of his mentor would bring peace to his planet and to his aching heart.

This epic adventure encompasses Claudia’s journey as she goes from obscurity on Earth to fame and adventure on Kir as the chosen one, “Srae Iss-Ka-Mala.” As Srae, Claudia discovers an inner strength and love she never knew humanly possible.

Sometimes the grass is greener in other places . . . and more deadly.

Genre: Science Fiction / Interracial-Multicultural Romance
Pages: Approx. 524
Availability: e-book and print (Summer 2010)

Warning: This story involves an alien culture with different beliefs than socially acceptable on Earth. There may be subject matters which can offend those of a sensitive nature. There are also instances of strong language and some explicit sexual scenes. Not intended for those under 18 years of age.

Excerpt – Chapter 1:
(This excerpt contains mild sexual content)

The Beginning
June 18, 1967

Kathyrina Davis screamed so hard her voice cracked. After overcoming a slew of hacking coughs, she joined in once more with the chorus of screams, yells and cheers offered up from the crowd around her.

The subject of their awe knelt on the stage before them. He placed his painted, electric guitar between his knees, bent to give it a farewell kiss, then tossed a lighted match on the doomed instrument. Flames erupted from the guitar, accelerated by the small can of lighter fluid he had emptied upon it moments earlier. And there he sat, rocking over it like a demented witch doctor. His fingers fluttered as if he wanted to beckon forth the spirit of the thing, if it ever had one.

Kathyrina and her best friend, Estrella DiCampos, stood to get a better look. They were just in time to see Jimi Hendrix pick up the guitar and smash it against the stage. She knew she was too far away. Still, her arms shot up in the air as she watched helplessly while Jimi tossed the remnants out to the audience.

“Rats,” she huffed.

Although Jimi and his band had departed the stage, the music still rang in her ears―a vibrating hum that burrowed its way to her soul.

“Come on!”

She could hear Estrella shouting at her as she was pulled away from her seat and out into the crowd.

The two slipped through the sea of people with an unbelievable ease of maneuvers as Estrella navigated an unseen labyrinth through the crowd.

Kathyrina followed along. She held her breath as she was squeezed between the throng of bodies. Tall and leggy, Estrella could see heads above most people, whereas all she could see were shoulders and chests.

They finally made it to a clearing. The two women looked at one another and giggled.

“What would you do without me?” Estrella adjusted Kathyrina’s headband and smoothed down her hair which haloed her head in a curly, tangled mess. “Now remember our plan. We’re supposed to meet Johnny and he’s gonna get us backstage.”

“How could I forget? It’s all you’ve talked about all day.”

“I just want to see you get lucky.”

“You just want to get backstage.”

“See? There’s something in it for both of us.”

Estrella hooked her arm in Kathyrina’s and together they walked to the back of the stage.

“And good thing for you to hook up with a security guy,” Kathyrina beamed.

“Call it fate,” Estrella said. “For instance, there could be no greater Hendrix fan than you. Remember the interview we read? The things he said reminded me so much of the things you write about, Pixy. I want you two to meet. It’s time you got laid anyway. But you have to promise to let me have a go when you’re through.”

“Estrella.” Kathryina bumped her friend playfully.

“Oh come on. You can’t keep him all to yourself. Besides, if he’s nutty enough to set his guitar on fire, I can only imagine what he’ll do in bed.”

“He’s not nutty. The guitar was a sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice? To whom?”

“The electric guitar gods.”

Estrella shook her head. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’ve never been more.”

“Speaking of serious things, are you really not going back home?”

Kathyrina clenched her teeth and lifted her head. “I’m sure. I’m eighteen, Estrella. I’m tired of my parents treating me like a child. Can you believe they weren’t gonna let me come here? I mean, how could I miss seeing Jimi?”

“Yeah. They’ve always given you a hard time,” Estrella said. “You know . . . you could always crash at my pad.”

“Really?”

“You bet. My mom wouldn’t mind. She’s usually out shopping or with her friends, and with my dad mostly away on business, he wouldn’t care. I hardly ever see them anymore. It’s like I have the whole house to myself.”

“I’m not sure what to do about Berkeley though,” Kathyrina sighed. “Maybe I could get a job and pay my tuition that way.”
“You still have your scholarship.” Estrella stopped and looked down at her friend. “Look, Pixy, don’t worry about your folks. They’ll help you out if you leave home. Only then can you prove you’re all grown up. My sister did it. My folks gave her a hard time, but they still gave her money when she needed it.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Of course I am. Oooh, look! There’s Johnny.”

Estrella released Kathyrina’s arm and charged through the small cluster of people gathered at the backstage gate. She walked up to a tall man with wavy blonde hair. He looked more like he should be manning a lifeguard post than a backstage gate. Surfer dudes weren’t much her style, but his blond locks and Ken doll smile had been too perfect for her to pass up.

Johnny’s face was tight as the white t-shirt he wore. The thin material contoured every dent and ripple of his chest and torso. Two women pleaded with him to let them backstage. They waved a blotter of acid before his eyes as an incentive.
Estrella’s eyes narrowed as she stifled a wicked smile. After their previous night of raging lovemaking, she knew Johnny’s stoney face would beam at her like a flower in the sun. She pushed past the two women who both reared back and glared at her.

“Hey baby,” Johnny greeted as he opened the gate for her.

“Hey yourself.” Estrella giggled. He had indeed flashed her his winning boyish smile. She walked through the gate then threw her arms around his neck and pecked him on the lips.

“See you later?” His arm snaked around her, pulling her tighter against him.

“Of course.” Estrella winked at him. “Same room?”

“The very same.”

Johnny set Estrella back down on her feet. She turned and waved to the two women with the acid. The two of them saluted her with their middle fingers.

Kathyrina caught up to Estrella and hopped through the gate before Johnny could close it. Her heart skipped a few beats. Calm down, Pixy.

Estrella took Kathyrina’s hand and squeezed it. “Don’t you freak out on me now.”

“I won’t,” Kathyrina squeaked. She huddled closer to Estrella.

Stage hands and technicians scurried around. They prepared the stage for Scott MacKenzie, the next performer.
God help him, Kathyrina thought, for Jimi’s performance had left an intense energy in its wake. A strong current of electricity whipped through the crowd. She could almost visualize a faint reddish glow pulsating in the air. Any moment there could be outright pandemonium. Silently, she prayed for there to be calm. If there was any craziness, the security might empty out the backstage area.

Kathyrina looked over at Estrella in her long, blue velvet dress coat. It flew open to reveal her antique white shift and pantaloons complete with high-laced, Victorian boots. She, herself, had chosen to dress more in the style of Jimi with jeans, a black ruffled halter and her drum major coat. It had been altered similar to the famous one Jimi wore. Her mom had been livid when she found out she had traded her prom dress for it. What was the point of keeping a dress she’d never wear again? At least the night air was cool. The hot temperatures during the day had forced her to carry it over her shoulder.

She surveyed their surroundings and noticed the heads which turned in their direction. Their flashy style of clothing often got them more than their fair share of attention. However, this time, it was the wrong type.

“Hey.”

Two policemen approached them. They were young and looked fresh out of the academy. The heavy one sported a large chin and his thinner partner stood so straight he appeared mechanical.

“Where are your passes?” The heavier one asked.

Passes?” Estrella smiled and offered a flirtatious giggle. “My brother’s one of the organizers. He said we don’t need passes.”

“What’s his name?”

“John.”

“John who?” The chinman folded his arms, his beady eyes fixed on Estrella.

Estrella leaned over to Kathyrina.

“Run,” she whispered without moving her lips.

“What?”

“RUN.”

Estrella darted away and the chinman’s robotic partner switched on to run after her.

Kathyrina turned the opposite direction, but ran straight into the chinman. She bounced off his brick wall of a body and fell on her bottom.

“All right, Missy, let’s go.”

“But―”

“No pass, no backstage.”

She was pulled from the ground. Her protests fell on deaf ears as the cop escorted her over to the gate then shoved her unceremoniously outside.

“Now stay out of here,” he bellowed.

Kathyrina looked around for Estrella’s boyfriend, Johnny. He was nowhere to be found.

“Tough break, huh?”

Kathyrina looked over at the two women Estrella had pissed off earlier. One of them blew her a kiss as they both followed a man dressed in a suit inside the gate. Bitches.

She stood frozen unable to move. All action surrounding her grinded to a halt, and her mental faculties were propelled to a space out in the middle of nowhere. Meeting Jimi had been her primary reason for coming to the concert in the first place. Everything had gone so well the past few days. Everything from hitching a ride down from Oakland to spending the night in a motel room with Johnny and his friends. Fate. To get caught by the police was not supposed to happen. No, no no! That wasn’t part of the plan. There was no way she was about to go back home without meeting Jimi.

A bearded man at the backstage gate smiled at her when she approached. That was a good sign.

“I’m looking for a guy named, Johnny,” Kathyrina told him. “He’s a guard . . . blonde hair . . .”

“Johnny Pratt? He’s done for the night.”

“Please, I have to get backstage. My friend’s back there.” Kathyrina wrung her hands.

The man leaned back against the fence and folded his arms. “I just saw a cop kick you out.”

“That was a mistake.”

“Sorry, honey.” He turned his attention to a man standing behind her.

“Please, you have to listen to me,” Kathyrina pleaded.

Her words fell on deaf ears as Kathyrina found herself slowly overtaken by other people around her until she was left alone in the back. To make a mad dash for the gate and burst through was out of the question. She could stand there with the others and hope to get a glimpse of Jimi. But that was acting too much like a groupie. Instead, she turned and trudged away from the concert area until the darkness swallowed her.

Common sense told her to stay and wait for Estrella. She was much too upset for that. The dark embrace of the night was the only place where she could find some comfort. Estrella would find her. She always did.

Next time, Kathyrina told herself. Next time, she would be more like Estrella. Bold and confident, Estrella would make herself fit whether it be a posh, high-class restaurant or a trash-strewn ghetto. Estrella’s own sense of class won her attention wherever she went while she, Estralla’s ever faithful sidekick, just came along for the ride. This time Estrella couldn’t help her. Fate had intervened and shown her where she truly belonged.

Kathyrina’s chest grew tight and a lump formed in her throat. Any moment the tears would come. She didn’t like crying out in the open where people could see her. Tears were for inside rooms, when she was alone with a pen and some paper. Wasting her tears on the ground would do them no justice. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Kathyrina!

Further on she wandered, away from the concert and away from the small pow wows of people with their weed and guitars. Away, away, just away.

The din of the concert noise gave way to another sound. It was faint and her ears strained to discern it. They still rang from the assault Jimi had laid on them.

Was that a guitar? No, it had a different tone, like a harp. But there was something different about it. Acidy and twangy like an acoustic guitar, but chingy and changy like an old ragtime piano.

Louder it grew with each step. Beautiful was an understatement. Inside its pure, gentle strains lay an embodiment of an ideal Kathyrina had attempted to voice in her poetry for a long time. Never had she heard such sounds. Prose filled her head and she quickened her step. If only she had her notepad with her. She hoped she could remember it all later in order to write it down.
As Kathyrina searched for the source of the music, she came to a strange realization. The music was also seeking her. It told her so. Buried within the haunting melody, barely audible, she could hear her name being called.

Far out.

Then again, it didn’t make sense. If she had ever done drugs, she would have dismissed the entire scenario as an acid flashback. But she neither used nor needed drugs. Her imagination was rich enough without them.

Shivers cascaded down her spine from the crisp tones of the music. Crescendos swept her being on top of an imaginary hill and flourishes rolled her down it. The notes brushed around her body in tiny gusts of wind which urged her forward.

Just ahead, a light shown from within a thick clump of bushes. The surrounding area was bare, except for patches of grass and a few trees. How strange. Her heart pounded in her ears, and her arms and legs trembled. Yet, the fear wasn’t strong enough to make her turn back.

She stopped before the foliage. There was no way she could ever squeeze through the tangle of branches without being torn to bits. But as the thought entered her mind, a break appeared between them and they parted.

Kathyrina tiptoed through, looking around to see who had made an opening for her. Once inside, the bushes closed behind her. No human hands had made them move.

“Not possible,” she whispered as she stepped away from the living wall lest it reach out and grab her.

Then she saw him. His back was to her. Downright huge, he was. Even sitting on the smoothly sawn tree stump, he was taller than she. Platinum blond hair fanned across his broad back. His head bobbed in time with the music. She eased around him to get a better look. The music came from him.

Her attention drew to the instrument he played. His large hands moved gracefully over the copper strings of it. It was a harp, and more beautiful than any harp she’d ever seen. Dark wood carved with strange symbols and set with inlaid gemstones.
Kathyrina’s gaze followed up his arms and neck until it landed on his face. What a face it was. Skin perfect and smooth, there wasn’t a blemish on it anywhere. And his eyes. A kaleidoscope of silver and black flecks greeted her. They radiated nothing but sheer love and patience while their black pupils pulled her down inside a dark tunnel. Kathyrina struggled to break the lock his gaze had on her. Images of her life flew between them like a movie on fast-forward.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. Her hand shot up against her mouth.

Kathyrina forced her eyes away to survey the surrounding area. There was no one else inside the cove of bushes. For a microsecond she thought of running away. Something deep down inside her begged her to stay. No, she wouldn’t run. She was no coward. There would never again be a moment like that, and she wasn’t about to miss it.

Light illuminated the clearing. She scanned the area for the source of it until she once again focused back on her large friend. The light danced about him and his clothes which consisted of a white tunic and cream-colored pants. Her eyes followed the fuzzy circles and swirls running the length of his knee-high boots. Wait! The light came from him.

“Oh my God,” she murmured again.

The music softened and lulled Kathyrina to a calm and contented state. She closed her eyes. Her body swayed from side to side until her movements became lighter. It was like floating. She opened her eyes and looked down. She was floating!

Somewhere she had fallen and hit her head and her current predicament was nothing more than a dream. Or, she had died and he was the Angel of Death coming to take her away. The Angel of Death plays music. If he was Death, then he wasn’t so bad after all.
How groovy to enjoy the aggressive guitar music of Jimi and to have it followed up with the crystal sounds of a harp. His music was perfect to diffuse the aggressive energy left in the air after Jimi played. She exhaled and relaxed further against the air suspending her. It was too bad no one else could hear it.

The music ended abruptly.

Kathyrina opened her eyes to find the stranger standing before her. Once again her eyes were drawn down into the darkness of his pupils.

“Angeldelic,” she whispered.

Before she could stop herself, she reached out and ran her palm along the side of his face. Velvety soft skin, and so fair. His eyebrows and eyelashes appeared almost transparent. Still, he was beautiful. A statue come to life.

The stranger smiled at her.

Kathyrina looked away. It was not her way to be so forward with men. Then again, Estrella would have had him naked by then. Her friend wasn’t one to waste time.

“Pixy.”

His voice was gentle, deep and crisp like an ancient mist hanging low in the forest on a winter’s morning. She would have to write that in her journal when she got home.

“Only my friends call me that,” she said. Her eyes met his once more.

“Then I am your friend.”

He reached out and took her chin in his hand; his thumb brushed against her cheek. “It seems events have not gone in your favor.”

“No, they haven’t.” Kathyrina had almost forgotten about her troubles from earlier. Her body weighted and she slowly descended.
Instead of coming back down to Earth, he took her in his arms.

The man sat back down on the tree stump with her straddling his lap. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

Talk about it? She had just lost the chance of a lifetime. Of course, she wanted to talk about it. As Kathyrina relayed her sad turn of events to him, the more grounded she became and the more human he appeared. The glowing light surrounding him faded until they were bathed only in the silvery glow from the moon above.

And he listened to her, his deep voice responding to different points of her story with ums and ahs. His hand smoothed back her curls sending chills down her spine.

Kathyrina sighed. The ordeal with Jimi no longer mattered to her. There was nothing more important at the moment other than to sit with him, whatever he was. His energy was a wide open space that expanded well beyond the small cove of bushes. She could have stayed there with him forever, locked inside his world. Fate had indeed intervened on her behalf and had delivered her into a much different scenario.

“Feel better?” His hands slid along the contour of her outer thighs.

“I do.”

They were both silent for a long time.

“You’re an angel, aren’t you?” Kathyrina asked finally.

“Why do you say that?”

“What else could you be?”

His accent was interesting and undoubtedly foreign. Its intonation pronounced every syllable clear and precise. It soothed her. The kind of voice she would wish to tell her a bedtime story.

He chuckled at her.

“I am a man who has been watching you, Kathyrina.”

“Why have you been watching me? How do you know my name?”

“You’re special, very special, my beautiful one.”

A feathery sensation brushed over Kathyrina. He had called her his “beautiful one.” Most men wanted her friend, Estrella. Estrella was “the pretty one” while she had always been “the quiet one.” She had never been the beautiful one.
His finger hooked beneath her chin and tilted her face back up to his as he leaned forward. He brushed one side of her cheek with his and then the other.

“I want to trust you with something,” he said against her ear.

Butterflies fluttered in Kathryina’s belly and her breath caught in her throat. Trust her with something? He barely knew her.

“I don’t even know your name.”

Though his mouth didn’t move, she heard a whisper: “Varais.” The echoes of it fell down around her like the sparkles of a firework. Tiny, indescribable things touched her arms and legs. She shivered uncontrollably.

His hands moved from her legs up to her breasts, caressing them. They then moved down over her abdomen until his fingers touched her between her legs. If it were any other man, she’d demand he stop. But he wasn’t any other man. He belonged there with her and she belonged there with him. The normal social rules didn’t apply in that case. She couldn’t wait to tell Estrella about him.
The unseen, fluttery touches landing on her skin drove her to near madness. Kathyrina’s head fell back and a soft moan escaped her lips. Her body shifted forward a little. She hoped he would touch her in her secret place again and soon.

His hand hooked around the back of her neck, edging her forward until his lips touched hers in a light kiss.

A streak of pleasure flashed down Kathyrina’s spine and her body made ready to pour into him when he suddenly broke the connection. He pulled back and his gaze penetrated hers.

Regardless of what he wanted to trust her with, Kathyrina knew she would agree. The boldness left over from hearing Jimi play, and the determination to never go back home to her parents were her guiding forces. Yet her deciding factor was the little ecstasy his kiss induced. She had longed for the day to meet the right man to give her sacredness to, and he was that man . . . be he angel or demon.

“I never do question enough,” she murmured.

His laughter rang throughout the small clearing.

“And what would you question, sweet Kathyrina?” He asked. “Am I an angel . . . or demon?”

He kissed her once more.

A tear rolled down Kathyrina’s cheek.

“And tears? Why?”

“I’m so reckless.”

Varais’s hand cupped her chin and his thumb smeared the tear against her cheek.

“And what could my words tell you that your heart doesn’t already know?”

Kathyrina turned her face against his palm. She could already hear her mother’s chastising voice in her mind. The voice that boomed in her ears every time she came close to giving up her virginity or doing most anything else besides studying and housework. Most of the time, she could ignore it. When it came to her virtue, she could not. Not now, she thought. After Jimi, this must be right.

“For you, I am gentle. For you, I am good.”

Kathyrina looked up into his eyes. They were so kind and their soft gaze was enough to silent the naysaying voice within her. Her mind strayed back to the image of Jimi rocking over the burning guitar. Something had to be sacrificed.

“My answer is yes,” she breathed then leaned in towards him once more.

The warm night air embraced her bare skin and coupled with his caresses, a big ball of heat lodged between her legs. She was told the first time was painful, but she didn’t care. Her body inched forward again until she pressed herself against him. Where did their clothes disappear to? Maybe all of it was a dream after all.

A light-headedness overcame her and the ache between her legs begged for him to enter her as she opened them wider.
Varais took her face in his hands and bent his head to meet her lips.

Kathyrina cried out into his mouth. No man had ever kissed her in such a way. So knowing of her, so experienced. Not the clumsy, sloppy teenage kisses she had received. This was a man who knew how to touch her. A man who she wanted to make her a true woman. Man, he was so huge, she was lost against his massive frame. But he didn’t intimidate her at all. His size made her feel all the more safe.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and crushed him to her as she quivered in is arms, her body spasming from its rapture. He had brought her to orgasm with just a kiss. She sank down against him, the soft hairs of his thighs tickled her bottom. His cream-colored skin glowed against her dark ebony legs. What a beautiful contrast, she thought. Piano keys.

“I don’t want to wake up,” she pleaded.

“You are awake, little one.” Varais smiled at her as he took her legs and positioned them around his waist. His hands moved up her back then pulled her body forward until she rested against his chest for a moment. Her body melted against him. Moans stemmed from deep within her belly. She was Mother Earth and steam shot from every geyser upon her surface.

Varais lifted her ever so gently and Kathyrina closed her eyes to prepare herself for what was to come. She heard his voice again, so faint she questioned if it were only a thought. A thought being carried in on the gentle breeze which rustled the tree branches overhead.

“Now, Kathyrina, I will give you my most precious gift.”