CHAPTER 9
Gauge stood with his tracker before the Sabula king. The crown prince, Kiernan, stood to the right of his father, his lower jaw swollen from his maturing shaprata. Gauge could feel for the prince, as the swelling beneath his own tongue was becoming worse by the day.
Raiden were an unusual species. Their bronze skin had patches of thick beaded black armor mixed with colored diamond patterns.
The different colors represented different talents.
The Sabula House had a white pattern, which represented a hunter class of warrior.
The House of Nekbet, where Rafa had been the crown prince’s second in command, carried a green pattern, their people tending to be excellent mathematicians.
Only the ruling class wore a red pattern.
It didn’t matter which house they were born into.
Those like Rafa, whose family line was second in line to rule, wore a burnt orange pattern.
Red and orange set them apart as holding varying talents of all six Houses.
It didn’t appear to matter which species you dealt with.
When it came to rulers, kings, queens, or emperors, they had formalities one must adhere to.
Raiden warriors were no different, which was why Gauge preferred dealing with the council on Laizahlia.
King Caelium, dressed in loose black silk, sat above the rest of them on his throne.
His son, Kiernan, dressed in a black uniform with white trim, stood to the king’s right.
Four armed warriors stood two on each side of their monarch and crown prince.
The only major difference Gauge saw between this royal pair and Nicolai’s line were the horns that curved out from their temples.
He knew the original Raiden warriors all carried heavy horns, but they’d also had tails.
The horns and tails had been bred out of most of them.
The Sabula line of warriors retained their horns but didn’t have tails, at least as far as Gauge knew.
“Your Majesty,” Gauge said softly, crossing his fist over his chest. “Thank you for agreeing to see us.” Beside him, Teo tipped his head in a show of respect, but neither of them lowered their eyes.
Gauge knew his tracker would watch for any threats while he played his part in soothing the king’s ego.
Jax had remained outside the palace in Rafa’s shuttle.
He would wait for Gauge to alert him it was safe before he brought Lena and the others inside.
Gauge didn’t want her anywhere near the king until after he’d assessed all possible dangers.
“How can I trust you won’t interfere with my son claiming a human female?” King Caelium asked Gauge. “His time is short. I’m inclined to take the serpent. She is the daughter of the Cliff Dwellers alpha. She will make Kiernan a strong mate and produce healthy Raiden sons for him.”
“Zephralena has already been claimed once by the Nekbet prince. Everyone knows Ngozi is not quite sane. Unfortunately, her psyche was damaged by the experience. You know Abby, Nicolai’s mate.
She is strong, both mentally and physically.
Kiernan can easily find another like her on Earth.
I will accompany him myself to help make introductions. ”
“I’m not sure about this. Humans are physically weak compared to serpents,” Caelium said.
The red vertical pupils in his black eyes flashed briefly as he stared down his nose at Gauge.
Gauge knew the flashing pupils could signify irritation, excitement, or sexual arousal.
It wasn’t difficult to guess which one he faced here.
This king was power hungry. He wanted another female like Aaliyah for his son.
Kiernan was harder to read. His expression remained blank, as if the prince were uninterested in the topic, even though it was his life on the line.
His patience growing short, Gauge said, “You were prepared to force a claim on Abby’s sister, Samantha. Why do you question taking a human mate now?”
“Samantha is not human. She is part serpent. The union between her and my son would have been a strong one.”
“You didn’t realize Samantha was a serpent when you tried to take her from Seraphym. No one did.” And no one understood how it even happened. We suspect Djinn interference, though tests would need to be performed to confirm it, but only if Samantha and Seraphym agreed to them.
Caelium waved Gauge away, scowling. “She is a sister to the Nekbet prince’s mate.
We know Nicolai’s female has already produced strong Raiden sons for him.
The Nekbet citizens love her. The Sabula people would have welcomed Abby’s sister as their future queen.
Do you truly believe another human can be equal to Abby or her sister? ”
“I do. There are many strong females on Earth. Many who would willingly accept the claim of your son. Even citizens of Laizahlia are finding mates among the humans.”
This news made the king sit up a little straighter, the red vertical pupils in his eyes flashing briefly. “When did you Laizahlian start breeding with humans? After we helped you rid Earth of Djinn, you forbade us to claim human females. Did you mean to keep them all to yourselves?” he sneered.
“No, we have only recently been finding fated mates among human females.”
“And how did this come about?”
How much did he want to give away to the Sabula king?
Did it matter? Raiden warriors would likely have to join the battle to rid Earth of Djinn for good.
“We apparently failed to rid Earth of all Djinn during the great war. Those remaining have been manipulating human DNA, mixing it with Djinn, Laizahlian, and shifter genes. Rafa’s mate is the result of this manipulation.
You saw for yourself what she is capable of.
Would you deny your son the possibility of finding another like her or Samantha? ”
“Interesting. But why do you care about my son, vampire? Why do you care about trying to protect one serpent female? What is in this for you or your people?”
“I believe Raiden and Laizahlia will soon have to join forces again to defeat the Djinn queen. If Earth falls, she will soon set her sights upon Laizahlia and Raiden. It will be easier to convince your people to help if Raiden already has a stake in this. We are both aware we cannot defeat the Djinn without the serpents. Do you really want to risk angering one of the most powerful serpent clans on your world if it could be easily avoided?”
“Does this mean the Laizahlian council will stop interfering with our warriors claiming human mates?”
“We will not agree to Raiden warriors claiming females against their will, but if your warriors gain permission first, we will not stand in your way. This might not happen immediately. The council is just now opening communication with Earth’s leaders.
It will take humans time to learn to accept they are not alone in the universe. ”
“How much time?”
“I can’t answer that. It will be up to humans. We also don’t know what the Djinn are planning. What I can tell you is that humans will be more open to the claim of Raiden warriors if they see you mean to help them.”
Caelium turned to his son, motioning him closer. “Do you wish this, my son? Your claim upon a human could set the House of Sabula up with first choice to a line of strong females. We could rise above the House of Nekbet.”
Before Kiernan could answer, a warrior walked in and bowed low before the king.”
“Speak,” Caelium snapped.
“Commander Rafa has requested permission to enter the palace.”
“Very well. Bring him in.”
A few minutes later, Gauge turned to watch as Rafa entered with Aaliyah by his side.
He’d never met Aaliyah in person, but Abby had spoken of her often enough.
Behind them came two serpents. He recognized Lena’s uncle, Seraphym.
Beside him was Abby’s sister, Samantha, only recognizable by the patch she wore over one eye.
Abby had told him her sister lost the eye in a car accident back on Earth.
Looking closer, he noticed they shared similar features and blonde hair, but Samantha’s skin was covered in faint orange, black, red, and yellow scales, signifying one from the Catalan line of serpents, and she also had wings.
Both serpents had horns, though Samantha’s were much daintier than her mate’s.
Leviathan females didn’t have horns or wings, and they couldn’t shift to a battle form.
“Where is the alpha’s daughter, Zephralena?” King Caelium demanded.
“She is standing outside with a Laizahlian Hunter,” Seraphym said.
Caelium smirked. “You don’t trust me, Seraphym?”
“You’ve given us little reason to trust you, Caelium. I want your word that no harm will come to my niece before we bring her inside.”
“We do not harm females, serpent,” Caelium snarled.
“No, you only claim them against their will. This is not going to happen with my niece. She suffered enough under Ngozi’s claim.”
Samantha stepped forward, glaring at Kiernan. “You don’t harm females, huh? I believe your son threatened to cut my wings off if I didn’t cooperate. What do you call that? You also had me drugged.”
Seraphym pulled his mate closer against his side, his wings rustling.
Kiernan refused to acknowledge Samantha’s charge.
“If you were drugged, it was to keep you from harming yourself,” King Caelium snapped. “We do not cut the wings off serpents, female! We do not disfigure females.”
“Yeah, right,” Samantha grumbled. “Like I believe that one.”
“Enough!” Caelium snarled, coming to his feet. “Bring the serpent and Hunter inside. She will not be forcefully taken from you.” He narrowed his eyes at Gauge. “But you will not interfere if she agrees to my son’s claim.”
Gauge tipped his head, acknowledging Caelium’s decree.
“One other thing,” Caelium said. “My son’s time is limited.
He will die if he does not claim a female before his shaprata is fully mature.
Should I agree to allow him to travel to Earth, you will take the serpent female with you.
If Kiernan cannot find a suitable human to claim, the serpent must agree to let my son sting her. ”
“I will agree,” came a soft voice from the back.
Gauge turned to find Lena walking beside Jax, her bright golden eyes taking in those in the room.
When her gaze fell on him, she stopped suddenly, her head tipped, a frown marring her beautiful features.
She looked tiny against the huge Hunter.
Jax stopped with her, leaning over to say something Gauge couldn’t hear.
She nodded, then continued walking, her gaze moving from Gauge to King Caelium and his son.
Jax took hold of Lena’s elbow and gently led her over to stand beside Gauge and Teo.
“I will hold you to your word, Caelium,” Seraphym said. “My niece will not be forced.”
“Does it sound as if she is being forced? You heard her agree to my terms.” The king scowled at Seraphym before turning his attention to Gauge. “As long as the serpent keeps her word, you will get no argument from us. I will not risk losing my son.”
“Lena?” Gauge said softly, waiting until she turned those beautiful golden eyes to him. “Are you sure about this? It’s your life on the line, not mine.”
She flinched, as if his words had hurt her. “I agree to accept the prince’s claim, but only if he can’t find a suitable human female before his shaprata matures.”
Gauge had to fight not to snarl, not sure why her response bothered him.
“Very well then. We should leave immediately. My ship is in orbit. We’ll reach Earth within two days.
That will give Kiernan plenty of time to meet and convince a human female to accept his claim.
If you’re ready, I can have us transported to the ship from here. ”
“We can use my fighter to get to your ship,” Rafa said. “I don’t think any of us want to deal with the pain of a Laizahlian transporter.” Meaning, he didn’t want his mate to deal with the pain. Gauge understood.
“Very well.” Gauge motioned for Kiernan to join them.
“Hold,” King Caelium said. He stood, waving four Raiden guards forward. “My son will not leave this world without protection. You will take his personal guard with him.”
“Will we all fit in your fighter?” Gauge asked Rafa.
“No. It will probably be better if some of you are transported.”
“Come with me, Lena,” Gauge said, holding out his hand. “I can block your pain. Teo and Jax can also be transported with me. Jax can take the pain of one other. Will the rest fit in your fighter?”
“It’ll be tight, but we’ll fit,” Rafa replied. He turned to his mate. “Go with Lena, Aaliyah. Jax will block your pain. I’ll meet you on the ship.”
Gauge barely held off a shiver when Lena placed her small hand in his.
He glanced down into her golden eyes, seeing a similar reaction in her.
It must be from the blood bond they shared, though he had never felt this way about anyone else before.
Whatever was going on between them, he would have to deal with it later.
Right now, he needed to get Lena away from the Raiden king before he had a chance to change his mind.
He didn’t trust Lena not to agree to the claiming.
It would be a big mistake, not only for her but for the prince as well, because Gauge wasn’t sure his own reaction wouldn’t turn violent.
The council would not be happy with him if he ruined the already tenuous relationship Laizahlia had with Raiden at this critical time.
He waited for Aaliyah to step over beside Jax, then opened his communicator to call for transport.