CHAPTER 12
Lena stared in amazement as they drew closer to the bright slit in space. It didn’t look real. She could see nothing inside the tear in space, only flashing lights. She’d thought it only white at first, but as they drew closer, she realized there were faint flashes of red, orange, and yellow.
She tightened her grip on Gauge’s hand as the ship passed through. The lights on the bridge flashed off and on several times. A surge of power made her stomach climb into her throat.
An alarm went off.
Raised voices.
“Gauge?” Lena whispered. Her vision blurred when the energy surged.
Faint shadows passed her by, but nothing she could focus on.
She couldn’t feel her body. Couldn’t feel Gauge’s hand.
It felt like they were being sucked into, or trapped in, some other dimension.
Afraid she might vomit, Lena closed her eyes, searching for the special connection she had with the Hunter.
She should have listened to him and gone to her quarters, or gone to stay with Seraphym and Sam. “Gauge?”
“I’m here, Lena. Try to relax.”
“Is this normal?”
“I don’t think so. The captain believes we might have gotten sucked into a wormhole.”
“Is that possible? A wormhole showing up where you folded space?”
“I have never heard of it happening, though I suppose anything is possible. Wormholes are unstable. They can crop up anywhere and disappear just as fast.”
That didn’t sound good. “If we are trapped in one, where do you think it will take us?”
“It doesn’t matter. Wherever it drops us out, we can fold space again and return to Earth.”
“Why can’t I feel you, Gauge?”
“Something in the wormhole is disrupting our senses. We should be fine once we emerge from it.”
Gauge’s tone sounded relaxed in her head, but she sensed a deeper worry.
A loud woosh followed by pressure on her body. “Gauge!” she cried out, feeling as if she were getting sucked through space. Lena panted against the terror as darkness closed in around her.
As she came to, Lena found her body felt light, almost as if she were floating, but the air was heavy, making it a struggle to breathe. “Gauge!”
“The serpent is awake.”
Lena frowned at the whispered voice, not sure she hadn’t imagined it.
“And the Hunter?”
“We got what we needed from him, then sent him through. We were able to test and manipulate the cells in his body, but his mind is too strong. It remained closed to us.”
“But it is the right Hunter. You are sure of this?”
“Yes, mistress.”
Mistress? What are they talking about? Lena wondered.
They must be talking about Gauge, but where had they sent him?
And who were these people? Fear struck hard.
What if Ngozi had escaped the island where her people were holding him prisoner?
There were many who still thought he should be the next ruler of the House of Nekbet, not his younger brother, Nicolai.
Lena did not want to live if Ngozi had found a way to reclaim her.
She tried not to flinch when she felt someone lean over her. All Lena could see in the darkness were red eyes with bright silver pupils. “W-what do you w-want?” she said, fear causing her to stutter.
“Poor little serpent. So confused. You interfered where you shouldn’t have. Now we must find a way to use you to our advantage.”
“Who are you?” Lena asked, her voice a little stronger. What did I interfere with?
“Who we are doesn’t matter, little serpent,” the voice whispered.
“You are not who we expected the Hunter to lock onto, but I believe we can still turn this to our advantage. Now I’m afraid the next few hours may not be comfortable for you.
Try your best to relax. I promise you won’t be seriously harmed. ”
What did that mean, ‘lock onto?’ “What are you talking about? Do you mean Gauge? Is he the Hunter?” The whispered voice didn’t answer.
The red eyes disappeared. Lena wanted to scream.
She couldn’t feel anything, though the air remained heavy, making it a struggle to get a deep breath.
She couldn’t see anything, but sensed her body was being moved.
She gasped at the soft prick to her neck. Then fiery pain. Had someone injected acid into her veins?
Lena screamed, then screamed again. She wanted to jerk away from whoever was causing the pain, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. Another quick prick to her lower stomach followed by more acidy pain.
“Stop!!” she cried, but no one paid her any mind. Over and over they pricked her on different parts of her body. Over and over she prayed the fiery pain would end, praying for death. What she’d experienced with Ngozi when he’d stolen her innocence had been nothing compared to this torment.
In what felt like hours later, she whispered, “Let me die. Please let me die.”
“Maybe one day, little serpent,” the voice finally answered. “Once you have performed your duty. Soon you will rejoin your mate. When the time is right, we will awaken the part of you that we need to use against him. Unless you wish to feel this pain for all eternity, you will obey us.”
“My mate?” Did they mean Ngozi? “I don’t care what you do to him. He’s a monster!”
The voice chuckled. “Of this we can agree. Hunters try to portray themselves as these benevolent beings, but they are all arrogant monsters.”
Hunters? No, I’m speaking of the Raiden prince, Ngozi!”
“Sleep, little serpent, sleep. For now, at least, you must forget our time together. Soon all will become clear.”
Lena grunted at the crushing pain in her head, welcoming the darkness when it closed in around her.
*
Gauge checked to make sure Lena hadn’t been hurt during the rough entry. Though she’d passed out, her heart rate and breathing remained strong. “What happened, Captain?” he asked. “I assume this is not normal when entering folded space. Did we enter a wormhole?”
“No, it isn’t,” Captain Eisher said. “Our instruments didn’t alert us to a rogue wormhole. Give me a minute to check our coordinates.”
“Have we been thrown off course?”
“I don’t believe so, but there is a strange time lapse we can’t explain. May I suggest you take your guest back to her quarters. She will be safer there should we run into any more problems.”
“How long was the time lapse?” Gauge asked, leaning over to unbuckle an unconscious Lena from the chair.
Captain Eisher stopped what she was doing and looked over at him, her expression worried. “According to our instruments, we were locked in a strange flux for nearly forty-eight hours. It must be a mistake. Take your female back to her quarters, Gauge. I should know more by the time you return.”
Gauge carefully picked Lena up, cradling her against him. He ignored the strange looks some of the crew gave him on his walk back to her quarters. He tried to ignore Seraphym’s telepathic tap against his shields but was finally forced to open a channel to the persistent serpent.
“What happened, Hunter? Is my niece safe?”
“She is fine, Seraphym. I’m taking her back to her quarters. You and Samantha can come check for yourselves as soon as she wakes.”
“Why isn’t she awake? Did something happen? You should have warned us how difficult it would be to enter folded space. We were not prepared.”
Gauge sighed inside, not wishing to go over this until he learned more.
“Have Aaliyah meet me in Lena’s quarters.
I need to return to the bridge to speak with the captain.
What we experienced was not normal when entering folded space, but we don’t know yet what happened.
As soon as I learn, I will inform you of our findings. ”
“Why Aaliyah? We are family. We should be there with her. Me and Sam.”
“She does not know Samantha as well as she does Aaliyah. Aaliyah has a calming effect on Lena. Please, Seraphym, it is only for a short while. I’m not trying to keep anything from you.”
“Very well. I’ll send Aaliyah.”
“Tell her to come alone. Lena may feel disoriented when she wakes. I don’t want her to panic if she sees a Raiden warrior.”
Gauge stopped at the entrance to Lena’s quarters, using his mind to open the door.
He may not have been completely honest with her when he said no one else would be able to enter her quarters.
What he should have said was no one else but him.
If the worst happened and Kiernan forced her to mate him, he did not fully trust that Lena wouldn’t try to hurt herself.
Walking over to the bed, he stood for a few seconds, studying her relaxed face, oddly reluctant to put her down.
Why did it feel right to hold the young serpent in his arms?
Was it possible Teo was correct in that this female could be a potential mate for him?
It didn’t seem probable, but he couldn’t explain his rising attraction toward her.
Perhaps it could be explained by the growing shaprata beneath his tongue.
Raiden males could technically sting any female when their shaprata matured, but they tended to lock onto a specific one.
Something guided them, some sense that helped mark a female they could safely bond with.
“Gauge, may I enter Lena’s room?” Teo sent telepathically.
“Why are you here?” Gauge asked, barely able to keep the snarl out of his tone.
He knew his reason for asking for Aaliyah had not been completely honest. Lena would not have objected to having her uncle present when she woke, but Gauge couldn’t stand the idea of any male being near her when he wasn’t there to protect her.
“The captain asked me to check on you. She is waiting on the bridge for us.”
“I’ll be out in a minute.”
Gauge didn’t wait for a response before he closed the connection. He carefully laid Lena on the bed and pulled a cover up over her. After making sure she looked comfortable, he forced himself to walk back to the door.
A few minutes later, Aaliyah arrived. Gauge let her in, holding his hand up when she started to ask questions. “I’m going to speak with the captain now. As soon as I know anything, I’ll inform all of you at the same time.”
“All right, Gauge. I’ll stay with Lena. You and Teo go find out what the hell happened because that didn’t feel normal.” She rolled her dark eyes and blew softly through her lips. “Not that I know what normal is supposed to be on a spaceship like this.”
Gauge almost smiled as he exited the door. He liked Aaliyah, not surprised she and Abby were such good friends. Both females were smart, independent, and strong. She wasn’t wrong. There was nothing normal about anything that had just happened.
“Is Lena well?” Teo asked on their way to the bridge.
“She’s sleeping. She passed out during the entry into folded space.”
“Everyone did. I’m not sure we are quite ready to travel in this manner.”
Gauge frowned as he looked over at his tracker. “This wasn’t a normal entry, Teo. The captain said we lost nearly forty-eight hours during the disturbance.”
Teo frowned. “I knew it was a rough entry and exit, but I had no idea we were trapped for so long. Do we know what happened?”
“The captain suspects we were accidentally drawn into a rogue wormhole.” Gauge wasn’t so sure. Something nefarious had happened during those two lost days, but for the life of him, he couldn’t pull anything forward.