CHAPTER 19
Gauge relaxed when he noticed Lena walking with Teo. He knew she would be safe with his tracker while he spoke with the serpent who had been at this military facility they were going to tomorrow.
“Sorry about my pops and the other elders,” Raif said, slipping his arm around Haven’s lower back.
“I know they’re assholes, but you don’t need to worry about them.
I won’t let ’em interfere this time. Maybe this queen you were speaking of can reach them.
I have to say, I’m looking forward to meeting her.
I think it’s cool that the shifters of your world and mine are related.
” He smiled at Haven before adding, “Maybe more of our people will find their fated mates.”
“You said Jax is assisting you tomorrow, right?” Haven said. “Has he recovered from his ordeal with Evanth and the Djinn?”
“Not completely. The council believes work will be good for him,” Gauge replied, not sure he could offer her more. He had his own doubts about the Hunter’s state of mind.
“If it’s possible, I’d like to speak with him before you return to Laizahlia,” Haven said. “I wasn’t given a chance to thank him for saving my life.”
“That’ll be up to Jax,” Gauge said, “but I’ll let him know.”
“I understand.”
Gauge’s attention was drawn to a serpent male arguing with a human female a short distance away.
He recognized Faith, the female. She and her father had been living on Laizahlia for the past few years, helping their scientist try to figure out why dormant Djinn cells were being activated in recent hybrid mates.
Faith was a pretty female, though not what Gauge would consider beautiful.
She had a heart-shaped face, her chin a bit too pointed, and wide green eyes.
Her shoulder-length auburn hair had been pulled back in a high ponytail.
Right now, her lips were pressed tight together as she shook her head at something the serpent said.
Aeson wasn’t quite as large as Seraphym, his build sleeker, though it could be because he was quite a bit younger.
It could also be because he had human genes where Seraphym did not.
The serpents of Earth had been given no choice but to take the occasional human mate.
There simply weren’t enough of them to keep the gene pool healthy.
When the couple turned to face them, Gauge could see the male’s eyes were a soft turquoise color, the faint scales on his body a little more green than blue.
“Did we come at a bad time?” Raif said. “We can come back later if you like.”
“No, you’re fine,” Faith said. “Just the same old argument.”
Raif and Haven didn’t ask anything further, so Gauge assumed they were already aware. He didn’t personally care what the pair was arguing about as long as it didn’t interfere with his assignment tomorrow.
“Aeson, Faith, this is Gauge, one of Laizahlia’s Hunters,” Raif said. “He has some questions for you about the military base where your uncle was kept.”
Aeson tipped his head in respect to Gauge. “I’m not sure how much I can help. You should ask Xavier, one of your fellow Hunters. He’s the one who went inside. He had me stay outside with my father when he rescued my uncle.”
“Xavier is unavailable. You must have spoken to your uncle about his ordeal,” Gauge said.
“Tell me what he said about his confinement.” Gauge shifted his attention to Faith.
“I also understand your father worked there before you were brought to Laizahlia. Perhaps you can offer even more about their defense system.”
“My dad never spoke to me about his work there. I think he was embarrassed over what they did to Aeson’s uncle. I only found out about it when I overheard my parents arguing. Dad may have told your council more. You should ask them.”
“My uncle didn’t like to talk about what happened to him,” Aeson said. “I think they tortured him.”
“Yes, my guess is humans would have tried to learn how serpents shifted forms, thinking to use it as a weapon.” Serpents could also breathe fire, a flame so hot it could melt the outer shell of ships built to handle space. “How far below ground was he held?”
Aeson shrugged. “I’m sorry, I don’t think he even knew.
He was unconscious when they first took him down, then they kept him trapped in a small cage made from special fireproof glass.
His wings were bound with silver bands, and a silver band was locked around his neck to keep him from activating his fire.
I believe they drugged him whenever they wanted to bring him out of the cage for tests. That’s pretty much all I know.”
“Were you able to reach your uncle telepathically while he was being held captive?”
“No, or at least not that I know of. Xavier or my father may have tried, but I never thought to ask them. Your Hunter had me and my father stay outside to keep the soldiers occupied while he and his tracker went inside to free my uncle. They were transported out. We met up with them later at Faith’s house. ”
Nothing of any help. Still, Gauge didn’t believe there was anything made by humans that could hold an ancient Hunter like Neyvarre, or the Umi queen and her mate.
It would also be a mistake to underestimate Neyvarre’s mate, Kimberly.
The dormant Djinn cells in her grandmother, Elena, had already been activated.
Gauge believed it was only a matter of time before Kimberly’s followed.
“You should go with them tomorrow, Aeson,” Faith said, taking a step away from the serpent. “You can help them. While you’re gone, I’m going to go visit my mother and brother. I haven’t seen them since I moved to Laizahlia with Dad.”
Aeson glanced away, his jaws clenched, his frustration beating at Gauge’s mental shields. “It’s not safe, Faith. You need to stay here. Call your mom. Have her and your brother come here for a visit. Nobody will hurt them.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I don’t think so. You know how Mom is around shifters. She’ll never agree to come here. If I want to see her, I need to go there. I’m only going to stay a couple of days. It’ll be fine. I’ll probably beat you back.”
“I’m not comfortable with this, Faith. You know we suspect the military has been watching your mother and brother. We can’t let them get their hands on you.” He looked over at Raif. “Tell her, Alpha. It isn’t safe to leave the pack. Not right now.”
“She is not a prisoner here, Aeson,” Raif said.
“If she really wants to go, I can’t stop her.
But I do agree with you.” He set his gaze on Faith.
“It’s not safe for you to leave, not right now.
Whatever you and Aeson have going on is none of my business.
A little time apart would probably do you both good, but you don’t need to leave.
Aeson can go with Gauge and Teo tomorrow.
You can stay here, where you’ll be safe. ”
Faith sighed. “I need some alone time, Raif. You’ve been good to me here, and I’m grateful, I am, but I haven’t seen my mom and brother in years. I’m not stupid. I’ll be careful. I won’t go to their house. We can meet somewhere else. It’ll be fine.”
Feeling increasingly uneasy, Gauge took this time to check on Teo and Lena.
What he found infuriated him. “How did you allow this to happen, Teo?” he sent his tracker telepathically, seeing him and Lena being held prisoner by two of the alpha’s elders.
They were walking up a steep embankment in the mountains.
“You and I both know the alpha here needs to accept his elders don’t respect him. Let Raif and Haven handle this, Gauge. Lena is not as weak as you want to believe. We’ll both be fine. She will gain confidence when we escape on our own, without your help.”
“If she is hurt, I will hold you personally responsible,” Gauge snapped back, though he understood what his tracker was trying to do. Teo could handle both elders alone if it became necessary, but he was allowing this to play out to try to help Lena gain confidence.
“Look at her, Gauge. Touch her mind. Lena is not afraid. She is angry. We should feel sorry for these idiot cats.”
“Lena is a female Leviathan. She cannot shift, nor can she breathe fire. One lone female is no match against two male shifters, especially when they are carrying weapons with silver ammunition.”
“But she is much more than a simple female serpent now, and you know it. She is your mate. The mate to one of the most powerful Hunters on Laizahlia. Lena told me what happened when she first met you in the Raiden palace. She reacted as any other eillelé would when meeting their true mate.”
Gauge didn’t immediately reply. He wanted to deny what Teo said was true.
He’d tried to convince himself of it, but the truth was, he’d also felt a jolt when Lena walked into the Raiden palace with Jax.
When a Laizahlian met their mate for the first time, an exchange of power always took place.
If Lena had been Laizahlian, it wouldn’t be hard to guess what she received from him.
Could a serpent even handle that kind of power?
All Hunters were dangerous. The council spent decades helping them develop their natural abilities before turning them loose.
Helping them learn to control it. Lena wouldn’t have a clue what to do with it.
And what had Lena given him? Something. He’d sensed a change inside his body but couldn’t quite pin it down, which he found worrisome. A Hunter could not afford to lose control, which was why he worried about Jax. When one did go rogue, as Evanth had, it became a real battle to bring them down.
“Do not allow Lena to get hurt, Teo,” Gauge sent. “I hold you personally responsible for her safety.”
“She won’t be hurt. Have faith in your mate, Gauge.”
Gauge snarled, breaking contact as he turned to face the alpha. It surprised him to see worry in their eyes. Haven and Raif stepped in front of Faith and Aeson when the wind kicked up and thunder rumbled in the distance.
“Are you okay, Hunter?” Haven asked. “Your eyes are glowing.”
Gauge could see the hair standing up on the shifter’s arms, claws beginning to form on her fingers. She glanced up when a flash of lightning lit up the sky; a crash of thunder immediately followed.
“You need to rein in your power, Gauge,” Haven said. “Look around. You are affecting everyone here. I don’t know what’s wrong, but why don’t you let me call Jax. Maybe he can help.”
Gauge turned to see everyone running for shelter, obviously shocked by the sudden storm.
He took several deep breaths, releasing them slowly as he pulled back his power.
The wind dropped down to a gentle breeze, the electricity in the air dissipating.
“Forgive me,” he said, crossing his fist over his chest as he tipped his head toward the alpha.
“What happened?” Haven asked.
“Your elders have taken my tracker and Lena. They are holding a weapon with silver bullets on them.”
“They did what?” Raif said through gritted teeth, his face losing all color. “Do you know which ones?”
“Your grandfather and the one who spoke with him, but I suspect there are others waiting to help them. They mean to try to take control of the pack from you and Haven. They think to chase us out of their territory. Your elders hold no respect for you, Alpha.”
“Fucking idiots,” Raif growled, waving his beta over. “Are there any elders still here?” he asked when Skylar stopped in front of him.
Skylar looked around. “No, I think they all left with Pops and Tom. Why?”
“Send everyone home, Sky. Give them my apologies, but we have an emergency to deal with.” He looked over at Haven. “Well, they went and did it this time. We’re going to have to lock them up until after things settle down.”
She nodded. “Are you in contact with Teo?” she asked Gauge.
“Yes.”
“What does he need us to do?”
Gauge did not want to have to explain why Teo allowed this to happen. He didn’t know if he even could. “At this point, he doesn’t want us to interfere. He believes he and Lena can handle your elders alone.”
Raif’s eyes widened as he looked toward his mate. The alpha hadn’t yet learned to hide his emotions from those around him. He would need to.
Gauge almost snorted. If his momentary lack of control was anything to go by, he wasn’t exactly handling this like the trained Hunter he was supposed to be.
“I’m not real comfortable staying out of this,” Raif said. “These are my pack members. I’m responsible for their actions. I should be the one to handle this mess.”
Haven cleared her throat before she said, “You should be the one? I thought we shared responsibility for this pack.”
“Forgive me, my mate. I meant we should be the ones to handle this.”
“I can help too,” Aeson said. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”
“I’ll wait here,” Faith said. “I’m a doctor, so I can treat any injuries, if there are any. I’ll call Doc Angela and tell her what’s going on. She can bring over supplies from the clinic.”
Gauge nodded at the human female. He wasn’t too worried about Lena or Teo’s safety. Teo was perfectly capable of taking care of them, but the elders might not fare so well.
“Do you know where they are?” Raif asked.
“Somewhere behind your home, heading up a steep trail.”
“I bet they’re headed for Goudy’s old place, a dilapidated cabin about five or six miles from here.
It sits at the top of the mountain. Jax killed the old bastard last year when he tried to murder Haven during a challenge.
Nobody in the pack wanted to move up there, so it’s still empty.
Can’t say I blame them. It’s kinda a shithole. ”
“I’ll allow you to help,” Gauge said, “but you will follow my orders. I won’t risk the lives of my tracker and Lena.”
Haven put her hand on Raif’s arm when he started to object, shaking her head. “They’ll have a better chance of coming out of this alive if you let Gauge handle it.”
“Better chance of who coming out alive?” Raif asked, raising one eyebrow in question.
“A better chance for Pops and the other elders. Even if all the elders are there, they won’t be able to fight against a Hunter like Gauge.
I know you’re angry with them, Raif, but we really don’t want anyone to get hurt if we can help it, even your asshole elders.
We need our people to cooperate with the Laizahlian when our presence goes public.
Killing or maiming our elders isn’t going to help. ”
Raif grimaced, refusing to look at anyone for a few seconds. “Fine. We’ll hang back until you call for help. It’ll just be me, Haven, Skylar . . .” He looked toward the young serpent. “. . . and Aeson. How do you want this to go down?”
“I’m going to call for transport to my tracker’s position. You four can shift and meet me at this cabin.”
“It’ll take us twenty or thirty minutes to get there on foot. I could drive up, but they’d see us coming.”
“It’s better if you come in on foot.” Gauge hoped to have it all settled before the alpha reached them. He preferred they stay out of it completely, but understood why Raif needed to exert dominance over his people.