CHAPTER 24
Against her objections, Gauge forced Lena to wait until the next night before he attempted to claim her, wanting to make sure she wouldn’t change her mind.
He hoped the shaprata would not initiate the painful conversion, but deep down feared it would.
He ended up calling Rafa and Aaliyah down from the ship, wanting Aaliyah to speak with Lena beforehand.
Aaliyah had been emotionally damaged from abuse before Rafa claimed her, but had since grown into a strong, independent female.
This was what Gauge wanted for Lena, with or without him.
Aaliyah also showed signs of her DNA having been manipulated by Djinn.
She could possibly help if a Djinn had done something to Lena during their lost time in the wormhole.
“Maybe you should have Jax transport down,” Teo said, his tracker pacing nervously on the other side of the room. This was what Teo had pushed for. Was he having second thoughts now?
Lena and Aaliyah were talking in the bedroom, which left Teo, Seraphym, Samantha and Rafa out in the living area. The alpha and Haven offered to stay, but Gauge had politely declined, telling them he would send for them if it became necessary.
“Jax is unstable. We can’t predict how he will react if things go wrong,” Gauge said.
He reached up to rub his aching jaw, the swelling making it increasingly difficult to speak.
He turned his attention to Rafa, wanting to know more about what to expect.
“What did you experience when you stung Aaliyah?”
Rafa looked a bit uncomfortable as he glanced around the room. “Nothing much when the stinger first engages, but when her abaci is brought back through the barb, it is intensely arousing. Both Nicolai and I ejaculated right before the stinger broke off. We had no control over it.”
“And the female? What will she experience?”
“Abby and Aaliyah were both unconscious during the process. Lena could probably tell you more.”
“Lena was terrified of what Ngozi did to her. I doubt she held any sexual feelings toward him.”
Rafa shrugged. “The claiming is an intimate process. Speaking for myself, I found it embarrassing to lose such control over my body. If there is any chance a female might experience something similar, I would suggest you take Lena into the bedroom, so it is just the two of you present.”
Gauge thought about it for a moment. “That would not be wise. We have no idea if I’ll react the same as a Raiden warrior.
” Gauge removed his stunner from his belt, activating it before he handed it over to Seraphym.
“Lena is your niece. She is family. I think it best if you and Samantha observe the claiming. If I begin to lose control for any reason, you can stun me. All you need to do is aim it at me and press your thumb over the flashing light.”
“Why not us?” Rafa said. “We are Raiden. We know better than the serpents what to expect.”
“Because it was a Raiden prince who abused her. I’m afraid your presence will cause Lena to think back on what Ngozi did to her. I would like to avoid this if at all possible. Lena trusts her uncle and Samantha.”
Samantha reached out and put her hand on Rafa’s arm. “We’ll call you in if it looks like we’ll need to interfere. It’ll be fine. I think we’re all just letting our imaginations get the better of us. Raiden warriors have been stinging females for centuries.”
Gauge studied the Catalan female a moment before he answered, thinking she above everyone else should know to expect the unexpected.
Samantha had been human but shifted into a serpent when Seraphym and another Catalan alpha injected her with their venom.
It should not have happened. Just as he should not have formed a Raiden shaprata.
“I’m not Raiden, young one, so we can’t know what will happen.
If Lena does begin to go through a conversion, some of you may need to offer her blood.
I’ll be there to make sure she doesn’t take too much. ”
They looked between themselves, expressions uncomfortable.
Before anyone could reply, the door to the bedroom opened and Aaliyah walked out, the beads in her braided hair rustling softly.
“Okay. I think Lena is determined to go through this. She’s obviously nervous, but not afraid.
” Aaliyah set those dark brown eyes on Gauge.
“She trusts you, Gauge. Just be gentle with her. She’s been through a lot.
” She paused, looking down for a moment.
When she looked back up, there was pain in her eyes.
“Give the shaprata time to work before you ask for sex. It might help.”
Gauge nodded, not offering further reply. Sex would happen when Lena initiated it. Not before. But this was none of anyone else’s business. He wasn’t upset with Aaliyah. He knew she was only trying to help.
Seraphym and Samantha stood with Gauge, following him into the bedroom. They knew without asking to stay toward the back of the room as he approached Lena, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands folded in her lap.
“You are sure?” he asked, reaching out to take one of Lena’s hands in his as he took a seat beside her.
She looked up, the cat-like pupils in her eyes widening. She looked worried but also determined. “I am.”
Gauge knew from Lena’s memories that Ngozi had ripped her clothes off, then forced her down on the bed, using his much heavier body to pin her as he forced her mouth open.
He’d immediately thrust himself inside when he gained an erection from the shaprata, not bothering to wait until she was ready to accept him.
If he’d only been patient, the shaprata would have worked to make him more appealing sexually to her, but the prince hadn’t cared. He enjoyed hurting her.
“D-do you w-want me to t-take off my clothes and lie down?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“No. Come to me, Lena. Keep your clothes on and come stand in front of me.”
She nodded, standing. Gauge spread his legs as she stepped in front of him, drawing her in between his powerful thighs.
With him sitting and her standing, they were almost at eye level.
“Now what?” she said, her voice not trembling quite so much.
She had expected him to claim her the same way as Ngozi.
Gauge could sense her relief when he didn’t.
“I want you to kiss me,” he murmured softly, cupping her cheek. I’ve been told instinct will guide me. I wish I could say it won’t hurt, but I have no idea what will happen.”
“It’s okay, Gauge. I’m not afraid of the stinger.”
“Then kiss me.” Gauge allowed his gaze to turn to Seraphym and Samantha for a moment as Lena leaned in against him, her hands on his chest. Lena’s uncle appeared tense, but his mate was holding tight to his arm.
It amused him to see Samantha had taken the stunner from Seraphym.
Perhaps she thought he might stun him even if nothing negative happened.
Gauge closed his eyes as Lena’s lips pressed against his.
He’d dreamed of what it would feel like to hold her like this but never allowed himself to believe it could become a reality.
Her lips were soft, her breath sweet. He snugged her closer against him, sending a telepathic message when she started to stiffen in his arms.
“Relax, Lena. Remember, nothing will happen that you don’t want to happen. I cannot control the stinger, but beyond that, you are in control. If you don’t want this, tell me now.”
She moaned then, relaxing against him. Gauge tipped her head more to the side, his tongue tickling at her mouth, asking for entry. She moaned again, opening for him, and he slowly entered her mouth, his tongue teasing her own.
Gauge shivered as she reached up to cup his jaw, her body trembling, though he sensed it wasn’t fear that caused it this time. He withdrew his tongue slowly, inviting her to follow. She was timid at first, only touching her tongue to his lips, but then she grew bolder.
Gauge felt himself beginning to harden and knew this didn’t have anything to do with the shaprata. His reaction was as any male who found himself attracted to a female. He knew Lena would feel his growing hardness and hoped it wouldn’t frighten her.
“I’m not afraid of you, Gauge. I know you won’t hurt me.”
He smiled against her lips, wondering if his little mate had already found a way past his formidable shields. Nothing would surprise him at this point. But it was time now. They could go no farther until after he stung her.
Gauge allowed her a few more seconds to explore his mouth, shivering when her tongue brushed against a sharp fang, nicking it.
He pulled her in tighter as the sweet taste of her blood exploded in his mouth.
Gauge retook control, thrusting his tongue back into her mouth.
He allowed instinct to guide him as he pushed her tongue aside, flinching when he felt the stinger engage.
They both moaned as his essence was injected into Lena, his cock throbbing almost painfully in time with the pulse beneath his tongue.
Lena reached up to grab his hair, pulling him in even tighter.
She did not appear to be in any real pain.
He growled as she rubbed her lower body against him, praying for strength.
Never had he wanted to rip someone’s clothes off as desperately as he wanted to with Lena.
He would give almost anything to be inside her right now.
He wondered how any of the Raiden warriors managed to stop themselves.
Gauge was an ancient Hunter with thousands of years of experience controlling his emotions, his actions, and he could barely stop himself.
They both jerked when the flow reversed itself between them, her abaci, her essence, now being returned to him.
If Gauge had thought it was hard to control his lust before, it was nothing compared to this.
He reached for her hips, lifting Lena onto his lap, their mouths still locked together by the stinger.
Lena didn’t fight him, opening her thighs as he snugged her groin against his erection.
If they had not left their clothes on, he knew he would be inside her right now, and he sensed Lena would not have objected to it.
Gauge’s hands went to her butt, holding her as she began to rub against him.
When she lost her rhythm, he took over, thrusting gently against her, racing toward a release he had not felt in hundreds of years.
Gauge entered her thoughts then, finding her mind lost to pleasure she had never experienced before.
He stayed with her, allowing her to feel his own rising pleasure.
They both growled as the pulse around the stinger grew more intense. Gauge tightened his grip on her hips, feeling Lena stiffen as she began that quick rise toward bliss. Up and up and up.
Gauge broke away from her mouth, roaring out his pleasure as he exploded. Without thought, he pushed her head to the side and struck with his fangs. Lena cried out again, but he knew it was from pleasure, not pain. He stayed inside her mind, holding her, drinking her down.
“You need to stop, Gauge,” an obviously nervous Samantha said. “You’re taking too much blood.”
But he couldn’t stop. It wasn’t just a bloodlust driving this. Something else was controlling him. Gauge could swear he heard deep, feminine laughter, but it was coming through his mind. He tried to reach out for Teo, for Jax, but the pathway to both had been closed.
Gauge opened his eyes, seeing a worried Seraphym standing in front of them, Samantha by his side. “You must stop this!” he sent, praying his pathway to Seraphym would be open. “I’ve lost control.”
Seraphym’s eyes widened a moment, then he grabbed the stunner from Samantha and thrust it against Gauge’s neck.
Gauge pulled back when the jolt hit, his entire body stiffening. He had one moment to see Samantha pull a limp Lena from his arms before darkness closed in. Following him into the dark was the laughter of a Djinn. He shuddered at her words.
“You belong to me now, Hunter. There will be no escape for you or the little serpent female.”