CHAPTER 39
Two weeks had passed since they rescued the Umi queen and their people from the human base, though Amanda (or the Umi queen) had told them they were never in any real danger.
She’d hoped by cooperating with humans, giving them a sense of control, they might begin to see reason.
And maybe they would have had a chance if the general hadn’t already been corrupted by a Djinn.
The chromastin might turn out to be a problem, but that was for the council to figure out. Jax and Teo returned to Laizahlia immediately to fill them in on everything they’d learned. They would return once the council decided on their next move.
Seraphym and Samantha were taken back to Raiden a few days later. They had their own problems there to deal with. Gauge chuckled, remembering Seraphym’s last words before they left, something about castrating him if he learned his niece had been mistreated in any way.
Since Rafa and Aaliyah could not return to Raiden in the foreseeable future, they had decided to remain on Earth with Raif and Haven’s pack. They would stay hidden from sight until after the general population had been informed about aliens living among them.
Until they learned more, the council thought it best for all Laizahlian and their hybrid mates to remain on Earth.
They could help guard the shifter packs once their existence became public knowledge.
Hopefully this would go smoother than everyone expected.
Gauge had doubts. In his experience, nothing ever went easily when dealing with Djinn.
Adding superstitious humans to the mix could make this a living nightmare.
Lena flourished, working with Amanda and the Umi queen almost every evening at sundown.
Until they went public, Raif preferred they not fly during daylight hours.
Gauge never grew tired of watching the joy enter Lena’s golden eyes when she prepared to shift into her raptor form.
She’d accidentally set a couple of tall evergreens on fire when she first learned how to access her flame, which had upset Raif, but Gauge quickly put it out before too much damage was done.
Strangely enough, since his mating with Lena, Gauge found his own powers increasing in strength.
Before, he would have needed to draw in a storm to gain access to water through rain, but now he could pull it straight from the air.
It would be interesting to learn what else he could do over time.
Tonight, the Umi queen had asked Gauge to join them.
Holding hands, he and Lena walked across the field where they’d been practicing every night.
He was surprised to find Neyvarre and Kimberly also there.
Lena ran over to give Kimberly a hug, the two having developed a close friendship over the past two weeks.
Gauge glanced toward Tallyn and Amanda, Amanda smiling warmly as she watched Kimberly and Lena.
“Your mate looks happy,” Tallyn said. “You look happy too, my friend. You and Lena are good for one another.”
“Yes, I could not have asked for a better mate.” While Lena was occupied, Gauge turned to Amanda. “Is there a specific reason why you asked me to join you here tonight?”
Amanda and Tallyn looked at each other, which only raised Gauge’s curiosity.
Normally, he would have peeked inside their minds to learn his answer, but Tallyn and Amanda both had impenetrable shields.
He’d learned all those connected directly with the Umi queen had been made more powerful, including this ex-tracker.
Before she answered, Amanda motioned for Kimberly and Neyvarre to walk over.
Gauge almost smiled to see the former Hunter wearing human clothes, a green button-down western shirt and snug blue jeans.
His knee-high boots had been replaced with what they called black cowboy boots, but the pantleg went over the outside of the boots instead of tucked inside.
It wasn’t surprising that Amanda and Kimberly were comfortable in their human clothes.
After all, they’d both been born and raised on this world.
Neyvarre and Tallyn, like him and Lena, struggled a little more to feel comfortable in the stiff new clothes, too used to their much softer leather.
“I would like to ask something of you, Gauge, and you might not like it,” Amanda finally said.
He frowned. “And what is that?”
“You understand I’m the vessel for the Umi queen, but what you probably don’t know is that she is not the only one who resides inside me.
When the queen went dormant, a large group of her closest advisors went dormant with her.
They did so knowing they would never, ever have a body of their own again.
But they didn’t die either. Some of them still reside dormant in the cold waters of Umi Creek, but a great deal of them entered my body with their queen. With our queen.”
Gauge frowned. “Why are you telling me this?”
“You are a powerful male, Gauge, an ancient of your kind, but even so, you have not gained access to your full potential. If you allow it, the queen can send over some of her Umi advisors to reside within you. They can help you in times of need, and they will remain quiet during times when you don’t need them. ”
Gauge’s frown deepened, not at all certain he liked this idea.
“I understand what you’re thinking,” Neyvarre said.
“I wasn’t exactly open to the offer when the queen first made it to me either.
I can say, in all honesty, that I don’t regret it now.
Without the Umi present to help keep me calm, I’m not certain what I would have done when Kimi was taken from me.
I felt powerless after they injected the drug, but then the Umi opened their connection to me, and I knew if things took a turn for the worse, they would be able to help me.
Unlike me, they never lost contact with their queen.
Not even the chromastin could keep them away from her. ”
Now that was interesting. It might have been good for the council to learn about this. So much about the Umi queen remained a mystery to them.
“They are with me too,” Kimberly said. “It’s actually kinda fun. You have a built-in encyclopedia to draw from. It’s amazing how much they know, or the power they can unlock inside us. And on the plus side, you don’t even know they’re there unless you call for them.”
“Are you planning to give Lena some of them too?” Gauge asked, not certain how he felt about that. It was one thing to experiment with him, and quite another to put his mate at risk.
“It’s not necessary with Lena,” Amanda said. “Lena and the queen already have direct contact with one another. Abriel can’t speak through Lena, like she does with me, but she can communicate telepathically. She can help Lena learn without the need for advisors.”
“Why can’t the queen speak to us telepathically like she does with Lena?”
“She can. But she can’t actually get inside your formidable defenses to show you what you need to know, or to work through you if it became necessary, not safely anyway.
Lena opened a door inside her mind, freely giving access to the queen.
That door will never be completely shut again.
Lena will always have direct access to the queen, a precious gift, Hunter.
For you, she offers the services of her Umi advisors, but they will need to reside inside you to be of any help. ”
Gauge supposed that made sense. When he still hesitated, he felt a sudden change in energy, and the queen’s multi-layered voice suddenly filled the air.
“Gauge, I understand your reluctance. I know what I’m asking goes against everything you believe in. Control is everything to an ancient Hunter like you, and you believe by letting my Umi advisors inside that you will risk losing control.”
“Yes.”
“Do you trust me?”
Gauge didn’t have to think about that one. “Yes. You have never given me a reason not to.”
“Then know this. My advisors will remain in constant contact with me. And though I can’t control you through them, I have absolute control over them.
My people have spent thousands of years in the cold waters with me, waiting for a suitable vessel to be born.
They willingly gave up any hope for a normal life and are completely loyal to me.
All they want is to help us succeed in defeating my sister.
To do this, we will need your cooperation.
There are only a select few Hunters being offered this chance.
It is my gift to you, but I will not force it.
Nor will I be offended if you turn me down. ”
Gauge looked at Lena, who nodded at him. She obviously wanted this, so he would agree. “All right. What do you need me to do?”
“It may make you feel uncomfortable, but I need access to the blood vessel beneath your tongue. My advisors will enter you there.”
He found it interesting that the Umi queen and the Raiden warriors, with their shaprata, had something in common. “All right. How do you go about this?”
“Kiss me,” she said in her multi-layered voice, her eyes rippling with silver, the effect almost dizzying.
Gauge lifted an eyebrow in question as he shifted his gaze to Tallyn, who only nodded, his expression calm for someone about to see his mate kiss another male. Lena pushed him toward Amanda, obviously not bothered any more than Tallyn about this.
“It’s okay, Gauge,” Neyvarre said. “There’s nothing intimate about this process. You’ll see.”
“Fine,” Gauge said. He stopped in front of Amanda, shocked again by how tiny she was.
Her head barely came up to his chest, and he guessed she wouldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds.
He knew better than to underestimate her, especially with the queen in charge.
The power rolled off her in strong waves, beating against his shields.
In the back of his mind, he wondered if Amanda remained aware of what was going on when the queen came forward, suspecting she did.