CHAPTER 39 #3
“What you may not understand yet is when you mated with Zephralena, the conversion that took place was not one sided. While she received your bloodlust and strength, you gained a portion of her serpent side. We believe you can use what the queen put inside you to initiate a change of forms. We won’t know to what degree until you try, but at the very least you should be able to form protective scales. ”
“How?” Gauge asked.
“Like this,” the voice said inside him.
Gauge jerked when the receptors in his brain fired almost painfully, then he felt a jolt of electricity shoot through his body.
“Open your eyes, Hunter.”
Gauge heard several loud gasps followed by soft murmurings, though they sounded awed, not afraid or worried.
He looked around him, surprised to find his eyesight even sharper than it had been before.
When he looked out over the field into the heavy forest of trees, he spotted a chipmunk in the far distance, seeing every detail even though it had to be nearly a mile away. This could be beneficial.
“Gauge,” Lena said, pulling at his sleeve. “Look at your hands.”
He looked down, turning his hands back and forth.
Instead of the bronze skin he’d been born with, he found bright golden scales.
The black and red abaci pattern showed up even better on the scales than they had on his normal skin.
He also had sharp black claws instead of fingernails.
“Is this the only change?” he asked, unable to see his own face.
“Your eyes are shaped different, more round, like mine now,” Lena said, looking suddenly nervous.
“And your pupils are elongated. There are a lot more bluish flecks mixed with the green of your irises too. No horns though, or wings.” She fidgeted a moment before asking, “Are you upset, Gauge? Can you shift back?”
Gauge searched inside himself, finding the pathway he needed to shift back wide open. “I can,” he said, “but I think I’ll remain like this for a while.”
Lena breathed a sigh of relief. “I think you look beautiful.”
Gauge chuckled. “I think you mean I look handsome. Beautiful is what you are.”
“Thank you for trusting me, Gauge,” the Umi queen said. “I’m going to give Amanda back control now, but you’ll be able to reach me at any time through my advisors who now reside inside you.”
“Thank you, your Majesty. I suspect what you have shown me will be important during our upcoming battle with your sister. May I ask one more question before you go?”
“Of course,” she said, tipping her head, a slight smile pulling up the corners of her mouth.
“Your sister’s females, are they all as devoted to her as she appears to believe? I can’t explain it, but I got the feeling the one who messed with Lena and me purposely screwed it up. She added details the Djinn queen didn’t know about.”
“Interesting,” Abriel said. “Perhaps my sister has spent too many years trapped on her world while her children are sent out to explore the universe on their own. I will need to think about this. It is not unheard of for a master to lose control of their slaves, and make no mistake, that is how Laramé sees her children. They have no free will. To go against her word is to invite pain and death. True death. Thank you for telling me. If you are right, we may be able to save some of them.”
Gauge nodded, though he wasn’t sure he agreed with her. Even if some Djinn had turned against their queen, could they ever be fully trusted? He had doubts.
Abriel closed her eyes. When she next opened them, control had been returned to Amanda. “Well, that was fun,” the petite female said, chuckling. “We learned all sorts of interesting details.” She smiled at Gauge. “Look at you. Wish I could grow scales like that?”
“You can’t?” Gauge asked, puzzled.
“No, but I can make a complete shift, and you can’t.
I think it’s because you are more closely related to Laramé than you are Abriel.
” She must have seen his unease because she quickly added, “Don’t worry about it, Gauge.
There are a lot of beings in the universe who are related to Djinn.
It doesn’t make them evil. And Laramé gave up control of them when she grounded herself to Ajani Djinn. You’re safe.”
“Let’s hope so,” he said. When everyone grew quiet, he said, “Are you planning to go for a flight tonight?”
Lena grinned, excitement shining from her golden eyes. She looked toward Amanda, almost jumping up and down as she asked, “Are you too tired? Do you still want to go?”
Amanda grinned back. “I’m never too tired to fly. But tomorrow, I’m going to shift to my wolf form with Tallyn and run with Raif and Haven’s pack. You and Gauge will be on your own.”
“I’m sure we can think of something to do,” she said, smiling shyly at him.
“I’m sure we can,” he murmured back, then he gently pushed her toward Amanda. Gauge loved watching his mate shift to her raptor form. Both birds were magnificent creatures. They lifted off together, their piercing cries filling the air as they turned toward the mountains.