Page 27 of Defying the Relic Hunter

Adan burst into very realistic tears.“Diversion female.”

“Yes, sir.”I picked up a rock and threw it. When two warriors turned to look, I projected the image of a monstrous Katanic.

The warriors shouted something in a language I didn’t know and started firing. Soon all of them were firing at my illusion. Guess they didn’t realize you can’t kill a mirage, no matter how hard you try.

In a blink of an eye, my form had been replaced by a heaving silky black mass with ropy tentacles. That’s when the bad guys realized there were two Katanics and all hell broke loose. Multiple laser beams hit Adan’s hide. Instead of dying, he got bigger and bigger and bigger.

The battle-hardened men ran for their lives. Their terrified screams echoed around the cavern as Adan’s tentacles quickly stuffed them into his gaping maw.Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Ugh. The sound of the warriors’ bones breaking was truly horrible.

When Adan had eaten the last one, his gaze fell on me.“Don’t even think about it. Zarek wants to add my unique talents to the Coletti gene pool. Do you really want to piss him off?”

No.”A tentacle plucked me off the rock and pinned me against his slimy hide.“Ewww! You’re all gooey and what is that smell?Nausea rose in my throat.I think I’m gonna puke.”

“That smell is my cells dying,Adan replied.

“Dying? Shit! I thought Katanic shapeshifters were extremely hard to kill.”

“We are, but the weapons they used on me in my human form did considerable damage. The being that calls himself the Thunder God has been draining my energy, keeping me too weak to escape. Without proper food I cannot regenerate.”

“This Thunder God has a lot to answer for.”

“He is mine to kill!”Adan thundered.

I held up my hands.“Ok. He’s all yours. What do the Tomb Raiders want?”

“The treasure and the Overlord’s personal security codes.”

“Yeow! They could do some serious damage with those.”

“I would never put Detja in danger.”

“Detja? As in Zarek’s mate?”

“She is my daughter.”

God, he stunk. I tried breathing through my mouth.“Gotta say, I don’t see a family resemblance.”

“She is the daughter of my heart.”

I guess that meant he had adopted Detja. I’d love to hear that story but from the other side of an energy field.“Luke Air Force Base is holding about three hundred Rodan prisoners. Would they get you back to full strength?”

Adan’s body trembled.“Yes.”

“Great. You can go munch on them and I’ll head back to my truck.”

“You are a feeble human without any weapons. Zarek would be annoyed if anything happened to you.”

“Not your problem. Just get me out of this cavern and we’re even.”A boot kicked me in the ribs. Ouch! I twisted around and noticed there were body parts moving inside Adam.“Holy crap! They’re still alive!”

“Yes, it will take some of them days to die,”Adan gloated.

“Oh ick.”

An incandescent orange light formed around us.

I shielded my eyes.“What’s that?”

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