Page 43 of Courting Mayhem

Zosia snagged Derek and dragged him over.“You are Coletti?”

“I am. The Overlord has informed the Supreme Leader you and your baby have been found alive,”Derek said.

“Death is close. Promise me you will keep Defne safe.”

Defne let out a mournful chirp.

My anger flared to life.Oh, hell no! Defne wasn’t losing her mother too.“Death is getting its ass kicked today. Do you hear me Zosia?”

“My strength is gone.”The words were a faint murmur.

“What part of you arenotdying, don’t you get? You are a badass Katanic. The galaxy’s boogieman. You are indestructible. Stop being such a wuss and suck it up. Defne needs a mother who will fight for her, who will protect her from the Rodan. I know what it’s like to lose a mother to the monsters. I’ll never feel my mother’s touch again. Never hear her laugh. Defne doesn’t deserve that kind of pain. Show her how a true warrior acts.”I grunted as the tentacle tightened painfully around my waist.

Derek growled,“You got a death wish?”

“Anger is a great motivator.”

“To get her to eat you,” Derek countered.

“After what Mallox did to her, she’s lost the will to live.” I placed Defne on Zosia’s shaking body.“Are you going to let those bastards kill your child?”

“No! Never.”Acold rage filled Zosia’s voice. “I will destroy them all.”

“You bet your ass you will, and we are going to help you. But first you need to release Derek and let him bring you some food.”

The tentacle slid off Derek.“I will need six hundred pounds of flesh to start regenerating.”

“Consider it done.”Derek teleported away.

Kiri hovered protectively over the baby.

“We’re looking for a missing Askole female too. Did you see her?”

“The male they call Mallox had a female strapped to a table. I could not tell if she lived.”

“Mallox is still here?” My senses went on red alert, and I scanned the area. The cargo hold was too heavily shielded for me to get any kind of reading.

“No. He fled when the Askole warrior attacked.”

Damn.“Did he take the female with him?”

“Unknown.”

I linked with my fathers and filled them in.

“We located Mallox’s computers. He’s been communicating with a Bjarke mercenary who calls himself Jabbercon. Sten is tracking the traitor,”Poppa Jacob said.

“Copy. It’s a good possibility Mallox took Ina with him.”

Papi Sten interjected,“Baelish won’t be happy.”

“If he refuses to cooperate, Derek will breach his mental shield and force his compliance,”I replied.

Poppa Jacob chuckled.“That should be an interesting contest.”

“If we could sell tickets to the bout, we would make a fortune,”Papi Sten added.

Derek teleported in carrying two dead hybrids. He dumped them next to Zosia. “The Supreme Leader is sending Adan with two Calcinite’s hearts.”

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