Page 46 of Courting Mayhem

Derek’s voice was full of sick horror.“Do you have any idea of what you’ve just started?”

“Bad, huh?”

“Food now,” Zosia shouted.

Derek placed a hand on Adan shoulder and teleported.

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Chapter Ten

“Remove your armor,” Zosia ordered abruptly.

“Uh. What?”Surely, I had misunderstood her.

“Remove your armor.”

I swallowed hard.“They’ll be right back with more food.”

Zosia dragged me closer. “If I wanted to eat you, your armor would not have protected you.”

“Didn’t know that. Would Coletti armor protect me?”

“For a day or so.”Her tentacle tapped impatiently against my helmet. “Remove it.”

Kiri spread her branches over me.“No hurt!”

Defne yanked on her mother’s tentacle and chirped loudly.

“Enough children! I will not harm Mayhem the Berserker.”

Oh, thank the Goddess.

“Everything okay, Mayhem?”There was a note of concern in Derek’s voice.

“I sure hope so.”I flinched when Zosia popped the seal on my helmet and removed it. “Why do you need my helmet off?”

“I’m looking for a good spot to mark you.”A tentacle touched my gauntlet and the top half of my armor retracted.

Alarm skittered down my spine.“Not the face! Please, not the face.” I had seen some butt ugly tattoos on female Hrungnir traders’ faces, and they creeped me out. “Why would you want to mark me?”

“For all to know you belong to my Uchahe sect.”

“You want me to belong to your, ah, clan?”Color me surprised.“That’s. Uh. Unexpected. I mean I’m honored, but why would you want to do that, and will the Supreme Leader approve?”

“I do not care if he approves or not. Someone gave the Rodan access to the breeding sanctuary. Qa’a says you and the Coletti are the Overlord’s investigators. That means you are the best in the galaxy.”

“We are very, very good at our job, but don’t you have enforcers who could search for the traitor?”

“We do, but I do not trust them. Only someone in authority could have lowered the shields and shut down the automated defense systems.”

“Have you made someone angry recently?”

“I am the Supreme Leader’s Consort. Many wish me ill.”

“Has anyone tried to assassinate the Supreme Leader?”

“Yes, but Qa’a ate them.”

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