Page 49 of Courting Mayhem

“Enough children. You may now feed me Adan,”Zosia decreed.

“Yes Consort.”Adan’s mouth grew and grew until it fit perfectly over Zosia’s maw. There were horrific retching noises and Adan’s body began to shrink.

“No eat me. No eat me,” Kiri cried.

I stroked her leaves. “It’s okay sweetie. They don’t eat trees.”

“Me safe?”

“Yes.”

Kiri stopped shaking.

Defne watched her mom feed with interest.

Between the smell and chomping noises, I was ready to run. I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Try being inside a Katanic. It isn’t pretty or roomy.” Yellow slime slid down Derek’s armor and pooled at his feet. “Why did you let her mark you?”

I shrugged. “Seemed like a good idea at the time. Mallox must be stopped, and it was the only way to enter the Katanic’s breeding sanctuary. Hopefully, I can find some clues to who the traitor is and where Mallox’s home base is located.”

“The chances of you making it out alive aren’t good,” Derek snapped.

I retorted, “And attacking Zosia was a smart idea? What were you thinking?”

“She was hurting you.”

“I’ve been hurt before and survived.” I smacked Derek’s armored chest and grimaced at the slime now decorating my hand. Ugh. “If you get yourself killed, Zarek will probably give me to some other warrior. I’m not letting that happen. You’re a decent captain and I’m just getting used to you.” I jiggled my hand, trying to get rid of the stinky slime. “Don’t get dead on me. You hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am.” There was a trace of amusement in his voice.

“Did you find any sign of Ina or the other Askole females?” Ouch. My palm was stinging like crazy. I tried to scrape the goopy stuff off on a jagged piece of metal.

Derek cocked his head. “All we found were eight mutilated corpses. Sariel is beyond angry.”

“Baelish has a lot to answer for. How many hybrids are left?”

“Twenty,” Adan answered.

“Mayhem the Berserker and her Coletti mate will care for Defne while I hunt them,” Zosia pronounced.

“Sure. How long…” A startled gasp broke from me. Zosia was almost healed, and Ballock’s balls, she understood English too. “Yes, Consort. What can I feed Defne?”

“Fingers, eyeballs, brains and entrails,”Zosia answered.

Damn. The stinging was getting worse. I had to get this gunk off me before it ate my hand off. I did a mad arm swinging dance.

Kiri imitated my moves, her branches clicking joyfully. “Me like!”

Defne chirped happily and swung from limb to limb.

“What in the hell are you doing?” Derek ducked a branch.

“This itchy shit is superglued to me.” I waved my hand around wildly.

Zosia grabbed my hand and sucked on it.“I cannot allow my Berserker to be injured.”

A giggled escaped me. Zosia’s tongue tickled like crazy. Whoa! I swayed as a rush of heat rolled over me. I suddenly felt good. Really, really good. Like the time I had drank an entire bottle of dark ale.

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