Page 53 of Courting Mayhem

“You fool, she’s the Supreme Leader’s child,”Poppa Jacob shouted.

I scooped up Defne.“Hurt this baby and you’ll be dead before sundown. Know this. Not only will we hunt you, but so will the Supreme Leader and Zarek. Are you ready to deal with all of them?”

Kiri wrapped her branches around us. “No hurt.”

“Did we fail to mention her mother is the Supreme Leader’s consort.”Papi Sten gave a shudder.“It will take you days to die.”

“Wait! We will help you hunt down the Rodan scientist,”Ivan offered.

Derek scowled.“No way in hell. You took my daughter to Threll, and you almost got her killed. You’re not getting anywhere near Mayhem.”

“Your crazy daughter is the one who blew up Threll, not us,”Ivan retorted.

His daughter sounded like my kind of girl. I frowned. Goddess, was I her stepmother now? My stomach sank. A stepmother who was her age. Crap. Talk about awkward.

Loki replied angrily, “Jia’s actions almost got us assassinated by the Yagga. Twice.”

Derek pulled his pistol. “You’re the ones who kidnapped Jia and took her to the armpit of the galaxy.”

Uh oh. Derek was still in a snit and the idiots didn’t realize how close he was to killing them. “Leave now or I’ll have Adan, one of the deadliest shapeshifters in the galaxy, eat you.”

Ivan yanked out his laser pistol. “Adan is here?”

“He is. If I were you, I’d put that pistol away. Laser bolts only piss Adan off,” I warned.

The wizard kid ambled up the landing ramp. “That they do.”His long tongue slurped Ivan’s face.“Yum. Quite tasty. The Consort has eaten all the hybrids and she is still hungry.”

“She can eat these two.”Derek jerked his thumb at Loki and Ivan.

A glittering blue light engulfed Loki and Ivan. Twenty seconds later they vanished.

I grinned. “I guess they don’t realize you can open a portal on their ship.”

“The fools have no idea of what I am capable of, but they did show some good sense in departing,”Adan said.

“Their ship is leaving orbit.” Derek tapped on his bracelet. “Damn, they have a cloaking device.”

A glittering blue light formed around me. “Noooo!” I couldn’t move. All I could do was watch molecules whizz about me. Kiri’s wing-like humming joined with Defne’s frightened chirps.

The War Commander’s bellow of rage echoed in my ears as the shuttle vanished.

Loki and Ivan were dead men. The light faded and we were standing on an icy cold transporter platform. “I know you’re scared Kiri, but I want you to take Defne up to the ceiling and hide while Auntie Mayhem deals with these morons.”

“Me protect.”Kiri’s tentacles attached to the roof and whoosh! They disappeared into the shadows.

“What once belonged to Derek Jones now belongs to me,”Loki taunted.

I pulled my pistol and fired. Nothing happened.

“Suppression field.” Loki said cheerfully. “Submit to me and you won’t be harmed.”

A cold fury filled me. “Send. Us. Back. Now!”

Loki laughed and picked up a rusty looking ownership band. “Once I put this on your neck, we are bound together for all eternity and not even the Overlord can break that bond.”

“Do you really think I’ll just stand here and let you put that disgusting thing around my throat?”

“I’m bigger and stronger than you. It won’t be much of a fight.” A worried frown suddenly formed on Loki’s face. “Wait. Do you have telekinetic powers or are you able to hurl lightning bolts or control the weather?”

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