Page 57 of Courting Mayhem

“My mark will keep the Enforcers and Executioners from devouring you.”

A cold prickling ran up my spine.“You couldn’t just tell them not to eat me?”

“I have many warriors and we do not rely on computers to communicate as your people do.”

In other words, there was a good chance I’d be dinner.“I’d be honored to wear your mark.”The tentacle tightened and an intense burning sensation circled my left arm. Yeow! I shuddered as the pain intensified. I will not embarrass myself by screaming. I will not embarrass myself by screaming.

Derek crashed into my mind. “Which one of those bastards is hurting you?”

“Neither.”I clung to his presence.“It’s Qa’a.”

“Qa’a? He’s there?”

“He is and he decided I needed to be part of his sect too.”I felt Derek move in my head and the pain vanished. I sighed in utter relief. “What did you do?”

“I blocked your pain.”

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” I gave Derek a fierce mental kiss.“You’ve gotta teach me how to do that.”

His ghostly hand stroked the side of my face.“You’ve dealt with Loki and Ivan?”

“Yes, those two need to be locked up on that penal colony you’re so fond of.”

“You are now a member of the Kupgaj sect,”Qa’a stated.

I opened my eyes. My new tattoo was a gold and black tribal armband. “I will wear it with pride.”

“I will return your mate and the children to Gliese,”Qa’a advised Derek.

My eyes widened in horror as I stared at the boiling vortex of death. “You want to take us through that?”

“Yes. Be at ease. I will not allow any harm to come to you.”

A slightly hysterical laugh broke from me. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll just wait here until Derek can retrieve us. Or I can fly this ship back to Gliese.”

A Rodan battle cruiser has been tracking this spacecraft. Those two fools have not properly maintained their ship for some time, and it would not survive a battle.”Qa’a studied me for a moment. “Do not let your fear put the children in harm’s way.”

I winced. He was right. I was being a wuss.

“Riding the vortex is comparable to the Tower of Terror’s elevator drop. The only difference is Qa’a will be taking you on the wild roller coaster ride through the void, and in an instant, you’ll be back on Gliese,”Derek explained.

I did love thrill rides and the faster the better. “What about Loki and Ivan?”

“I’ll deal with them later,”Derek replied.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I’m not the first female they’ve kidnapped.”

“I can eat them,” Qa’a offered.

“No! That won’t be necessary.” I held my arms up to Kiri. “Come on down, Uncle Qa’a is giving us a ride back to Gliese.”

Kiri dropped on my shoulders.“Me no like swirly clouds.”

Yeah, I wasn’t a big fan either. I also had a bad feeling Derek wasn’t being up front about the dangers of riding the vortex.I plastered a big smile on my face to reassure the kids.“Going through the portal is like one of those Magic Kingdom rides I love. We’re gonna have so much fun, you’ll want to do it over and over again. Just think when Defne gets older she’ll be able to summon a portal like this one.”

“What magic king?”Kiri asked.

“A special place for kids.”

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