Page 86 of Courting Mayhem

“Not quite. It’s a power boost.”

I liked that idea a lot. “Let’s do it.” I linked with Derek.

With shocking ease, our powers combined, and we became something more. Bellowing a truly scary Coletti battle cry, we hacked, sliced, and shot our way through the Rodan soldiers. We were unstoppable.

“Who are you?” A Rodan shouted.

“Death.”We said in unison and shot him.

“Release your link. We need a few Rodan soldiers alive to find out where Mallox’s lab is located,” Zarek commanded.

“Yes, my lord.” Derek stunned the last two soldiers and withdrew from my mind.

I surveyed the carnage.“Huh? How did our traitor manage to sneak all of them onto a cloaked world? And didn’t the idiot realize once Mallox had the coordinates to What Shall Remain Nameless, he would come and go as he pleases.”

“The lust for power turns a lot of beings into fools,”Derek said.

“What I want to know is where they took the pregnant females?”

Derek tapped on his warrior’s bracelet. “They’re three hundred feet below us.”

“Let’s go introduce ourselves.”

The War Commander held out his hand. What? Was he afraid I would materialize inside solid rock? Crap. It was a possibility. I took his hand. Poof! We were standing in a large cavern filled with stasis chambers. In one corner a lab had been set up. Qa’a was going to be seriously pissed when he saw all of this.

A shrill cry caught my attention. A fat Katanic male with lumpy tentacles was cutting open a pregnant female. I literally saw red. I pulled my laser pistol and shot him again and again and again.

“That’s not going to work,” Derek growled.

“I know, but it will get his attention.”

The Katanic male let out a banshee-like screech, dropped the scalpel and rolled toward us. He kinda remined me of a funky beach ball.

“And now that you have his attention, what’s your plan?”

I shrugged. “I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

Two executioners zoomed into the cavern.

The Katanic male’s eyes widened in shock, and he fled into the darkness.

The executioners streaked after him.

“Think they’re females?”

Derek tapped on his bracelet.“Does it matter?”

I shook my head.“Not a bit. Let’s go check on our pregnant lady.”I took one look at the horrific cuts and pulled out my healing wand.“Go round up some food. She’s gonna need a lot of it.”

Derek vanished.

I retracted my armor to expose my tattoos and smiled. “My name is Mayhem and I’m the Empress’s investigator. You’re safe now. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”I held up the healing wand. “I’m going to use this to stop the bleeding. My mate has gone to get you some food.”

“Opve and Peu put our doulas in those chambers. Now he plans to cut my child from me.”she cried.

“That’s not going to happen, and they will face the Rite of Soma for their crimes,”I assured her as I ran the wand over her deep cuts.

The cavern was suddenly full of executioners.

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