Page 32 of Courting Mayhem

“Strike him in the temple,” Derek ordered.

Leaping into the air, I drove the base of my staff into Canute’s temple. His eyes rolled back and down he went. My knees buckled and I hit the floor. I sucked in a shuddering breath. That had been too damn close.

The Riu tree’s turquoise branches shook wildly. The limbs made a strange high-pitched clicking noise as they reached for Canute.

In my head a wing-like hum grew louder and louder. It was as if the tree was crying for Canute. “He’s not dead.”

The tree stopped shaking and the humming faded away.

I sent soothing vibes to the tree.“He’s taking a nap.”

Derek sat up with a groan.“Why are you talking to the tree?”

“I think it’s sentient.”To my horror, the Riu tree tried to climb out of the aquarium. “Look out!”

Derek struggled to his feet and swayed unsteadily. “A sentient tree?”

I shrugged. “Why not? I’ve seen stranger things.” Most Riu trees grew to be over a twenty-feet high. This one was about three feet high and had the mental signature of a child. “Your daddy isn’t hurt. He’s only sleeping.”

Its quivering limbs clung to the rim of the aquarium.

“No baby. You need the water to live.”

It clicked at me angrily.

“Protective little sapling,” Derek commented as he eased off his badly dented helmet.

I noticed the massive bruise on the left side of his face. “Anything broken?”

“My nose. My cheekbone.” Derek squinted at me. “Since I’m seeing two of you, I probably have a concussion too.”

“Do you need blood?” A part of me was shocked that I had offered, and why was I suddenly feeling the need to protect the war commander?

Derek nodded. “Good idea. Got my bell rung pretty good and teleporting right now, is a bad idea.”

I cringed as he lifted my wrist to his mouth.

“Relax sweetheart. It won’t hurt.” He sank his fangs into my vein and a carnal need flared to life in Derek’s eyes.

My lady parts clenched. The drag of his mouth hardened my nipples. The touch of his velvety tongue against my skin stole my breath. What the hell?

Another explosion sounded.

Derek licked my wound. “We need to get Canute back to the ship before reinforcements arrive.”

Papi Sten groaned and sat up. “What hit me?”

“Canute,” I answered, keeping a wary eye on the baby Riu tree.

“Let’s get the restraints on him, before he wakes up,” Derek said and held out his hand.

“I’ll do it.”

My father handed me the shackles and a pressure injector. I jerked back as Canute’s tentacles suddenly came to life and rammed the pressure injector into his thigh. Once his tentacles went limp, I clamped the shackles on.

The sapling climbed out of the aquarium.

“Oh hell! Bad baby.”

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