Page 69 of Courting Mayhem

“As you wish. According to the articles of the Rite of Korowai, you are entitled to seek your vengeance first.”

“As it should be,”Zosia replied huffily.

Papi Sten eyed the Katanics warily.“Are you ready to beam down or do you need more time to discuss your family business?”

“We are ready to hunt Mallox,” Zosia snarled.

Yikes! I shot a glance at Derek.

He shrugged.

Sten stepped over to the control console and his fingers danced over the keyboard. “What is our battle motto?”

Derek and I shouted mentally, “If you can’t convince them, confuse them. If that doesn’t work, kick the shit out of them.”

Baelish stared at us like we had lost our minds.

Eeyore. Eeyore. Eeyore.

I grinned. At least Zosia had kept her sense of humor. Qa’a not so much. The glittering blue transporter light engulfed me. Ugh, how many times could my molecules get torn apart without me ending up with a finger on my forehead? I sighed in relief as my molecules abruptly stopped whizzing about. The light faded and we stood on a makeshift transporter platform. Thehah-hah-hahcries of the Skuas birds mingled with the high-pitched whine of energy shields. The smell of unwashed bodies and dead fish made my stomach roll. I froze when forty-eight laser pistols were pointed at us.

Zosia took flight. Her mosquito-like form hovered over the crowd. One wrong move and who knew what awful creature she would morph into.

Baelish looked around haughtily.“Put your weapons away or you will be thrown overboard, and I do not think you can outswim the Rui trees.”

His “guests” hurriedly holstered their sidearms.

“Where is my drink?”

A servant rushed up with a foo-foo drink.

Doing a great imitation of a vid diva, he flounced down the steps. “Come my pretties. I promised them a show.”

As we dutifully followed Baelish, I scanned the crowd. “I don’t see Vrax or Mallox, do you?”

“No, just a couple of well-known thieves, Duba, the fence, and a Hrungnir trader who wants to rule the galaxy.”

I eyed the little Hrungnir. They always reminded me of Earth Trolls.“I’m surprised there’s not more wannabe emperors in the crowd.”

“Me too.”

Baelish pointed to a raised stage. “Go. Dance.”

“Where is my pole?”

The Askole smiled nastily.“He is your pole.”He pranced away.

“Baelish is going to be a problem.”

“That he is,”Derek agreed, helping me up on the dance floor.

Pasting a seductive smile on my face, I twined my right leg around his waist and arched backwards, giving the murderous goons an unobstructed view of my breasts as I jiggled them wildly.

The horny males hooted and grabbed themselves. There wasn’t a female alive who found that sexy, yet they continued to do it. A few more yelled creative ways to fuck me properly.

A growl rumbled in Derek’s chest as he yanked me up.

Slipping his grip, I twirled around him like a drunken ballet dancer.

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