Page 12 of Galaxy Circus Act One

“Well, you’re welcome to him,” I mutter, and Caspian reaches out and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze.

“Don’t be sad. Who knows, Skarrians choose their mates, and we have quite a few with the circus,” he murmurs, and I wrinkle my nose.

“But they are all so slutty until they do since they can’t fuck people more than four times without sealing the bond or something ridiculous like that.”

“Who’s slutty?” A pretty, magenta-haired girl slides into a spare seat at the table and shoulder bumps Caspian. “Are we talking about Dylan?”

The rest of us laugh, but he sneers at her. “Actually, we’re talking about you, Magenta. Skarrians are so slutty, never staying with a person long enough to find out if they actually like them because they are too afraid to seal the bond with too much sex.”

“Oh, sticks and stones, dude, sticks and stones. And you’re one to talk about being slutty. At least I have a legitimate reason. You just like to hit it and quit it, you big whore,” she retorts, glaring at him. There is no love lost between the two of them,and it’s safe to say Magenta is not one of his conquests. “I mean, who haven’t you fucked here?” She gestures around the room before tapping her lip with one finger in thought. “Maybe the Aquilians, because they don’t come out of the pool often.”

I slide my attention to the group of merpeople. They are sitting at another table, and I study them. I know all but two are a committed pod, so I guess they are out, but the other two are single and brother and sister, but they are not particularly social with the rest of us, though Nixie is more amenable than her brother.

I startle as Nixie notices us looking. She winks and sends a flirty wave toward us, and Xavier chuckles.

“Ah, do I detect a hint of lust in the air? Have you been having some fun with our finned friend, Magenta?” he teases the Skarrian performer, who just gives us a cheesy smile.

“Don’t knock it until you try it, X. That girl doesn’t need to breathe underwater. The things she can do with her mouth will blow your mind,” she replies with a bawdy wink, and Xavier turns back to study the siblings who have their heads together, talking quietly. “You should take Nikos for a swim. He isn’t smart, but he’s apparently down to fuck and not particularly fussy.”

“I’ve never fucked an Aquilian before,” Xavier muses, and I shake my head. To be honest, none of the crew are particularly fussy when it comes to sex, except for the Skarrians and those with mates. As long as it’s consensual and nobody gets hurt, we might as well enjoy ourselves, but it’s been a while since I had a regular partner. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to blow off some steam that way.

“I bet they smell fishy,” Dylan grumbles, and Magenta smirks.

“You’re only saying that because neither of them will give you the time of day. So did I miss the big reveal?” She turns away,dismissing him completely, and smoke blows out of his nostrils in annoyance. I smother a smile, because it really is fun seeing her cut him down. He’s such an arrogant ass.

“No, not yet, but I can feel something coming,” Xaviar says, a frown creasing his forehead as he absently rubs his chest. “Someone has a whole heap of nervous tension bubbling up inside them.”

We all focus our attention on the entrance to the dining room. The door slides open, and William Adams steps inside, followed by a female who can only be his granddaughter.

“Whoa,” Caspian murmurs as we study the newcomer. The noise in the dining room cuts off as everyone turns their attention to her. She’s struggling to keep her composure, her smile wobbling slightly as she looks around the room.

Xavier chuckles. “Well, that’s certainly an interesting reaction,” he mutters under his breath.

“What do you mean?” I ask him quietly as I run my gaze over the pretty human. She’s curvy in all the right places, with golden skin and long, chestnut hair with streaks of turquoise. Her pretty green eyes widen as she tries to control her expression.

“I just got hit with a burst of lust that was delicious,” Xavier admits, and Caspian scoffs, a scowl on his face.

“Lust? Are you sure your emotional radar isn’t broken? She looks like she can’t decide if she wants to stay or run as fast as she can in the opposite direction.”

“Pfft, stop putting your insecurities on the poor girl,” Magenta scolds him gently. “You have to give her a chance. This is all new to her. I think she’s doing an admirable job keeping her shit together. I mean look around, everyone has their freak flag flying today.”

Everyone who has a half form or can’t glamour is on display, and for someone who thought they were human and alone in the universe, this must be a reveal of epic proportions.

“Hmm, she is brave,” Saxon agrees quietly as they make their way to the head table and take a seat.

Eric Adams stands up and bangs a fork against his glass before making a speech. I miss most of it because I’m trying to catalogue every minute reaction the pretty human has, watching for any signs of physical or mental health issues. That’s my job as ship doctor after all, and if it means I can justify staring, I’m going with it.

“To Lila.” Everyone around me toasts, and I startle. Lila must be her name.

The noise picks up again as Eric sits down, but I clearly hear everyone talking about the newcomer. I still don’t take my eyes off her as we watch her accept a goblet of Skarrian water. The brothers came to me for advice, and I didn’t know how to advise them, but I suggested just giving it to her and seeing what happens. Now I’m on full alert to watch for any adverse reactions. All of us at the table practically hold our breaths, waiting for something to happen, but when nothing does, we relax again.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Magenta mutters with disappointment.

“Wait.” Xavier’s whole body starts to vibrate like he’s experiencing her emotions firsthand. “Something’s happening.” He stands up, and Saxon goes on full alert, jumping to his feet as well.

“What’s going on?” he demands, his attention swinging from Xavier back to Lila, his hand clenching like he’s preparing to fight.

We watch in astonished silence as Lila starts to float up out of her seat, her body buzzing with electricity as her hair floats around her face. She screams, and a burst of electricity arcs from her body across the room, hitting the lightning cat female on the ass. She snarls and screeches, her fur smoking where it hit her,just as Lila’s eyes roll back into her head and she falls to the ground.