Page 136 of Galaxy Circus Act One

“Is it common for a Skarrian to have mates from lots of different races?”

The two exchange a glance, and William shrugs. “To be honest, eighty percent of Skarrians only end up with Skarrian mates. It’s really only the ones who travel the galaxy that end up with mates from outside races. It’s not uncommon for Skarrians to experiment with tourists, but a holiday visa to Skarr is only five days long. Not many people want to seal a bond with someone that quickly, and there are many tourists to play with, so why settle? When Skarrians hit adulthood, they usually have a good idea of whom they want to form family units with.”

“That’s not saying it doesn’t happen, but it is unusual,” Eric adds.

“And what about these Skarrians? Have there been any studies completed on how they cope with having such a broad range of powers?” I ask carefully, but I think William and Eric finally get where I’m going without me directly saying it.

“You’re worried about whether Lila’s body can sustain so many changes.” William rubs his chin thoughtfully.

“Yes, not to mention she’s pregnant. I don’t think it occurred to either her or Saxon to be careful. They may not have been rational enough. Saxon certainly would have had tunnel vision.”

“Are the babies okay?” A quiet voice at the door has me spinning around. Standing there are Xavier and Cas, and Cas’s normally bright complexion is washed out with worry.

“Yes, my friend. It was the first thing I checked. The eggs are happy in stasis. Lila’s kraken sent me smug feelings of satisfaction. The fuck me vibes are well-sated for the moment,” I reassure him, feeling guilty it wasn’t the first thing I did. He is her first mate, after all, and he must have been sick with concern this entire time.

He slumps against the doorframe and exhales loudly. “Thank fuck.”

“Come in, you need to be here for this.” William gestures to both men, but neither of them takes a seat. Xavier leans against the wall, adopting an air of nonchalance, but I can see how tightly coiled his muscles are, ready for anything, and Cas paces back and forth.

“Sorry, my kraken is not so reassured, and pacing keeps him contained for now. I’m going to go for a swim shortly, but I want to hear why you’re worried.”

“Just the fact that with the four of us alone, Lila is going to end up with a large range of new abilities, not to mention her own Skarrian ones once they are unlocked. That’s not evenadding in that idiot merman who is the final mark on her shoulder,” I blurt in frustration. I hate not knowing all the answers.

William’s and Eric’s eyes widen at this news. “And does Lila return his interest? She was always muttering about the can of tuna fish.” Eric chuckles, but William doesn’t look as amused. I think he’s finally getting what I’m saying.

“Her mark is on his shoulder, he showed me,” Caspian confirms. “But that could also be the kraken fuck me vibes interfering with real interest.”

William shakes his head. “No, that’s not how it works. There needs to be genuine interest from both sides in order for the mark to appear.”

“Well, anyway, I think we need to hold off on any more bonding until I can do some more research. Maybe the Celestians will have some information that my databases don’t.” My frustration levels are almost through the roof. With all the data I have at my fingertips, there is nothing that reassures any of my concerns.

Xavier scowls, but before he can argue against my recommendation, I hold my hand up. “I’m not saying it’s permanent, but she’s gone through two huge changes in the space of a couple of weeks on top of getting pregnant. Let her body adjust before we throw anything else at her. I know we planned to go straight to Westalin after we left Earth, but in light of the situation...” My gaze slides to John before returning to the group. “I think Celestia should be our first stop. We can have them cure John and ask them about Lila. They have magical ways to heal, which I just don’t possess.”

“Fine, but do not ask me to wait to have my parents return her memories. She needs those to feel the intimate bond we have.” Xavier stubbornly crosses his arms, the most powerful being in the world looking like a toddler who had been told no.

“No, Xavier, I promise I don’t want to stop anything, just slow it down,” I assure him. I’m not sure if my words placate him, but he must know it’s the right decision.

William stands up and claps his hands once before brushing them down his pants. “Good. I’m glad we’ve got a plan, but if you don’t mind, I need to go cancel the rest of our tour and do some major sucking up to our Earth promoters. Eric, when Lila finally surfaces, I’m going to need you to teleport with her to Area 51 to pick up our detainee for deportation. We are expected to pick him up in a little over twenty-four hours.”

“I expect she will sleep for a good portion of that,” I tell them, and Eric nods, relief all over his face.

“Okay. I will go and advise the performers and crew of the situation then if you are going to handle the Earthlings. Please let us know if there are any changes,” he requests, and I quickly agree.

“Of course. If Xavier and Cas can get Lila some food and a change of clothes when she wakes, I’ll stay here and monitor John.” I could sense they needed to do something to help Lila and be able to see her.

“Actually, there is one thing we haven’t discussed.” Xavier pushes off the wall he was leaning on and comes over to look down at John, brushing his hair off his face before turning to look at us.

“Oh?” William arches an eyebrow curiously.

“Who let Saxon out of sedation?” He points at one of the other beds at the end of the room. It’s turned on its side, as well as the surrounding equipment, including the sedation fluid I had flowing into his system. I haven’t had a chance to clean up the mess yet, too busy scouring my databases for anything remotely resembling the poison inside John. I also thought maybe Xavier could do some warlock mojo and pick up a clue as to who it was.

“That is averygood question, and one I don’t have an answer to quite yet. I haven’t had a chance to examine any of the security footage,” William admits, his agitation evident as he continues running his hands up and down his pants.

“We also need to ascertain how Viggy got on the Vegas strip,” Eric reminds us.

Shit. With everything else that happened, I had forgotten about Viggy’s tour down the Vegas strip, which could have been disastrous. That would have been hard to explain if he actually stomped on or ate someone.

“Allow me the pleasure of findingandpunishing the people involved.” Xavier’s dark voice sends a shiver down my spine. The threat and promise are as clear as day. “I have no doubt their motives were less than pure, and I can drag that information out of their minds. It will help me pass the time.”