Page 139 of Galaxy Circus Act One

“Exactly. She’s even that awful Vilaxian’s blood rose. We knew if they sealed their bond there would be no way Xavier would stay interested.”

And there it is.

Nambra just admitted to the crime.

I throw my head back and start to laugh, and Caspian chimes in behind me. Lexus scowls at him. “I don’t know why you’re laughing, your mate’s a sluttywhore.” She brazenly takes a step forward like she’s going after Caspian. Yes, she clearly lacks self-preservation. He doesn’t let her get far, as one of his tentacles shoots out and snatches her up, hoisting her into the air. She screams and starts to cast a spell, but I render it null. She struggles and gasps as his tentacle tightens around her, cutting off her air supply and her ability to talk.

“Wow, Lexus. That’s a bit rich coming fromyou.” Zanorn has stayed quiet up until now, knowing to stay well out of the firing line, but I guess her utterly ridiculous comment was enough to set off the most placid person in the room.

“My mate is magnificent. You would never be in her orbit, let alone in the same solar system as her. Think about how powerful she will be once she bonds with all of her mates. I wouldn’t want to be the person who pisses her off,” Caspian cautions witha smirk. I can hear how much he admires and respects Lila in his voice. The threat, however, rings loud and clear, but the two other girls scoff, foolish not to heed his warning, and roll their eyes, even as Lexus starts to turn pale from lack of oxygen.

“Please, a kraken shifter is no match for a warlock, and she won’t survive bonding to the Vilaxian. He will drain her until she’s a husk, just like Mithus was, and she won’t survive it.” Elyan is so flippantly confident she is right.

“So why hasn’t this one gotten free yet if you warlocks are so special?” Cas shakes Lexus, and her eyeballs bulge, and the veins start to pop inside them. Her face and lips turn a light shade of blue, a sure sign she’s being suffocated. Cas pauses for a moment before he releases her, and the jealous warlock drops to the floor like a piece of lead. The dramatic thump makes me grin in amusement.

I haven’t stopped my chuckling, and I can see the innocent ones of my harem watching me with caution.

“Not only did she survive, but her body chemistry has become part Vilaxian with their strength and speed, oh, and their taste for blood,” Cas crows, the pride in his voice obvious.

This shuts the girls up, and then all hell breaks loose. They turn on one another without hesitation. It’s obvious their so-called alliance was a joke. “You said she would die,” Nambra accuses Elyan. She crosses her arms and glares at the former warlock.

“And you said that you two were powerful enough to hide us from the cameras. That was a dirty fucking lie. You’re still the pathetic worms you always were,” Elyan sneers, and it proves to be too much for Nambra, who waves a hand, sending Elyan flying back, her body smashing into the wall behind them. Elyan groans and slides down onto the floor, shaking her head. Seeing the girls turn on each other is no surprise, but it doesn’t lessenmy anger one little bit, I’m just waiting to mete out my own vengeance.

“I might be weak, but you are nothing. Nothing. You are worthless to anyone and everyone. Practically human. Maybe you should be left behind on Earth when we leave, because nobody is going to want a powerless warlock. The only thing you’ll be good for is some outer ring brothel, and you might not even survive that,” Nambra sneers, and Lexus nods, having recovered slightly from Caspian’s treatment of her, but she doesn’t move from her spot on the floor. They have all momentarily forgotten about us while the three of them have their own argument.

I clear my throat, and their attention turns to me once more. They blanch at the look of fury on my face. I guess they really had gotten distracted. Elyan stays on the floor, which is probably the smartest move she’s made so far.

“So you have nothing else to say for yourself?” I ask. “You don’t want to plead your case any further or change your story?”

They both get a stubborn set to their chins. “She made us do it.” Nambra points at Elyan, throwing her completely under the Vilaxian starship. Elyan immediately tenses, her body freezing in place, and before she can open her mouth, Nambra shuts her up. “She said thatshewould be nothing but trouble. That she’s already caused her to lose her powers and it was only a matter of time before she whispered in your ear and we would be losing ours too.”

I cannot believe the audacity and sheer stupidity of these women. “What the fuck was I thinking when I contracted them to my harem?” I mutter under my breath, but Cas hears me.

“You probably weren’t thinking with your brain.” He snorts quietly, and he’s not wrong. All three women are luscious and lusty, and it was no hardship to feed from them in the past. I’dlike to think I’ve matured though, not to mention knowing Lila is my intimate changes everything.

“Did you not consider that there is a reason I stripped Elyan of her powers and told you all to leave her alone?” I step closer to the three of them, and they flinch. Seeing that makes me smile internally. They have finally remembered who I am.

“Pfft, no. It’s no secret you have a wandering eye, and even I can see that Lila, despite being a powerless slut, is sexy.” Elyan finally staggers to her feet, rubbing her shoulder where it hit the wall. Lexus is still down, and I think Cas may have damaged some ribs.

“Lila is my intimate,” I announce to the room, and the immediate silence that follows speaks louder than words. I don’t think anyone even breathes for a short moment, and then chaos erupts. Nambra whirls on Elyan.

“You stupid bitch. We never should have listened to you!” she screams.

“Your intimate? How can that useless slug be your intimate?” Elyan is shaking with fear now, but she still hasn’t learned to keep her words to herself. I doubt she ever will.

“Silence! Lila is not as powerless as she seems. My parents locked her powers down years ago. You know what the penalty for attacking a royal’s intimate is, don’t you?” The girls fall silent, and I see Ara shudder out of the corner of my eye. “But I am feeling generous. If you tell me where I can find that cyborg nurse responsible for freeing Saxon, I will wave the death sentence and only remove your powers like Elyan. All three of you will be stripped of your positions and family names and banished from Westalin.”

As much as I’d rather kill them all, I have to look at the bigger picture. I focus my attention on the three women, waiting to see who will share the nurse’s whereabouts. One, two, three seconds go by before one of them develops the nerves to speak up again.

Nambra is quick to offer up the information. “He is hiding in the lightning cats’ living quarters. One of the caves is unoccupied, and he has managed to mute his scent with his nanotech, so they have no idea he is there. Not to mention their own infighting has them distracted.” I nod my head at her, surprised at how much information she has to give. I guess they have been working together longer than I assumed, which in itself is also worrying.

“Thank you.” I hold out my hands and start to absorb Nambra’s and Lexus’s powers. Nambra joins Lexus on the ground, tears flowing over their cheeks as they plead with me to spare them, but I have not one drop of sympathy or guilt. My body shudders at the influx of power, small that it is, and I breathe deeply while I adjust. When I’m done, they are both curled up in fetal positions on the ground, quietly sobbing. “Get them out of my sight,” I tell the others, and Sinath and Topirey hurry over and remove the girls, returning them to their rooms.

There is no point in locking them in. They are powerless now, and I don’t think they will be able to convince the others to do their bidding. They also don’t have self-healing, so I hope they are not stupid enough to have sex with the two males again. They will die.

I turn my attention to Elyan. “I can’t believe that stripping you of your powers wasn’t enough to get you to keep your head down,” I start, sounding deceptively calm. I like the thought of luring her into a false sense of security.

She shrugs casually like this conversation isn’t going to be one of her last. “I knew my daddy would make you give them back when we got to Westalin.” And there it is, the source behind her unwavering confidence.