Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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We watch as Lila leads the Pleasure Inn family away.
The quick hug and kiss we exchanged was not long enough for me to surreptitiously check how she is doing.
She seems to be stable, so maybe I was worried about nothing, but only time will tell.
I think I may need to sit down with both her and Saxon and examine what his blood intake requirements are, then we can work out if she is going to be able to supply him enough or if he will have to substitute feed.
It’s not a conversation I’m looking forward to. If I know Lila, and I think I’m getting a good handle on her, she’s going to be disappointed if she can’t feed him exclusively and feel guilty that she’s his blood rose when he could have a Vilaxian blood rose who could give him everything he needs.
She doesn’t have anything to worry about though.
Just from watching him, I can see he thinks she hung the moon and the stars.
While before he had been happy to mingle with the circus crew, he always had a slight cloud of woe surrounding him, like he was just going through the motions and not really enjoying life to the fullest. I had heard rumors that he had grown weary of his clan and was feeding elsewhere, though I am not sure who has been sustaining him, but two of the girls have been very vocal about it not being them.
To be honest, recently, the whole clan has been taking advantage of the club and intoxicated crew members looking for fun.
It’s practically become a sport to feed one of the Vilaxians and see how many times you orgasm while they feed.
I was beginning to worry that some of our crew members were becoming addicted to the bite, and I was going to need to give blood transfusions.
Maybe with the three new Vilaxians who arrived, that will cease now.
I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice Caspian vibrating next to me until Susie squeaks and steps backward. Cas has changed from his glamour to his half form, and his eyes are flashing between his normal color and the black of his beast. A low rumble is coming from deep inside his chest.
“Is he okay?” Mark whispers as the two of them try not to draw his attention.
Before I can answer, Cas does.
“Yes,” he grits out from between clenched teeth. “My beast really wants to see his mate. He doesn’t like that she walked away from us.”
I place myself in front of the barely controlled shifter and grab his shoulders, drawing his focus to me.
“Cas, the quicker we do this, the quicker you can find her and go for a swim. In fact, I bet you’ll find her hiding in the pool once she’s done with them.
It seems to be her go-to place when her emotions overwhelm her, and I bet they are running rampant now that she’s had reminders of her parents’ deaths. ”
He struggles, a tentacle wrapping around my leg and creeping higher. His eyes flash to black and stay there.
“Seriously, get it together. Let’s get this done, and she’s all yours. She would want you to help her best friends. She’s placing a lot of trust in you to make sure they get what they need.” I shake him, trying to get him to see sense.
Those words seem to do the trick, and the tentacle’s grip turns from something that was borderline painful to a gentle, apologetic caress before it slides away.
“Shit,” he gasps as his eyes return to normal and he looks down at his shredded clothes on the floor. “I’m sorry. He is feeling needy after her bonding with Saxon and wants to reaffirm his place in her life.”
I pat him on the back before going over to a cupboard, pulling out a spare uniform, and tossing it at him.
He changes back and slips on the clothes, not caring one little bit about Mark and Susie. I cover a smirk when neither of them avert their eyes, taking all of Caspian in.
“Lucky Lila,” Susie mutters, and Mark grunts his agreement.
“Okay, let’s be on our way, shall we? What is your address?” I ask the two former humans who tell me, and then I program it into the machine.
The trip to their home takes no time, and the two of them rush around, throwing things into bags and gathering items they want to take with them.
“What are we going to do to fake our deaths?” Mark asks me, and I’m confused for a moment.
“Is that how they are planning to explain your absence?” Cas asks as he helps Susie pack up their home.
“Yes. They think it will be easier, and we can come back and claim to be our relatives later.”
“Do you have wills? Do you need to contact a lawyer and make arrangements in case of an accident? You could leave everything to Lila. She will be able to claim everything for you,” I suggest, knowing my girlfriend’s backstory is her joining the circus.
“My will already makes Lila the beneficiary,” Susie says.
“I have mine going to a charitable foundation. I had no one I wanted to leave it to until Susie, and I haven’t had a chance to change it to her.”
“Okay, so a quick call to your lawyer is needed. Advise them of the change to the beneficiary. Then, in a week’s time, we’ll have one of our tech specialists put in a death report for the two of you, and then the relevant authorities will be alerted, and all of those wheels will be put into motion.
Or even better, may I suggest you change from your current lawyer to the firm that handled the search for Lila?
They are owned by an alien and handle all Earth residing alien affairs, from creating new identities to getting them social security numbers and passports. ”
Mark spends the next hour on the phone doing what he needs to do. I speak to Mr. Ryding, the lawyer at the firm who was in charge of the search for Lila, and advise him of the situation. He quickly takes over Mark’s and Susie’s affairs, expediting them for us.
We need to make the house look like it’s still lived in and like they planned to come back, but it also needs to be future proofed. Mark and the lawyer arrange it so the apartment will be kept for “Lila,” and a company will come in once a month to clean it.
“Mr. Ryding has made it so Lila will be able to transfer all our assets to our new identities, including the life insurance. Mr. Ryding has also assured me that if we choose to return to Earth, he can create new identities with our original education and qualifications so we can easily pick up jobs,” Mark explains to Susie at the end of his call.
Finally, they are organized and have gathered everything they want to bring with them into one pile. I activate my watch, and the teleporter transports everything and everyone in one go.
Mark and Susie stumble slightly once we arrive back at the ship.
“Oh, that’s going to take a little bit to get used to.” Susie grips her stomach and swallows a couple of times.
There are a couple of the crew already waiting to help us transport their things to the room they have been assigned. They’ll be on the same floor as Cas and Lila.
“Once you’re both settled, why don’t you come down to my clinic so I can do a workup on you both?
We can see how close you are to obtaining powers, Susie, and Mark, I can show you around, and give you a rundown on how everything works.
You are both welcome to come and go in the clinic as often as you want.
I know that keeping busy when something is on your mind is a great distraction technique.
Also, I’m sure Lila will want to give you the tour of the ship.
There are quite a few places she has not explored yet either.
She was basically confined to her room the week we spent here between the UK and the US. ”
“That would be awesome. I’d love to see what kind of tech you have and how much more advanced it is than ours.” Mark sounds excited, and Susie smiles indulgently at him.
“Geek,” she teases, “but why was Lila confined?”
“I’m sure she will want to tell you everything, so I won’t spoil it for her. She’s really happy the two of you are here.”
“Ah, guys, I’m going to leave you. I can’t hold my shift back any longer.” Caspian waves goodbye and disappears without waiting for any of us to respond. Poor guy, he did well holding it together this long. Sometimes the Fluxxian beasts completely overrule the person in charge.
“Come on, I’ll show you the way while the crew brings everything.
” I gesture for them to leave the teleporter room, and I can practically feel their excitement.
“Your room is on this level. The control deck and a couple of suites are also up here—the Adams brothers’, Lila’s, and what is now yours,” I explain as we walk down the corridor before stopping at the elevator.
“This elevator will take you up and down and sideways depending on what button you press when you get inside. The ship is rather big, and we will get you each one of these.” I hold up my hand, showing them the communicator watch.
“It contains a map of the ship and GPS, which will give you directions if you ever get lost. It can also put you in contact with whomever you wish to speak to.” I don’t bother pressing the button for the elevator, opting to keep walking.
We get to a viewing window and stop. I step back as Mark’s and Susie’s mouths drop open at their first glimpse of space. I can’t stop the smile from forming when the two of them press against the glass like children at a zoo, trying to take in everything at once.
“Holy fuck,” Susie says, reaching subconsciously for Mark’s hand.