Chapter 19 #2
“Well, I just wanted to double-check that you want to be here. Like Eric said, this is a family meeting, and the other three are all destined to be my mate, but you actually get a choice. I know we’ve been seeing where this will take us, but Skarrians don’t really have a lot of options for prolonging the getting to know you part of the relationship unless we want to forgo sex, and from the way my body has been acting, we are highly sexual creatures, so I don’t really understand how we ended up with the five goes and then we’re bonded physiology. ”
I’m rambling because I’m nervous, but he just sits there, giving me his full attention.
“I guess what I’m asking is—shit, I don’t know what I’m asking.
My mind, which is firmly entrenched in human traditions, is telling me that it is too fucking soon to ask you to marry me, but fuck, I want to.
My body, on the other hand, is riding me hard, insisting that you are ours and to ride you hard.
I guess I kind of need to know if you’re on board.
” A sudden lump develops in my throat. “Because I guess if you’re not, I’m going to have to put an end to this relationship before my feelings develop even deeper, because I’m already in pretty deep.
” I break off finally, getting everything out in one great big word dump.
Link has a perfect poker face, and I have no idea how he is feeling by looking at him. Right this moment, I can see the machine part of him vividly. It’s almost like he’s not even breathing, and my heart starts to race even harder. Fuck, he doesn’t want this.
I go to pull my hand out of his. “Gosh, I’m so sorry, I thought we might be on the same page.”
Just as I remove my hand, he clamps his down hard, stopping me from going anywhere. “We are. I’m sorry, but my emotions overloaded me, and I short-circuited for a moment and needed to reboot. Yes, yes, I will marry you,” he all but shouts before hauling me into his lap and kissing me hard.
I place my hand on his cheek, kissing him back just as hard, completely thrilled with his answer.
Dropping my hand, I start to remove his shirt, desperate to get on with the bonding part of the evening, when a cleared throat penetrates my happiness, and I freeze.
Holy fuck, I was going to seal this bond in front of my grandfathers.
Seriously, someone needs to neuter me, because I’m like a horny dog humping everyone’s legs.
I peel back from Link, releasing my hold on his shirt, feeling my face flame with embarrassment.
I turn on his lap, staying on it so Eric and William don’t catch sight of the very prominent erection he is rocking.
My other mates are all smiling with amusement, but William’s eyebrow is cocked, and Eric’s arms are crossed, and neither of them look impressed. “Whoops, sorry,” I say.
William sighs. “It’s fine, we know what it’s like, but this conversation needs to be had first. Strange things have been happening, and in light of the situation, we need to brief your partners on everything.”
“Brief us on everything?” Xavier can’t hide the curiosity in his voice, and Eric waves a hand.
“Can you secure the room against listening ears?” he asks my warlock, who quickly complies. The seven of us are surrounded by a large, domed purple barrier.
“No one should be able to penetrate that,” Xavier assures us, and Eric and William exchange glances.
“Lila knows this, but the four of you need to know too. The Galaxy Circus is not just a diplomatic trade and peace keeping organization. The specific reason it was originally created was to guard the orb of power.” When I look at William as he explains our mission, I realize that he looks exhausted.
In fact, both he and Eric look like the weight of the world is on them at the moment.
I feel Link’s entire body tense beneath me, and Saxon sits upright, completely at attention, like his military training just kicked into overdrive.
“Holy fuck,” Xavier mutters, and when I look at Cas, his blue skin has paled significantly.
“The Adams family are the guardians of the orb, and it has been in our possession since the end of the Una’s and Aaz’axian war. Lila will be the next guardian, and any of her mates will also be bound due to the nature of the arrangement. All of you will be in danger if this information gets out.”
The room is silent as we let the guys absorb this information.
“The oath of loyalty that the circus performers take when they join is somewhat of a smokescreen in that it is a spell that pledges their loyalty to us and doesn’t allow them to turn on us in the event that this knowledge becomes public.
It is also why we have so many powerful families as part of the circus. ”
“I knew it,” Link mutters. “But if you have the orb, then why don’t you use that to heal John?”
I jump to my feet. “Holy shit, Link’s right. We can heal him right now.”
Eric and William shake their heads, their faces grave.
“Unfortunately if we use the orb to heal John, it will give off a pulse that will call every person who has ever wanted world domination directly to our doorstep. The thing can’t be destroyed, and it can’t be used unless we want to advertise its location.
It’s basically useless. Our ancestors promised the Una’s that we wouldn’t use it unless we had explored all other options.
In the end, if we need to use it to heal John, we will, because if he dies, then the orb becomes unprotected unless we hand its protection over to you. ”
“It’s been a long time since the war, and the orb has basically faded into memory, so most people won’t even remember its existence,” Xavier argues, and Eric shrugs.
“Yes, but the ones who do are the ones we need to worry about. John’s illness is too suspicious not to worry us. What better motivation than to kill one of us so that the orb is no longer protected?”
“But the suspect list is short. Apart from us, Lila’s parents, and now Lila, no one else knows we have the orb.”
“But Lila’s parents are dead, so they wouldn’t have told anyone,” Caspian points out, and Xavier stiffens.
“Hang on. What if that’s what they told my parents during the secret conversation they had in the memory hidden in Lila’s brain?”
Eric and William exchange another loaded glance before William nods.
“Yes, we have considered it, but Alina and Marcus would not have told Cronus and Xylene unless they trusted them without a doubt. They entrusted their only child’s well-being to them.
No, we don’t believe they are involved at all. ”
“What about your wife?” Saxon asks carefully. “She disappeared without a trace and no body has ever been recovered.”
I wince at the suggestion and at the devastated looks on my grandfathers’ faces, but they don’t get angry.
Eric sags in his seat. “Yes, it is something we have considered as well. Liliana never reappeared, and although she could have been lost to the vastness of space, none of us have felt the bond break. It’s why we have never given up looking for her or moved on with another woman, but we also have to accept that she may have been tortured or coerced into giving up the information. ”
The room falls into a heavy silence as we all take in the troubling information.
Before anything else can be said, the communication screen on their wall lights up. William reaches over and presses a button, and Bubby’s face appears on the screen.