Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
Lila
Snuggling with Caspian and Link on the couch went a long way to making me feel better, but I still feel miserable a couple of days later. Dylan’s nasty ass words hurt me deeply, not to mention the fact that he completely had me fooled, so I guess I’m feeling a little na?ve as well.
When I wake up, I’m alone, and I can’t say I’m upset about it. It’s nice to have five minutes to myself to breathe and process everything that happened. I really haven’t had a chance to do it since it occurred, instead falling into bed exhausted every night.
I lie here thinking about what transpired. Dylan’s betrayal and false friendship has me picking myself apart and questioning who I’ve become since I arrived at the circus. I think I’ve been so desperate for approval and acceptance that I’ve become a little complacent.
I trusted him way quicker than I ever have anybody else in the past. I mean, we haven’t even done a DNA test to ascertain if Eric, William, and John are even my biological granddads.
For all I know, they have me in space now and I’m going to be food for Viggy.
My brain takes hold of that wild thought and tosses me headfirst down a rabbit hole.
What if all those missing people were really victims of alien abductions much more sinister than a simple probe and return?
Fuck. Maybe the whole reason I don’t have powers is because I really am just human. Double fuck.
There is also the mated and pregnant part.
Hopefully that means I’m not going to be T-rex food, but I barely know my babies’ daddy.
Sure, he’s sexy and sweet and everything I could wish for in a man, but our relationship went from being annoyed with one another to flirting, having hot fucking sex, and getting knocked up in the span of a week.
On top of that, there’s the oral sex I received from a cyborg yesterday, all with the blessing of said man.
He wasn’t just any cyborg though—no, he’s basically a sex expert.
Sex. Expert. How did my life come to be like this?
I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not actually a mugging victim and lying in a coma somewhere having a fantastical dream.
Eventually, I realize spending all day in bed while letting my thoughts run rampant is not productive.
Pushing back the covers, I notice the tightness in my muscles as I move, almost achy from the inner turmoil that’s been eating away at me from the inside out.
I roll my shoulders and stretch my arms and legs to see if I can get rid of the tension. Stress fucking sucks.
Standing up, I make my way over to the closet to get dressed.
I opt for one of the Galaxy Circus uniforms because it seems like the right thing to do.
I have to prove I’m taking my role seriously since many performers aren’t convinced my grandads made the correct choice by bringing me in.
Trying to clear my thoughts, I focus on cleaning my teeth and brushing my hair before calling it good.
Sadly, my hygiene routine only distracts me for a few minutes, and now I’m back to square one.
I’m still worrying about the shitshow of the last forty-eight hours hours when I go out into the kitchen in search of coffee.
Link left late last night, and Caspian and I went to bed shortly after.
For the first time since we mated, my libido has calmed down, so I went to sleep with his tentacles and arms wrapped around me.
I insisted that he take whichever form he is most comfortable with or prefers to be in around me.
I would never judge him. For me, I am happiest in my human form and will probably only shift to swim with him, though I can’t deny I haven’t thought about how sex in that form would be.
The anticipation of that happening sends shivers down my spine.
“Hey, baby.” Caspian’s voice startles me out of my musings, and I feel the blush spread across my cheeks at being caught. Thankfully our telepathy is only active when we’re underwater, so he didn’t hear those dirty thoughts. I don’t think I’m ready to admit them out loud… yet.
He’s in humanoid form, though his skin is still his normal mottled blue and purple color.
He’s sitting at the kitchen counter with a steaming mug of something in front of him.
Caspian’s smile is large, but it slowly drops when I don’t return the friendly greeting.
Getting up, he walks over to me and holds out his hands for mine.
“Hey, is everything okay?” he asks with a small wrinkle of concern between his eyes.
Biting my lip, I shrug and take his hands. I don’t want to outwardly reject him. He has experienced issues with women in the past, and I don’t want him to think that I’m denying him, but I’m also feeling… lost.
He guides me over to the couch facing the big picture window and helps me sit down before joining me, wrapping his arms around me, and pulling me into his chest. The immenseness of space stretches out in front of us.
The moon is behind us, and there is nothing recognizable before us.
Space debris occasionally floats past, but the ship’s outer shield protects us from impact.
A sigh escapes me, and I can’t deny how good this feels, my body craving the comfort Caspian is giving me. Relaxing against him, I stare out into the seemingly never-ending scenery, trying to come up with the words to express the turmoil I’ve been feeling.
“Talk to me, Lila.” He sounds concerned by the length of my silence, and his arms tighten slightly like he thinks I’m going to flee.
I run my hand over his sexy chest, trying to assure him that I’m not going anywhere. He too is wearing one of the jumpsuits, and I can’t deny how spectacular he looks in it. His grip relaxes at my touch, and he presses a kiss to my head.
“Where do I even begin?” I pause, needing to sort through my thoughts so they make sense and aren’t jumbled.
After taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I continue.
“I mean, Dylan’s act really had me going.
For the first time ever, I just went with my gut and trusted his intentions.
I never ever do that. Like, ever. But I relaxed all of my defenses and let everyone in—you, him, the grandpas, Link.
Fuck, I let Link go down on me yesterday because you said it was fine.
” The words tumble out of my mouth, growing more frantic as I try to get everything out.
“Even the grandpas are encouraging multiple relationships, and I didn’t once question any of it.
But that’s not me. I don’t trust, and I don’t accept everything at face value.
I feel like maybe someone’s been messing with my mind. ”
Now that I say it out loud, I hear the truth in my words, and I feel a rush of anger. Is that what has been happening? Did the grandpas have the warlock do something to me to make me gullible and compliant? I stiffen and try to pull away, but Caspian won’t let me. He tightens his arms.
“No, Lila. No one here would take away your free will, and Dylan is just an asshole. I had no idea his feelings for me ran so deep. I am just as surprised as you are. But if you’re so worried about your mind being manipulated, we can get Link to check you again.”
“What’s to say he’s not in on this conspiracy, Caspian?
That he’s not a part of it? How do I know that the grandpas are even related to me?
Maybe I don’t show any signs of power because they got the wrong girl...
” I started off angry, but by the end of that little rant, I’m despondent. I so want to be their granddaughter.
“Link wouldn’t lie to you, Lila. He will always tell you the truth, cyborgs can’t lie.” His words give me some hope.
“Really?” I ask, looking into his expressive, stormy blue eyes for any sign of duplicity, but all I see is love and acceptance. This beautiful creature who has suffered nothing but rejection from the female sex just looks at me like I’m the best thing since sliced bread. How can I not trust him?
“Really, babe.” He releases me and stands up.
“Come on, we’ll go right now. I don’t want you to spend another minute more worrying about this.
We’ll get him to run a DNA test and check for any spells, so when you see Xavier this afternoon about your lack of powers, you won’t have to be wary of him.
” He frowns. “Or no more wary than the rest of us are around someone like him.”
I let Caspian help me to my feet. “He’s powerful, isn’t he?” I ask as he interlocks our fingers and guides me to the door. “He has this magnetic aura that surrounds him, and he practically crackles with static electricity.”
“The warlock’s one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy,” he confirms as we walk to the elevators. This deck is free of people. It’s only mine and the grandpas’ suites up here as well as the flight deck, so there’s no reason for anyone to be hanging around.
“How do we know he’s not fooling all of us?”
Caspian doesn’t blow off my question with a vague answer, and I can see him really thinking about his response before he replies, “Westalins, or warlocks, are an interesting race. They can be devious and conniving, but some also have a fierce streak of honor. Xavier is loyal to your grandpas, but he also wouldn’t deceive you on their behalf, especially with both of you having the attraction marks.
He’s not motivated by greed, and he has everything he could ever want and all the power he needs.
One day he will rule the warlocks, and you can’t get much higher than that.
Although they are a fairly peaceful race and don’t go out of their way to start conflict, you can be damn sure they will finish it if they need to. ”