Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lila
Smith’s shoes clicking against the floor are the only sounds as we make our way through the corridors.
I slow as we reach the door that caused me to react before.
Again, I feel a strange thump inside my chest and a great need to know what is on the other side.
Involuntarily, my hand raises to the palm pad, but a hand slaps down on my wrist, encircling it and stopping my forward momentum.
“What do you think you are doing?” Smith demands, looking between me and the door, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Frowning, I shake off the sensation and shrug. “I’m not sure. Sorry. I guess I was turned around, I thought it was through that door,” I lie my pants off, and he seems to buy it.
“Come along. I gave the paperwork to my assistant earlier, and she should have it all ready to go now. The sooner I can get you aliens off my turf, the better.” He mumbles that last bit. I guess he doesn’t know or probably doesn’t care about advanced hearing.
“You don’t seem to like your job very much. Why do it then?” I ask him, and he turns back to glare at me.
“Because someone needs to keep the scum sucking invaders in line.” He reaches a door we haven’t been through yet and pushes through, not waiting for my response. I mean, I don’t really have one, and his attitude makes it obvious that he hates us.
Through the door is an office with a few cubicles with people working at them. A lady stands up in one. When we get close, I can see she is basically the female version of Smith—all button-down black suit with a hard look in her eyes.
“Here are the contracts, all scanned in.” She passes a thumb drive to Smith.
“Does it have everything on it?” he asks, emphasizing everything. Wow, because that’s not subtle at all. I’ll have to warn Eric to search it for viruses or spyware or whatever.
“Yes, sir. Everything you asked for is on it,” she says in a clipped tone before turning her back to us and returning to her seat.
“Great, there you go. You should probably hurry. You don’t want to keep your family waiting, and the Aaz’axian needs to be transferred into a cell as soon as possible.
He likes to fight the control collar.” Smith’s smarmy grin returns.
“Just head back out the door and to the right, you can’t miss it.
” Just like that, he turns his back on me and leaves via another door.
“Well, okay then, great to see you. Can’t wait to do this again.
Not!” I call after him. I head back the way I came.
I go to turn left, but my eyes drift back to the door that causes me to feel so strangely.
Could I even get through the biosecurity lock?
I doubt it, and although I gained some extras from bonding with Saxon, none of that includes powers to override something like that.
“Lila!” Grandpa Eric’s voice sounds impatient, and when I turn in his direction, he’s waving me forward. “Hurry up, I want to return to the ship. Susie and Mark still need to get their things before we can leave Earth, and the sooner we get to Celestia for John, the better.”
I leave the mysterious door. I’m sure it’s nothing anyway. I mean, it’s not like they are hiding aliens, since they are all in plain sight here.
I’m the last one to make it onto the platform.
The Aaz’axian appears to be immobilized by a spell of Xavier’s making, so he is floating and unable to move.
He also looks to be unconscious, which probably isn’t a bad thing.
He didn’t look happy to see us, and who knows how long he’s been in Agent Smith’s clutches and what kind of treatment he has seen.
I guess we can get to the bottom of all of that when we get home.
“Is this safe?” Susie asks, looking super terrified as she holds Mark’s hand. He doesn’t look much better, and Aura inserts themselves between the two of them, draping an arm over each of their shoulders.
“As safe as sitting on the sofa at home.” They press a kiss to each of their cheeks as I reach through Xavier’s mist and grab his hand just before we all dissolve into tiny little particles.
When we land back at the ship, Cas, Link, and Saxon are waiting for us. Crimson sees Saxon and smartly salutes him. He acknowledges her with a quick nod, and she relaxes again. Eric claps his hands.
“Right. Xavier and Saxon, you take our new guest to the cells. Until we can get his side of the story, I’m not prepared to have him roaming around, so he can keep Natalia company until we can at least begin our journey to Celestia.
Lila, please show the others to the empty suite that is on our level. ”
“There’s an extra one? I thought it was just you and me and the captains up there?” I ask my grandpa, and his eyes dim slightly.
“It was the one we had set aside for you, and it has been sitting empty for years. It has enough rooms for everyone to have their own, but you moved into your parents’ suite.”
“Oh!”
Xavier rubs a mist shrouded hand over my back in support, knowing my mood just dropped.
“Then we need Mark and Susie to return to their home and grab their things, and we need to do that ASAP. The circus pod should be docking with the main ship in the next hour or two, and I want to be able to tell Captain Potter to launch us into hyperspeed as soon as it does.” Eric is wringing his hands in agitation, and Caspian slaps a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Relax, my friend. We’ve got this. Link and I will accompany Susie and Mark and help them with whatever they need, and Lila can show the others to their room. Find William and check on John.”
Eric sags with relief and smiles gratefully at my mate.
I just want to ride him like he’s a bucking bronco for how sweet he’s being, but that will have to wait, unfortunately.
Maybe we’ll go swimming, and we can let the krakens out.
A wave of approval washes over me, followed by one of impatience. Damn beast can never be happy.
With that decision made, we all go our separate ways.
Saxon and Xavier head in the direction of the detention cells, and we leave Cas and Link, who had both changed their appearance to something more human, behind with Mark and Susie—but not before they all give me a quick hug and kiss.
Instantly, I feel better and steadier, prepared to face the job ahead.
My poor friends look to be a little shell-shocked, which I can completely relate to, but we don’t have time to talk them through it. I’ll make sure they know how to program alcohol in their replicator. Poor things are about to get a crash course in everything alien.
“If you would just follow me.” I hold out my hand and gesture for Master Gasm, Xane, Crimson, Savannah, and Ricky to follow me. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”
“Thank you, that would be wonderful. I need to change into a more comfortable body.” Aura winks at me, and I kind of just stare for a moment. Ah, right, Morpheian of course. Seriously, this still doesn’t get any easier.
“Oh my goddess, this is so exciting! The actual Galaxy Circus.” Savannah claps her hands with excitement, and Crimson smiles indulgently at her. “I can’t believe we’re here.”
“Have you ever seen it? I would have thought with Xavier being Xane’s cousin, you would have seen it before.”
“Oh no. Whenever they were in town, Xavier would come see us so he could use the—oof.” Savannah breaks off after Xane elbows her in the side. “Ow, what was that for?”
“I’m sure Lila, Xavier’s intimate, doesn’t need to hear about why he was visiting us,” Xane says quietly out of the side of his mouth, but it’s too late, and that cat’s out of the bag. Savannah frowns and looks at me.
“Oops, sorry.”
“Meh, it’s no big deal. I’ve met his harem.
I saw two of them pleasuring a stingray dude who had two cocks, then said stingray dude shriveled up until he was only a mummified husk.
Ah, fun times. So while I’m aware he has a harem and was not particularly picky about where he put his cock in the past, I know what I mean to him.
I doubt he would disrespect me by straying now that he knows what we are to one another, and once that intimate bond is locked in, if he wants to play with my other mates, well, I wouldn’t be opposed. ”
Aura grins widely and holds up their hand. “Damn, girl, give me a high five. Now that’s how you embrace the poly lifestyle. More bodies means more fun.”
“And let’s face it, there’s only one of me, and my vagina would be quickly out of commission if I was fucking four men daily.”
“Actually, Skarrian women have vaginas designed to cope with multiple lovers. Something in our feminine lubrication is self-healing.” A voice from behind us has me jumping.
So far, the corridors have been fairly clear.
The flight deck level where the teleporter is, and also where our suites are, isn’t really ever crowded with people, so to see someone is a surprise.
Whirling, I put my hands on my hips. “Fuck, you scared the hell out of me, but that is good to know,” I tell my friend Magenta, who is beaming widely.
She has her bright pink hair pulled back in a ponytail and is wearing her GC uniform.
She must have stayed behind instead of going back to the circus pod.
“Aura! I heard a rumor you were here.” She throws her arms open and runs at the Morpheian.
How the fuck did Magenta hear that? We’ve been here all of two minutes.
Maybe she was stalking the corridors waiting for me anyway, sneaky bitch.
Also, how does she recognize Aura? From what I can tell, this is not their normal form.
They embrace like lifelong lost friends, but it doesn’t seem like there is any sexual tension.
Magenta then goes on to hug the other three as well before stopping at Ricky.
“Oh, you’re new. I’ve never seen you before.” Her eyes scan the pretty cyborg before she holds out her hand. “I’m Magenta, and I’m Skarrian.” What she is really saying is I’m Magenta, and I’m slutty, but I’m almost certain everyone knows this by now.