Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Lila
Xavier hesitates before he enters the living area. “There wasn’t anyone here when I left to get you, so I’m not sure who is in there now. We can come back later and see them,” he suggests, but I strain my ears to hear. I’m a nosy bitch, and I want to know who it is.
“That sounds like the whiny tones of my cousins,” I say and clench my fists.
“I can’t believe they have the audacity to show up here after the shit they pulled with Viggy.
It had to have been them—a distraction so that we were all busy dealing with that while the warlocks and Josa released Saxon.
I still think those Vilaxian bitches had a hand in it too, but they were smart enough not to be caught.
Who else would be able to leave a blank space in the transporter’s mind if it wasn’t the warlocks? ”
“No, the more I think about it, the more I believe that we are on the right path, but why? How are they going to benefit if you are dead? They are not Adams,” Xavier muses quietly so that the people in the other room don’t catch onto us being here.
“Well, they wouldn’t know that only an Adams can inherit because of the orb protection, would they? And without any other blood relatives, maybe they are hoping for it to pass to one by marriage,” Cas suggests, and I frown.
“I guess it’s a possibility. Come on, standing out here isn’t getting us anywhere.
We may learn something if we’re in there.
” I push through the double doors and enter a big lounge room.
A large, comfy sectional sofa takes up a good amount of the space with three of the surrounding walls covered in bookcases, and there’s even a fireplace built into a gap between them.
The last wall is all glass, showing a furious-looking ocean only about fifty feet from the back patio.
My book loving soul weeps with joy as I imagine snuggling into one of those cloud-like sofas with a good book, a warm fire, and a mate rubbing my feet. Pure heaven!
My good mood rapidly plummets, however, as I take in who, exactly, is currently sitting on my cloud sofa—Phillip, Fiona, and an older-looking woman, and by older, I mean she looks to be about the same age as my grandpas, but let’s face it, they are a lot older than they look too.
She has the same red hair as the twins, and when she sees me, her mouth puckers up in disapproval like a cat’s asshole.
She looks over the top of her glasses, and I can practically feel her disdain.
“Oh my goodness, Lila, look at you!” Eric exclaims, jumping to his feet and striding over to me.
He pulls me into a big hug. “Thank fuck you’re here.
Please help us,” he whispers quickly in my ear before pulling away and looking down at my baby bump.
“You really popped out, didn’t you?” His eyes sparkle with excitement.
I rub my hand over the offending bump and grin at him. “Yup, I sure did. I guess that’s what happens when there are three in there.”
“Three? Like a litter,” the older woman sneers, looking mildly repulsed.
“No, like triplets,” William answers, gesturing to himself and his brother, and the woman blushes slightly.
“Of course, I should have remembered they would run in your family.”
“No, Grandmother, you were right the first time. She’s having the kraken’s babies.
” Fiona points at Cas, who is still in half form, but I don’t think the older woman paid any attention to who walked in.
Now her gaze moves from me and Eric to the two men standing behind me.
She wrinkles her nose when she looks at Caspian, and I feel the urge to rip her throat out.
I take a step toward her, but Eric puts his hand on me in a vise-like grip.
“Settle, Lila,” he says under his breath.
I watch as she dismisses him as unimportant. “Well, that is unfortunate. I guess good taste doesn’t necessarily carry over in genes.” She then turns her gaze to Xavier, and I watch with pleasure as she visibly pales.
“Vivian, may I introduce you to two of Lila’s mates? Caspian Nemo, whose parents run the suva trade on Fluxx, and Xavier Colest, the—” William doesn’t get a chance to finish.
“Warlock crown prince,” Vivian finishes for him, swallowing loudly, and I smile at her fear.
I’m sure it is intoxicating, and I hope Xavier is sucking it down like shots at happy hour.
She manages to get her fear under control and smile brightly at him. “It’s my pleasure to meet you.”
He stays shrouded in mist and doesn’t acknowledge her. I decide he needs an extra special blow job when we are done. How dare she treat Cas like that? My kraken wants to shift and bite her fucking head off.
“And, of course, our granddaughter Lila. We were so thankful when we returned to Earth and were informed that she had been found. Lila, this is your grandmother’s sister, Vivian. She is Fiona and Phillip’s grandmother, and she is on the Skarrian council.”
She stands up and hurries over to me, all signs of disgust gone now. “Lila, I can’t tell you how happy we were to hear you’d been found.” She gathers me up in a hug, and a waft of cloying, stomach rolling perfume settles around us.
It’s all I can do to clamp my lips shut and not vomit down her back. Her hug is cold and fake and nothing like the ones I received from Mira and Murphy when I met them.
“The boys have been without any family except for my Phil and Fi for years now. I was just saying that surely it’s time they stopped grieving my sister and moved on to form another bond. It’s not right for a Skarrian to be alone.”
She pulls away and returns to her seat. I also move in the hope that I can find an escape from that cloud of perfume. I take a seat at the far end of the couch after giving William a kiss on the cheek, then I pat the couch for Cas and Xavier to join me.
“I think I’m going to go and get our luggage sorted.” Cas backs out of the room, looking a little down.
“I’m going to give him a hand,” Xavier says out loud before adding, Because if I don’t, I may just kill your grandpas’ sister-in-law, and I’m not sure that’s the most appropriate gift from a future grandson-in-law. Those words are in my head, and I have to keep a creepy grin off my face as I reply.
Oh, I don’t know, I have a feeling it’s something that would be cherished.
Call for me if you have need, and I will be here within moments. His reply echoes as his body dissolves without a goodbye.
“Hmph. That was rude. Gone without even a goodbye,” Vivian sneers. “That’s not very good for interplanetary relations. I will have to inform the council.”
“Yes, you go ahead and do that, Vivian. I’m sure the fact that you feel insulted will encourage them to break ties with Westalin.” Eric’s voice is thick with sarcasm, but it seems to fly straight over her head, her sense of self-importance too big for her to notice.
“Now, as I was saying, my dear sister has been gone for a long time, so it really is time for you to move on.” She brushes her hand against William’s leg affectionately, and I suddenly comprehend what’s going on.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Vivian, I wasn’t introduced to your bond mates. Are they not here?” I’m too angry to be subtle.
“Our grandpas were killed in a shuttle accident a few years ago,” Phillip says automatically from his place on the sectional. “It’s still very painful for Grandma to talk about.”
Vivian’s face morphs into one of sadness, but I can tell it’s forced.
“Did they ever find out who sabotaged their warp engine?” William asks, and Vivian shakes her head.
“No, but that is the life of a council member, fraught with danger.”
“Ah, yes, because you took Liliana’s spot on the council when she disappeared so suddenly.”
“Well, I was just doing you three a favor. How were you ever going to run the circus and be on Skarr’s council?” Vivian points out
“The same way that Liliana had for years—by returning for any relevant meetings.” William’s voice is hard, but Vivian is so involved with her scheming she doesn’t hear the warning in it.
“Well, wouldn’t us bonding be a perfect solution?
You can retain the council seat through me, and I would be able to join my only living relatives by traveling occasionally with the circus.
Of course I would live on Skarr most of the time so that I was an effective council member.
” She looks warmly at Fiona and Phillip, who exchange a doubtful glance.
Hmm, obviously not all is happy, happy, joy, joy in that family.
I wonder what happened to Phillip and Fiona’s parents. Did they also die in a suspicious accident? Widow Twanky here is looking more and more dubious as we go on, and there is no way she is going to get her hooks into my grandpas, even if I have to lie.
“Oh, they are already courting someone in the circus,” I tell her, and she frowns, glaring at me.
“Now, Lila, has no one taught you that lying is a sin?” Eric sighs.
“Lila, one of Vivian’s Skarrian abilities is that she can tell when someone is lying.”
Fuck! Caught red-handed. Oh well, I’m not feeling warm and fuzzy toward this woman, so I don’t care if she knows that I’m telling big fat lies.
“Truthfully, Vivian, we haven’t given up hope that Liliana will one day return to us. The mating bond hasn’t broken, and until it does or we have proof of her death, we won’t move on,” William tells his sister-in-law.
She rolls her eyes and stands up, smoothing out invisible wrinkles in her outfit. She’s probably the same height as me, but there is no shape to her body. She’s kind of flat all over—flat chest, flat butt, and no waist—so she appears box-like, and the brown skirt suit does nothing to help things.