Bonus Scene
ATTENTION
If this is your first time reading the Galaxy Circus, I would suggest skipping this scene until you have read it in its entirety because it may contain spoilers for future books.
If you have already experienced this wild ride, then please continue.
Hopefully these new scenes add another layer of enjoyment to the experience.
Saxon
I’ve been restless for days. Lila and Caspian have been gone for a week now, and although both have returned to eat and rest, it’s only long enough for Lila to sate my need for both her blood and body before she returns to the water.
Her body has returned to its former shape, and I have to admit, I was sad to see it.
All three of us left behind think Lila is gorgeous, but she was radiant when she was pregnant.
None of us would be sad if she somehow managed to become pregnant again soon, although I have a feeling she wouldn’t be very happy.
I’m pretty sure she discussed birth control with Link during one of her visits top side, and I felt disappointed.
I already love the little kraken babies like they are my own, but I would also very much like to see my own seed bearing fruit in her lovely body.
Xavier feels the same way. He even proposed that we sabotage whatever birth control efforts she attempts, but Link quickly shut that line of thought down.
I pace back and forth across the living area.
The lights are blazing inside the house because it’s a cloudy, overcast day and the threat of snow is imminent.
As they have been since Lila went into the ocean, the cats are patrolling the beach, a long stretch between the house to just past where they went in, ensuring no one approaches the breeding couple from above.
Their movements are regimented, like soldiers marching back and forth, and I find the repetitiveness of it soothing, as it reminds me of my days training troops for the Vilaxian military.
Xavier and Link, as well as the two Adams brothers, have found somewhere else to be.
I’m afraid my impatience has given way to irritability, and I acknowledge I have become short with everyone.
The others are no better, and we have found that being separate from one another is preferable to constantly sniping at each other.
Link is squirreled away in the nursery to make sure everything is perfect for the babies, and Xavier is outside by the pool, covered in layers of clothing as he finishes converting it to make it habitable for the krakens to swim in.
His magic is astonishing. He lengthened and deepened the pool considerably and created numerous rocky structures for the kraken babies to find shelter in if they need it—not that there will be any predatory creatures swimming in it other than their parents.
Eric and William have kept in contact with the Iceen matriarch and her council, checking in on the newly found male omegas as well as the Celestians regarding their brother’s condition.
Currently, he is stable, and there has been no change, but they are desperate to start the trip to Rilu and find the cure for their brother’s ailment as soon as possible.
They also want to give Lila and Caspian the time they need to bond as a family.
William did manage to find a Skarrian with mimic powers.
Actually, the man found us, which is surprising.
Apparently, rumors of Lila’s abilities have swiftly spread across the galaxy, and he agreed to speak to her about what being a mimic entails.
This is a huge weight off our shoulders.
All of us have been terrified, because despite Link’s, Eric’s, and William’s research, not much is known about mimics or whisperers.
Evidently, a number of highly powerful and rare abilities have had all information about them classified by the Skarrian council, so getting our hands on it has been tricky.
I don’t doubt that the Adams’ sister-in-law has had something to do with the difficulty, but she is a problem for another day.
“Ah, there you are, Saxon.” Eric Adams enters the living area, drawing my attention away from the dreary landscape.
His eyes are alight with excitement, and he has an old book open in his hands.
“A contact of mine found this on the black market.” He shoves the book at me, stabbing a finger at one of the pages.
“It’s a book on Skarrian abilities with the classified ones still in it. ”
I take the offered item and look down at the page, reading the words.
Some Skarrian abilities are classified as rare and so powerful, authorities often consider the wielders dangerous. Skarrians with these abilities are always monitored closely, and they are dealt with if they are suspected of abuse.
See the list below:
*Absorbers
*Whisperers
*Mimics
*Mind Readers/Manipulators
*Seers
*Time Travelers
*Metalergists
Not much is known about these abilities, and this author’s research was made more difficult by the inability to find anyone who could actually wield them, leading to the speculation that maybe the Skarrian council was more active in preventing Skarrians with these abilities from existing.
I frown, looking up at Eric. “Well, this isn’t very helpful, and it makes me think that maybe we shouldn’t have declared Lila’s abilities to the council.”
He scrubs a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Yes, I suspect you may be right, and if Lila had been an everyday Skarrian, I would be doubly worried, but being the heir to the Galaxy Circus and in the public eye might protect her. It will not be easy to make her disappear, so to speak. It makes me even more relieved that she has picked a powerful mating circle to protect her from anyone who may wish her harm.”
“Hopefully this mimic William found will be able to shed more light on her situation,” I say, and he nods.
“Yes, and I will continue to work my contacts to see if we can find any more black market information regarding her abilities.”
“What do you think an absorber is?” I ask him. The rest are mostly self-explanatory.
“I actually know that one. They have a twofold ability—the power to absorb other Skarrians’ abilities and use them as their own for a temporary amount of time, and the power to touch an object and absorb the makeup of it and infuse it into themselves.
If they touched a diamond, their body would become pure diamond.
If they touched water and actively used their powers, then they could become fluid.
One of our great grandfathers had the ability, which is how I know, and the information has been passed down through the family.
Some absorbers only have one or the other, but the most powerful ones, like our ancestor, were able to do both things. ”
“Wow, that would be quite a power to have.” I raise my eyebrows, and Eric chuckles.
“Yeah, it’s a pity Skarrian powers are not genetic. I would have liked to have that one.” His eyes drift to the window, and his back straightens before he hurries over to it. “Look, the cats are agitated,” he points out, and I use my speed to join him.
Sure enough, both cats stopped in the same place where Lila and Caspian went into the sea, and their eyes are locked on something we can’t see.
“Do you think Lila or Caspian are coming back to eat? Both of them have already been here today. I hope nothing is wrong.” One of my fangs punches through my lip with my worry, and I snarl and swipe the blood away with the back of my hand, my irritation returning now that I am no longer distracted.
“No, look, it’s both of them.” Eric’s eyes are locked on the ocean, and sure enough, two heads pop up from beneath the stormy surface. Lila and Caspian stride out of the water, with Lila changing into her glorious two-legged form as she moves. I can make out a tiny shape in her arms.
“The babies,” I whisper as I watch her crouch and greet the cats. My attention stays on my mate and the tiny creature in her arms.
“Xavier, Link, Will!” Eric shouts, starting for the sliding doors, but I am frozen as I watch the tiny creature in Lila’s arms slither onto the omega’s head.
The group turns and makes their way toward the house, the omega all but strutting, his pride at being accepted by one of the kraken spawn obvious.
Lila and Caspian talk as she reaches to take one of his burdens from him, their faces beaming with pride and joy.
“Oh wow, they are all here.” I’m so distracted, I didn’t even hear the cyborg approach. He stands next to me as mesmerized by the sight as I am.
They walk up the stairs to the deck as Eric steps outside to greet them, his smile almost manic in his happiness.
“What’s wrong?” Xavier appears from the inner courtyard where the pool is located as the group enters the house, and William joins us from another part.
He winces and averts his eyes when he takes in his naked granddaughter.
Xavier waves an absent hand, clothing her as his eyes lock onto the wriggling creature in her arms.
“Hi,” Lila says shyly as she meets all of our gazes one by one.
Echo and Maxsim stalk over to the fire and settle down on the floor in front of it—not too close, but still able to feel the heat radiating from it.
They are such an interesting species who are just as happy frolicking around in the snow as they are settled in front of a blazing fire.
I wonder how their bodies don’t get too hot.
“You’re back,” Xavier murmurs, his hands clenched by his sides like he’s trying to stop himself from reaching for something. I wonder if it’s Lila or the baby in her arms that he’s resisting, because he hasn’t taken his eyes off it. I can’t even decide if his expression is excited or terrified.