Page 181 of Galaxy Circus Act One

“Yes, I can smell the abundance of blood in your system and know that you are ready to feed me, but I can wait until you are done.”

“You can tell that?” I ask, cocking my head to the side before stepping in and getting on my tiptoes to shove my nose into his neck. I inhale deeply, and sure enough, the smell of marshmallows and chocolate flood my senses as well as the unmistakable scent of copper. My gums throb, and my stomach rumbles, which is weird since I just drank from Xavier not that long ago. “Oh yes, well, I guess you and I have a date for dinner then,” I tell him, and the smug smile that crosses his lush mouth is panty wetting. It takes all my strength to turn away from him.

I look around, and I’m surprised to find William and Eric are missing. “When did that happen?” I ask the other three, and Cas grins.

“The minute Saxon started sniffing your neck, they bailed. They went to check on John in the clinic.”

My stomach sinks. Fuck, John is in the clinic. There is no way I want to play doctor and nurse with Link in there now. They must see the dismay on my face, and Xavier brushes across my mind before chuckling out loud. I should reprimand him, but he has been very good at staying out of my head, and do I really want to admit about me being selfish and wanting sex when my grandpa has an unknown toxin ravaging his body?

“She is upset because she was hoping for a little role play-down in the clinic and has just remembered that John is down there too,” Xavier shares, and my other guys all look at me with heat in their eyes and no judgment whatsoever. God, I love them. They are fucking amazing.

“It’s okay, baby. I have a private treatment room that is soundproof. We can still check you all over,” Link assures me.

“Well, what the fuck are we waiting for?” I grab my lovely cyborg by his hand and drag him in the direction of the closestelevator. “I’ll see you all later, right?” I call back, and they all respond in the affirmative.

“Okay then. Good luck with your clan, Saxon, and Xavier, tell Susie I’ll speak to her soon,” I say, but once we reach the elevator, I turn my attention completely to the man in front of me. As the doors open, I push him back against the wall, ready to ravish him, but he stops me.

“Wait!”

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 rub the bump on the back of my head that I got when Lila punched me into the wall. I know it won’t take long to heal, but it would be quicker if I could have drunk from Lila again. I could smell the abundance of blood her body is producing specifically for me, but there are other priorities for now. I’m not looking forward to the upcoming conversation, but it has to happen.

I reach my former quarters. None of the others were around when I came by earlier to shift my belongings to Lila’s, but I’m sure they all realize by now that I moved out, and that Radellaand Estrella are going to have a few words to say about it. According to Hale, both of them are still stubbornly refusing to accept that Lila is my intimate. The imminent conversation about clan dissolution is going to be difficult, but we were heading in that direction anyway. None of us are particularly satisfied with the status quo. I enjoy working for the circus and being away from Vilax, as do Hale and Velorina, but the other two have wanted to return to our home planet and our “status” for a while now, despite this assignment being ordered by the queen.

Our clan has been fractured for a long time, starting when this assignment was first given, and my brother argued that we both couldn’t leave our planet unprotected, especially for a group of performers. My aunt, who has a soft spot for both of us, caved to his demands that one of us remain behind, and of course Xenos stayed. He couldn’t face the idea of losing his reputation by joining the circus. Kavita and Dante stayed with him. The three of them have always been close. Hale decided to come with me. He’s been my best friend apart from Xenos since we were young, and Velorina and Hale have always gravitated toward one another, often sharing lovers. The other two were torn to stay with Xenos and enjoy the life of being at court, or come with me and enjoy everything the galaxy has to offer. Adventure finally won, and originally, I enjoyed having them with us. I’ve used both of them for sex and blood, just like they used me, but lately, their blood has done nothing for me, and I lost interest in sex with them even sooner. We had our own space back home, and I was often away with the fleet, training with my forces, so I didn’t see them regularly for long periods of time. Here, I can’t fucking escape them. I never realized how shallow and needy they really are, and to be honest, that is a huge turn off.

I want someone I can have an intelligent conversation with, who shows interest in me and the things I like as well, so I sought sustenance from another source.

Xavier and I found ourselves in a bar one night, both of us lamenting the groups we were saddled with, finding a common ground. I’m not blind, I could see how attractive he is when he lets the mist fall and shows his true form to the people he trusts. It was no hardship to suggest under the influence of alcohol and the suva we smoked that he and I take care of each other’s needs. We’ve enjoyed being together ever since. Both our groups know we are feeding elsewhere, although they just aren’t sure who we are feeding from, and we are happy to keep it that way, not wanting any drama from the individuals involved.

Heaving out a sigh, I enter my former quarters. The lights are much dimmer in here than the rest of the ship, and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. I hear raised voices, and I reluctantly make my way to the shared communal area. There, Radella and Estrella are voicing their objections to Xenos about my blood rose—a soundtrack that has been constant since they first discovered what Lila is to me, despite the overwhelming evidence of the case.

“Saxon.” Hale shifts Velorina from where she was leaning against him so he can get up. He hurries over and drags me farther into the room. It’s a large, circular space with seating around the edges and a small round table in the middle. It’s a traditional clan living area where all members are considered equal. “God, I’m sorry about this,” he mutters as he pushes me into the sofa on the other side of Velorina before taking his own seat again.

“Brother,” Xenos greets me wearily, and I smother a smirk. Better him than me having to deal with their crap. I’m over it. “How is your blood rose?”

Things have been strained between Xenos and me for a while. I resented him for staying, and he resented me for going despite being ordered to by the queen, but he seems genuinely happy for me, and I appreciate it.

“She’s very well, thank you for asking. She transitioned perfectly and is already adjusting to her new Vilaxian abilities.” I hide a wince when I think about how she managed to launch me across the room twice now, but that’s not unusual. A few more days, and she will be fine. I can see she’s trying really hard to concentrate on how she moves.

“This is bullshit. I can’t believe your blood rose is not a Vilaxian. It’s disgusting,” Radella hisses, and Estrella nods her head in agreement.

“She’s hardly the first non-Vilaxian blood rose, otherwise the cup wouldn’t exist,” Dante points out dryly.

“This clan has been a mess for years now. I think it would be in our best interest for us to leave the circus and return to our rightful place in Vilax, so we can get back to the way things are meant to be.” Estrella crosses her arms, and there’s a stubborn set to her chin.

“Yes, the queen will understand, and it’s not like we are needed. She originally said we needed to protect the circus, but from what?” Radella throws her hands up in frustration. “There is no danger here, and we would be better off serving in her court.”

There’s an awkward silence as everyone stares at the delusional females.

“You are joking, right?” Velorina asks carefully. “That would be going against the queen’s wishes. It was because of her orders that we are here in the first place.”