Page 186 of Galaxy Circus Act One

“There’s a little bit of everything—romance, history, and planetary and alien species information, not to mention medical textbooks,” he replies, but something in the corner of the room has me squealing.

“Oh my god, there’s a ladder!” I look down, and I hadn’t noticed before, but there’s a track running the length of the shelves in an arc, as well as one along the top of them. I hurry over to it and pull it away from the wall. I slide it back and forth a few times to make sure it slides easily before pushing off and jumping. My foot lands on one of the rungs as I wrap an arm around one higher up. I throw my head back and toss my other arm out, and then I shout with joy as I ride the ladder along its path. When I get to the end, and I have to hang on tightly so I don’t fly off, I find Link leaning against his bedroom door, his eyes filled with laughter.

“Did you enjoy that?” he asks. He’s changed out of his uniform and is in sweats like Cas was wearing earlier.

“I am calling you Beast from now on.” I point my finger at him before pointing to our surroundings. “The only thing missing is a rose under a glass dome.” I’m almost certain whenI look back at him, he’s going to be confused, but he crosses his arms and smiles indulgently.

“Does that make you my beauty?”

“You knowBeauty and the Beast?” I ask as he crosses the room and holds out a hand to help me down. I take it, his hand slightly cooler than mine. He places a kiss on the back of it before dropping it and moving the ladder farther back against the wall.

“Of course. Earth has so many wonderful stories. I think their imaginations are so vivid because of the lack of magic, but a good portion of my fiction novels come from there. Come on, let’s go. Your other mates will be getting impatient, and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of their annoyance.”

He flicks the switch on the fireplace again, and I allow myself one final glance before I follow him out. Outside the door, he stops and grabs my hand, holding it up to the entrance pad. He pushes a few buttons, and it beeps green.

“There, now you can come and go as you please until we can figure out how to get you your very own library,” he tells me.

“Best mate ever.” I sigh, leaning forward to kiss him but stopping again when I remember the blood breath.

He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “Come on, let’s get you some food and drink, and then maybe you’ll let me kiss you again.”

When we get back to my room, Xavier has moved all of his things into one of the spare rooms and is lounging indulgently on the sofa. Neither Cas nor Saxon have returned yet.

“What is this?” he asks as Link and I step into the room. “Some kind of kinky sexual device, and if so, how does it work?”Xavier is holding up the knitting loom that I bought when Link and I went shopping in Vegas.

I snort with amusement as I go over to the fridge and pull out a bottle of Skarrian water, popping the top and taking a long pull of the delicious liquid. “Making yourself at home I see, Snoopy.” I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

I see Link smile out of the corner of my eye. He knows what it is now, but he also thought it was for something else when he first saw it. His mind went to torture, but of course Xavier’s didn’t.

“Well, I don’t like to think I’ve been missing out on something exciting.” Xavier smirks at me, holding the loom over his crotch and winding the handle.

Link chuckles as I roll my eyes.

“No, it’s for making garments. I was going to make you one, but now that I know you’ve been snooping without asking, maybe I won’t.” He pouts but throws the loom onto the couch and starts looking at the games I put on a shelf under the coffee table.

I wave Link over to the empty bedrooms. There are three left after Saxon, Cas, and Xavier claimed theirs. “You can have any one of these, and if what you say is true, then we can furnish it to your liking when we return to Skarr. The bathroom is communal, and you have a door that leads to it, as do all of us. There is a locking mechanism that will lock out everyone else if you want it to, but I’ve noticed most aliens aren’t too picky about being naked. There are a couple of separate toilets as well.” I wave to another door. “Down there is another living area with a big screen TV and some gaming systems that I haven’t checked out yet, and I guess that’s kind of it,” I say apologetically. I thought the suite was huge, but now that I’m filling it with men, it seems kind of small, and I feel bad because Link has to leavebehind his library, and Xavier doesn’t have anywhere for the sunken lounge he had in his rooms.

“Lila, don’t be upset. All the living areas are designed to cater to each species or individual wants and needs. We will be able to change it to how you want it.” Link drags me over to the couch where Xavier is, and he reaches out and pulls me down next to him, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and tugging me closer.

“Not to mention all the other ship facilities. Most of the crew are very social and use everything. There are gyms, theaters, bowling alleys, and the recreational holodeck, which allows you to program anything you like. Plus, apart from the Aquilia pool, there is one available to everyone else as well. Then there are all the retail and dining outlets. This ship is our home and our way of life.”

“Yes, don’t you worry about us. I know I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here. Now, what do you feel like eating for dinner, Lila?” Link went back to the kitchen replicator after depositing me in Xavier’s capable arms.

“He’s right, you know,” Xavier whispers in my ear as he runs a caressing finger up and down my arm. “All four of us are thrilled to be here. Now tell your future husband what you want for dinner.” His touch brings goosebumps to the surface of the arm he’s caressing, and he chuckles when I shiver.

“As much as I want to say surprise me, I kind of need some normality. How about a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake?”

Xavier groans beside me. “That sounds delicious. Make it two, Link, but can I have a vanilla shake?”

“Let’s make it a clean sweep, and I’ll have the same, and a banana shake.” Link presses a few buttons, and the machine starts whirring before it produces the meals one after the other.

“That is still nothing short of phenomenal,” I remark, thinking about whether something like that would work on Earth, but I guess it really wouldn’t. I asked someone to explain it to me, but when William began speaking about synthesizing on a molecular level, my mind sort of turned to when I can get my next pedicure, and I tuned out the whole thing. I’m just happy it works, because I am a terrible cook.

Xavier and I get up from the couch and go over and grab our plates. The three of us sit at the table when I feel a touch of guilt. “Should we wait for Cas and Sax?”

Link and Xavier smile at the nicknames, but Link shakes his head. “No, Lila, you need food, and the two of them will understand.”

Xavier stands up and goes over to the wall communication systems.