Page 148 of Galaxy Circus Act One

While he continues to ponder the scent, I drop his hand and move toward the bedding area. Since it’s tucked behind a thick curtain, I would expect to be able to pick up a stronger trace of the cyborg there, but when I pull back the drapes, the scent that hits my nostrils makes my eyes water.

“Holy shit.” I wave a hand in front of my nose, trying to dissipate the overpowering odor. It seems like Natalia may have been doing a little more than just assisting the cyborg.

I feel Maxsim crowd in behind me and hear him draw in a breath, and I growl slightly at the thought of him smelling that disgusting beta’s sexual scent. She must have been fucking the cyborg. There is no other way for it to smell like it does in here. Maxsim strides up to the bedding pallet and yanks back the sheets. The fluids on the sheets are still damp, and I grimace with disgust. It hasn’t been that long since they copulated. She must have been in here with him last night, but it’s strange that neither of them smelled like it when we confronted them. One of them must have gotten their hands on a scent blocker. My guess is Natalia, because the cyborg would have no reason to.

How did none of us notice? Trace, Sim, and Fuse stay far away from her, so I guess it’s understandable that they didn’t, and the same goes for us. To be honest, unless we’re preparing for our show, none of us want anything to do with her.

“Well, I would say that is the smoking gun.” I try not to sound too disgusted, but Maxsim’s growl rattles out of his chest. “Good riddance to bad news. I hope it’s enough to have her thrown into the brig until we get to Iceen.”

“The warlock and the kraken will want to know. I’m almost certain the cyborg will not survive his interrogation. As much as I would like to hand Natalia over to them as well, we do not need a war with her mother, but I think it’s time for a newruling family, one who cares about every one of our people, not just what benefits them. Natalia is not fit to rule. Although killing is accepted on Iceen, it is not the practice of other races, and killing the Adams brothers’ granddaughter is not good for political relations. They have the ability to have us blackballed throughout the galaxy.”

My growly kitty drops the covers and steps out of the bedroom area, and I release some of the tightness that had been building in my shoulders. He must hear my sigh of relief, because he loses the growl and the frown and gives me a gentle smile. Although I know he’s not growling and angry at me, it still upsets me if he’s upset.

“My poor omega, was the stench of that beta bothering you?” He grabs my hand and tucks me under his arm again as we make our way back the way we came, leaving behind the scene of the crime and the proof.

I shudder at the memory and nod my head, snuggling into his side as I enjoy the physical contact. “Yeah, it was horrible.”

“Unlike the Earth girl’s scent?” I hear the question and hide my smile. My poor alpha is suffering from a touch of jealousy, but he loves me enough to try and shove it back down, and I love him even more for it.

I’m almost certain if it had been another alpha lightning cat, he would have torn them apart already. The fact that he’s acting levelheaded makes me wonder if he’s not as oblivious to the appeal of Lila himself.

I don’t answer his question, deciding to let him stew on it a little bit. I like it when he gets demanding and growly, and maybe he’llmakeme tell him how it feels.

“Come on, we need to hurry. We’ll be late for the meeting. It has to be something important. Crew meetings only usually happen at the beginning and end of a tour.” I pull his hand to hurry him along, and he does, grumbling quietly to himself.

“There’s been nothing but upheaval since we arrived on Earth. Personally, I will be glad to see the back of it. I really don’t want to do the rest of the shows. The sooner we can ditch Natalia, the better.”

That last bit is said as we step out into the furious snowstorm. Ahead of us, I can see Trace, Sim, and Fuse huddled together, making their way to the door, while Natalia, once again, is nowhere in sight.

“Hurry, let’s catch up to them. I feel like we haven’t spent any time with them lately.” I drag my alpha along, and he chuckles. Apart from our visit to see Link and have their birth control checked, we haven’t seen them unless it’s prior to a performance, and even then they prefer to stay in cat form.

Once upon a time, the five of us thought we’d find an omega and become a streak together. That was back before I presented as an omega. Once that happened and Maxsim mated me, the other three became close to Minx. She was supposed to be on this trip. The four of them were going to create their own streak, but Natalia put a stop to that when she manipulated her way into the circus. I bet they can’t wait to return to Iceen and be reunited with Minx. I wonder what will happen to the act. With all the drama that has been happening lately, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Adams brothers decided to pack it in completely and call an early recess to the tour.

We catch up with the other three, and when the door opens, we stumble out into the relative warmth of the rest of the ship. We stomp our feet and brush off the snow that has accumulated on our bodies. Like Maxsim and me, the other three only have loincloths covering their groin regions. Their coats are varying shades of blue. Of us all, Maxsim is the only one with black markings.

I hug all three of them in greeting. Once upon a time, we were all lovers, and while I miss their company, I don’t havethose kinds of feelings for them anymore. They are more like my favorite older brothers. Thankfully Maxsim knows this, so there is no tension when I do show them affection. Touch is integral for an omega, and I just can’t seem to help myself with the people I love.

“Hey there, Echo. Are you okay? I could feel your distress when the warlock and the kraken were here earlier,” Trace asks, holding me at arm’s length and running his eyes over me to make sure I’m okay. I’m not sure what he’s looking for, but it’s sweet.

“I’m fine. I was worried Natalia was going to hurt them and Max,” I explain, worry still mixed in my tone, and he reaches up and ruffles my mane before dropping his arms again.

“When are you going to learn that Max is indestructible? He’s a force of nature. Nothing can damage him, he does the damage. Roar.” Trace makes some claws and pretends to be ferocious, and Sim, Fuse, and I dissolve into laughter while Maxsim crosses his arms and frowns at Trace.

“Ha-ha, asshole.” He flips him off and grabs my hand, dragging me in the direction we need to go. I can hear the other three following us, their giggles echoing in the hall. I smother my grin, proud as can be of my fierce protector. Once we get to the elevator, we all pile in together. There aren’t many other quarters on our level, only Zala the larnuk mistress, who has enough space for her horses as well, but I don’t see any sign of her, so either she’s already there or still to come. I don’t know her very well, but she’s quiet and solemn and kind to her animals, so she’s okay in my book until she proves me wrong.

When we get to the correct level, we exit the lift. There are a lot more people around. A few wave and say hello, but most are wary when we venture out into the ship. Natalia hasn’t always been very welcoming, so it makes people reluctant to approach us. Even though we stick to ourselves, their reaction alwayssends an uncomfortable pang to my heart. It would be nice to make some friends while we’re here, maybe someone to have a drink or meal with between shows, to play a game of Conqueror with, or to invite to hang out.

As we reach the dining room, the crowd grows even bigger, and the sounds and smells of our fellow performers become invasive, but not unpleasant. My fur bristles with excitement at being here all together.

I sigh wistfully and look around at all the interesting creatures involved with the circus. Out of the corner of my eye, I spy the Vilaxians. There are three new ones who came on a day or two ago, and there looks to be some friction between them and two of the regular females. They are arguing in one corner, their body language is stiff, and the harsh expressions they are wearing reflects how unhappy they are. They are speaking too quietly for me to pick up what they are saying though, which is a shame since I do like to keep up with all the circus drama.

The five of us take a seat at a free table, and I continue my perusal of the crew. I pause on the two new shifters who also came on board—another dragon to replace the previous one, but a naga as well. Naga shifters aren’t common, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen any others before. There is another snake-like species in the galaxy, but they are not shifters and only have one form. I study the naga closely, his green, orange, and black scales shining in the artificial light. His massive body is curled up underneath him as he carries on a conversation with the dragon, and he has no shirt covering his top half. I can see glinting rings in each nipple, and he has rippling muscles down his abdomen. His body tapers into his tail, but there are two elongated bumps under his scales in his groin area, which is where my eyes lock onto.

Fuck me. Does he havetwococks?

A hand grips my mane, turning my head away from the interesting shifter, and I find myself staring into amused silver eyes.

“What are you looking at, my omega?” Maxsim’s words are quiet and grumbly, and accompanied with his tight grip on my mane, it sends a shiver down my spine.