Page 184 of Galaxy Circus Act One

Will sighs and nods his head as Link blanks the screen before turning back toward us.

“For now, no more damage is being done to him, and the Celestians’ medical knowledge is extensive. They will have archives, and I’m sure there will be something in there that will help us cure him. I’ve never heard of them failing at anything. It’s rather remarkable really.” His admiration for the Celestians is clear, and it eases my worries slightly. “But for now, it’s time for me to run all the tests I need to on you.” He grabs my hand and leads me toward a closed door.

“I’ll catch up with you two later. Why don’t you try to get some rest? I have a funny feeling we are going to need it,” I call back to my grandpas who quickly agree.

“We’ll take turns. I don’t want to leave John on his own,” Will replies.

“Xavier already came and warded the room earlier. No one but the four of us can get in here, I promise, and all my monitors are set to alert me if anything happens. Just go. He will be fine,” Link assures my other grandads who reluctantly give in. We watch as the two of them leave the clinic, the door closing automatically behind them, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’m so worried about them,” I tell my cyborg as he puts his hand against a screen and opens the door in front of us. When we enter, I can see it’s another exam room similar to the large one outside, just more private.

“They will be okay, and so will John. Everything will work out.” It’s a promise I’m not sure he can keep, but I appreciate the sentiment.

He helps me up onto the bed.

“This room is for anything contagious. It has its own self-contained life support system, but we’ve never had to use it.”

“I appreciate the privacy, even if we’re not going to play doctor and nurse today.”

He chuckles as he grabs a portable device out of a nearby cabinet. “I promise there will be plenty of doctor and nurse role-playing once we get the all clear from the Celestians. Now, how are you feeling? Are you hungry?” he asks as my stomach decides to let itself be known. “You ate a lot just before you went down to collect the detainees.”

“Way to food shame your girlfriend,” I grumble at him, and he chuckles.

“No, not at all, I just want to gauge if your new powers are increasing your food intake. Are you hungry for blood?” He helps me lie down and then starts slowly running the machine over the length of my body.

“I am hungry, and I did have blood from Xavier when we were on Earth, but I don’t think that was hunger so much as Agent Smith triggering my bloodlust. To stop me from killing him, Xavier fucked me and satisfied my bloodlust that way.”

“Okay, good. We are learning what triggers you. Bloodlust is triggered a lot easier in young Vilaxians than older ones. It’s why they don’t start their military service until they get it under control. They go through two kinds of changes in their early lives. They are born with the need for blood, but that’s like any baby, a hunger triggered by the innate need to survive and thrive. It’s not until they go through puberty around the age of twenty when they begin having other bloodlust urges. Violence, sexual attraction, and extreme emotions can all trigger the need to feed,” Link explains as he stops the machine at my lower stomach and pushes a few buttons.

“You seem to have all the knowledge,” I tease him, and he smiles.

“I did my research once you made your decision to bond with Saxon so I could help you through it. Basically, you are the equivalent of a Vilaxian teenager and are going to find your bloodlust is triggered easily. Hopefully with the four of us, we will be able to keep it under control so you don’t feel the need to attack anyone.”

I grimace at the thought of causing an incident because someone pissed me off. “I better not go anywhere on my own for a while.” I know my limits, and I don’t have patience for idiots, but they don’t deserve to have their throats ripped out either. Well, Smith might have, but we can save that for another day. Hopefully by the next time I see him, it will be a moot point.

Link is frowning, still hovering over my stomach and pushing a few buttons on the machine, and I begin to worry. “Is everything okay?” I ask, but he doesn’t answer, and I feel my heart rate rise. “Link?”

“Just give me a moment. The conclusions have come back inconclusive, so I’m rerunning the tests.”

Now I’m really starting to panic.

“The babies?” If I hurt them from bonding with Saxon, I will never forgive myself, and I doubt Cas and his kraken will either.

The silence in the room is strained, and I feel my fangs drop from my gums and my bloodlust rise with my panic. I grip the sheets in an effort not to lunge at Link in my heightened state of mind.

This seems to draw his attention from the screen, and he looks up at me. His eyes widen in shock when he sees me. “Oh fuck, Lila, I’m sorry. Here I was, just telling you we need to keep your emotions under control, and I made you panic. The babies are fine. Their DNA makeup has changed slightly from the previous test. I think maybe they took on some Vilaxian traits as well. We won’t know until they are born, but at this stage, it hasn’t done them any harm.”

I feel my heart rate drop significantly, Link’s words reassuring me, but I still can’t help but feel guilty—and angry. Angry at the people who interfered with my and Saxon’s bonding and forced the issue. Except two of them involved are already dead, and the other two are insignificant nonissues now that Xavier has stripped them of their powers. There’s nowhere for me to direct my anger, so I will hang onto it for now.

Link moves on from my stomach, moving farther up my body to my chest. He purses his lips, and I feel my panic rise. That, combined with the anger that’s still riding me hard, is not a good combination.

“Damn it, Link,” I growl between gritted teeth. “You are not doing my bloodlust any favors.”

He glances at me again and lowers the machine, putting it to the side before he slowly reaches for my hands, not making any sudden movements. “Sorry, my sweet. Sometimes I get caughtup in what I’m doing and forget about everything around me. Nothing is wrong, I’m just trying to make sure that your heart and lungs and everything are coping with the new changes. I find the changes to your body fascinating. It’s not every day I get to witness these amazing things.”

“Fine, but can you do it with a blank face so I don’t worry when I see your expressions change? Or you can even smile creepily all the way through it. I think I’d prefer that to the rest of your expressions.”

He chuckles and kisses me, and I inhale his scent. He smells like the air before a thunderstorm, all fresh with an electric tinge to it. It’s intoxicating, and my fangs throb with want.