Page 19 of Galaxy Circus Act One

“Not going to baby you, Lila. It can be life or death if you insult someone, and if they demand death as compensation, there is not much we can do about it.” William doesn't sound like he’s joking.

“Are you kidding?” I ask, now just a bit scared, and he shakes his head.

“No! It shouldn't come to that out of respect for us, but an ass whooping isn't out of the question, and I’m pretty sure your combat skills are not up to par.”

I look around the table, noting there are no smiles even from Dylan, who reaches out and pats me on the hand.

“Don't stress, Lila. We’ll get you sorted,” he reassures me.

“But it wouldn't hurt for you to have some self-defense lessons too. I’ll talk to Saxon, ask him if he’ll give you some lessons. He’s one of our most lethal fighters.” With William’s suggestion, Eric rubs his hands together in glee.

“Yeah, I want to be in the audience for that, please.”

I roll my eyes, all too ready to burst their bubble. I might be a novice in aliens, but I can most definitely defend myself. “I’m a black belt in both Krav Maga and Muay Thai. I think I’ll be alright.” The grandpas all snort in amusement, so I ignore them and try to concentrate on my coffee and donut, but Dylan's meal has me staring.

He has what looks like bacon, but it’s green, and the eggs are blue with what looks like a black yolk. Then he has some blood-red sausages and possibly some kind of vegetable mash, but I couldn't tell you what it is.

John chuckles when he notices where I’m looking. “It’s basically bacon and eggs, but the animals they get them from are different to your Earth ones, hence the different colors. Skar and Fluxx are basically twin planets. The animals are the same, but the magic works differently on the inhabitants.”

Shaking my head, I concentrate on my food while conversation goes on around me. John, William, and Eric are discussing circus business while both Dylan and I remain fixed on our food.

“Where are Phillip and Fiona?” I ask, noticing they aren't at the table.

“They got an early start and are probably back up at the main ship, taking care of their animals,” John tells me.

“That’s something you will hopefully learn today,” William grumbles.

“Drink your water, Lila,” Eric reminds me. He turns to the other grandpas, directing his next comment to them. “I think Lila should have one more day of drinking the water before we work on her powers. Let it settle into her system.”

John and William nod their acceptance to the suggestion, the former offering another plan. “Well, in that case, how about I take her to see Link for her translator? Dylan can meet her in the conference room afterward, get comfy and drill her.”

We all blink in astonishment, my eyes opening wide when Eric snickers. “That’s what he said.”

William rolls his eyes. “Jesus, Eric, he means drill her with the information. You need to get laid. This is getting ridiculous.”

Eww, no, that’s not a thought that needs to be in my brain this early in the morning.

We finish up the rest of the meal in relative silence, thank god. My eyes keep flitting about the room, drinking in everything around me, but I don't linger too long. I don't want to upset anyone or get challenged on my first morning here.

Once Dylan and I have plans set, John escorts me to the medical bay before taking off to do whatever it is alien grandpas do. Right as I walk in, the guy behind the receptionist’s desk walks out without even acknowledging me.Okay then.There are a couple of chairs, so I take a seat in the empty waiting room and wait for him to return.

After ten minutes, I get sick of waiting, pushing my way through the doors that separate this room from the other. On the other side sits Doctor Link, engrossed in whatever is written on the large monitor in front of him. Clearing my throat, he startlesslightly before his face lights up at the sight of me. “Lila, hey.” He looks behind me and frowns. “Where’s Josa?”

“Hi, Doc. Is that the guy out in the reception area?” I ask him.

“Yes, he’s my nurse,” he tells me, gesturing me over to the examination bed.

“He left as I walked in, about ten minutes ago. I’m sorry about interrupting you. I got tired of waiting, and I have somewhere I need to be in an hour.” His frown deepens as I explain, and I almost have the strange urge to brush my fingers over his cheek to smooth it out.Why in the world do I keep wanting to touch people? Jesus, Lila.

“That’s weird. He’s supposed to be working all day.” I shrug and jump up on the bed, ready to get this taken care of.

“Okay, never mind, let’s do this.” He moves over to a nearby cabinet and starts pulling things out, setting up a tray of tools before bringing it back over to me.

“Okay, let’s just check your vitals before we do this.” He places the tray down on a table next to the bed before pushing my knees apart and stepping into them.

Whoa, none of my doctors have ever been this close before.With his hands on my knees, his eyes change again, swirling before he scans my body. I can feel the cool touch of his hands through my pants, and a little tingle of awareness tickles my core even though he’s being very professional.

He clears his throat softly and steps back from me.Damn it, he can probably tell that he’s turned me on again.“Right, everything looks good. Dehydration and exhaustion from yesterday seem to have been corrected.” I’m glad he doesn't mention the horniness because we both know that that’s not changed. “I just need to inject the translation chip behind your ear.” He steps away and grabs something from the tray on the table.