Page 46 of Galaxy Circus Act One

“I’m sure you are freaking hungry and exhausted. After all, you spent the flight mating our fucking kraken,” Eric all but spits out, unable to hide his annoyance.

“Oh! So you know about that...”

“Yes.Oh.” Eric throws up his hands and starts pacing. “What did I tell you, Lila? Trybeforeyou buy. You get five times to ride the pony before you have to either get off or commit. How is it you end up with a mate on the first go round?” He sounds exasperated, like a parent telling off a wayward child. But when he looks at me, his eyes are soft again.

I shrug. “I don’t know. It just kind of happened.” Yep, that’s me. I have officially turned into the teen cliche from every Lifetime movie ever. Now I’m just waiting to see if one of them asks if I slipped and somehow fell onto his tentacle dick.

“No, it didn't,” Caspian says from behind them, sounding guilt ridden. “My beast took over and forced it.”

The grandpas let him through, and even Link moves out of the way, allowing him to sit on the bed next to me. He grabs my hand and leans in, pressing his forehead to mine, eyes closed, and whispers, “Thank god you’re okay. I was so worried when you went down.” I rub my nose against his before giving him a kiss.

He pulls away and turns to them. “Not only did we mate, but my beast also impregnated her. She’s going to have my babies.”

Well, shit. Of course Caspian has blownthatout of the water too. We really need to have another talk about establishing some ground rules here. Along with no more “accidental” egg drops, let’s add “leave the life-changing news for the grandpas to Lila” there as well.

The grandpas are all silent. The only indicator that they’ve just had any kind of bomb dropped on them are the slack-jawed expressions that say they’ve been hit in the face by a two-by-four.

“Pregnant!” Unsurprisingly, Eric is the first to recover, screeching it to the room. “You can’t be pregnant! We’ve got a circus to run, and you’ve got so much to learn, not to mentionthe inherent danger.” He throws his hands up in the air and storms out.

Caspian frowns at his words, confused, but I know what Eric is talking about.

“Are you sure?” John asks quietly. “Did you see this?” he asks Link, looking between him and us.

“Yes, I did, but it wasn't my place to say anything. It doesn't read like a normal pregnancy. I don't know much about krakens’ breeding habits, but I would love a chance to update my files on them. What can you tell me about it?”

“The eggs are in a sort of stasis, and Lila will carry them until she’s ready to give birth. It’s a kraken thing. A throwback to the need for the babies to be born when it is safe and away from predators. Really, life will go on the same until she’s ready. She can still do anything she needs to. The babies are well protected, so basically nothing will harm them. Nor is her body going to change until she decides she’s ready.” Link looks fascinated, pushing back his shirt sleeve to make notes on his built-in technology.

“Okay, I’ll update my files. When you feel up to it, you should come to my lab so we can make sure everything is okay.” Link takes his leave after I assure him I will see him soon.

John and William both let out relieved sighs, then a bright smile crosses John’s face and he slaps Caspian on the shoulder, maybe a little too hard. “I guess a welcome to the family and a congratulations are in order.”

William looks at me, frowning again. “Are you sure this is what you wanted?”

“I can’t deny I probably would have liked to have had the five tries as Eric keeps calling it, but I’m not upset about it either. In fact, I’m a little thrilled to know someone wants me.” Both John and William look a little guilty when I say this.

“Oh, I didn't mean it like that, but I’ve never had someone who wanted me so badly that they lost control. It just… feels nice. Caspian says it couldn't be forced, that I needed to be receptive for the bond to take, and I believe that.” Without getting into details that I’m totally not ready to say in front of my grandpas, I feel confident in the fact that my non sex-fogged mind knows I definitely wanted him in more than one way while we were… stuck in the capsule. “I’m looking forward to getting to know him.” I reach out and take his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

“Well, okay then.” William leans down and gives me a kiss. “We’ll leave you two be. Caspian, make sure she eats something and gets some rest. We will be by in the morning to give you the tour.”

“Don’t worry about Eric. He’s all bluster and drama,” John reassures me, then he too gives me a kiss on the cheek and squeezes Caspian’s shoulder before they leave the room. “Great grandbabies, William, how exciting!” I hear John whispering to his brother, and it brings a smile to my lips.

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat. I’ll run you a bath after.” Caspian helps me get up and leads me out into the living area.

“Wow,” I say as I gaze around the room. “Where are we?”

We’re in a huge space with a kitchen area which has a sink and a breakfast bar with a replicator built into the room as well as plenty of cupboards. The rest of the space is filled with sumptuous couches overlooking a large picture window that shows me the same view I had seen before, the vast expanse of space.

“On this floor is the command deck for the whole ship as well as suites for the ship’s owners and the two captains. This was your mom and dad’s suite when they were with the circus,” he explains gently before taking my hand and leading me over tothe breakfast bar. With a thoughtful nudge, he pushes me to sit down before he goes to the replicator.

A touch of sadness hits me at the thought that this was my mom and dad’s, that I will never get to experience it with them. I could have grown up here if it wasn't for the person who took their lives. Right then and there, the sadness starts to burn with an edge of anger, and I vow to find the asshole who did it and get my revenge for them.

“Lila.” When I face Caspian again, he has a strange look on his face, a worried scrunch of his nose that tells me what he’s going to ask. “Are you okay? You kind of zoned out. I had to call you a couple of times; you really must be tired.”

I conjure up a smile and shake my head. “No, I’m okay, just lost in my thoughts. What did you say?”

“What would you like to eat, baby?”

I screw up my nose this time. “Do I need to be on some special diet now that I’m carrying the babies? Like... I don't have to eat seaweed and raw fish, do I?”