Ovation (Galaxy Circus #9)

Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Lila

T he next few days are pure chaos. There are rehearsals, costume fittings, and memorizing lines, and that’s just the circus half of the chaos. We spend time with our children, organize the new family spaces, and deal with the few hiccups that occur from interspecies interaction, which is way more dramatic and violent than I’m used to, not to mention planning the raid on Area 51.

Rehearsals ran less than smoothly, but hopefully that just means the show will run like a dream come performance time. It’s actually terrifying when things go wrong. It isn’t just a matter of a sprained ankle or possible broken bone. Nope, there are maimings and near-death experiences.

Steggy polo was an eye opener. Phillip and Fiona were finally well enough to rehearse, and together with Connor, they created a fun and exciting event that our audience members will be able to participate in, but it wasn’t without its casualties. Connor’s leg was gored when one of the crew members got a little excited and didn’t pay attention to where his steggy was running. I just about gagged from the amount of blood and thought we were going to lose Connor, but Mark and Aarin were quick with the healing hands while I just flailed around in panic, forgetting about my own abilities. Then, though, the two of them were basically useless when Susie had an awkward fall from her silks and dislocated her shoulder. Link was able to set it, and I used my own healing capabilities to ease any further discomfort.

We know to have medical on hand during the steggy polo, because while it’s relatively harmless, accidents do happen. We are allowing a lot less steggies on the pitch while on Earth as opposed to when we are on a different planet. On Earth, it will only be four on each side in the hopes we can limit casualties amongst Earth circus attendees.

Meela the Elrug bubble woman entertained all of the crew, but she keeps eyeing my men like they are snacks and she has a fierce hunger. Magenta tried to tell me it’s because unlike the pampered princes of her world, my men are talented and useful, and she isn’t used to seeing that, but I growled that there were plenty more men in the circus, and she should keep her eyeballs and her fingers to herself if she wanted to live long enough to discover other options. Magenta quickly intervened and dragged her off to give her a little private advice. We will see if she lasts a tour or if I will be sending her home on the next shuttle. I’ve had enough of delusional women to last me a lifetime. They are mated men, have some respect.

When it came time for the Vilaxians to rehearse, I insisted that a net be put under them, even though it’s usually just for show on Earth, and luckily I did. It took them a good two rehearsals to get into the swing of the performance. As much as I disliked Saxon’s former clan, they were a well-oiled machine. Eventually Thorn and Saxon worked out the kinks, and the girls weren’t dropped much after that, which is probably a good thing. Although none of them hit the ground, they were getting pretty hangry from using their abilities to stop themselves from falling. I needed to make sure we had extra blood on hand.

I tried to strike up a conversation with Vanity, but she was aloof and distracted and kept sniffing the air. I have no idea what that was about, but I wasn’t going to risk having my neck gnawed on by a hangry Vilaxian, so I let her be.

Ghosie suggested that I could join the act, and while I have tumbling skills, flying through the air like that with no chance to touch ground makes me feel queasy, so I declined Saxon’s offer to catch me. I still haven’t mastered the Vilaxian form of flying and prefer to use my wings if I have to do any.

The fire sheepies from Bhusta, which are actually called something unpronounceable, were next. Their trainer, whose name was also a tongue twister but insisted we call him Bob, is a tall alien similar to the Earth tale of the slender man. His head is elongated, his limbs and torso are long and slender, and his skin color is a pale blue. His race is peaceful and nature loving, and it turns out the Bhusta are one of Zeydan’s creations. Bob fell to his feet and started crooning a high-pitched prayer sounding noise when he came face-to-face with his creator.

Zeydan was gracious, picked him up off the ground, and had a conversation with him in his mother tongue before carefully inspecting his fire sheepies as requested by Bob. He lavished praise on them, and Bob puffed up with pride before putting the sheepies through their paces. We only burnt the first row of one side of the dome, and Xavier and Zeydan were able to combine their magic and put it back together. Bob apologized profusely, swearing he was nervous in front of the great and noble Zeydan. He said he will be better next time. I can only keep my fingers crossed that this is the case and have crew at the ready with fire extinguishers. Even though those sheepies are bred to fight fires, they were much too excited when the fire got out of control and ran around bleating, spitting more fire. It was a low-key disaster, and I told Ghosie to schedule Bob for a couple more rehearsals with Zeydan front and center. We can’t have him injuring our audience because he is nervous.

When it was time for the larnuks to rehearse, Zala grumbled about the smell of smoke that seemed to have drifted into the larnuk habitat from the fire sheepies’ habitat. I promised to have maintenance look at the extraction system for her, and she was happy with that response. I got to spend some quality one-on-one time with Shiny. He’s not mature enough for me to ride on his back yet, but he had fun prancing around the arena with the other larnuks and then chasing after them when they took to the air. It was so cute that Zala decided to add him to the act. He tossed his head and high stepped like a champion. I rewarded him with an extra scoop of dragon eye gems.

Finally, we were done for the day, and it was dinnertime. I considered going to dinner with the crew when they invited me, but I begged off, pleading that I hadn’t seen my children all day and I needed snuggles. Our krakens have become very popular with just about everyone in the circus, winning everyone over with their adorable ways. The mer babies are a little more aloof, and although they are now crawling, they still can’t keep up with their older brother and sisters yet, much to Hali’s disgust. She spends a lot of time complaining about it at a very high volume. She isn’t winning any friends.

Kinga has been run ragged now that we have circus responsibilities, and Hurricane’s teen sisters have taken to helping her out. I increased their wages and promised them a huge shopping spree on Earth in payment. This seemed to appease them, if their squeals of joy were any indication, thank goodness. I can’t afford to lose my nanny, and until I can hire another one, they are a good solution. I instructed for Ghosie to put out a galaxy-wide advertisement for experienced and qualified nannies. He is fielding all the applicants and setting up interviews for the most suitable ones. They will be shuttled to Earth in a fast craft, and we will hold interviews between shows.

On my way back to our suite, I ran into Aura, who expressed their gratitude in allowing them and their family to return to the Pleasure Inn. Brannock was going to quiz them today about how they got their “entertainment” on and off the planet. Hopefully he has an update for me. We need to know if and how Smith can leave to attend the Syndicate meeting.

My suite is loud with most of my family sitting around the table eating dinner, and nobody notices me at the door. I contemplate joining them, but instead, I activate my warlock powers and teleport to the small pool located next door to Nikos’s bedroom. I strip and jump in, letting my original half kraken form wash over me. I sink down to the bottom and close my eyes, trying to ease the chaos in my mind. I know it won’t always be like this, but at the moment, I’m feeling incredibly overwhelmed. My mates are all super supportive, but it’s hard to share when you’ve spent so many years bottling all that kind of crap up.

I breathe in, feeling the water slip through my gills and fill my lungs before breathing back out again. I start counting slowly, using it to clear my mind, and eventually, it starts to work. All of my worries lessen with the ebb and flow of the water around me.

I’m not sure how long I float for, but eventually, I push to the surface and climb out using my tentacles. I grab a towel from the basket and dry off before teleporting directly to my bedroom.

I find Silac lying on my bed, not surprised to see me in the least. His eyes light up at seeing my naked body, but he doesn’t move.

“Feeling better?” he asks, and I sigh, moving to my closet to find some clothes.

“So much better. I don’t know how my grandparents didn’t go insane. I understand why they chose to leave me in foster care when my parents died.”

“There were three of them, remember? It was easy to spread the load between them, but you are doing well by using Ghosie and not trying to do it all yourself.”

I smile, thinking about how, exactly, I have been using Ghosie. Yes, he is an excellent personal assistant, but he is also very good at relieving stress. “He has been a blessing, as have all of you. Don’t think I don’t know you are helping in your own little ways.” When I checked on Kinga earlier in the day via tablet, she and Andre were having lunch at one of the cafes, while Silac and Tirrian took the kids up to the bio level to run around.

Tirrian and the Aquilians are showing me their performance tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they came up with, but when I asked him about why he wasn’t rehearsing, he said he didn’t need to do much but swim around and look scary.

Silac drags my attention back to him. “Xavier felt you when you teleported in and asked me to come check on you. Do you need anything?”

I pull on a pair of fleece pajama pants and a long-sleeved sweatshirt before going over to the bed and climbing onto it. I crawl across to my snake and snuggle into his side.

He presses a kiss to the top of my head and sighs. “Hello, wifey,” he murmurs, and my lips lift in happiness.

“Hello, hubby,” I reply. Silac is the only one I am officially mated and married to, though the warlock bonding ceremony may count as an official wedding ceremony. I would like to marry them all eventually, even if it isn’t legal, because it makes me feel like I’ve included them all. Could you imagine us going to a little chapel in Vegas and getting Elvis to marry all thirteen of us? Talk about a hunk of burning love.

“I’ve missed you,” I tell him. We’ve been constantly on the go since we married, and apart from the marriage consummation, we haven’t had a lot of time together. I haven’t even seen him naked in this form. I roll over and start running my hands over his body, but he grabs them and pins them down.

“You need to eat, and our children aren’t going to wait much longer. They were demanding to see Mama during dinner. Caspian distracted them with ice cream, but it’s not going to be long before they look for you.”

I sigh and look him in his pretty orange and black eyes. “Rain check?” I ask him, and he smirks.

“But of course.”

My eyes run down his body, stopping at his crotch area where I know he has two cocks that are all mine hidden behind those tight pants. I sigh in disappointment, but I sit up and heave myself off the bed. I know if I don’t move straight away, my willpower will become nonexistent, and I will ask him to show me his one-eyed snakes.

His grin grows even bigger, like he knows exactly how I’m feeling, but he follows me off the bed, removing my temptation. Grabbing my hand, he tugs me out of the room. I grumble and follow him reluctantly, but then I hear the noise from the living area, and I find a second wind. I overtake him, dropping his hand and hurrying out to find my mates are in the process of wiping the kids’ faces and hands. Dinner is not exactly a quiet and clean process, but that’s okay, I love it.

I don’t get anywhere near enough time to spend with my babies. Yes, they are exhausting, but I love them so much more than I ever thought I would. I didn’t think I was cut out for motherhood, but I miss them when I don’t see them for hours. I can now completely relate to working mothers who don’t get to spend all their time with their kids because they need to earn a livable income. It fucking sucks.

I lift Hali out of her highchair and give her a little snuggle. The mer twins have missed out the most, and I promise to spend more time with them. They are going to start calling Kinga Mama if I’m not careful. Hali squeals as I blow raspberries on her little tummy before slapping my cheeks with both hands and babbling to me. I settle her on my hip before I turn my attention to my little prince. Typhoon is watching me with wide, cautious eyes, and I feel a pang of hurt. Because I’ve been so busy and I’m not the one feeding them, I haven’t bonded with them like I did with the krakens. I make a promise to myself to do better. Tomorrow, before anything else happens, I’m taking them to the Aquilian habitat and going for a swim with them. I’ve avoided it for the last few days because Nixie is living there again, but I need to stop being such a weenie. My children and our relationship are so much more important than being uncomfortable.

I hand Hali off to Silac, who wandered up behind me. She goes to him, but instead of squealing, she looks at him solemnly. He’s in his human form, and she grabs a handful of his emerald green hair and gives it a tug before she starts babbling to him quite seriously. I smother the smile that wants to cross my lips as he nods his head and has a conversation with her, apparently making all the appropriate noises because she doesn’t get upset.

I turn my attention back to Typhoon and hold out my hands to him. He’s a lot more subdued than his sister. She’s a bull in a china shop and not afraid to scream to get her way, whereas he seems to analyze everything before making a move. I need to wait for him to come to me and not force him to do it if he doesn’t want to.

He seems to come to a decision, and he holds his hands up to me. I lift him and place little kisses all over his face until he giggles. “Mama, stop.” He chuckles and pushes my face away, and I freeze.

I look around the room, and everyone is stunned into silence. “Did you hear that?” I ask them, meeting Nikos’s gaze.

He nods, his eyes glistening with tears. “Yes, his first real words.” He and Hali seem to have their own language that they communicate with, much like the kraken babies did, but this is the first time I’ve heard Ty say something in English. It’s the language we all speak to the babies, because none of them are old enough for communicator implants. We will eventually allow them to have them, but not until their brains have developed more.

“Aw, babe, how does that feel?” Cas asks, and I just about burst with pride.

“So fucking good,” I reply.

“Fucking good!” Jack yells and bangs his hands on the table to get our attention. “My fucking turn for cuddles.” He holds his hands up, making grabby motions.

There’s another stunned silence, and I hang my head with shame as everyone else bursts into laughter. There’s no point in scolding Jack, since he doesn’t know what he did wrong, and try as I might, I have not succeeded in completely curbing my language in front of them. I have no one to blame but myself.

Cas scoops him up and whispers to him that we don’t use that word, but I don’t think Jack pays any attention. He wriggles out of his father’s arms, slides down his body, and runs over to me, tugging on my pajama pants. “Cuddles, Mama. I missed you.”

Aww, I just about melt into the floor. I crouch down, Ty still on my hip, and open my spare arm for Jack. He throws his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist, almost kicking his brother.

“Up, Mama, up,” he demands, and I stand with a little help from Maxsim, who gives me a boost from behind with his giant head. I hadn’t noticed that he and Echo were in cat form. He licks a strip of exposed skin when my shirt rides up from Jack’s legs before he and Echo walk over to the door. Xavier waves a hand, and the door opens, letting them out.

“They wanted to go for a run after dinner. Echo is feeling fat now that his belly is starting to stick out. It’s normal, but he’s hormonal, more than I would have expected at this stage in his pregnancy,” Link explains from the sink where he’s stacking dishes into our industrial-sized dishwasher.

“I mean, is it any surprise that his pregnancy isn’t normal? Nothing we do is normal,” I point out, and he just smiles and nods in agreement.

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Tirrian agrees, lifting Callie, while Ghosie grabs Cordy out of her highchair. Both of them wiggle to get down, and they slide down their fathers’ legs and make a beeline to me, almost knocking me over.

“Whoa. How about we let Mama sit down, and then she can snuggle with all of you?” Brannock suggests, snatching up Cordy and swinging her around. Zeydan eyes Callie cautiously. I can feel his need to get to know the children, but I don’t think he’s been around many, and he isn’t sure how to act with them.

“Don’t be hesitant. They aren’t breakable,” Xavier tells him, obviously able to feel the same thing I do. “Trust me, with this family, you’re going to have to stake a claim, or you’re never going to get cuddles.” He scoops Callie up and places her in Zeydan’s arms before flopping back on the large sectional that is somehow big enough for most of us.

“Right, let’s watch a movie. What shall we watch?” Saxon suggests as I take Brannock’s recommendation and settle onto the sofa with Xavier, holding Ty and Jack in my arms. Callie and Cordy have both lost interest in me as Zeydan and Brannock also take their seats, situating them on their laps.

“Rain, rain.” Cordy claps her hands and bounces up and down on Brannock’s lap, and he groans.

“Not rain again,” he argues, and I frown.

“What is she talking about?”

He grimaces. “Remember when I showed them that clip from the movie last night with the girl jumping out of the cake?”

My eyes widen as I think about them watching Under Siege . “That’s not suitable for them,” I scold, and his eyes widen, and he shakes his head.

“No, not that one, the second one, the musical. Kinga has had it on repeat for them all day.”

“Oh, well, that’s okay. I love that movie, it’s one of my favorite classics,” I tell him, and he nods.

“Yes, it’s a great movie, and it was one of Chloe’s favorites too, but it’s been playing nonstop all day, and I’m going to be dreaming of yellow raincoats and black umbrellas,” he grumbles, and I giggle.

“But they are so adorable when they watch it,” Saxon argues as he uses the tablet to put it on the viewing window screen. We could move to our family theater room, but the fire is on, and it’s cozy out here.

We watch the movie, and the older kids jump up and dance, shaking their little bums, trying to copy the movements on the screen for the first couple of dance numbers, but eventually, they start to tire and pick a lap to curl up in. The whole time, Ty and Hali stay snuggled up in my arms, Hali demanding my attention once Silac took a seat next to me.

Eventually, Max and Echo return, laying at my feet in cat form. It’s such a perfect family evening, and I can’t wait for many more to come.