Page 52 of Spectacle

Nikos hands Hali to Xavier, and I take Ty from him.

“But you can’t leave to rescue Nixie. Is there no one else you trust on Aquilia who could help you? What about this Hurry person?”

“He would, but if my mother caught him, he’d be just as trapped as Nixie. There isn’t really anyone else. I didn’t make myself too popular with that idiotic act. It kept away true friends as well as those who only wanted to be with me because of my status. Hurri was the only one who saw through it.”

“And it’s not like we can send any random mercenary team to break her out, because I’m assuming she will be kept in the castle at the bottom of the ocean.” Saxon pushes back from the table and takes Ty from me, putting him over his shoulder and swaying on the spot. My merman starts pacing back and forth across the floor, pulling at his hair.

“What am I going to do?”

“Do you think they are treating her badly? Like, would your mother torture her or anything?” I ask, stepping in front of him and blocking his path. I wrap my arms around him and rub his back, hoping to calm him slightly.

He shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so. It will just be an out of sight, out of mind kind of thing. She often told us she couldn’t stand to look at us when she was having a particularly bad day. It’s why she didn’t argue when we decided to leave for the circus.”

“Okay, well good, so she should be fine where she is for now. It’s important that you warn your friend so he can hide or maybe go off world for the moment until your mother sets her sights on someone else. She won’t be able to wait too long to produce an heir, or maybe one of your father’s other bastards will make a play. This should keep her busy until we can do our thing on Earth, and then we can rescue Nixie,” I suggest, and I feel him take a large breath before he pulls away and sighs.

“Okay. Yeah, you’re right. I’m not leaving our family for the moment, and Nixie will be okay.”

“Lila,” William calls as he emerges from their wing of the house. The kitchen and dining area is centrally located and shared by both wings. He’s frowning down at a tablet in his hands.

“Hi, Grandpa Will. How’s Grandma?” I ask him. The three men mostly stay close by in case she wakes. Link disappeared into their wing not too long ago to run some more checks on her. “Are you ready for dinner and family game night tonight?”

I finally have everyone where I want them, and tonight, we’re attempting to play some of the games I brought from Earth. There’s Twister, Game of Life, Clue, Monopoly, Jenga, Go Fish, and Operation. I’m going to set up stations, and we can take turns playing the games. I’ve also arranged drinks and snacks. I can’t wait.

He smiles, but it almost looks like a grimace, and I wave a finger at him. “Nope, you’re not getting out of it,” I tell him before he can even wrangle an excuse.

“Fine, but I just got a funny alert at the dino sanctuary. I was wondering if you could drive out there and check it out. Most of the staff go home in the evenings, and they rotate who stays overnight. I tried to get in contact with Connor, who is supposed to be on shift tonight, but he’s not responding. I’d go, but I don’t want to leave Liliana when she may be close to waking.”

“Yeah, okay, I have time to run out there before dinner is ready. Maybe Zeydan can come with me since we didn’t get our date tonight.”

He and Brannock were in the library before I sat down with Nikos, so I head in that direction. I’ve never been out to the dino sanctuary before, but I’ve been granted access to all Galaxy Circus holdings. Hopefully I can find Connor, and he can show us around. I’m sure he’s probably just seeing to an animal and can’t come to the phone, but I don’t mind a little one-on-one time with Zeydan. I really like him and want to know him better, and this will help with that.

The library has an open fire that crackles, making the room toasty warm. Zeydan and Brannock are both curled up in plush chairs with books as they read quietly. I love that neither of them feel the need to communicate with one another to be comfortable. I think Zeydan has spent so much time alone that he struggles in big crowds now, and let’s face it, our family is loud and demonstrative and loving, so he’s going to need quiet time regularly to decompress. Brannock must be the same, used to isolation because he and Chloe lived separate from society the last year. It’s nice to see them bonding.

“Hi.” Both of them look up when they hear me. Brannock gives me that smile that makes his eyes crinkle at the edges, and my heart go pitter-patter. God, I love this man.

“Hey, baby, are you coming to join us?” He points at the plush chair that has my romance novel on it. I left it there earlier, so I knew where to find it next time.

I shake my head. “I’d love to, but I have to run an errand for William, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me,” I ask Zeydan, who quickly puts a bookmark in the place he was reading and stands up.

“Sure, I’d love to.”

“Do you need anyone else?” Brannock asks, but I shake my head.

“No. Enjoy your peace and quiet, because I guarantee game night is going to be anything but.” I laugh as he winces. I know it’s not really his thing, but sometimes we need to sacrifice for the good of the masses.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Saxon

I’m peering into the fridge, looking for a blood bag to drink, when my wife and Zeydan walk into the kitchen. I close the door and smile at them. I don’t know much about this man yet, but he seems to be enamored with my blood rose, so that’s good enough in my book. I felt sorry that they didn’t get their chance for a date tonight. I’m also intrigued because he smells delicious, like liquid ambrosia. I wonder if Lila has drunk from him yet. I’d love to know if he tastes as good as he smells. Is that weird? I probably shouldn’t be eyeing this man as a meal replacement, but just like Xavier, his scent calls to me. While the other men in Lila’s harem have helped me out when she hasn’t been able to, and their blood is nutritious, none of them are as tasty as hers or the warlock’s. I think this god’s blood may come close though.

I watch as Lila grabs a key fob for one of the vehicles the Adams brothers keep in the garage. “Where are you off to?”

“William got an alert of some kind of disturbance at the dino sanctuary. The staff member isn’t answering any calls,” Lila answers, and Zeydan frowns.

“A dino sanctuary?” he asks, looking between the two of us.

“Earth people call the animals that inhabit Reccedea dinosaurs. Dinos for short. We have some that are bred and raised for use in the circus,” I explain, and his face brightens.

---