Chapter 2

I woke with the taste of the salt and a longing for the sea.

Which was totally bonkers since I did not do the ocean. It must have been the bomb fish and chips our chef prepared for dinner last night. Perfectly crispy with just the right amount of saltiness. Then again, everything Rhett made was chef's kiss-worthy.

It'd been a year since he'd joined the circus to take over for our previous chef, who'd retired. We'd instantly become good friends when he'd been roomed with me and I was honestly happy to have another human around. All the residents of Black Cat Circus had always been welcoming, but it did get lonely being the minority. And even if Rhett turned out to be not-as-human as he'd thought, we'd gained Eli, Indy, River, and Alyx in the last year.

As usual, the purple mess tent was crowded for breakfast. This was Rhett's domain, and he was currently making his magic in the kitchen area that was set up at the back of the tent. Naturally, Coal, our firedancer, stood not far away from his boyfriend, helping him grab items on the top shelves that Rhett couldn't reach. With Rhett being half-dwarf, their height difference was so freaking adorable.

Anyone who saw them together could tell just how much love was shared between them. In fact, love was basically in the air with all the couples glued together as they shared a lovey-dovey morning meal together.

It all started when Drake, our dragon daredevil, fell in love with Eli, who was now our photographer. Then Coal with Rhett, and Brighton, our raven-shifter aerialist, got together with Zander. Hell, even our Ringmaster was paired up now. Seven looked spiffy as usual in his suit, looking so much in love as he chatted with his mate, Indy, at one of the tables on the right, and I had to admit they made a really cute couple.

Everyone was pairing up…everyone except for me.

I was happy for them, I really was, but that didn't mean the little green monster didn't swell up inside of me. It was one thing to be a nineteen-year-old virgin, but to have never even held hands with someone romantically had to mean there was something wrong with me.

I stabbed at my scrambled eggs, trying to fight the negative thoughts that swirled in my mind.

I'm too different and don't belong here or anywhere. Nobody wants me or will ever want me. My real parents didn't even want me...

"Honey, are you okay? You were quiet last night at dinner as well," my mom asked with a frown, and I immediately felt guilty for having those thoughts.

Mimi Green was a petite woman with curly hair as big as her personality. As she studied me, the wolfs ears on her head stood tall with alertness.

My dad, Dolph Green, stood a couple inches shorter than my five-foot-eight, but instead of my lanky frame, he was built like a bodybuilder with muscles growing on top of his muscles.

I didn't look like either of them, which wasn't shocking considering I was adopted, but that didn't mean I wasn't any much less theirs. I never once doubted that they treated me like their own, and that only made the guilt eat me up more inside.

These two beautiful, amazing people loved me yet I still felt undeserving of love. And honestly, that fucking sucked. I wanted to be their perfect son, not some broken kid with a fear of rejection.

Dad raised his head from where he was gobbling down his food to shoot me a worried look. "Is someone bothering you? You tell me if they are, and I'll take care of it," he said in his gruff voice. He bared his fangs and his tail swungaggressively behind him. I swore his muscles also flexed with every word, as if ready to pound on any problem until it was solved.

I rolled my eyes at his fierce expression and laughed, all the negative feelings floating out of me like they'd never existed in the first place. It was hard to stay in a bad mood around my parents.

"Don't you always say my mouth runs faster than a jaguar? I thought you two would like it if I gave you a break," I said with a grin.

It was an ongoing joke in the family, and well, maybe I do say too much sometimes, like basically telling Rhett that magical creatures existed when he first moved here, but it was never intentional. I just get too excited and speak before my brain has time to filter the thoughts.

"Oh, honey. You know we love hearing your thoughts. You don't have to filter anything with us," Mom said.

She once sat with me while I gushed about my latest celebrity crush for hours. She didn't get impatient with me as some might, but listened and fangirled over the actor with me.

I knew they would listen to whatever I said, but there was no way in hell that I'd tell them I wanted sodesperately to lose my virginity, and that I wanted to fall in love too.

Even I knew there were some things better off not said out loud.

"I know, I know. My voice is a blessing," I joked.

Mom smiled but nodded, looking a lot less alert now. Dad let out a grunt in agreement and happily went back to his food. Mealtime was the man's favorite time of the day.

"Just thinking about what I have to do today before the circus guests arrive. I ran out of paper, so I gotta head into town and buy more," I said, which only reminded me that I really did need to get going.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Mom said. She got that look in her eye, like she was worried something would happen to me if I wasn't in her direct line of sight. It didn't matter if I was legally an adult now, I would always be her little baby.

"Nah, it's fine. Aisha said she wanted to pick up some stuff too, so we're going together," I said, shoving the very last spoonful of scrambled eggs into my mouth. I got my aversion to wasting food from Dad.

I stood and grabbed my tray to deposit it with the dirty dishes, but Mom put a hand on my forearm to stop me. "Honey, I hope you know your Dad and I are really proud of you for sharing your art with the world. I know it wasn't an easy decision."

My love for art had followed me since my childhood, but it was never easy for me to share it with others. It wasn't until a few years ago that I started doing drawings for the other members of the circus, and it was only last year that Rhett talked me into doing portraits for the guests who came to the circus.

Hell, I even made an account on the paranormal-exclusive social media app ‘Into the Ether' to post my art and even had a few hundred followers. It wasn't an impressive number, but considering Ether had only launched this year, I was proud of the little community I'd built.

Dad's fork paused mid-air as he focused on me, giving me anencouraging smile. And to have parents who supported me and believed in me had me thinking that I'd won the lottery in life. It was times like these that made me feel stupid for having negative thoughts when I had the best family in the world.

"Thanks, Mom, Dad. That really means a lot to me," I said, smiling from my heart this time. "Now I really have to go or else I'm gonna be late. See you later. Love you!"

"Love you too, and stay safe!" Mom called to my back. After dropping off my tray, I gave them one last wave and headed to the parking lot in the front.

My best friend was already waiting there for me, which was to be expected since breakfast wasn't her thing and she was an early riser.Her long, black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and her skintight riding leathers accentuated all her curves. She could have come straight out of a magazine cover.

"Took you long enough," she said by way of greeting, her dark eyes squinting just slightly the way they did when she was observing something.

I smirked and accepted the helmet she offered. "You wouldn't have to wait if you just had breakfast with me," I said while putting on the headgear.

We could have taken my dad's car, but Aisha'spreferred way of travel was on hermotorcycle, and it wasn't a big deal since I only needed some sketchbooks.

She snorted like breakfast hadcommitted a grave sin against her and mounted her bike. Aisha may act like the world had a personal vendetta against her, but she was a huge sweetheart inside.

"You just gonna stand there all day?" she prompted when I didn't move from my spot.

Alright, maybe the sweetness was hidden deep, deep inside, but it really was there!

I climbed on the seat behind her, wrapped my arms around her middle, and gently pinched her exposed waist. She slapped the back of my hand, gently enough for me to know that she wasn't really angry.

"Love you, Ai," I said to her back.

She grumbled, but I could still hear the soft "love you too" through the rush of wind as she drove out of the circus grounds.

Maybe I'd never find a boyfriend, but that didn't mean I was alone. I was surrounded by people who loved me, and that was enough.

It had to be.