Devotion Read online

  “Do you mind if I go and see Tikki? I just want to make sure she’s all right.”

  “And check she hasn’t changed her mind? If she has, you know I will concede my place to you,” Darl said.

  “Thank you Darl. I just want to check on her; it may be a while until I see her again.” He looked back at Darl. “Will you be all right? I promise I won’t be long.”

  “Go. I will try to conquer the nerves in my stomach. I should have never left Karal. I know any kind of space travel upsets me. These feet wish to be firmly on the ground at all times.” A pale greyness covered the usually vibrant doctor’s skin.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Okil said and ran off towards the district of the city where Tikki lived. The quicker he got there, the more time he would have with Tikki. Not that he expected anything other than a cup of disgusting simcoff; he simply wanted to check she was all right.

  The usual bustle of the city didn’t capture his attention tonight, nor did he stop to give food or coin to any of the beggars, as he often did. His attention was focused on Tikki alone.

  Over the bridge, he crossed the dirty canal, holding his breath as the putrid smell hit his nose. Then he broke into a jog, taking the back streets, which were less crowded. He could feel the colours skimming his skin, a churning mixture of anticipation and excitement filling him. This was something he would miss just as much as her touch, or the thought of her. He needed her. His life would be colourless without her.

  He knew for Tikki’s sake, he should distance himself, allow her to move on and find a man, a human who would look after her. But he wasn’t ready, not yet.

  Her apartment block loomed up in front of him. And he pulled his hood up over his head to shield his face as came out onto the main street. He wasn’t sure he could contain his emotions, and he didn’t want too many people to realise who he was. Feelings often ran high around the time of the lottery draw, and the last thing he needed tonight was trouble. Not when he had promised Darl he would get back to him before the lottery result.

  Into her building he slipped, and ran up the stairs, his pace getting quicker the closer he got. He tried to contain his arousal, knowing that the child was probably with her and that their relationship was now going to be purely platonic. But his body didn’t think much of that idea and he still grew hard.

  Pushing the door open, he emerged onto her floor, walking quickly along the corridor, to find a woman banging on Tikki’s door.

  “Reja?” he asked.

  She spun round. “Okil. I’m so glad you’re here. I can’t get Tikki to answer.”

  “Are you sure she’s in there?” Okil asked. He had been expecting to see Tikki and found it hard to hide his disappointment; it showed across his hands that were flashing orange like a beacon in the dim light of the corridor. Reja saw them too when he lifted his hand to knock.

  “What are you doing here, Okil?” she asked, concerned. “Tikki told me she wasn’t going with you to Karal.”

  He looked at her while he knocked and called out. “Tikki, are you in there, open up.” No answer, so he said to Reja, “Just because she won’t come with me, doesn’t mean I stop caring for her.”

  “She told you about Charlie?” Reja asked, her voice concerned.

  “The boy? Yes. She told me he was the son of a close friend.” He knocked again, and then took a small device out of his pocket. “You did not see this.”

  “What are you doing?”

  Okil held it against the door and pressed a button. With a satisfying click, the lock opened and he turned the handle, opening the door. He put his hand under Reja’s arm and pulled her in. They stood side by side, staring at the apartment.

  “Oh my goodness!” Reja exclaimed. “What happened?”

  To anyone else the apartment probably looked tidy, but for Reja and Okil, who knew how everything was usually placed, it was just wrong. The furniture had been moved around the floor. A small plastic plant Tikki loved was on the windowsill instead of the coffee table. And when Reja looked in the bedroom, all of Tikki’s things were neatly set out, in the wrong place.

  “Someone has been through here,” Reja said quietly, eyeing Okil suspiciously.

  “This has nothing to do with me,” he said quickly. “Reja, you have to believe me. I would never hurt her.”

  “What about the rest of your species? This is the first time a Karalian and a human who had already formed a relationship were going to win the lottery. Are you sure your people are alright with that?”

  “Yes. As I said, this is nothing to do with me.”

  “Then who?” she asked, and then her face lit up as she remembered something.

  “What? Reja, if there is anything that might help, you have to tell me.”

  “Charlie. There was something on the Stream about a man drowning in the canal and Charlie knew him. Tikki said Charlie called him Funny Daddy or something.”

  Okil frowned. “So?”

  “So? Use your alien mumbo-jumbo to see if there is a link.”

  “I’ll contact Darl,” Okil checked his communicator, which also told him the Earth time; his friend would still be at the cruiser. “Reja, see if you can work out if there is anything missing.”

  “OK.” She went through Tikki’s stuff, something Okil would have found awkward; he would hate Tikki to come back and think he had been snooping on her.

  Meanwhile he contacted Darl on his communicator. “Darl, can you look up a StreamStory on the computer?”

  “And how exactly do I do that?” the doctor asked.

  “Input the parameters into the database?”

  “And how exactly do I do that?” Darl asked again.

  “Really? You can find the most compatible DNA subjects from billions of people but you can’t do a simple search?” Okil asked, frustrated at not knowing what had happened to Tikki.

  “I’ll figure it out,” Darl said, and then Okil heard a noise coming through the communicator. “There’s someone here.”

  “Darl? Be careful. Take one of the stuns. Use it if you have to.”

  “What’s going on, Okil?” the doctor asked, and Okil heard him open the door to the weapons box and then shut it, and the lock spinning. “Lock down main system.”

  “Lock down,” the ship answered.

  “Only open for Okil 2955.”

  “Darl, what’s going on?” Okil asked.

  “Just a precaution,” Darl said, and then his footsteps went down the exit ramp, and Okil was left with no clue what was happening to his friend.

  “Reja, we have to go,” he said, heading for the door. Tikki wasn’t there, which meant he was wasting time and needed to get back to the cruiser to help Darl. The Karal didn’t need another of their species to be murdered on Earth, especially not his good friend the doctor.

  Chapter Eight – Tikki

  Tikki sat Charlie down next to the fence surrounding the space cruiser, and said, “Stay here, Charlie. Let me see if Okil is here.” And if he wasn’t? She didn’t even want to think about that. The ramp on the cruiser was down; that meant someone was here. It had to be him.

  When she was sure Charlie would stay put, she went around the fence, trying to find a way through. It wasn’t going to be easy, and climbing really wasn’t her thing. Still, she had to try. Or maybe she should just call out his name.

  Hesitating too long, she was taken by surprise when the bright lighter from the cruiser was switched on, and a big Karalian, definitely not Okil, appeared at the top of the ramp. She took a step back, away from the wire, thinking only of getting hold of Charlie and getting out of there.

  Turning to run, she ignored his shout. Only when a bright concentrated flash connected with her arm, did she realise he was armed. She fell, her knees slamming into the hard ground, but the pain was nothing compared to that in her arm. The burning sensation travelled up to her shoulder and then radiated out through the whole of her body, leaving her unable to breathe.

  As she lay on the floor, sh
e was aware of Charlie beside her, his little hand on her jacket, trying to drag her to her feet. She reached for him, kissing his hand and then saying, “Run, Charlie. Run. Leave me here.”

  “No,” he cried, “Tikki Mommy, get up.” He pulled and pulled at her, and then he stopped, turning to cower as the big Karalian who had shot her loomed over them.

  “Please, let the boy go,” she sobbed, the pain in her body slowly subsiding, but she still couldn’t move.

  “No, Tikki Mommy, I’m not going to leave you,” Charlie cried, now pressing his small body against hers.

  “Tikki?” the big Karalian asked, his voice soothing, gentle. “I am so sorry. I thought the cruiser was under attack.” He bent down, turning her onto her back, and massaging the place where the electric current had hit her. “Lie still, it will pass.”

  “How do you know who I am?” she asked.

  “Okil has told me all about you. He is at your home now; he was scared because someone had broken in. When I heard someone outside the cruiser, I thought we were under attack here too.”

  “I came to him for help.” She clutched her chest, her heartbeat erratic as the aftershocks hit her. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “Shh. He’ll be here soon.” He lifted his wrist and pressed a button before talking into a communicator; Tikki had seen Okil use his on several occasions. Okil. He was close, he would know what to do. She closed her eyes, aware of Charlie curled up next to her, sobbing.

  “Don’t die, Tikki Mommy,” he said over and over.

  She lifted her hand and stroked his head. “I don’t intend to.” But in some ways death might hurt a whole lot less than the pain she was in now. All her muscles were cramping, and her body burned. It slowly began to pass, the electricity dissipating from her body.

  “Better?” the Karalian asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then let’s get you into the cruiser. I have no idea what is going on here, but we are too vulnerable outside.” He helped her up, with much protesting from Charlie. “It’s OK. I’ll help her feel better.”

  “You hurt her,” Charlie accused.

  “He didn’t meant to, Charlie.” She clutched her chest as she was lifted, the alien cradling her against his massive chest. Then he carried her as though she weighed no more than Charlie, up the ramp and into the spaceship.

  “Here, let’s make you comfortable,” he said sitting her in a chair. “My name is Darl, by the way. And it is my pleasure to meet you at last, Tikki.”

  “Thank you, Darl,” Tikki said with some effort, her teeth clamped together to stop a jolting sensation taking hold of her body. Charlie slipped into the chair next to her, and offered her his teddy bear. It was his most prized possession. “No, you keep hold of him, Charlie.”

  “No. I don’t mind. Mommy gave him to me. When I went to live with Sienna Mommy, she made me promise to keep him safe at all times. But I trust you with him.”

  Through the fog of cramped muscles, Tikki took hold of the teddy and said, “Thank you.”

  Charlie looked concerned, but he didn’t look scared to death anymore. Although when there were voices outside, he went and hid behind the seats, taking his teddy with him.

  “Don’t worry, it’s Okil,” Darl said, placing his hand on Tikki’s when she made to get up.

  “He’s here already?” she asked, and then he was beside her, scooping her up into his arms and holding her close. She buried her face in his chest, breathing in the scent of him and feeling his colours as they cascaded across his skin. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “What happened, Tikki? I went to your apartment. Reja was there, she said you were supposed to be home. When we went inside, it had been searched.” His eyes were fixed on her face. “What is going on? Is this because of me? Because someone knows about us and doesn’t approve?”

  She shook her head, her brain still not up to speed. “I don’t know, Okil. I honestly don’t. First there is Charlie, and his parents, and then this afternoon I had a visit from one of Elissa’s old boyfriends.”

  “What did he want?” Okil asked possessively.

  She looked up at him, wondering what to say when the whole thing sounded absurd, but she had to tell him the truth. “I think he was looking for Charlie.”

  “Who was it?” Reja asked. “Which boyfriend?”

  “Harri. You know, the one she lived with when she went away.”

  “I never trusted him,” Reja said. “Always seemed too shifty.”

  “What happened?” Okil asked.

  “He knocked at the door. And I thought it was Reja. But just as I opened it he spoke, and Charlie ran.”

  “What do you mean he ran?” Reja asked quickly, her hand over her mouth.

  “He gathered up all of his toys and went and hid in my bedroom. Right under the bed.”

  “Maybe he just doesn’t like strange men?” Okil asked, looking to where Charlie was hiding now. “Hello, Charlie.”

  Charlie shrunk back, trying to get as far away from Okil as he could. Tikki turned, her body still a mess of pain, but she held out her hand to Charlie and said, “Come on out, Charlie. You already know Reja, and Okil won’t hurt you.”

  Slowly, Charlie took her hand and slipped out to hide behind her legs instead, resting his head in her lap while he nervously eyed the people looking at him. He clutched the tattered teddy bear in his arms, and Tikki’s heart ached for him. She rested her hand on his head and stroked his hair, hating that she had to ask him about things that scared him, but they had to know what was going on.

  “Charlie, can you tell me who the man was who came to the door of my apartment? The one you ran from.” She smoothed her hand over his back, trying to comfort him when he looked up at her, his eyes full of fear. “It’s OK. Nothing can happen to you here.”

  “Bad man. He hurt Sienna Mommy.”

  “Did you see him hurt her?”

  Charlie shook his head furiously. “No.”

  “So how do you know he hurt her? Did she tell you?”

  Again he shook his head. “I heard his voice.”

  “When did you hear his voice?” Tikki asked. She had to consciously keep her hand from trembling.

  “He came to the place we were living.” Charlie screwed his face tightly into his teddy bear.

  “What happened?” Tikki asked quietly.

  “She told me to hide. We put all of my toys in a secret place under her bed. And she said not to come out.”

  “And you heard Harri’s voice?”

  Charlie nodded. “He made Sienna Mommy cry. And then he ruined her apartment.”

  “When was that, Charlie?”

  “The day before she took me to see you. She told me it was safer if I lived somewhere else for a while.” Charlie didn’t make eye contact with anyone while he spoke; he simply plucked at teddy’s furry arm.

  “Do you think this Harri was responsible for … you know,” asked Reja quietly, visibly shocked by what Charlie had said. Tikki nodded. “Oh my goodness,”

  “You have no doubts this Harri is the same man who went to see Sienna?” Okil asked Tikki.

  “No, Charlie was scared to death. And Harri acted so strange. You should have seen him. He was so odd. And he said something.” She closed her eyes, trying to recollect his exact words. “He said about how lucky Elissa was, and that it wasn’t fair that Karalians had everything they need while Earth suffers. I told him it was your planet, not ours, and he said for now.”

  “For now?” Darl asked. “You mean as a threat?”

  “That’s the impression I got,” Tikki nodded, hearing Harri’s words in her head once more.

  “But how does that tie in with the child?” Darl asked.

  “I have no idea. But there is so much else I have to tell you, Okil.”

  “Then I will stay here until we get to the bottom of this.” But behind him, an alarm went off. “Damn it. I forgot about the lottery. It begins in twenty minutes.”

  Tikki got up. “We s
hould go. We can’t be here when your lottery winner arrives. The fewer people who know about this, the better.”

  “Where are you going to go? There is nowhere safe. Not if they found you once already, and now they will be even more suspicious. You ran, Tikki. An innocent person never runs.” He looked concerned.

  “No, but a scared one does.” She thought for a moment. “They can’t know where we are. Maybe I can go home with Reja, they won’t know I am there.”

  “They might,” Darl said. “Your tag.”

  She put her hand on the back of her neck, as if to stop it transmitting. “Oh, we need to go. We have to keep moving.”

  “No. You are coming to Karal with me,” Okil announced.

  “We can’t. We talked about this, and you said Charlie would never be allowed to set foot on your planet.”

  “We keep him secret. Even if he only stays there long enough for us to understand what is happening.” Okil had that look in his eyes that said there was no point in arguing; the blue flashes across his skin only reinforced that message.

  “But how do we get him back to Karal? There is only one cruiser and you will have another woman on board, the woman who is about to win the lottery.” The woman who is about to become your mate.

  “Wait. Reja, how do you like the idea of coming to Karal too?” Okil asked, his skin turning red, a sign he was excited about something.

  “Excuse me?” Reja asked, confused.

  “It’s not something you want?” Okil asked.

  “Are you joking? I have entered the lottery every months since it started.” Her tone matched Okil’s: two children who had just discovered a stash of candy.

  “Great. In that case, meet your prize. Darl, this is Reja.” He left the two of them staring at each other and headed to the console. There he began frantically pressing buttons and the typing in a code. “Reja, I need to scan your tag.”

  She leaned down and he scanned it, then went back to the computer screen. All the time he kept looking at his watch, and then at last, he pressed a button and the live lottery transmission appeared in front of them.

  They were going through the motions, a StreamStar appearing to press the button, and then they waited. Five long minutes, and then Reja’s face flashed up on the screen.