Devotion (Chosen by the Karal #5)(22)

“Then I am truly blessed,” he said, then lowered his voice and spoke.

The two guards laughed. “Go. Enjoy your female and make a child. When the lottery is extended, I only hope I will be as lucky to find a female I can’t resist.”

Okil walked back up the ramp, waving to the two guards and laughing. When he reached the top, he pressed the button for it to close. Only when it was sealed did he lean against the side of the ship and take several deep breaths. Blue pulsed across his face; if ever the Karal showed fear, she guessed this was it.

“Let’s go, Darl,” he said, and the cruiser moved forward at a steady speed. Not until they had left the compound did Tikki let go of her pent-up breath. Then she left her seat and helped Okil open the locker and get Charlie out.

“Where to now?” Tikki asked, giving Charlie a hug.

“The cruiser is mine, so we can take Darl and Reja home and then go on to my house. It’s a little away from the tower, no one lives close by, so we should be able to get Charlie inside unseen.”

“And that’s it, we hide there?” Tikki asked, not wanting Charlie to spend his days permanently inside but seeing no other solution.

“When I go to the tower tomorrow, I am going to check the surveillance cameras, see if we can get some idea of what Harri is up to and who he is working for. Then we can decide what to do. I’m still not sure if involving Elissa is a good idea or not.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to see her again. It’s only been a few months but it seems like a lifetime ago,” she said, thinking of everything that had happened over the period since Elissa had left for Karal.

“You were a different person then, Tikki. But I think she will be very proud of you and what you have accomplished.” Okil stroked her hair, smiling at her, as she held Charlie in her arms. The poor child seemed exhausted. He needed to sleep, and to eat.

“How long until we are at your house?” she asked as they sped across the grassy plains.

“Another of your Earth hours, maybe less. Darl lives in the opposite direction to me.” He kissed Tikki and then said, “I’ll go and speak to him. I can’t wait for us to get home and be able to relax. It’s been a long day, you must be exhausted.”

“Not as tired as Charlie,” she said, feeling the small boy grow heavier in her arms. “I think he is nearly asleep.”

“Maybe you should try to rest too.” He got up, helping her back to her seat. “I am hoping you will be a little rested by the time we get back.”

His eyes said what his mouth didn’t, and she allowed herself the small surge of longing to uncoil from her stomach and thread its way through her body. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to close her eyes for a few minutes.





Chapter Fifteen – Okil


“Thank you, Darl,” he said, watching the doctor walk down the ramp with a nervous-looking Reja.

“Don’t think anything of it, Okil. Now you get those two home and get some rest. Come to see me tomorrow after you have been before the council. We will put our heads together and see how we are going to make this work. I suggest if you have anything you need, for the child, you contact me in person. I will do what I can. Although clothes may be a problem.”

Okil hadn’t thought of that. There were no clothes on Karal to fit a small child. All the childhood clothes from his generation had been recycled long ago. With the next generation yet to be born, there was nothing available. As he closed the ramp, he decided that clothes were the least of their problems. He could probably find someone who could make the right-size clothes; he could say it was a gift for someone on Earth.

Don’t make problems for yourself, he thought, you have enough to deal with already.

Although when he looked at Tikki, asleep with Charlie in her arms, it was impossible for him to think of them being a problem. They were his life, his responsibility, now; he only hoped he didn’t fail them.

Taking the controls, he steered the cruiser back out onto the empty road, feeling very alone now Darl had gone. But he realised how lucky he was to have the doctor, someone he would trust with his life, as a co-conspirator. Between them, they would make this work.

As he made his way home, he kept an eye out for any patrols that might stop him. He was still unsure how much trouble he was in for bringing an extra female to Karal. Darl had already cleared her on the DNA testing, and her ovulation cycle was regular, so he thought the Hier Council would let it go. Maybe he would receive some kind of warning, or even be dropped some credits, but that was all. The planet was gearing up to receive a large influx of females over the next couple of years, so Tikki arriving a few days early would not be a problem.

He only hoped that no one from Karal checked with Earth. Because he hoped by now, Tikki Sergeant was classified as dead and that no one on Earth would ever know she had moved to Karal with her lover.

His body warmed to that idea: she would be his lover. After waiting for so very long, they could now consummate their relationship.

As his house came into view, he hoped when he woke her, she would be rested enough. And that Charlie would sleep for a few hours, so that he and Tikki could get to know each other intimately.





Chapter Sixteen – Tikki


“Are we there?” she asked as he touched her arm gently, trying not to wake Charlie.