Devotion (Chosen by the Karal #5)(9)

“Charlie? Why do you call your mom Sienna Mommy? Isn’t she just Mommy?”

He looked up, studying her for a moment, and then shook his head. “Nope. She wasn’t Mommy. She was Sienna Mommy, just like you are Tikki Mommy.”

The mug of simcoff only just stayed upright as Tikki jolted forward in shock. This little boy, who had captured her heart and disrupted all of her plans, was not even Sienna’s child. What the f*ck have I got myself into?

“Do you know who your parents are?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from wobbling, although the lump in her throat made it near impossible.

“Yes. But it wasn’t safe for me to live with them. Sienna Mommy told me she would care for me. And Funny Daddy helped her.”

“Do you remember your real parents? Do you know their names?”

Charlie didn’t have time to answer. Someone was knocking on the door of the apartment. Tikki jumped at the sound. Her nerves were on edge after what she had discovered about Charlie, but she calmed herself down. It must be later than she thought, or Reja had left work early. Good, at least she would have some company, but she chose not to reveal any of this to her. Getting someone else involved in this was dangerous, to her as well as them.

She placed her cup down on the table and stood up. Another knock on the door; damn, Reja was impatient. As she reached out, her hand curling around the handle, there was a harder bang, and a voice said, “Tikki, are you in there?”

Harri. What was he doing here? Harri was one of Elissa’s old boyfriends, she didn’t know him too well, and certainly had not seen him since Elissa had won the lottery. Why he would be at her door, she had no idea. Oh well, it would help take her mind off things.

As she pulled the handle down, the door beginning to open, she turned to look at Charlie. His face showed a look of horror. Scooping up his small collection of toys, he ran, going to her bedroom and shutting the door. Too late, she couldn’t ask him what was wrong—the door was already opening wider, helped by Harri’s hand.

“Hello, Harri. This is a surprise.” She tried to look normal, to act normal, but she felt so guilty, so false under Harri’s penetrating stare.

“I thought I would come and pay you a visit, it’s been a while.” He kissed her cheek, but in reality he was looking around the room, for what, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she had to get him out of here fast. “You all alone?”

“Yes,” she blurted out and then hastily added, “I’m waiting for my friends to come over, they’ll be here any moment. We plan to watch the lottery.”

“Really? You don’t still harbour affection for those creatures from Karal,” he sneered, her fear kicking up a notch.

“Oh, you know, what girl wouldn’t want to be swept off her feet and carried off to another planet,” she said lightly. “I hear the food is good and the air is clear.”

“And that is enough for you to sell yourself to a disgusting Karalian.” His hatred was evident.

“Now, I am not going to talk politics with you, Harri. That was my sister’s thing.” She tried to evade a straight-out argument with him; she just wanted him gone.

However, his eyes narrowed and he turned his full attention to her. “Did Elissa say anything to you? About me.”

She felt as though she was simply digging herself a deeper hole. “Nothing. Only that you had broken up.”

“We did. And then she went to Karal. I bet she’s happy there now, eating their food and drinking their water. While we on Earth suffer.”

“It is their planet,” Tikki reminded him.

“For now,” he said quietly, looking her up and down. Then he changed the subject so quickly he caught her off guard. “I heard you had a child?”

“Excuse me?” she said, shocked that he would come out and ask her. But she had to do better than that, had to act like the old Tikki would have. “Does this body look as if it’s had a baby?” She took on the tone of the stupid airhead she had been only months ago before she met Okil.

He looked her up and down, and then moved towards the bedroom. “Do you mind if I look in here?”

She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him back. “Now, Harri, if you want a girl to go to bed with you, you have to do a little better than that. I know you had a thing for my sister, but this is just too much.”

“I don’t want to take you to bed,” he said in a derisive tone.

“Then what exactly do you want?” For a moment, she wondered if he was going to come right out and tell her he was looking for Charlie. But he didn’t. Instead, he eased off, walking back towards the door of her apartment.

It still stood open from where he had burst in, and she was glad he was about to leave. But he placed his hand on it, and she suddenly realised he was about to shut it, with him on the inside. With no chance to think of the consequences, she shoved him out of her apartment, taking him off guard, and then slammed the door shut in his face.

Immediately he was at the door, banging on it and yelling at her, “Open the door, Tikki. I know what you have in there.”

“I don’t have anything, and I am not opening the door to a rapist!” It was the best she could do.

“I am not a rapist,” he yelled.

“Then what do you want?”