Devotion

by Harmony Raines

  Groaning, he began to undo her shirt, stripping it from her body, his hands stroking the swell of her breasts, and then moving to unclasp her bra. Once her breasts spilled out into his hands, he cupped them, rubbing his thumbs over her taut nipples.

  “You are more beautiful than any of the stars in the universe,” he said, and kissed her breasts, his tongue lingering to swirl around her nipples. For a while, they enjoyed each other, kissing, stroking, caressing as they learned to relax. Then an urgency grew in Okil; he wanted to be inside her, and his hands moved to undo her plain grey pants. In stripping those from her body, here in a world filled with so much colour, Tikki felt as though he was stripping the last of Earth from her. She didn’t want to go back, and she knew she couldn’t go back. Whatever life held for her, Okil would be part of it, either on Karal or out in the deepest recesses of space.

  As long as they were together, they would be home.

  Dragging her pants down over her thighs, he undressed her. Then he stood, and stripped himself, standing proud and erect in front of her. Tikki moistened her lips, wanting to suck his erect cock, to taste him on her tongue as she had so many times before. But tonight, their relationship would be consummated completely. He wanted to be inside her and her sex ached for him.

  Okil moved back to the bed, covering her body with his. He supported his weight on one elbow, while his fingers probed her wet sex. She was ready for him, they had waited so long, too long, and now they would be joined as one.

  Guiding himself forward, he breached her outer lips, his eyes fixed on hers as he moved. This might be their first time, yet her nerves had disappeared: there was already a bond between them that could not be broken; she was not some scared virgin. She had already given her heart and soul to him; now it was her body’s turn to accept him. He pressed forward, and her inner walls stretched to accommodate him.

  Okil’s breath hissed as he pushed into her further. He was trying to be gentle, but she could feel the tension in his body. He wanted to drive into her hard, to claim her in a primal way, but he held himself together, pausing when he took her virginity and she tensed beneath him. His lips found hers and he kissed her, his tongue sliding into her mouth as he sought to soothe her.

  Tikki wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close, trying not to cry out as the pain subsided. When he began to move, he took the pain away, erasing it and replacing it with the most wonderful pleasure as the large head of his cock stretched her, and the ridges of his shaft stimulated her inner walls.

  Damn, he was made for satisfying her. His body was an electrifying wave of colours, stimulating her every nerve ending, and she felt it as love; he freed his emotions and let them flow though her until she cried tears of joy. In and out he moved, deeper, harder, and with each stroke his emotions intensified, so that when he came, his cock seeming to fuse to her inner walls. He took her with him and they floated into the stars, two beings joined as one at last, wrapped together in love and acceptance. This was where they belonged; the ground under their feet would never matter. Earth, Karal, or an unknown planet: none of that would matter as long as they had each other.

  Chapter Seventeen – Okil

  “I have made you both breakfast,” Okil said, taking a tray of food into his bedroom.

  When he got up, around an hour ago, he had gone to check on Charlie and found him beginning to stir. Carefully picking the child up, he had carried him into his bedroom where Tikki was still asleep. Charlie had snuggled against her and promptly gone back to sleep, Okil had left them quietly to rest while he had prepared to visit the tower.

  Making a mug of tole, he took it into his garden, and sat and watched the two suns rise in the sky and chase the chill from the air. While he sipped the coffeelike drink, he went over his explanation of why he had brought an extra female to Earth. He also tried to work his way through all of the information he had about Charlie and the people hunting him and Tikki.

  As soon as he had been to the Hier Council, he would go to the simulation computer that was housed in the tower; it held all the knowledge accumulated by the Karal. From there he would be able to sift through the available data and images sent by the probes, which were still stationed around the Earth. They transmitted data through the wormhole, which the sim collated. There were many such probes scattered throughout the universe; it was the Karal’s way of keeping an eye on the universe.

  Okil planned to try to retrieve as much information as he could about Harri and the people he might work for. If he could piece the puzzle together, he might be able to find a way to help Charlie. But if he did help get rid of the threat, would Tikki then want to return to Earth with Charlie? They might get lucky and smuggle Charlie back out, but the council would never agree to Tikki leaving.

  As far as he knew, letting any female leave, especially once they had mated with a Karalian, was not part of their policy at all. Once a female left Earth and came to Karal, there was no option to return. Okil wasn’t sure why. But the Karal kept their planet and their technology to themselves, strange since his species had made their greatest technological advancements by using the knowledge of others. Yes, even when the President asked about the cruisers, Okil knew the answer would be a resounding no. There would be no giving away Karal’s secrets.

  All of these thoughts went around in his head while he drained his cup of tole and then returned to the kitchen to make breakfast. He wanted his guests to have a breakfast they would remember, especially since they had hardly eaten yesterday. So he had made some fresh pastries, and filled them with delicious filling, a mixture of savoury and sweet. As he worked, he realised these were the things he did not know about Tikki.

  He knew how she liked to be touched, how her body reacted to his. He knew the things about Karal she wanted to see, that she hated the way Earth was dying. But what she liked for breakfast, he had no idea. Nor did he know if she had a favourite flower, or a favourite scent.

  He smiled. These were the small things he wanted to learn about her, to grow old with her learning something new every day.

  So now he stood with a tray of pastries, with a mug of tole and a jug of jeweto for Charlie. The two sleeping forms stirred and Tikki lifted her head, smiling at him, and he longed to go back to bed with her, to make love to her once more. Then the small face of Charlie looked up and he felt a small tug of love for the child, which surprised him; it also meant he didn’t resent the way this morning had begun. He had long dreamed of waking beside Tikki and making love to her before taking her around his planet and showing her his world. He let himself be content that she was here, and safe. They had the rest of their lives to make love.

  “That smells wonderful,” Tikki said. “What is it?”

  “Some tole, and I made fresh pastries. Then there is juice for Charlie. Or you. I didn’t know if you like coffee in the morning.”

  “Ahh, your famous tole. I have been waiting to try it.” She scooted to the edge of the bed and picked out a pastry. “I might need to eat one of these first. I am famished. How about you, Charlie?”

  “I am hungry,” he said, and Okil swore he was drooling as he took a pastry and crammed it in his mouth. “I like that one.”

  “Try one of these,” Okil said, pointing to one sweetened with something very similar to how Earth honey used to taste.

  “They are sweet.” Charlie ate it in two bites and then licked his fingers. “Another one, please.”

  “Are you eating with us, Okil?” Tikki asked.

  “No. I have had some tole and I will eat later. I am going to the tower. I have some research to do and I need to meet with the council.”

  She placed her hand on his. “Would it help if I came too?”

  He shook his head. “No, the Hier Leader will only be expecting me. Humans do not have a place in the council chambers unless they are specifically invited.”

  “I forgot we are not equal,” Tikki said and leaned forward to hug him. “Hurry back.”

  “I will. I
have a few other things to do while I am there, but then I will come home and see you. I will try to get a bed for Charlie. There is one in the breeding house I can probably bring home.”

  “Don’t put yourself in any danger. Well, no more than you are already in by having us here.” She kissed his shoulder, electrifying his skin, and red flames shot out, licking at his heart.

  “Don’t worry, Tikki.” He kissed her briefly and then placed the tray on the bed and got up. “Use what you need. If you go in the garden, try to keep to the back where it is difficult to see in. Also, watch for any cruisers that may fly overhead. They are solar powered and sometimes difficult to hear.” He wanted to go on, running through a list of things they should or should not do, but there was little point. It would all come down to luck for them to keep Charlie hidden.

  He went out to his cruiser, breathing in the fresh air, wondering if this was the last time he would see Tikki and Charlie. For all he knew, he was being summoned to the tower so that the guard could arrest him and then come to take Tikki away. He knew he had broken one of the council’s laws by bringing her here without permission.

  That was without the discovery of Charlie. If they found him, well, this might be the last free breath he ever took into his lungs. One more long, deep draw of clean air before he got into his cruiser and went to meet his fate.

  However, he refused to let himself be drawn down into a spiral of despair; for all he knew, he would simply get a reprimand, or be sentenced to be whipped, but no more. He was sure that he had earned enough respect from the council over these last few months for them to see he was no threat.

  As long as they didn’t know about Charlie.

  How could they? Pushing those thoughts away, needing to be calm when he entered the tower and went before the council, he parked his cruiser and entered the long, cool corridor that took him to the council chambers.

  It was early but they were already assembled. He knew they liked to meet and discuss the latest developments on Earth and Karal before they each went about their daily business. Each had a role to play in how Karal worked. From Torac, Hier Commander, in charge of the planet’s security, down to Ishk, who oversaw the farmers and growers who fed and clothed Karal.

  “Okil,” the Hier Ruler said as he was let in. “I am pleased you came straight here this morning. I think you had better explain to us what you thought you were achieving taking a second female.”

  “Tikki Sergeant is the mate I have chosen. For personal reasons she could not come here, or so I thought. I arranged for Darl to receive a female in my place. Only after the draw did I understand that Tikki was now able to complete the journey here with me.”

  “So you took it on yourself to break with our ruling and bring an extra human?” Torac asked. There was something about his words, an inflection in his tone, that made Okil nervous. But he had to keep his head straight; they did not know about Charlie, he was sure.

  “I admit to my weakness. I thought that with the lottery about to switch to being daily, that it would make little difference.”

  “You are correct. It makes little difference to us.”

  Okil let out a sigh of relief. “I am pleased. And I apologise for not obeying the council.”

  “It does not matter to us. But it may matter to the President of Earth. This could look like a kidnapping by our race.”

  Okil felt his blood turn to ice and he had to struggle to stop the colours exploding across his face, but he could not stop his hands flashing red and gold, a visible sign of his anguish. He should have thought this through. Earth would never guess Tikki had travelled here. But what if the council told them? And in return Earth warned the council about Charlie?

  Okil decided that it was a time for silence. If he said nothing, then he could not betray himself. He needed to know what the council intended to do.

  “Earth has no record of the second female, Tikki Sergeant, leaving Earth.” Again the Hier Commander spoke, and Okil tried to interpret the warning in his voice. Or was he simply mistaking Torac’s tone, his feelings of guilt and betrayal playing on his mind? This was one of the hardest things Okil had ever done. All of his life he had been devoted to serving his people and this council; now he was giving his allegiance to a human. To Tikki, the woman he loved.

  “We left quickly after the lottery. I admit, in my haste, I should have changed our request to leave.” A request he could not have made: he had removed her tag and Tikki should have been presumed dead. He had to cover his tracks, so he lied. “I will make the report now. And send my apologies to Earth.”

  “No need. The Hier Commander will deal with it.”

  “It is my mistake. I am only too pleased to send the report,” Okil insisted, feeling Tikki slipping out of his hands and back to Earth.

  Now the Hier Ruler spoke firmly, the meeting at an abrupt end. “You may go, Okil. I hope you enjoy your female and that you conceive quickly.”

  Okil, now dismissed, could not argue and turned to leave. Were the Hier Ruler’s words a warning? If he could put a child in Tikki’s womb, would that be enough for the council to allow her to stay, even if it was against Earth’s wishes? He had never been part of the politics of Karal and now he found himself out of his depth, trying to read meanings into what had been said, when the words might have held nothing more than their face value.

  As he headed for the sim, he realised it was the best chance of Tikki being allowed to stay and for no other suspicion to fall on them. For now, he had to concentrate on Charlie and try to work out why the child was so important to the President. Because if he could solve that mystery, he might be able to understand why Tikki was important too.

  Chapter Eighteen – Tikki

  Tikki and Charlie sat together eating. It was wonderful to have enough food, good food, to satisfy their hunger. The addition of the tole and jeweto juice made their breakfast heavenly.

  “What shall we do today?” Tikki asked Charlie.

  “Can we go and see the elephants?” he asked.

  “Maybe later, when Okil comes back. But until then I think we have to stay here.” She looked around; there was little for a young child to do, no toys, except for those he had brought with him. “Maybe it would be safe for us to go in the garden. But first I think we should try to get to grips with the bathroom. We both need a shower.”

  “Is it the same as on Earth?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Let’s have a look.” Together they headed for the bathroom, where the toilet looked fairly normal, but the shower did not.

  “Where does the water come from?” Charlie asked, looking up.

  “I don’t know. Shall I press this and see?” She pressed a button but nothing happened. So she tried again. Still nothing.

  “Is it broken?” Charlie asked, disappointed.

  “I don’t know. Maybe we’ll have to ask Okil when he gets home.”

  Before they could leave the bathroom, there was a loud knock on the door. Tikki froze. Charlie’s eyes filled with terror and he went to run. She grabbed him and held him to her. Then she pointed to the shower cubicle and he went in, shutting the door behind him and crouching down in the corner.

  Going into the bedroom, she pulled the covers over his teddy bear and made sure there were no other toys visible. All the time someone knocked on the door.

  Tikki stood behind the solid wooden door, wondering if she should just ignore it. But what if whoever was out there burst in and then searched the place? If she answered the door, it would look as though she had nothing to hide, right? As her hand reached out, an excited voice called her name.

  “Tikki, it’s me, Elissa. Open up.”

  “Elissa!” Tikki couldn’t believe it and threw the door open, to be caught in a tight hug from her sister. “I can’t believe it’s you. And oh my goodness, look at your belly.”

  Elissa ran her hand over her stomach, and Tikki caught sight of the colours that flashed across her skin. Okil had told Tikki what had happened in the
decon’ and how, in trying to repair Elissa’s burnt hands, he had given her a diluted form of Karalian skin. “I know, scary, isn’t it? In a couple of months’ time I am going to give birth to the first Karal–human hybrid.”

  “That is wonderful. I am so pleased it worked out for you and Marin.” Tikki looked behind her sister to where the Karalian stood, a little further back, not knowing what to do. “Hello, Marin. Thank you so much for looking after Elissa. Okil told me all about it.”

  “Okil? Now, that was a surprise. Darl told Marin last night. Marin then kept it from me. Can you believe that?”

  “If I hadn’t, you would have been over here at midnight. And I expect your sister and Okil had other things on their mind,” Marin said, his polite inflection not lost on either woman.

  If only you knew, thought Tikki, hoping that Charlie would keep himself hidden. Although she trusted her sister, the more people who knew about Charlie, the harder it would be to keep him a secret. Although she did want to see if Elissa knew anything about the new life Sienna had with her pent. It was looking more likely that the whole thing was a lie, and Elissa might just know something that may shed light on what Sienna was doing. And how she’d ended up caring for Charlie.

  Taking a risk, but knowing that time was not on their side, she asked Elissa in. “I have no idea how anything works, maybe you can show me.” She led Elissa to the kitchen.

  “Listen, I have some errands to run. Why don’t I pick you up in an hour?” Marin said, looking between the two of them and realising that if he stayed he would be subject to an hour of sisterly catch-up chitchat.

  “Great idea, Marin,” Elissa went to him and kissed his lips. “I’ll see you soon. Just don’t be too long.” Elissa touched her belly again and said to Tikki, “We have a scan this morning. It’s why Darl came over, to let me know he is back. And with Reja too. Who would have thought we would all be here together?”

  “Who would have thought?” Tikki said absently. She hadn’t banked on Marin leaving them alone. Now she was bursting to ask Elissa what she knew about Sienna and even considered telling her about Charlie. But would it put her sister in danger?