Authors: Tracy St. John
As soon as they stepped into the
in-house conveyance that would take them to their own apartments,
Clajak heaved a sigh. “Put that great mind to work, my Imdiko. How
do I get out of this trip without disappointing my
mother?”
“Don’t be an ass, Clajak. You can’t
avoid Pwaldur and Narpok forever.” Egilka grimaced. “As much as I
hate to admit it, the empress has a good point about Narpok. We can
help the girl get past the self-absorption.”
Clajak snorted. He thought Narpok’s
narcissism was bred into her bones. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and she
won’t be—”
He stopped himself. He’d almost said he
hoped Narpok would prove infertile. He winced as Egilka’s
expression went cold.
The Dramok grabbed Egilka and kissed
him fervently, trying to make amends. “I’m sorry. You know I didn’t
mean it that way. My problem is Pwaldur, not Narpok. That man makes
me crazy. I can’t think straight for my dislike of him.”
Fortunately, Egilka knew Clajak’s
temper and how it often led to him saying things not in his heart.
He was gracious and let the faux pas slide.
“Pwaldur is a bastard. I can’t tell you
how relieved I was when I found out my meetings would prevent me
from going on the trip. The thought of being shut up with that
overbearing ronka’s ass makes my stomach churn.”
Clajak kicked the transport’s door.
“This is so unfair. Not only do I have to smile in the company of
that pompous asshole and his daughter, but I’ll be deprived of my
wonderful Imdiko as well.”
Egilka laughed at his childish pouting.
“You are so full of it, Clajak.”
The conveyance arrived at their suite.
The door opened to their greeting room, and Clajak went straight to
the bar. He located their last bottle of leshella and poured. His
mind raced, trying to work out a way to save him from the trip to
Joshada while remaining in his mother’s good graces.
“Don’t you dare keep that all for
yourself.” Egilka showed up at his elbow.
Clajak poured them both big glasses. He
groused, “The trip stinks. This whole union stinks. There must be a
way out of it.”
Egilka took his glass and gazed at the
blue liquid with appreciation before having a sip. He sighed. “A
way out of which one? The trip or the clanning?”
“Both preferably, but I’ll take
skipping out on Joshada in the short term.” He took a swallow,
draining half the glass in one go.
Clajak walked across the rug-strewn
polished floor, thinking out loud as he paced the small but
luxuriously appointed greeting room. He saw none of the fine
handcarved furnishings as he said, “How can we make ourselves so
vile that Pwaldur begs for Narpok to be released from our
betrothal?”
Egilka leaned back on the bar and
watched Clajak with resigned amusement. “It would take something
pretty bad. He practically licks his lips when he thinks of his
daughter as empress.”
Clajak agreed with the assessment. “I’m
already everything he despises.” He looked Egilka over with
speculation. “It’s up to you, my Imdiko. You must become a
drunkard, a thief, something awful. Of course we can’t get rid of
Narpok, not when you’re respectable enough for both of us. Your
mere presence suggests I have some redeeming qualities.”
Egilka burst out laughing. “You should
have defied your parents and clanned undesirable men. Henbo is
still available, you know.”
“A Nobek who is half Imdiko might be
considered undesirable too. Pwaldur would be sure to hate
him.”
Egilka eyed him. “Bevau is something
else, isn’t he?”
“Worth a scandal, maybe? Do I detect
some rebelliousness in my clanmate?”
The Imdiko shrugged. “I’ve felt no real
spark with our other options ... not like I have with Bevau. I
don’t care that he’s dual breed. I meant it when I said he’s no
less a Nobek than Yuder.”
“I see it too. A Nobek with patience
and the ability to look for a peaceful solution, yet able to
fiercely defend his Empire and clan. At the risk of sounding
thoughtful, I can’t imagine a better protector for us.”
Egilka sighed. “Even if Narpok learns
to be a better person, we still have to live with Pwaldur through
her. It would be nice if our Nobek was more to our tastes. I would
like to get to know Bevau better.” He winked at Clajak. “Just in
case our Matara cannot be rehabilitated.”
“It’s good to know I’ve had some
influence on you after all.” Clajak drew close to Egilka. He kissed
his Imdiko lingeringly before giving him a smile.
Egilka shivered. “I know that look. It
means trouble.”
“Absolutely. But it’s the kind of
trouble you’ll like. Let’s keep checking in with Bevau.”
“Gladly.”
“Good. In the meantime, I still have
the matter of a trip to get out of.”
Egilka rolled his eyes. He finished his
drink and set the glass on the bar. He turned around and walked
away. “Do this one thing you’re supposed to, Clajak. Grow up,
already.”
Clajak eyed Egilka’s ass as he moved
away. Something was growing all right, growing big and eager. Under
his breath he said, “Don’t hold your breath, lover ... at least not
until I make you scream.”
He followed his Imdiko towards their
sleeping room. He knew exactly what it was that would make his
Imdiko do plenty of yelling.
Egilka piloted his personal shuttle to
the training facility where Bevau worked. He commed ahead to the
facility’s landing hangar and received clearance for his
unscheduled trip. The flight was uneventful, and his heart
quickened as the camp came into view. After landing the craft
without even a bump ... he congratulated himself on that ... he
remained in his seat for a few moments.
The Imdiko wondered if the visit had
been such a great idea. It had only been five days since he and
Clajak had called on Bevau, which had resulted in the amazing romp
in an underground storm shelter. It was not like Egilka to show up
on anyone’s doorstep unannounced on a whim. Yet he hadn’t been able
to stop thinking about the Nobek. Not that he’d tried very
hard.
I have a
crush
, he thought, amused with himself. It
was so very un-Egilka of him.
If life had gone about business as it
was supposed to, he’d be in his lab right now, working hard as
usual. However another scientist had gotten clumsy and initiated a
biological breach. It resulted in the entire research facility
being locked down for cleanup. The whole day was a wash, leaving
Egilka with nothing to do. Even Clajak for once had not been able
to get away from his duties, leaving the Imdiko to his own
devices.
Obeying an impulse that came out of the
blue, Egilka had climbed into his shuttle and flown inland. His
excuse to the training camp’s administrators for the visit was to
see how the cleanup had gone following the storm. It was a flimsy
excuse, but if anyone thought so they hadn’t called him on
it.
Now he was here. He wasn’t sure this
was such a good idea after all. Bevau was probably busy. One drop
in had been okay, but Egilka thought making a habit of it was no
doubt going to get on the Nobek’s nerves. He should
leave.
Yet Egilka couldn’t bring himself to
power the shuttle back up and beat a retreat. He thought of the
too-perfect face and body and his heart thumped.
“I’m too old for this. And too stable.
I get laid often and well by a very accommodating Dramok. What the
hell am I doing?” he asked himself out loud.
Before he could give himself an answer,
Egilka got out of his seat and the shuttle. Tossing answering waves
to the personnel who bowed as he passed, he kept his mind a blank
as he strode to the administration building that housed Bevau’s
office.
Egilka didn’t slow down until he
entered the reception area. The Dramok aide who sat there blinked
at him with irritation. “Yes? High Commander Bevau does not see
anyone without an appointment—”
The Dramok’s mouth suddenly snapped
shut. His eyes bulged. He shot to his feet and bowed so low that he
nearly smacked his forehead on his desk. “My prince! I’m sorry, but
I didn’t recognize you at first.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Egilka said,
feeling bad that he’d upset the poor man. “I’m, um, friends with
the high commander. I dropped by for no real reason. Is he
busy?”
“He’s with some of his men, but I’ll
tell him you are here,” the aide said. He rushed to the closed door
that led into Bevau’s office.
“Oh no, don’t interrupt—” Egilka began,
but the aide was already barging in on Bevau and two trainees. The
high commander was in the middle of a rant.
“...sorriest, most pathetic excuse for
soldiers I’ve ever seen.”Bevau yelled. He turned and caught sight
of his aide.
“Crown Prince Egilka to see you, sir,”
the aide said, bowing smartly to his superior.
The Nobek’s gaze moved to Egilka. “So I
see. Hello, my prince.”
Egilka shrank before those burning
eyes. “I’m sorry, High Commander. This is obviously a bad
time.”
All at once, Bevau’s face broke into a
sunny grin. The transformation from infuriated Nobek was so abrupt
that Egilka stood there stupidly, unable to do anything but gape at
the beaming man.
Bevau moved towards him, his hands held
out in welcome. “Not at all, Prince Egilka! I was just getting
ready to use these idiots for doormats, but they’d give doormats a
bad name. Come in and join us.”
As much as it made him glad that Bevau
wasn’t mad at his unexpected visit, Egilka did not want to be
around to watch the violent Nobek notion of discipline. He took a
step back.
“No, it was stupid of me to come
without letting you know I was on my way. I’ll com
later.”
Bevau kept coming, growling at his two
grim-faced trainees as he passed them. “Do not move one muscle or
you’ll never move again.”
“Look, Bevau, you’re busy and I wasn’t
here on important business anyway—”
Bevau’s iron grip on his upper arm shut
Egilka up. Bevau’s winning smile, as charming as any Clajak had
ever worn, shone like the sun. “Absolutely not, my prince. I’ve
been thinking about you and your Dramok, wondering if it would be
too forward of me to visit you. I am so delighted you’re here. In
fact—”
His eyes lit up and he glanced back at
the trainees who seemed frozen in place. The grin Bevau wore turned
playfully cruel. Egilka couldn’t hold back a shiver at that
look.
Bevau nodded to himself and turned his
gaze back to the Imdiko. “In fact, I think you can help me
here.”
Egilka gave him wide eyes. “Me? I’m not
what you would call a disciplinarian, Bevau.”
Bevau turned on the charisma, cajoling.
“There is discipline, and then there is discipline. Would you
indulge me, my prince? I promise you will have to deal no pain or
censure, but what I have in mind will help me
tremendously.”
Egilka couldn’t imagine what the Nobek
might have him do. He should leave. It didn’t matter how exciting
it was to feel that strong grip on his arm, a grip he couldn’t
break if Bevau didn’t want him to. It didn’t matter that his chest
squeezed tight to be close to the Nobek. It didn’t matter that his
whole body tuned to that stunning face wearing its oh-so-beguiling
smile.
It didn’t matter because Egilka wanted
no part of any disciplinary measures. Yet he heard himself say,
“Well ... I suppose I could assist if you think it’s
warranted.”
Bevau nodded. “Oh, it is. These fools
are in a squad that I am personally responsible for. They didn’t
pay attention to safety protocols during their explosives training
today.”
Egilka watched his lips move like one
hypnotized. “That sounds dangerous.”
“To the tune of potentially turning the
camp into a crater. It’s not a minor issue.”
Hearing the severity of the situation
helped bring Egilka out of his daze. No wonder Bevau had been in a
rage. “What do you need from me?”
“First of all, your trust. You know the
first and most important rule for any Nobek, don’t you?”
“Protect the Empire and those who make
his life worthwhile.” All the candidates hoping to join Clan Clajak
were fond of repeating that mantra.
Bevau looked at Egilka with pride, as
if he’d done something particularly clever. “Exactly. You and
Prince Clajak represent both those entities to me.”
Egilka’s brows rose. “We make your life
worthwhile?” Maybe Bevau had reconsidered his determination to not
be courted by them.
Bevau shrugged. “Let’s just say I
enjoyed your recent company quite a bit. So do you trust me enough
to put yourself in my employ for a little while?”
The unexpected sentiment had melted
Egilka’s resolve. “I believe I do.”
“Then let me introduce you to these
mindless slugs.”
Bevau tugged Egilka into his office.
The aide was back behind his desk, busy on the computer once more.
The door shut behind Egilka and Bevau.