Clan, Honor, and Empire, page 29
part #3 of Clan Beginnings Series
* * * *
Rajhir returned to the Imperial Clan’s floor less than an hour after his encounter with Pwaldur. Noting how members of the Royal Guard were stationed at only the transport accesses to the level, he knew Zarl and his clanmates had not yet returned from their own midday meals. The place was quiet for the moment.
Rajhir went towards the Dramok emperor’s chambers, thinking of the work he could get done with everyone gone. He was one of the few who had access to Zarl’s inner office while the monarch was out.
He’d left his own office open since he’d known he wouldn’t wander far or for very long from it today. Organized within an inch of its life, Rajhir knew exactly where everything was in his space. Such stringent measures were a byproduct of his years keeping Ospar’s work life in order. Another holdover of being the former councilman’s aide was that Rajhir still kept detailed research on those who might have any bearing on Zarl’s life and rule. He even had backup files in case something happened to the originals. Because there were so many of the storage disks, five times as much as what Ospar had kept, the backups were kept in a separate storage room. Rajhir alone categorized them and kept the lot under lock and key.
That meant Rajhir’s desk was tidy. Only whatever current projects were underway, his main computer, and a still vid of he and Flencik taken on the day of their clanning ceremony was allowed to sit on the desk surface. The rest of his office was taken up by a comfortable seating area and tasteful, unobtrusive artwork. It was a model of efficiency.
Rajhir walked into the reception area of Zarl’s chambers. The Imdiko who usually greeted visitors was away at lunch. The entrance to Zarl’s private office was closed and certainly locked. Rajhir’s door was open, as he’d left it. He walked in.
Nobek Breft sat at his desk. The youth looked up at Rajhir, who stared at him in utter shock. He nodded to Rajhir and plugged a file drive into the computer. “Good day, Dramok.”
Rajhir recovered to splutter, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Going through your stuff.” Breft’s tone was as casual as if they were having polite conversation. “You’ve got some interesting items here, from what I’ve been looking at. The kinds of things you’d have to be crazy to leave unattended.”
Rajhir could only stand there and stare. Was the man insane?
Breft continued talking as he leaned back in Rajhir’s chair and stared up at him. “Do you know how easy it is to get on this floor when the Imperial Clan is not present? All I had to do to come in here was tell the Royal Guards I had an appointment with you, submit to a weapons scan and background check, and here I am. I know those guys are badasses and can handle just about any emergency, but frankly, I’m appalled. You should tell Emperor Zarl to rethink his open-door policy. There’s accessibility to his subjects and then there’s madness.”
Breft kept right on talking, pummeling Rajhir with his thoughts. “Then there’s you. Your office door was unlocked, you know. I walked right in here and plundered without any trouble at all. I didn’t even try to hide what I was doing.”
Rajhir finally found his voice, though his shock held him still when he should have been kicking the Nobek’s ass. “You nasty little bastard. I should have you arrested!”
Breft shook his head, acting as if Rajhir hadn’t spoken. “Dramok Rajhir, chief aide to the emperor. Yet you’ve got all this stuff, all these records lying around on your desk. Anyone can get in to see what you’re working on, including a Nobek still in training camp. This is remarkable.”
Rajhir slammed his hands down on his desk and glared at Breft. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Breft jumped to his feet and slammed his palms on the desk as well. He leaned across until he was nose to nose with Rajhir. “What the fuck is wrong with you? All this information is just lying around!”
Rajhir scowled. “None of it is deemed confidential, you thug. That stuff is locked up tight.”
“Then what’s the big deal with me poking in it?”
“Because it’s not proper behavior!” Rajhir shouted.
There was a dinging sound from the computer, and the vid hovering above it shivered. Breft looked down at what was displayed before returning his attention to Rajhir. “Tell me something. Does Emperor Zarl or Councilman Muzej want anyone in the public to know about the recent security breach in the Dal mines? Because it says right here that they don’t, at least not until the issue is fixed. Yet here I am, a member of the public, reading all about it.”
Rajhir had had his fill. He stormed around the desk, shoving Breft out of the way without bothering to worry over how a Nobek trained to kill with his bare hands would take such force. Rajhir snatched the file out of the computer and the vid blinked off.
He rounded on Breft. “You foul shit. How dare you! The Royal Guards are only steps away, you know.”
The Nobek gave him bored eyes. “Yet I wandered in here without any real challenge. I guess the emperor trusts his aide to keep things secure and his secrets private. Has he misplaced that trust?”
Rajhir felt worry worm into his gut. “Are you here to blackmail me?”
Breft sighed and moved around so he was on the other side of Rajhir’s desk. “I don’t give a shit about any of this stuff, and I’m not going to blab about what I read. I won’t say anything to Emperor Zarl either, so your job is safe until he catches you fucking up. Blackmailing you is not my intention.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
Breft sucked his lower lip in his mouth, for an instant more the youth he really was than the cocksure man he’d been acting like. It took a moment before he answered, “I came to talk to you. I wanted to apologize for showing up at your home without an invitation last night. After what I’ve seen though, I am very worried about the safety of your clanmate.”
“My clanmate? What does Flencik have to do with this?”
Breft barked a disbelieving laugh. “Seriously? He’s got everything to do with this, Dramok Rajhir. You’ve got information here, things that some people would like to keep secret. Not just the one file either; you’ve got background stats on an important councilman sitting right on your desk.”
Rajhir looked at the disk lying next to his computer and felt sick inside. Besides the Dal Mines issue, he also had left out a biographical file on Clan Pwaldur. Usually that kind of information was kept locked up tight, but he’d been putting together the proposal for Narpok’s clanning to Clajak. He’d forgotten to put the file in a safe place before leaving. And here he’d just been congratulating himself on how organized he was.
A lot of councilmen opposed to Pwaldur would love to see what the background checks had revealed about the powerful legislator. The few weaknesses Pwaldur had would be like gold to such people. Even someone as honorable as Gegra might find it hard to pass up an opportunity to get extra information on his current main rival.
Rajhir’s face heated. His oversight could have caused big trouble to not just Pwaldur, but to Emperor Zarl. An aide’s mistakes reflected badly on his employer, especially when that employer was the leader of an empire.
Breft cocked an eyebrow at Rajhir. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but if the wrong person walks in here and starts looking at this kind of stuff, someone can get hurt. There could be ramifications both professionally or through the blackmail you just accused me of. If it gets back that such information came from you, someone might even think beyond having you lose your job. They might go for revenge. Flencik’s big, but he’s gentle. That makes him an easy target.”
The scenario Breft described took Rajhir back to the night Flencik was hit by a blaster shot. He thought of his Imdiko nearly dying. Nausea rumbled in his stomach at the memory.
In a voice made thick with emotion, Rajhir told Breft, “Fine. You have made your point.”
Breft blinked. He looked surprised that Rajhir took him seriously. “Really?”
Rajhir drew a deep breath to settle his nerves. Finding his equilibrium once more, he glared at the Nobek. “I will mend my evil ways and keep my office locked up and the materials within it as well. I will also ask Emperor Zarl to reconsider security protocols for his offices. Satisfied?”
He could tell Breft wanted to smile, but the Nobek managed to keep triumph out of his demeanor. “I guess that will do.”
“Good. You can leave now. I have a lot of work to do.”
Breft bowed and then hesitated. “Will you tell Flencik I said hello?”
Rajhir stiffened. He glared at the other man. “You can stop sniffing around my Imdiko, Nobek Breft. He has better things to do than fend off a youngling with no pedigree and a questionable future.”
There was an instant of fury on Breft’s face before he turned cool. “Oh, a pedigree. I see. Someone likes his parent clan’s status a lot.”
It was Rajhir’s turn to be enraged. “I have made my own way, if it’s any of your business.”
“It’s not, but I was curious. You have the look of someone who didn’t have to work hard to get where you are.”
“Get out now.”
Rajhir didn’t speak loudly. He issued the order in a low, controlled voice, his eyes steady on Breft’s. He felt a stab of pleasure that was nearly sexual in its intensity when Breft reacted to the commanding tone. The Nobek drew up straight, as if at attention, his eyes widening. He bowed again, turned smartly on his heel, and walked out.
“Goddamned cocky kid,” Rajhir growled. “Voice recorder.”
His computer vid flickered to life again and an electronic voice issued from it. “File?”
“To-do list.”
“File prepared. Record when ready.”
“Research Nobek Breft, presently enrolled at Canqua Training Camp. End recording.”
“Item added.”
Rajhir scowled at his empty doorway through which Breft had departed. The Nobek had given him a talking-to worthy of Astef. Maybe Breft had been right about how badly Rajhir had lapsed today, but that didn’t mean the Dramok had to like it. And Rajhir was capable of turning the tables on other men. After all, he was Gegra’s son and had apprenticed for the always cunning Ospar.
If that little fuck thought he wasn’t going to be investigated thoroughly, Breft was about to get a surprise. Rajhir knew a thing or two about gathering intelligence. As soon as his work allowed, he would get started.
But first Rajhir checked to make sure his file storage room was locked up tight.
Chapter 19
Rajhir got off work late, after full dark had fallen. As he entered the home, he caught the smell of food. No doubt Flencik had already eaten dinner and was keeping Rajhir’s meal warm.
His earlier encounter with Breft had brought up the awful memory of Flencik nearly dying in his arms, a memory that had plagued Rajhir for most of the day. The Dramok went in immediate search of his Imdiko. He wandered through the rooms of their home.
“Flencik?”
“Out on the balcony,” came the answering call.
Rajhir hurried out to the now winterized balcony. It was a cool but calm evening, the encroaching autumn stealing in on quiet feet. Flencik leaned on the carved stone railing, staring out at the placid sea. The foam of the incoming waves seemed to glow in the moonlight, phosphorous and ethereal.
Flencik turned and smiled at Rajhir. Most of the Dramok’s tension fled under that gentle regard. It was always this way: no matter how bad his day had gone, being with Flencik made the workday hassles disappear.
“Damn, you look good,” Rajhir said as he neared his clanmate. Flencik did, too. The light breeze blew his curls back from his handsome face. He’d changed out of scrubs, wearing a shirt that molded to his deep, strong chest.
Rajhir wrapped his arms around Flencik’s neck and tugged him down for a kiss. Feeling that wonderful, solid body against him brought a surge of arousal to the fore.
Flencik sighed when the kiss broke, the sound happy. “Long day, my Dramok? Let me make sure your dinner is warmed.”
“To hell with food. Warm me up instead.”
Flencik chuckled. Rajhir shut him up with a demanding kiss. He cupped the Imdiko’s crotch and rubbed, making him moan.
Flencik was breathless as he asked, “Was it that rough a day?”
The Imdiko knew that Rajhir tended to use passion as an outlet for frustration. The fact Rajhir wanted sex before food and the insistent way he worked to arouse his clanmate was a clear indication that the Dramok had a lot of stress to unload.
Rajhir pulled the front seam of Flencik’s shirt open. Between licks and kisses on the broad planes of the Imdiko’s chest, he said, “I had to deal with stupid insulting shit from one of the councilmen. Then your boyfriend showed up in my office and gave me hell.”
Flencik leaned back, trying to look into Rajhir’s face. “My what?”
Rajhir licked the tight nub of Flencik’s nipple, sending his clanmate up on his toes for a moment. Flencik hissed his appreciation.
Rajhir told him, “Your boyfriend. That horrible youngling Nobek you seduced.”
Flencik started to laugh. “Breft? What was he doing in your office?”
“It’s not funny. He gave me grief about how lax my security on my records was.”
“Did he have a point, my Dramok?”
Rajhir ceased his attack on Flencik’s chest. He drew back with a scowl. “Maybe. Yes. He reminded me that my being sloppy with certain files could put you in danger.”
“Me? I have nothing to do with your work. I learned my lesson on that count,” Flencik teased.
Rajhir didn’t find it funny. Thinking about that night five years ago had a lot to do with why he needed to be with Flencik so much right now. He needed the reassurance that his Imdiko was all right and would remain so.
“You could be threatened. Say someone wanted me to do something underhanded. They could threaten your safety to get me to do so.”
“Is that what’s happening?”
“Not yet, but it could have. I left some important things out in the open where anyone might find them. It was stupid.”
“People make mistakes. Even you.”
“I’m usually better than that. Damn it, that fucking kid read me the riot act.”
Flencik stroked his cheek. “And you hate that Breft was right.” He shrugged the matter off. “So you goofed up once and of course that’s when someone checked up on you. Shit happens. I’m sure I’m perfectly safe.”
Rajhir gazed into his Imdiko’s eyes. In a voice soft with emotion, he told him, “I never want to come close to losing you again.”
Flencik smiled. “You won’t, especially since you’ve been reminded to be careful. Did you thank Breft for putting you straight?”
He was entirely too amused by the affair. Rajhir decided it was Flencik who needed to be put straight. “No, I threw the smug bastard out with great enjoyment. Maybe I deserved to be dressed down, but not by a Nobek still in training camp! Just because he has a crush on you doesn’t mean he can tell me how to take care of my Imdiko.”
“I think it’s sweet. I have a protector.” Flencik sighed with a sappy expression, making his face a caricature of lovestruck foolishness.
Rajhir growled, “You are asking for it, my Imdiko.”
Flencik grinned with impudence. “I bet I’d never have to ask for it from that adorable animal of a Nobek. I bet he’d give it to me without invitation.”
The Dramok had heard enough. He yanked Flencik around and slapped his ass hard. Flencik yelped and ran into the house. Rajhir followed him, spanking his laughing clanmate all the way into their sleeping room.
* * * *
The smacks smarted where they landed on Flencik’s ass, sizzling stings that made things warm inside his groin. He’d managed to lure Rajhir out of his funk with his antics, and now he would pay for it. The Imdiko very much looked forward to his punishment/reward.
Once in the sleeping room, Flencik had nowhere else to run. He stopped at the foot of the sleeping mat and turned around to try to defend his burning ass. Rajhir had a hard hand, which never failed to excite the Imdiko.
Now that he was out of places to go, it would take a command from his lover to make him accept any further discipline. He might have the occasional submissive bent, but Flencik was alpha enough to not simply accept having his ass worn out, not even by his Dramok.
Instead of ordering him or trying to physically restrain Flencik, Rajhir shoved him onto the mat. Then he jumped on top of the Imdiko.
They rolled around on the wide expanse of the sleeping cushions, flailing against one another, each trying to get the upper hand. Despite the flurry of activity, they each took care that the other would not fall off onto the floor or bang into the hard posts. Between growls Rajhir would warn Flencik once in awhile, “Careful.” Between guffaws, Flencik would say, “Look out.”
Flencik always laughed when they got going like this. He couldn’t help but express the joy of being with Rajhir, of being his clanmate. Even dominance fights couldn’t get him to be stern. He was too happy.
As always, he tried to use his greater size against his Dramok in a bid to gain control. Rajhir was faster and worlds better when it came to wrestling, but sometimes he let Flencik put him in a submissive posture. It was more proof to Flencik that Rajhir loved him; Dramoks usually couldn’t stand to let others take the lead, least of all in sex. Yet Rajhir knew Flencik’s needs and made sure they were met. If that meant surrendering from time to time, he was capable, though not enthusiastic, about doing so.
Flencik could tell that tonight was not going to be one of those nights. Rajhir had been through a rough day at work, and he was intent on demonstrating his dominance to console himself. Their tussling at last ended up with him at last on top of Flencik. He gazed into the Imdiko’s eyes with a stern look.
“Enough. Lie still.”
Flencik responded automatically to the commanding tone. He froze beneath his clanmate, panting for breath with Rajhir pinning his wrists on either side of his head. The demanding look on Rajhir’s face brought heat pouring into his already hard cocks. Flencik had never known anyone who could use his voice with the authority Rajhir was capable of. It left him quiet and watching his Dramok expectantly.
