Clan and Crown (25 page)

He reached the stunned man lying on the
ground and yanked him up to a sitting position with a handful of
hair. He bent to glare into the groggy eyes.

“That’s all you can take? My mother
could take a dozen of those punches and spit in your face, you
weakling!”

With that, the god picked up the still
woozy soldier and slung him over one powerful shoulder. He walked
to the edge of the roped-off field and flung the disgraced fighter
to land at the feet of the medics.

As the beautiful brute turned back
towards the continued fighting, he caught sight of Clajak’s party.
He sketched a bow towards them, his brilliant purple eyes widening
a little as he acknowledged he had an emperor in attendance. His
gaze flicked to Egilka and Clajak.

A grin split his face. Even with his
fangs still showing, the man – no doubt an instructor – suddenly
looked very un-Nobeklike. He was even more impossibly gorgeous with
that merry expression.

His deep laugh sent a shiver down
Clajak’s spine as he looked to Yuder again. “That does it. I’m
recruiting my mother to make us a real army. Then you’ll see some
genuine strength, my emperor!”

Clajak didn’t hear his father’s reply.
He wasn’t sure Yuder said anything. All his senses were absorbed in
the amazing man who stalked amongst the flagging fighters, jeering
and insulting them in turn. The jibes were colored with offbeat
humor, not something Clajak thought typical for a Nobek.

The prince had seen only one other
person come close to being so physically ideal. That man was his
aide Korkla’s Imdiko. Clajak thought that even Govi paled next to
this Nobek.

Mother of All, you outdid
yourself when you made that one. I’ve never seen anyone so
exquisite.

Clajak’s surroundings came back into
focus just in time to hear Urb tell Yuder, “That’s High Commander
Nobek Bevau. He’s not your typical senior officer.”

Yuder’s expression was quizzical as he
watched the Nobek browbeat two fighters with the observation that
they fought like blind Joshadan grandfathers. “No, I would say he’s
not.”

Egilka gave Clajak another of his hard
nudges. Only his Imdiko could have dragged the prince’s attention
from the singular beauty that was High Commander Bevau. When Clajak
looked at Egilka, his clanmate gave him a lewd grin. “Forget the
harem. That one will do fine all by himself.”

Clajak returned the leer and nodded. He
leaned towards Urb. “High Commander, could we meet this
unconventional officer?”

Urb jerked a nod. “Of course, my
prince. High Commander Bevau!” he called.

The gorgeous creature looked their way.
At Urb’s wave he nodded and headed towards them, tossing the now
exhausted fighters out of his way as he came.

Bevau looked like a force of violent
nature, stunning the senses with his beauty even as his raw force
awed. He looked more amazing the closer he got to them. A groan
escaped Clajak’s lips.

Yuder glanced at him. The emperor
rolled his eyes at the expression his son wore before turning to
accept Bevau’s bow of respect.

Up close, Bevau overwhelmed Clajak. If
there was a more perfect example of male strength, the Dramok
couldn’t imagine it. The wide shoulders and chest narrowed into the
perfect triangle of the Nobek commander’s hips. His arms and legs
were graceful and brawny at the same time. And that face ... that
amazing face...

Bevau straightened from his bow. His
deep voice sent new shivers down Clajak’s spine. “My emperor, my
princes, it is an honor. In what way may I be of
service?”

Clajak opened his mouth. Egilka pinched
his arm hard, no doubt knowing it was on the tip of the Dramok’s
tongue to say what services he’d be delighted to receive from the
stunning brute.

Instead, Clajak tried a winning smile
on. He switched gears in a heartbeat. “High Commander Bevau, I
realize the love Nobeks have for a good fight. I know hand-to-hand
combat is a vital part of the ground forces’ training. However,
your men are not fighting to merely overcome in this exercise. They
are beating each other senseless and bloody. What is the lesson in
that?”

Bevau’s perfectly shaped lips spread in
a smile. With his fangs folded away, his Nobek persona nearly
vanished in that expression. “My prince, today’s lesson teaches the
men to give no quarter to their enemies. It also shows us who is
the absolute best of the best.”

“The ones who might give even your
esteemed mother a run for her money?”

Bevau roared with laughter at that
sally. “Maybe on her worst day. At the end of this exercise, only
two or three of the men will remain standing. They will have shown
themselves to be the men to beat or be led by in the
future.”

Egilka gave the commander an
half-smile, the uncertainty making his face soft and sweet. “What
lesson do the losers get?”

“To not be losers.” Bevau grinned at
him too. Clajak didn’t miss the heat in the Nobek’s gaze as he eyed
Egilka with interest.

Clajak was amused to see his Imdiko’s
eyes widen and his mouth gape. To see Egilka respond openly was a
rare thing. But then the High Commander was that damned
amazing.

“Is it true your mother could take them
all down?” Clajak knew he flirted shamelessly, but he couldn’t help
himself. Bevau was probably used to such attention.

The Nobek pretended seriousness even
though his eyes sparkled with humor. “Most of the time she does not
have to put her hands on anyone. For the unlucky few who cross her
however, she possesses a vocabulary that make many wish to tear
their ears off. I have seen men turn around and go the other way
when she heads in their direction.”

His unabashed grin returned, demanding
and receiving Clajak and Egilka’s delighted smiles. The Dramok
prince had never met a more lighthearted Nobek. With his back to
the fighting field, Bevau possessed few of the feral aspects that
characterized his breed.

As Clajak mused over that interesting
quality, Yuder addressed Urb and Bevau. “This has been a most
enlightening demonstration. Thank you, High Commander Bevau. Shall
we move on, High Commander Urb?”

“Of course, my emperor.”

Clajak was certain nothing else about
the training facility would hold his interest. He said, “With your
leave, my emperor, I would like to continue to watch this fighting
exercise? I have a few more questions for High Commander Bevau, if
he doesn’t mind.”

Yuder gave him a look that said Clajak
wasn’t fooling him for a red-hot second. However, he nodded. “As
you wish, my son. Egilka, are you staying as well?”

“With your leave, my
emperor.”

“Given.”

Giving a momentary smirk, Yuder turned
away. He and Urb moved on, continuing their tour.

With his father no longer looking on,
Clajak turned on the charm. Looking into Bevau’s amused eyes, he
said, “You’re quite the impressive officer, High Commander. What
would you say is your greatest strength? You are obviously adept at
hand-to-hand fighting.”

The Nobek nodded acknowledgement, his
tone as light and bantering as Clajak’s. “I do well with it. No
recruit has ever gotten an upper hand on me. However, I prefer
fighting with blades. No one at all has bested me in a knife
fight.”

Egilka wasn’t a natural flirt, so
Clajak knew his admiring tone wasn’t a ploy. “Have you seen much
action?”

Clajak snickered at the wording. His
Imdiko scowled at him. “Don’t twist the meaning, you rogue.”
Coloring slightly, Egilka refined his question to Bevau. “Have you
been in many fights as a soldier is what I meant.”

When Bevau answered Egilka’s question
with the seriousness the Imdiko prince had intended it with, Clajak
was impressed. The Nobek made sure to not increase Egilka’s
momentary embarrassment. “I’ve been involved in skirmishes a few
times, mostly against Tragoom incursions on Joshadan settlements.
Also, do you remember the dispute we had with Bi’is a couple of
years ago?”

Clajak nodded. “Our last notable one
over an illegal border crossing.”

“I had the opportunity to take on a
couple of their Wolliw slave beasts. That was intense.”

Egilka frowned. “I’m not familiar with
those. Are they sentients?”

“Barely. Some intelligence, but they’re
less self-aware than Tragooms.”

“Are they as physically
imposing?”

“Size isn’t much of a consideration
with the Wolliw. They’re not terribly big creatures, but they are
fast and easily controlled by those collars.” Bevau’s smile took on
a reminiscent cast, as if remembering a particularly good outing or
party. “I’d taken out half the legs on one, but its master kept
sending it back after me. It still had plenty of claws and teeth.
It was like fighting a dozen men with blades all at once. That was
the best fight I’ve ever had.”

Bevau’s eyes darkened and his
expression grew intense. The savagery he’d shown on the fighting
field returned, making him look more like a typical
Nobek.

Beautiful
predator
, Clajak’s mind sighed. His cocks
gave a throb.

Egilka must have felt the dangerous
vibe Bevau was giving off again. He sounded breathless when he
joked, “So it’s not like fighting a ronka or kestarsh, I take
it?”

Bevau’s laugh eased that feral edge
once more. “A little more taxing, my prince.”

He suddenly started and whirled to
check on his recruits. About half a dozen remained on their feet,
bloodied and slugging each other with half-hearted growls. “Damn,
they’ve been busy while we’ve talked.” He offered an apologetic
smile to Clajak and Egilka. “With your leave, my princes, I think
these men are done.”

Clajak repressed a sigh, realizing
they’d taken all of the officer’s time that they could. “Thank you
for speaking to us, High Commander. Perhaps we can talk again some
time?”

Bevau gave them both an impudent
once-over before bowing. “Any time, my princes. It will be my great
pleasure.”

With that tease, he left them to wade
in among the battered soldiers. His bellow drowned out the groans.
“By the ancestors, look at these worthless carcasses! That’s it?
You’re done already? That’s all you could take?” He yelled at the
waiting medics, who were not so stupid as to chance Nobek warriors
however injured they were. “Get this garbage off my field, if you
please. They’re stinking up the place and we have royalty
here.”

He rounded on the trainees again. “This
is how you perform for the Crown Princes? Thank the ancestors
Emperor Yuder left, or your performance might have shamed him into
weeping!”

Egilka watched Bevau harangue his
beaten squad with a curious gaze. “What is different about him,
Clajak? Raxstad has a good sense of humor, but I’ve never met a
Nobek like Bevau.”

Clajak let his eyes wander the glorious
topography of the high commander yet again. “I don’t know, but I
plan to find out.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I’d hoped you
were serious about seeing him again.” Egilka gave him a naughty
grin, a rare sight from the often too-serious Imdiko. “I will,
whether you do or not.”

Clajak returned the smirk with
interest. “Not only do I want to see High Commander Bevau again, I
want to see every inch of him. Mother of All, what a gorgeous
man.”

With Bevau there to keep the men in
line, the medics swarmed the field with hover stretchers. They
began to cart the injured away. Meanwhile, Clajak and Egilka
watched as Bevau stomped over to one of the still-standing
soldiers. The Nobek pounded his palm against the victor’s back in
hearty congratulations as his fellows were attended to by the
medical staff. The man promptly collapsed in a heap under the
strength of Bevau’s praise.

Bevau threw his hands up in disgust and
then laughed at the blistering sky.

Chapter 12

Egilka settled in the seat of the small
but luxurious shuttle craft they’d flown to the training facility
in. The day was late in the afternoon, and it was sheer pleasure to
relax in the cool environs of the vessel with a glass of bohut in
his hand. The two Imdiko attendants rushed to and fro, waiting on
the royals and assembling snacks for the group. Longtime members of
the Imperial Clan’s staff, they anticipated what was wanted before
it was asked for.

Clajak sprawled at his ease in the
plush lounger across the shuttle’s cabin. Yuder sat upright on a
chair next to Egilka, looking as always on the verge of springing
up and taking some enemy apart. The sleek, steel-haired Nobek
glared towards the closed door of the cockpit, though the pilot
flew without sending the slightest tremor through the vessel. The
emperor’s displeasure was not due to any shortcomings of the pilot.
Egilka knew that like most Nobeks, Yuder despised inactivity. It
was a wonder he wasn’t in the cockpit, demanding to fly the shuttle
himself.

Egilka felt a curious sense of
anticipation as he took a deep draught of his beverage. Even though
the promise of man candy had been enough to lure him on this
expedition, he’d expected to feel uneasy ignoring his work for an
entire day. Yet despite the heat, it had been nice to trade the
cold confines of his lab for the natural surroundings – and
delightful views that had nothing to do with landscapes.