Clan and Crown Read Online Free Page A

slowly, deliberately. Egilka’s
upslanted eyes widened. “Come here. Come to me and let me show you
how much I’ve wanted you all this time.”
    Egilka took a step, as if to obey the
command. His leg bumped the switch still waiting on Clajak’s
abdomen. He looked at it and blinked. He made a strangled noise
deep in his throat before setting his shoulders back. He came back
to himself with reluctance.
    Damn it, Clajak thought. He’d nearly
had the man.
    Egilka’s expression set back into
familiar lines of determination. It was an obvious struggle for him
to do so. He’d wanted to give in, to accept Clajak’s control and
pursue their mutual desires. As always, Egilka obeyed duty over
passion.
    He gave Clajak a severe look. “Not this
time, Clajak. You will accept discipline for running off to play
when you should have been serving honor.”
    “Are you going to enjoy this, Egilka?
Beating me? Making me howl?” Clajak couldn’t give up the fight even
knowing he’d lost it.
    “Does it matter?” Egilka picked up the
switch and made it whistle in the air with the flick of his wrist.
Clajak winced in anticipation of how it would feel on his
flesh.
    He recovered and gave the Imdiko a
saucy smile. “Pleasure always matters. It makes all that duty of
yours worth something.”
    Egilka looked at him with bemusement.
“How do you mean?”
    Clajak had to laugh despite how much
his pricks ached for the man. “The slow, deadly grind of doing what
we must highlights our joy when we get to play. I always bring work
along on these little jaunts, you know. It makes me thrill to the
bliss even more later.”
    Egilka snorted. “What work have you
done since escaping to Dantovon this time?”
    “I met with some Grynaryt merchants to
discuss their new programming technology. Our military now has
exclusive rights to the computer interfaces they’ve come up with
for space vessels.”
    The Imdiko’s jaw dropped
satisfyingly at that news. “Exclusive?”
    Clajak grinned. “Years ahead of
anything we’ve seen of even Bi’is technology. Still want to give me
that beating?”
    Egilka wavered. “But you didn’t run out
on me because you were planning to negotiate such a
deal.”
    Clajak’s pleasure with himself faded.
Yes, it had been a coup to buy exclusive rights to the new Grynaryt
systems that would give the Empire an edge over its enemies. But it
had only been a happy coincidence that he’d run into the merchants
in his search for a good excuse to be on Dantovon.
    He couldn’t lie to Egilka. Not on the
eve of their clanship. Not looking into the other man’s
eyes.
    “No,” he admitted. “I didn’t come here
to negotiate and buy technology. I came to put off the clanning
ceremony.”
    Egilka’s brows drew together. “You
don’t want to clan with me. That’s what this is all
about.”
    Clajak shook his head. “I just wanted
to delay it. I have my reasons for that, but none of them have to
do with you being a poor choice for my Imdiko. You have to believe
me on that.”
    Egilka did not believe him. Clajak
could see the hurt in his eyes.
    He tensed as the Imdiko raised the
switch. Clajak knew any hope of mercy had fled with his
admission.
    Egilka shocked him by peppering his
belly and chest with the lightest of flicks. For the first couple
of seconds, Clajak didn’t react except with surprise. Sure, there
was a tiny sting with each blow, but nothing to make him yell or
even flinch. Not at the beginning.
    “You could use some instruction,”
Clajak said, knowing he should keep his mouth shut but unable to.
“Trade places with me and I’ll show you how it’s done.”
    “The impatience of youth,” was Egilka’s
mild reply. He kept up the light switching, the tool hissing up and
down Clajak’s torso.
    After a few seconds, the switch had a
cumulative effect. The stings became darts of pain like insect
bites. The motes of warmth grew hot. Then the smarts throbbed and
became fiery. Real hurt came into play.
    Clajak