Clan Beginnings: Clan and Crave - Chapter Three, Scene Three

 

Releasing May 31. Pre-order now: Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, print

Sletran's encounter with his superior, Group Commander Dramok Erybet

* * **

Usually, the moment he stepped across the boundary where hisbattalion bunked, anything going on personally ceased to exist in Sletran’smind. Here, he was squad leader, personally in charge of nearly fifty combattroops. He lived and breathed the soldier’s life. He saw the Kalquorian army ashis extended clan, regarded it as a lover. He was determined to give it all hewas.

He didn’t miss infatuation was turning his head from hisadored ground forces. Conyod refused to leave his mind, refused to berespectful to Sletran’s first love by bowing off the stage until he was calledon to return. Visions of the muscled physique straining beneath Sletran, of hisass reddening under the Nobek’s strap, of him yielding to his urgent cock…

Damn.

“Squad Leader Sletran!” A young Nobek hurried toward him,stopped a few feet away, and bowed. “Sir!”

Someone had a message for him, and Sletran noted the soldierhad been waiting for his return to base. He checked the time. He was reportingfifteen minutes early, so he wasn’t in trouble for being late. However,something important was up if he was being summoned so urgently. It helped tochase the images from the night before off. “Report.”

“Group Commander Erybet needs you to report to his officeimmediately.”

“Thank you, soldier.” He hurried to his commanding officer.

The aide sitting at the desk outside the group commander’soffice waved him in immediately. Sletran hurried to stand in front of Erybet’sdesk and bowed.

“Squad leader Sletran reporting, as ordered.”

“At ease, soldier.” The other man’s tone betrayed no sign ofstress despite the urgency of the summons.

Sletran stood up straight and met his eyes. He wondered whenhe’d stop being struck by Erybet’s looks. After more than a year, he should beused to his commanding officer’s appearance.

Erybet was, in a word, beautiful. His black hair flowedphotogenically over his shoulders and back. His eyes were hooded, but soslightly he looked sexy rather than sleepy. His nose was straight, his jawstrong, his lips full and sensual. He wasn’t as muscled as Sletran, or evenConyod, but he was strong, and his fighting prowess had been well established.Sletran had never met a more stunning man in person.

The Nobek understood such a lovely face and physique hadmade it difficult for many to take Erybet seriously as a soldier and commandingofficer of his rank. The fact he was a Dramok instead of a member of thewarrior breed hadn’t helped matters.

It wasn’t that there weren’t Dramoks in the ground troopranks. The men who tended naturally to leadership among Kalquor’s malesnumbered less than an eighth of the fighting population. They rarely remainedpart of the army past a single enlistment term, however. Nobeks saw the groundtroops as their territory, their proving ground. Dramoks were given hell fordaring to step on Nobek turf. For Erybet to have stayed and risen to his rankmeant he was one hell of a tough customer.

For that reason, Sletran had been among the few to avoidchallenging or disrespecting Erybet. It was obvious the Dramok had provenhimself. Sletran treated him as he would any Nobek group commander and obeyedhis orders without a second thought. He saw Erybet’s rank as no threat orinsult to his own strength as a soldier.

“I’m sorry to have called you in as if the empire wasfalling down, but it may as well be,” Erybet began. “High Commander Zyrf hassprung a surprise challenge on us. We’re to run war games this afternoon.”

Despite the sudden change in the day’s itinerary, Erybetdidn’t sound upset in the least. He also offered no comment about Zyrf, thoughthe high commander seemed to think it was his life’s mission to make Erybet’scommand challenging. Sletran thought he detected a hint of pleasure in hissuperior’s voice, the same pleasure singing in his own heart at the news. “Whoare we up against, sir?”

“Commander Binmej’s battalion.”

Sletran allowed a grin. “A worthy challenge.”

“Indeed. I expect us to win.”

An interesting side effect about being part of a Dramok’scompany was the troops had a tendency to fight harder to prove they weren’tweak due to their commander’s breed. The Nobeks under Erybet’s command had madeit a point of pride to kick their competition’s collective ass as often aspossible.

“We’ll win, sir.”

“You’re dismissed to ready your squads.”

Sletran bowed and rushed out. A fight against fierceopponents after incredible sex with a gorgeous Imdiko? He couldn’t imagine lifegetting any better.

* * **

Heneeded a hero and found two. Can love rescue him again?

NobekSletran never took Imdiko Conyod’s infatuation seriously when he rescued himyears before. When Conyod shows up in his life again as a strong and successfulman instead of a traumatized victim, Sletran has to reconsider the one he oncerejected and now can’t imagine life without.

Conyod hasnever given up on the man he considers his hero. Sletran is all he’s everwanted for a clanmate, and he’s determined to win him at last. But the past refusesto be laid to rest. When Conyod convinces Sletran to see him for who he’sbecome, will who he was resurface and destroy the love they’re building?

Sletran’scommanding officer Dramok Erybet is instantly fascinated by Conyod when thesoldier brings his love on base for a visit. However, Sletran isn’t the NobekErybet feels is right for him. When he rejects the Nobek, he risks losingConyod too.

Againstthe backdrop of heartbreaking childhood tragedy, a ghost who haunts Conyod andhis grief-stricken family, and military brass determined to oust Erybet fromthe rank he’s worked so hard to reach, three men must come to terms with whothey are. When tragedy strikes, the nightmares of the past must be faced andburied once and for all. Conyod, Sletran, and Erybet must dare everything tofind redemption and hold on to each other.

Releasing May 31.  Pre-order now: Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, print