Clan and Commit (Clan Beginnings Book 7)

by Tracy St. John

  He patted his lover’s imprisoned sexes with affection as the final surges of pleasure left him. “I’m used to fighting for dominance whenever I want sex. Taking it the moment I’m ready to fuck is a revelation.”

  “So I’ve noticed.” Vax smiled, the expression pained.

  Japohn laughed at the Imdiko’s predicament. “Playing head games with Bacoj isn’t a great course of action. That’s the lesson I’d take from this situation. I can’t imagine how you’re supposed to survive today and tomorrow.”

  “I’m won’t. I’ll explode before the morning is out.” Vax flexed his hands after Japohn released them from the cuffs.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this? You understand you can call a halt to this game at any point?” There was no sign Vax had been abused into submitting as he had, and Japohn would have sworn Bacoj wasn’t capable of doing so. The guilt he felt asking such a question assured him Bacoj had never raised a hand to Vax outside of lust-fueled spankings. Still, it was always best to be certain.

  “If I weren’t, you’d know.” Vax chuckled. “But I appreciate you checking.”

  “Nobek’s prerogative. I didn’t really doubt the situation, but I had to ask. I’ve never been a part of a scenario like this.”

  “Neither have I. Nor did I ever imagine I’d be into it. Yet, I am, in a weird way.” A musing half-smile tugged at Vax’s lips. “I can’t say I enjoy orgasm denial, but I’m glad to see Bacoj expressing his Dramok instincts. It fulfills me, somehow. I feel I’m bolstering his confidence, and it’s amazing to be able to do so.”

  “He’s a good man. With a little time and experience, he’ll be all the Dramok he ever wished to be. I hope he’ll decide I’m worthy of you both so I can see that happen.”

  Japohn left Vax lounging on the mat to wash up in the lavatory. By the time he was done, the Imdiko had recovered enough to be ready for his own turn. He walked past Japohn and yelped when the Nobek playfully swatted his ass.

  A good morning. The best.

  Japohn glanced at the window. His happiness dimmed to see how bright the morning had grown. Frowning, he went to the bedside table to check his com. No messages. He checked the chronometer, and his frown deepened.

  It wasn’t that late, was it? Where had most of the morning gone since Bacoj went out to fetch their breakfast?

  Immediately after the Dramok had left the room, Japohn had given Vax an ass massage, determined to arouse him so he could hear the Imdiko beg for mercy. Then he’d bent him over the table and cropped that delicious rear, striping it red while Vax writhed helplessly. Next had come the lovely interlude of Japohn lounging in bed, indulging in having his cocks leisurely licked and sucked. Finally, he’d sunk into Vax’s ass, fucking until explosive climax.

  “Shit,” Japohn muttered. He’d been distracted for quite a while. He hurried to the nearby table to grab his com, but stopped short when he saw Bacoj’s next to it.

  “Shit!”

  “What’s wrong?” Vax came in the room, still naked but for the metal cage encasing his sexes.

  “Bacoj forgot his com, and he’s taking a long time to buy those breakfast wraps. Too damned long.”

  “If I know him, he’s decided to surprise us with some special treat.” Vax stretched, yawning sleepily.

  His air of contentment and ease failed to soothe Japohn. Instead, the Nobek’s instincts had gone on alert. He’d learned to listen to them and cursed that they hadn’t kicked in sooner.

  “Get dressed, Vax. We’re going to search for him. Cock cage, unlock.” Japohn grabbed a pair of pants and started to put them on. They weren’t his, and he cursed before flinging them at Vax, who was slowly pulling off the cages and pouting at the mesh prints they’d imprinted on his flesh. Japohn clenched his teeth. His voice rose.

  “I’m sorry to bark at you, but you need to hurry up. Move it, Vax.”

  Vax tossed the cage on the bed and grabbed the trousers Japohn had thrown at him. He shook them out. “Karil wants to kill me, not Bacoj. You’re freaking out for no reason.”

  “Imdiko, I adore you. I really do. Now, with that established, shut up and put your clothes on!” The frantic feeling that things had gone wrong was tearing at Japohn. It told him he was already too late to head off big trouble.

  Vax shook his head but obeyed, rushing to put on the pants, a shirt, and shoes. Seconds later, they raced out of the room, the Imdiko having to run to keep up with Japohn. The Nobek ignored his companion’s grumbles about roaming around in public while erect as they rushed out to the street.

  Fog was dense in large patches. Thick, making it difficult to peer more than a few feet ahead. Japohn worried he’d find no one who’d noticed Bacoj earlier. Nevertheless, he hurried from food vendor to food vendor, checking in with those hawking souvenirs as well. As he’d feared, none of those he questioned remembered encountering Bacoj. He was about ready to give up and plan a search pattern—plus place a call to local enforcement—when a Dantovonian hop-crawled close to speak to the Kalquorians.

  “I take it you’re hunting for your friend?”

  “Have you seen him?” Japohn asked. Since information rarely came cheap in Ler, he calculated the amount of credits he possessed as the Dantovonian looked him up and down with a shrewd air.

  “I think he found trouble. He appeared the worse for wear. Unconscious, in fact. The Adrafs he was with carried him to their shuttle and left with him.”

  As fear draped in fury burst through Japohn, Vax gaped at the Dantovonian. “Adrafs? What would Bacoj be doing with Adrafs?”

  “I recognized them. I’ve noted them in the area before, doing business for their boss.”

  “What kind of business?” Japohn had a very bad feeling about the situation.

  “The kind we don’t talk about if we want to stay alive.” The Dantovonian smirked. “Unless we agree on a price to make the danger worth my while. Oh, their boss is also the type who pays local enforcement well, so I doubt they’ll be of much help to you. I’m probably your only chance to recover your friend.”

  Japohn couldn’t imagine why any crime boss would want to kidnap Bacoj, unless it was to sell him on the black market for slave labor. However, snatching a Kalquorian for that sort of trade tended to be too dangerous for even Dantovonian kingpins. Only Bi’isils bought Kalquorian slaves. Those who wanted to live long didn’t dare chance the double jeopardy of dealing with both races at once.

  It didn’t matter why Bacoj had been taken. The important thing was bringing him back safe and sound. Japohn typed a figure on his handheld and showed it to the witness. “I’ll pay for information.”

  “That amount won’t buy my sympathy, Kalquorian.”

  He’d figured as much, but Dantovonians lived to haggle. He upped the amount, trying not to show his impatience as the seconds slipped by.

  The Dantovonian snorted at the new offer and turned away.

  “Wait! Add this to it.” Vax had copied Japohn, typing an amount and showing it to their sole contact.

  Japohn’s heart sank, noting it was what Vax had bragged he and Bacoj had won at Grav Grab, plus more. It was too late to insist on caution, however. The vendor extended his handheld toward Vax.

  “Send it to this account.”

  Vax was about to type when Japohn stopped him. “Not without information. You get what I offered you now and the rest when you tell us what we want to know.”

  The Dantovonian smirked, no doubt trusting the reputation of Kalquorians. “Fine. Your friend was taken by Bek’s henchmen. He’s got a network of sex shops over on the edge of the northwest sector.” He rattled off a list of names. Though Japohn hadn’t frequented any of those establishments, his stomach churned because he’d heard of them. No one left employment alive from such places without a lot of scars to show for it.

  Vax gaped at the Dantovonian. “This Bek—he wants to sell Bacoj for sex?”

  “Could be. The shops are legit, but some of Bek’s clientele goes for more action than the usual fare.�
�

  “Torture. Killing during the act.” Japohn snarled, showing his fangs.

  The Dantovonian eyed him with caution. “You never heard it from me. Money?”

  Japohn nodded. Vax, pale as death, transferred his credits to the witness’s account.

  Japohn led his companion away as the Dantovonian hop-crawled off. He glanced around, checking to determine if anyone had been spying on the transaction. Those who made their living in Ler kept their distance when a transaction was occurring. Minding one’s business on Dantovon was practically the planet’s religion, almost as much so as making money.

  As he hurried to find a place with even fewer bystanders, Japohn reflected on the information. It was grim, but it didn’t quite add up. No crime boss worth his salt would attempt to add a healthy, strong Kalquorian to his fuck-and-snuff stable. It was far too risky to life, limb, and liberty.

  Besides, Japohn had heard of Bek. That particular crime lord had been working in Ler for decades. He was slime and should have been dismembered for his many offenses years ago, but he was no fool. He wouldn’t abduct a man like Bacoj for his shops. Wherever the Dramok had been taken, it wouldn’t be a place known to be owned by Bek.

  “Can you rescue Bacoj from that person?” Vax’s breathless voice reminded Japohn he was there.

  Japohn had led him back to the inn’s courtyard. Few others were in the vicinity, none close. He pulled out his com. “Let me talk to someone.”

  He connected to a little-used frequency, but the guy picked up almost immediately. For the next few minutes, Japohn conversed in low tones with an undercover Galactic Council agent who posed as a sex broker in Ler.

  As soon as he finished, he turned to Vax, who’d been obvious in his attempts to listen in. The Imdiko’s frown told Japohn he’d not been entirely successful.

  The Nobek talked fast. “I spoke to someone who knows the lay of the land as far as what’s happening in the local sex trade. He says Bek wouldn’t grab a Kalquorian for any reason, at least not for himself. However, he might rent his thugs out, no questions asked, to anyone who could pay enough.”

  Vax’s brow furrowed. “Karil?”

  “That’s my guess. My guy is working to track your stalker down. With his contacts, he might have better luck than local law enforcement. And he won’t rob us blind in exchange for his help.”

  “But why would Karil go after Bacoj? His issue is with me. It’s me he wants to—”

  Vax’s com beeped, interrupting him. Japohn held his breath, hoping against hope. That fizzled out as Vax puzzled over the frequency. “It’s not Bacoj. I don’t recognize this frequency.”

  “Answer it. On speaker.”

  Vax did so. Rage filled Japohn as he recognized Karil’s voice. “Hello, cousin. Looking for your boyfriend?”

  “What have you done with him, Karil?” Vax yelled, glancing around the mist-heavy surroundings as if he thought the Nobek might be nearby.

  “I haven’t done anything. Yet. Switch on your com’s vid, and see for yourself.”

  Vax did so and cried out as a shot of Bacoj came up. The Dramok was unconscious and lying on what appeared to be a cement floor. A growl rose from deep in Japohn’s gut, but he choked it off before it could escape. Instead, he rummaged in a pouch on his utility belt.

  “You bastard! Let him go, you son of a bitch. He hasn’t done anything to you,” Vax ranted.

  “No, but you did. You killed my Imdiko. I’m returning the favor.”

  Japohn’s arm shot out to steady Vax, who appeared as if he’d collapse on the spot. “You can’t have killed him. He can’t be dead.”

  “He’s not. Just drugged. I’m waiting for him to wake up. You see, I figured out the best revenge was to make you suffer as I did. You get to live, Vax. You get to live and watch while I kill your sweetheart.”

  “Don’t. Take me instead. You can have me, just let him go!”

  “I’ll com you back, after he wakes up and I’ve had my fun. Don’t worry, I’ll record every second that I make him scream. And especially the part where he stops.” The bastard chuckled. “Enjoy the rest of your holiday, Vax. I’ll be in touch.”

  The connection was broken. Vax stared in horror at Japohn, desperation etched in his features.

  The Nobek showed him the cable he’d connected from his handheld to Vax’s com. “Traced it. I’ve got a general location of where that com came from.”

  Vax grabbed him. “You can find Bacoj?”

  “I’ll do my best. Go back to your room while I—”

  “Fuck that. I’m going with you.”

  “Vax—”

  Vax shoved him. “I’m going! Stop wasting time and find my Dramok!”

  Irritation and impatience came close to making Japohn snap at him. This was why he worked alone, apart from others who’d slow him down because they had no idea what the fuck they were doing. Damn it, how could Vax not realize the impediment he’d be to the search and recovery of Bacoj?

  This isn’t the time for insisting on your own way. The voices of Japohn’s mentor and his mother were in his head, appealing to his better sense.

  Clanmates were supposed to work together, except in dangerous situations like this. How could Japohn expose Vax to such a threat? Unfortunately, Bacoj didn’t have the luxury of them arguing about the matter. The minutes were running out for the man Japohn would call his Dramok—as Vax had—should fate be so kind.

  He grabbed Vax’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Was he awake? Or stuck in a nightmare? Bacoj couldn’t be sure. He felt he was somewhere between, trapped in a dark place full of pain. He tried to yell, hoping if it were a bad dream, he’d wake himself up or at least summon help.

  He couldn’t make a sound.

  Trying to think brought a confusing avalanche of discordant images: a weeping Dantovonian child with a damaged leg. Adrafs, one with its neck fur shorn. Playing an anti-gravity game with Vax, the two of them flying past Adraf fur gloves that drifted out of reach. Japohn leading him through a crowd, though Bacoj as a Dramok should have been in front. Fog, thick and impenetrable. An injector coming at him.

  Had he been drugged? Was that why he couldn’t put his thoughts in order?

  He was cold. Naked. A hard, gritty surface rocked beneath him. Or was it dizziness? He attempted to move, but his body was frozen. Or bound—there was pressure around his arms and legs. He’d been tied up, perhaps.

  Or maybe it was all in his head. He tried yelling again. Instead of his voice calling out, he heard someone nearby moan.

  He sensed a coarse cloth in his mouth. It was rough against his tongue. A slightly oily taste. He struggled to spit it out and discovered his lips were sealed shut. He made another attempt to shout and heard the moan again. It was coming from him. He made the moaning sound, the gag smothering most of his cry. He sounded desperate. Hopeless.

  Were his eyes open? Why was it so dark if they were? Nothing made sense. It had to be a nightmare. Mother of All, he wished he could wake up.

  * * * *

  Vax stuck close to Japohn as they traveled the dilapidated outskirts of Ler, and not just because the Nobek had told him to. The area where he and Bacoj had gone to fetch spices had been seedy and rundown, but where Japohn led was far worse. Vax feared for their lives. He’d never seen such an awful place. It was hard to believe any intelligent being would choose to frequent such an environment.

  Some posed no danger. The Dantovonian they passed, its form huddled against an empty storefront, looked dead rather than unconscious or sleeping. The smell emanating from it suggested the same.

  Vax wished the fog hadn’t burned off, leaving only wispy tendrils behind as the sun climbed higher and the air heated up. This neighborhood butted right up against the jungle, with its dripping leaves and pods, screeching animals, and fetid scents mixing with the reek of the garbage left to rot in the street. The sizzling-sweetish odor of badly maintained shuttles and unwashed bodies of different species m
ade him glad he’d not had breakfast.

  And the residents—there couldn’t be a more pathetic yet dangerous lot, not even in his worst imaginings. Thugs bristling with weapons glared at him, sizing him up like a tasty meal, visibly calculating whether they could take on him and Japohn and win. Drug dealers sneered as he passed, their coughing customers hunched and hiding their faces from him in shame. Filthy prostitutes called to him in dead voices, promising him unparalleled delights. Each, whether male or female, was scarred and missing appendages.

  It was a terrifying place to be. Yet even more terrifying was thinking about what might be happening to Bacoj at that very instant. Vax fought off the urge to scream the Dramok’s name in the unlikely prospect he’d hear a reply.

  How could this have happened? He had never expected Karil to go after Bacoj for the express purpose of making Vax watch him suffer. The idea his lover might die because of him—

  Don’t think about that. It can’t happen. I won’t survive it.

  “That asshole’s com generated from somewhere in this five-block section.” Japohn slowed, still glancing from his handheld to his surroundings. In his current mood, the big bruiser looked ready to tear down the graffiti-covered buildings with his bare hands. Even the scariest thugs lost their bravado and skulked away when the glowering Nobek glanced in their direction.

  “Five blocks? That’s a lot of ground to cover.” Vax couldn’t keep the desperation out of his tone. Was Karil killing Bacoj as they hesitated? Tears stung Vax’s eyes, but he fought the urge to cry. Instead, he took what little heart he could from Japohn’s determined glare.

  If anyone could save Bacoj, it was Japohn. Vax believed that with all his being, and he hung onto the possibility with everything he had.

  Japohn assessed the scene with his burning gaze. “Nobody here will interfere or talk without a price. Karil doesn’t know we’re down to a few credits, though. He’ll be afraid we can pay someone off.”