Chapter Ten

"Where are you?" Sletran asked.

As if he didn't know where Conyod had gone…or at least, whom he'd gone with. Squad leaders Decta and Redop had strolled up to him between troop exercises to tease earlier that day.

"Nice bait you've set to catch yourself a Dramok," Decta had smirked, though there'd been a gleam of envy in his eye.

"Hitching yourself to a group commander is certainly a good move where rising in rank is concerned," Redop agreed. "Your Imdiko friend has excellent points beyond the obvious."

Sletran had immediately realized Conyod had been seen on the grounds in Erybet's company. Though a spark of pleasure flashed at the information, he leveled a glare at Redop. "Do you doubt I'd deserve any promotion I may receive?"

Redop met his challenging stare with one of his own before bursting into laughter and slapping Sletran on the back. "Don't get your hackles up, old friend. Anyone who has eyes realizes the soldier you are. No one can doubt you earn your bars."

"Although there'll be jealous bastards if you and the group commander become a genuine item," Decta had said. "It'll be fun watching you shut their mouths."

"Maybe a certain Nobek group commander's too. Word is Tox is trying to pick up where he and Erybet left off last time.

"Tox, huh?" Sletran was vaguely aware there'd been rumors of a past encounter between the pair. It hadn't sounded very serious.

"They've been off and on the past couple of years. If Erybet's returning his current interest, I haven't seen it. He's too wrapped up in your boyfriend."

Sletran had silently agreed with Decta's assessment. He doubted Tox was anywhere on Erybet's radar while Conyod was an option.

Now he stood in his quarters, where he hadn't found the Imdiko at the end of his shift. Conyod had picked up the instant he'd buzzed his com.

"I'm in Erybet's office. He says hurry here so we can figure out where to have dinner."

Dinner in the company of the Dramok again. Sletran wondered if Erybet was serious about pursuing possible clanship. He experienced a slight twinge of conscience since his main interest in his superior officer was the hope of forming a clan and making Conyod his for life.

I like Erybet, though. I don't doubt it has the chance to go beyond mere liking.

"I'll be right there. Give me a few minutes to shower," he said, hope lifting his already high spirits.

* * * *

Conyod caught himself laughing too hard at something Sletran had said. Diners at nearby tables glance at him. He quieted, his face heating.

I've had too much to drink. Judging from the amused glances from his dinner partners, they'd noticed.

At least they were in a more casual restaurant than the one they'd gone to the night before. There were a large number of soldiers present, still in their uniforms. Most crowded the bar in the middle of the establishment, but half the tables were taken by those who'd obviously come from the nearby base.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm done where bohut's concerned, I guess."

"You're fine. I fully endorse you enjoying yourself." Erybet patted his back. The Dramok hadn't been shy when it came to touching him during the meal, whether brushing Conyod's hand, squeezing his shoulder, or patting his back.

Conyod hadn't minded in the slightest, especially since Sletran seemed to view the attention as a challenge to make frequent contact as well. The Nobek visibly brightened when Erybet occasionally gripped the Nobek's shoulder as they chuckled at some shared battle experience.

We make a good trio.Conyod hoped it was a valid observation rather than booze asserting its filmy filters on their camaraderie.

Imposing good sense on his tipsy state, he said, "I return to work tomorrow. The last thing I need is the sort of hangover stim tabs and pain inhibitor can't cure."

"You haven't had that much," Sletran said. "You're safe with me, so no worries you'll end up where you shouldn't. Besides, you have the cutest giggle when you're drunk."

"I don't giggle!"

"I heard a giggle last night at dinner. At least two tonight. It is cute," Erybet snickered. "Hey, Sletran, he isn't ticklish by any chance, is he?"

"His feet and behind his knees. Endless giggling. He sounds like a Plasian girl when he gets going."

"You're jerks." Conyod pushed his half-full glass away. He was definitely done drinking.

"Aw, Conyod. Don't be grumpy and force me to tickle you." Erybet leaned close and nuzzled his ear.

"You'd hate to be tickled in front of everyone here." Sletran's arm curled around his waist as he too leaned against the Imdiko.

"Don't make me tell you to take me home. We haven't had dessert, and this poor underfed doctor who hasn't quite completed his internship needs to take full advantage of the group commander paying for his dinner."

"Oh, you're angling for dessert by taking advantage of me?" Erybet's innuendo couldn't have been more obvious if had been a public advertisement.

"I want dessert, then I want to take advantage of you both. If you're up for it." He could be as bold as them when it came to flirting. But he also lusted for the rich and spongy cake covered in glazed fruit he'd seen someone at the next table eat.

"I think you know me well enough to not need an answer," Sletran snorted. He hesitated as he gazed at the man on Conyod's opposite side. "What about you, Dramok?"

Erybet grinned, his lovely features taking a turn for the gorgeous. "Let's order dessert quickly before he changes his mind."

* * * *

Conyod was grateful he'd stopped drinking when he had. The bohut blur in his brain was starting to ebb when Erybet ushered him and Sletran into his quarters on the base. He was able to walk in a straight line, and he hadn't subsided to laughter again…certainly not giggles…since the teasing at the restaurant. His speech slurred only occasionally, so that was all right.

He wasn't sure if the warmth in his gut was from the booze or looking forward to the coming night. Erybet had been added to the mix, an enthralling development. Conyod kept checking on Sletran, concerned his lover might not be on the same page when it came to making their recent pairing a threesome so soon. He was relieved again and again when he found the Nobek's expression intent, a sure sign he was excited. The spicy musk scent he'd detected as they'd walked from town to the base was reassuring. Sletran was eager to bring Erybet in.

Conyod blinked as the lights to Erybet's quarters came up, their illumination bright after half an hour under the stars. It took a second for his sight to adjust.

"Living on the base means little in the way of luxurious homes," Erybet said. "Don't walk into the furniture."

"Bigger than a squad leader's rooms," Sletran noted. He openly ogled the vid and audio equipment set up in the common area. "Nice entertainment system."

"And seating." Conyod ran his palm on the back of the massive lounger taking up major footage in the apartment. He was no expert when it came to high-end furnishings, having grown up on a ranch where everything suffered frequent cleanings and rough use. Nonetheless, Erybet's belongings showed attention to detail in their construction, even to his untrained eye. "The décor looks straight out of a showroom."

"My tastes might be a bit extravagant," the Dramok chuckled. "Once I make it to company commander rank, I'll buy a home next to the beach…or at the top of a mountain, if I'm stationed elsewhere. Somewhere nice, anyway."

"Company commander," Sletran mused. "While I can appreciate the excitement of tactical planning and the perks of such a rank, it would probably be more paperwork than it's worth."

"It is a lot of documentation and the like," Erybet acknowledged. "I was a high commander's assistant after my first promotion, and you wouldn't believe how much time he and his staff had to spend on computers writing up reports. The other assistants, all Nobeks, were in a constant state of irritation."

Conyod half-listened. His feet had begun wandering of their own volition, touring him around the space that included a small but efficient kitchen filled with high-end appliances and an inviting dining nook. Erybet did have good taste.

"The sleeping room's behind you," the Dramok advised him.

Conyod turned toward the closed door opposite the entrance they'd come in through. "Here?" he said, inching close to it. "Is it as nice as the rest?"

"Nicer once you walk in."

"Smooth line," Conyod laughed. He stepped close enough to trigger the automatic door to open. Flashing a smirk at the grinning pair watching him, he went in.

Again, the furniture was grand for the small space it occupied. Erybet's sleeping mat, which stretched across the floor, was accompanied by only two small tables on either side of its padded headboard. The pillows were thick, billowy mounds. Conyod, who couldn't seem to stop touching everything, found the cover whisper soft. Perfect for wallowing on in the company of two gorgeous men.

A finger ran down his spine, electrifying him. He whirled to find Erybet had come up on him, as silent as Sletran had ever managed. "You should see how the linens feel when you're naked."

"Want to help?"

"I insist on it."

Even Sletran, who'd followed Erybet and stood behind him looking over his shoulder, stilled and directed his attention when the Dramok spoke in the commanding tone. Part of Conyod wondered if his beloved's breath had stopped briefly, as his had.

He couldn't imagine how anyone had ever made the mistake of categorizing Erybet as a Nobek. Unlike the primal ferocity of the warrior breed, his was a calculating assurance of utter domination.

Gazing intently at Conyod's face, Erybet pulled the collar of his shirt, parting its resealable seam down the front. He peeled it off the younger man's shoulders and arms and tossed it to the corner of the mat before lowering his stare to inspect the Imdiko's torso. Erybet's pupils widened, and he licked his lips.

"A lot of gorgeous man here. How do you manage to let him leave your bed, Sletran?"

"It isn't always easy, but sometimes I need the break. He has the libido typical of a male in his mid-twenties."

Erybet softly growled as he traced rough fingertips along the swells of Conyod's pectoral muscles. "Quick recovery, huh?"

"He could put teenage Nobeks to shame." Sletran chuckled and winked at Conyod. His expression was the merriest the bruiser could manage, but his eyes were as dark as Erybet's while he watched the Dramok touch Conyod.

"Good thing there are two of us to keep up with you, Imdiko."

Erybet suddenly kissed him. It was no tentative buss, but a passionate taking, reeling his senses. Conyod found his arms pinned to his sides by the Dramok's, his lips claimed in heady possession.

Not just his lips. Erybet's tongue took advantage of Conyod's startled gasp, plunging in his mouth. Again, it was far from a careful tasting. He was devoured with authority. It weakened his knees and brought desire surging to the fore.

Conyod had more muscle than his taller admirer, but no part of him had any intention of breaking free. He gripped Erybet's waist instead, having just enough freedom in the Dramok's grip to do so.

His thoughts broke apart under the demanding kiss. Only instinct prompted him to return it in kind, his tongue stroking its invading twin as it went on and on.

When Erybet finally ended it, leaving Conyod's lips feeling swollen, the Imdiko was grateful he was holding him so tightly. The room rocked unsteadily around them, and he was certain his drinking at dinner had no part of it. No, it was all the work of the beautiful man who gazed at him, desire filling his eyes.

"I've been dying to do that for weeks," Erybet said. "Damn if it wasn't as amazing as I'd hoped."

He let Conyod go and gave him a push. It wasn't a hard shove…rather gentle, in fact…but the Imdiko was so off-balance, he crashed to the mat behind him. He lay staring at the men looming at its foot.

Sletran continued to stand back. He seemed content to watch as the encounter unfolded, his tongue peeking out to wet his lips. Conyod didn't miss the tented crotch of his lover's pants. Sletran was enjoying the show.

I bet he won't lift a finger to stop Erybet from doing whatever he likes to me.The idea excited Conyod, though he knew if he demanded the Dramok cease, Sletran would support his wishes.

He couldn't imagine calling a halt to what was happening.

Erybet grabbed his leg and lifted it to pull Conyod's ankle boot off. Then he stripped him of the second shoe.

"Don't move." His tone froze Conyod to the spot. Erybet rubbed the Imdiko's inner thighs up and down, coming a hairsbreadth from touching the telltale swelling shouting Conyod's enthusiasm. "Stay right where you are. This is where I want you."

A fine trembling broke over Conyod, especially when Erybet seized him in another brain-melting kiss, still massaging his inner thighs. Thanks to the heady kiss, the strong hands rubbing so close where excitement lived took on greater importance. Conyod wadded the soft bed coverings in his fists so he wouldn't grab the other man. He fought against straining to win contact where he desired it most.

Erybet released his mouth but continued to kiss. He nipped Conyod's chin, then his lips moved softly on the Imdiko's throat. The contact grew hotter and wetter when Erybet's mouth opened, and Conyod detected the hardness of the other man's teeth, as if he readied to tear into his throat. Electric eagerness coursed through him.

Erybet moved lower, arrowing toward a dark nipple. Conyod waited for him to kiss, bite, or lick it in anxious anticipation, but it was the Dramok cupping his avid crotch that made him jerk in shock.

"Be still," Erybet growled. His palm worked Conyod's eagerness, making it impossible to obey despite the previously irresistible Dramok tone. Conyod kept his hands fisted on the linens, but his legs kicked, and his hips rose to greet the delicious contact.

"Is he usually so badly behaved?" Erybet glared at Sletran over his shoulder, as if the Nobek had been remiss in teaching his lover better.

"I warned you about those youthful hormones. Once his cocks get involved, discipline and self-control go out the window."

"I see. We'll teach him better. There's a drawer in the wall behind you. I'd appreciate you using the hovercuffs you'll find in it on his ankles."

Sletran did so, setting them to respond to his and Erybet's commands and physical prompts to move. Meanwhile, the Dramok's tongue tasted Conyod's nipples. His attention alternated between gentle and rough while he continued to apply friction to the Imdiko's groin. Conyod writhed despite his attempts to remain in place as he'd been commanded.

He'd managed to keep his hands from touching Erybet as he was desperate to. Nonetheless, once Sletran had his legs incapacitated, their host told the Nobek, "Would you mind pinning his wrists for me? I'd like to see him stretched helpless across the bed."

"I'd be delighted." Grinning hugely, Sletran quickly maneuvered Conyod so he lay with his arms extended over his head. Erybet positioned the Imdiko's legs so they splayed in a narrow vee.

"Freeze subject," the Dramok told the cuffs as he eyed his squirming prize. "Now I can enjoy him at my leisure rather than deal with his disobedience."

He lay between Conyod's legs. Conyod still wore his trousers, and Erybet mouthed his engorged crotch, wetting the fabric so it darkened. Conyod was equal parts titillated and deprived by the nearness of oral pleasuring he could only detect by the pressure. His legs fought to kick and went nowhere.

"So hard," Erybet mumbled against him, setting off vibrations that elicited a moan. "I bet I could get him off in his pants."

"Would be a waste," Sletran said. "He's a tasty one."

"I'll admit he smells delicious. Guess I'd better find out for myself."

Erybet pulled open Conyod's pants. The Imdiko's eager shafts fairly leapt from their prison, standing straight up barely an inch from his tormentor's nose. Erybet inhaled deeply as he eyed the engorged cocks.

"Nice. Definitely deserving of a lick or two." Which he proceeded to do to the smaller of the pair.

Conyod's head slammed to the bed as he groaned. The sizzle of pleasure the Dramok's tongue gave shot straight up his spine. Sletran chuckled.

Erybet grinned, his face hovering above Conyod's need. "Enjoy yourself, Sletran, while I do the same. Be warned I'm in no hurry."

"Understood." Sletran stretched beside his captive and kissed him as Erybet began tasting in earnest.

Conyod's uncontrollable wiggling grew stronger as the Dramok swallowed first his secondary, then his primary. He moved back and forth between the clamoring pair, his rough tongue applying toe-curling excitement. Meanwhile, Sletran's tongue plundered Conyod's mouth, as if they'd never kissed before and he was intent on discovering the intimacy. Every cell of Conyod's body was alight and growing more acute under the carnal assault.

The Imdiko was incredibly aware of his helplessness against the two men determined to devour him. It made every nuance of their lovemaking come into laser-sharp focus. He swore he could feel every bump of their tongues on him.

Erybet not only licked and swallowed, but he sucked hard when he slowly released Conyod. His lips were excruciatingly tight around his girths. The wet warmth and leisurely friction as he took his time bobbing over Conyod's groin uncoupled his brain. The Imdiko was unable to establish a clear thought beyond the repeated internal mantra of more, more, more, more.

Behind the desperate and silent plea, he heard something crackle. "I saw this in the drawer," Sletran said when he paused his voracious kissing. His gaze was directed over his shoulder in Erybet's direction. "If you don't mind me using it, I'll buy you another."

"Use it, enjoy it, and don't worry about a replacement," came the response before the Dramok's wicked mouth surrounded Conyod's primary.

More crackling, unimportant when the Dramok was sucking the sense from his mind. His tongue danced on Conyod's primary's slit, encouraging small eruptions of pre-cum. He groaned loudly, his mouth wide, his hips jerking…but not getting far, because Erybet pinned them.

When Conyod's jaw relaxed from his cry, he found it wedged open. "Your turn to taste," Sletran told him, his voice rumbling. He tossed aside the packaging of a mouth brace after letting Conyod see it.

Sletran's gaze was dark and lustful as he drew upward. He pinned Conyod's wrists as he straddled his chest and brought his cocks, released from the trousers he'd shoved down his hips, to his prisoner's mouth. He slid them on Conyod's parted lips, coating them in his wet excitement.

The trapped Imdiko was reminded of how vulnerable he was to the tough soldiers. He couldn't protest since his jaw was locked open by the brace that would allow Sletran to fuck his mouth. It brought a shiver of nervousness…and a jolt of pure exhilaration. No matter what, he was theirs to visit any shameless urges upon. They had control. He held none.

The fact it was Sletran and Erybet he was forced to surrender to made him dizzy from anticipation. It was a fantasy made real.

Sletran's hips rocked, feeding Conyod the tip of his primary as his smaller cock slid under the Imdiko's chin, forging a wet trail. A spicy bite of sweetness tickled his tongue. A bit of saltiness was added as pre-cum spurted. Under Sletran's intent gaze, it trickled to the back of his throat, forcing Conyod to swallow convulsively.

"That's it. Swallow what you're given, naughty Imdiko," the Nobek breathed. His hips dipped lower, invading.

Conyod's shattered attention was divided between the shaft inching along his tongue and the mouth pulling on his own cocks. He no longer merely trembled but quaked under the force of his growing lust. Erybet's attention was incredible, but he maintained a pace so Conyod's release was denied. Somehow intuiting how exciting the Imdiko found Sletran's decision to insist on an oral fuck, he'd eased his already leisurely fellating to a slower tempo.

They held Conyod in a tormented thrall, subjecting him to excruciating pleasure. His always impatient libido was forced to wait as they continued the deliberate rhythm. It tried to insist he could come, especially when Sletran paused, fully embedded so the Imdiko choked. Being mastered by the pair enhanced his eagerness, but Sletran always slid out when Conyod thought he might climax.

They kept at him until he was wailing between desperate coughs. His cocks, so carefully ministered to by Erybet for so long, ached in need. Then the Dramok did something so awful, Conyod truly fought the cuffs and Sletran's iron hold: he stopped sucking.

"Demanding young man. You'd think he was of my breed," Erybet chuckled. "He's helping me discover my more sadistic side."

"He has the tendency," Sletran agreed, quieting Conyod's cries by sliding in deep. Conyod gagged and writhed to no avail.

"You'll have to wait longer, Imdiko. My primary is begging for your ass. Do keep straining and fighting, however. It's exciting," Erybet told him.

Sletran slowly retreated, his jerking cock sliding along Conyod's tongue, coating it in pre-cum. The younger man was too busy catching his breath to resume his expressions of dismay.

Erybet shifted him, bringing his knees up so his ass lifted from the bed. Conyod's gaze was full of Sletran's lower torso and the length slowly emerging from his mouth. He felt hot prodding at his ass.

Erybet slid in, giving the Imdiko no chance to adjust. In his state of extreme arousal, the hurt of taking what was an incredibly thick shaft translated to a thunderous shock of rapture. Especially incredible was how it rubbed his prostate. Conyod squalled, and Sletran silenced him by filling his mouth too.

They stilled as he choked and swallowed and writhed. His sexes clamored, driven to the edge of ecstatic release.

Somehow over the pounding of his heart in his head, he heard Erybet's uncompromising command. "Do not come, Conyod."

He fought to scream, his throat clutching the cock in it. He urged his clamoring body to disobey, to relieve the hellish pressure driving him insane. Some other instinct recognized the order of the dominant personality, however. Brutal hunger notched down, easing from the point of no return.

He was damned near sobbing when Sletran drew outward, allowing him to breathe. He couldn't believe he'd gotten so close to orgasm, only to be denied.

"You'll learn control," Erybet encouraged, slowly rocking against him. The unhurried pace kept climax at bay, but barely. The Dramok's girth electrified Conyod as it massaged his cumspot.

"Even if it kills you," Sletran sighed, fucking the Imdiko's mouth at an identical speed. "Which it probably feels like it is."

"Teaching younglings to obey when they're topped has always been a weakness of mine. Especially the stubborn ones. Damn, his ass looks good taking my cock. If we'd established enough trust, I would have gotten vid footage of it. It's something to shoot for in the future."

The idea of Erybet recording himself fucking Conyod brought a jolt of nervous excitement. None of his sexual encounters had been put on vid.

Sletran's rhythm picked up slightly. "Never thought of doing that, and I love to watch people fuck."

"You should try it. What's fun is replaying a previous session and having your lover watch while you fuck him. Or teasing him during enforced orgasm denial and being made to see himself getting off. Drives him crazy. You've never heard such begging."

"You have a bit of sadist in you, don't you?" Sletran's tone was admiring.

"If I'm in the mood and my partner's agreeable…or very badly misbehaved. I think it comes from having to fight so often for my place among mean-ass Nobeks."

Conyod might have thought there was too much talking, especially when his body screamed for climax, but the subject matter was enthralling. Not to just him, but the pair fucking him. Their pace was quickening as they discussed the games Erybet enjoyed playing in the sleeping room.

A sudden grip on his primary made him wail. A rush of purest bliss shot down his spine. Erybet pumped once, then grasped the base of his larger cock tightly as a wave of rapture shot from his secondary. He was coming.

The practiced clasp had him at just the right place and strength to thwart the eruption. Climax was right there, but Erybet wouldn't allow it. Conyod shrieked around his mouthful of Sletran. The Nobek groaned.

"I won't last much longer if you keep doing that to him."

Erybet's answer was a snicker. "Go ahead. I want your mouth on him when he tries to come and I keep him from doing so."

Sletran's cock jolted a warning. "Shit. You are a sadist."

Conyod uttered a pleading sound and fought to break free. Breathing hard, Sletran's hips pumped, forcing him to be quiet. The Nobek yelped suddenly.

"Are you biting my ass, you monster?"

"Shut up and fuck. Fill his mouth with cum."

"Shit." Sletran's pace quickened.

Conyod had to concentrate on swallowing, or he'd have gagged. Thinking at any level was difficult as Erybet rutted his ass, sending delicious friction to his cumspot. The uncompromising grip on his primary kept the demanding climax at bay. Meanwhile, Sletran's rhythm was becoming erratic, and his moans announced he was on the verge of losing control. He muttered a mantra of "fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." Every now and then, a "fuck" was louder than usual, and Conyod had the dim notion Erybet was biting him at those moments.

Then Sletran uttered a long groan. His primary jolted. In an instant, his spicy-salty-sweet passion flooded Conyod's mouth. The Imdiko felt he'd never stop swallowing the hot spend as Sletran shuddered against his face.

At last, the flood ended. Sighing, the Nobek slid free. He stroked Conyod's cheek, then removed the mouth brace.

The first strangled word from Conyod's lips was, "Please." He was in an agony of yearning, his groin aching from denied climax.

Erybet chose to ignore him. "Sletran, give him a good excuse to beg."

Sletran chuffed a short laugh. He moved to Conyod's side, where he could crouch and slide his mouth on him, still imprisoning his wrists in his powerful hands.

Conyod's hips jerked, but they kept him nearly motionless. Now he could see Erybet, gloriously nude, between his legs. His elegant, toned body loomed high over those he commanded, an uncompromising god. The beautiful tormentor grinned at Conyod, though tension in his jaw betrayed he was having to fight off his own release. His groin slapped the Imdiko's ass in a steady tattoo, filling him again and again.

"Please," Conyod croaked, surges of need rocketing through his entire body.

"You can do better than that."

In the end, he did. Sletran's mouth was hot, his tongue wicked, the pull of his sucking driving Conyod beyond sanity as Erybet fucked him harder with each passing second. Conyod's yells rebounded off the walls as he pleaded for mercy, all semblance of dignity and self-possession gone.

At last, Erybet spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm letting go, Sletran. I want to watch him come before I do."

The Nobek responded by sucking down Conyod to the Dramok's fist, which dammed him. When Erybet relaxed his grip, Sletran swallowed the entirety of the clamoring cock, his mouth and throat tight.

Conyod lost all sense of his companions and surroundings as lightning flashed and he exploded. Rapture descended on him in vicious quakes. Chaotic pleasure claimed him and swept him into a maelstrom of heaving bliss.

He heard his own breathless moans before he regained sight as the surges began to ease. Little by little, the view of Sletran bent to his crotch and Erybet framed by his thighs cleared.

Erybet was still fucking him, the feeling of his primary rubbing Conyod's cumspot extending the quieting pulses, but his eyelids were fluttering. His breath caught suddenly, and he stiffened, his rhythm stuttering. A jolt in Conyod's ass and a burst of warmth announced the Dramok's release. His head fell back. His face suffused in bliss, and Conyod thought he'd never seen anyone more beautiful.

Erybet swayed drunkenly after a stretch of nearly a minute. Sletran, who'd sat up and was stroking Conyod's trembling figure, chuckled and offered a steadying hand. Grinning, the Dramok shook his head. His hands rubbed Conyod's thighs as his attention zeroed in on him.

"That was amazing. You're amazing. Are you all right?"

Conyod discovered he could speak, though his voice had taken on a distinctive croak. "I'm incredible. How soon can we go again?"

"Shit." Erybet fell over in exaggerated horror as Sletran roared laughter.

* * * *

Conyod went to work at the hospital's mental health ward feeling energetic, courtesy of stim tabs and pain reliever. He greeted patients brightly, and his upbeat mood seemed to infect them and his fellow staff. Though he had moments during which he was distracted, no one minded in the environment of his happy presence.

The night of lovemaking put a glow on Conyod's surroundings. He knew it was too early to think about their future, but he felt a certainty anyway. He, Sletran, and Erybet been so good together. His feet barely touched the floor as he walked the corridors between appointments. He was tempted to com the pair throughout the day, but as a newer staff member, it would have been frowned upon. He let the anticipation build instead.

When he got home to his small apartment, he was a little let down to be alone. When he checked his personal com unit, he found both Nobek and Dramok had left him warm messages. "I can't wait to see you," Erybet had said. "Let me know as soon as you can come back."

"I couldn't wait until later to tell you last night was terrific," Sletran told him. "Com me at the usual time tonight. Erybet said he wasn't available, so I'll be waiting."

The com messages from his mother insisting he call as soon as possible, all seven of them, couldn't shake him from his bliss. He checked the time. Seeing he had an hour before he was due to talk to Sletran, he decided to deal with whatever she was so eager to tell him first.

"Finally!" Lafec said as her greeting. "Why did it take you so long to com me?"

"I was at work. I figured following the emergency leave, I'd better concentrate on my job rather than answering personal coms." He let humor color his tone, refusing to be drawn in whatever drama she was eager to share.

"It could have been an emergency."

"If so, it wouldn"t have been just you trying to get hold of me. Is Dresk okay?"

"Yes, and so am I and your fathers," she said significantly.

Conyod winced, a jab of guilt disturbing his mood. "Sorry. I didn't mean it to sound as if I were more interested in his welfare than yours…it's just he was the one who was recently sick."

She sighed. "He's doing well. Chasing the mares, as if he wasn't hanging on by a thread only days ago. Typical male beast."

"What else is going on?"

"The ghost."

A thread of disquiet wove in Conyod's gut. "It's back?"

"Someone's roaming the stables. Both Noref and Rata saw the boy in white the night you left."

"Vel says they're the most likely to get drunk once they knock off for the day."

"Then who's leaving bero sticks in the kestarsh stalls? We don't have any bero to feed them because we ran out earlier this week."

Conyod blinked. Plenty of the farms near Clan Tuher's ranch grew the root vegetable, but his parents didn't. His Imdiko father was in charge of supplies. "Maybe Sema bought it and didn't tell you?"

"He scheduled delivery for today. We had plenty of the other feed, but not bero until this afternoon." Her voice lowered. "Most of the leaves, which the kestarsh won't eat, were in Yemasel's stall."

"Huh."

"You know the kestarsh she resembles."

His discomfort increased because he did. "She looks like tons of other kestarsh. Her coloring is fairly typical."

"She's the same height and build as Ges. Yemasel sleeps in her old stall. Ges was his favorite. And he always snuck her extra bero."

"Did Noref and Rata get a good look—"

"Tuher, Conyod's on the com. Come say hello." Her voice was abruptly cheerful, letting him know she didn't want his Dramok father to learn she'd been talking about the strange visitation.

The men spoke briefly, and Tuher confirmed Dresk was behaving as if he'd never been sick a day in his life. Nothing else about the ghost boy was said.