Janus' Conquest (4 page)

Janus scanned the street in front of him. Convicts rarely looked him in the eye, but he was on constant guard. His black Hunter’s uniform stood out among their light-colored garments. The area in front of him cleared as he tried to detect any convict who moved out of his path a little too quickly. Guilt was easy to spot on a man because he went to great lengths to avoid being inspected, and the recording of any crime committed. It was proof of their weakness that even after conviction, most of the inhabitants of the penal sphere didn’t learn from their mistakes. They still failed to embrace the correctness of becoming a productive member of the community. The convicts in front of him had to be carefully monitored to ensure they were being productive in their assigned tasks. Laziness was not rewarded. If a man didn’t work, he shouldn’t have the same rewards as a citizen who did. Food did not simply appear.

But today was the first time he found himself focused on his own desires more than his duties as a Hunter. A soft grunt left his lips as he hooked his hands into his belt. He didn’t want to be here. His instincts were not centered on the convicts around him but back in the Hunter sphere where Fay was.

“She’ll be there tonight.”

Hawk’s voice was gruff. Janus didn’t offer his partner any comment. He and Hawk knew each other too well—it was something that made them more effective as Hunters.

But when it came to Fay, Janus found himself feeling possessive. He shouldn’t be. He’d shared Hawk’s mate because they viewed each other’s actions every day to ensure fairness in both their decisions. When Hawk had taken Tova into his bed, there was no way to prevent lust from rising up for her as he watched them during those everyday 23

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viewings into Hawk’s actions. Sharing was expected and normal among the command ranks of Hunters like they were. Hawk had known that fact and firmly insisted that Tova accept it and allow Janus into their relationship.

Today, the idea of returning that action bothered him. Hawk suddenly lifted an eyebrow and smirked at him. It was an expression Janus had given him during Hawk’s courtship of his mate, Tova. Hawk chuckled before sweeping the area around them again.

“Worry not, Janus. I don’t hold grudges. Even if you deserve it.”

Janus shook his head. “Aye, I did earn a few set-downs, didn’t I?”

Hawk offered him a dark frown. “You did, but Tova endures your surly attitude so I must do the same.”

“I make up for it.”

Hawk glared at him. The sexual comment wasn’t exactly misplaced, but Tova was his pledged mate. The sharing nature of their relationship was only a buffer against lust souring their working partnership. It was something he would have to accept when he brought Fay to heel. Hawk would see every encounter with her. The other Hunter had already witnessed their heated exchange from last night. Sexual interest was a normal side effect in any healthy male. He should be grateful that Hawk had found a mate first.

Tova could keep most of his partner’s lust away from Fay.

But it wasn’t her body he craved so completely. It was her submission, an unconditional acceptance of his possession. The goal wasn’t gaining her flesh—it was to touch her soul in that single place where a female trusted a male. One single male. It was the most perfect union. Not once in his life had he ever touched intimacy, but Janus was willing to pursue it until his last breath.

It was time Fay understood that.

* * * * *

People were fickle.

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Fay found that fact unusually fascinating as her day wore on. It should have troubled her, stabbed at her feelings, as those who normally greeted her turned around when they saw her drawing near. Instead, she was curious to discover who was willing to brave the public scorn to be seen speaking to her.

There were not many.

A precious few, but somehow she would rather have those friends than the large number she believed she had just last sunrise. Her heart gave a twist, and her emotions threatened to collapse as she looked at her desk and the current project she should be directing her attention to. She had always held a talent for numbers. Now that her schooling was complete, she spent her time working with engineers helping to calculate the mathematical equations that made future buildings sound. For the last year, she had especially enjoyed the unfeeling numbers because she could hide in her work and ignore her rising passion for Janus. She had hidden among the mind-numbing tasks in order to avoid facing the truth that she wanted to spread for him more and more as the nights passed. No other male distracted her from it, in spite of her efforts to find one who would overshadow Janus.

Today, there was no solace to be found. Her memory replayed her last moments with her father over and over again. Shock still held her in its grip from watching her sire stripped of his uniform. It was something she was certain she would never forget, even if she lived to be two hundred. That black uniform embodied her father, his ideals and his integrity. She would go to her own death before believing him guilty of lawbreaking. There wasn’t a Hunter more dedicated in the entire sphere.

Except perhaps Janus.

She snorted softly under her breath as she punched the keys of her terminal a little too hard. She didn’t need to have Janus tormenting her this morning. Sweet mercy, her shoulders were heavy enough without adding the concern of what she might fall into doing with a male. Janus was purely self-satisfaction, like a sweet a child ate to satisfy a craving when their belly was already full. Her growing cravings for him were selfish 25

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when her father had been taken away on charges of theft and abuse of authority. Any daughter worth anything would be more centered on helping her sire than thinking about how much her body wanted to spread for another male.

She was shameful.

One of the bright green bracelets on her wrist caught on the edge of her terminal.

The little unit flipped completely over as she glared at the green object clamped onto her arm. She could not remove it. It was a location beacon, as well as a recording unit that would keep a solid record of everything she did. Reaching for her terminal, she turned it back into its proper position but the accident had not gone unnoticed. Her supervisor frowned at her as she moved across the office floor. Fay pressed her lips into a hard line as she caught a few of her colleagues smirking with delight at the attention from her supervisor. Yesterday, she had joked and laughed with those same office mates. Today, they gleefully waited for her to be reprimanded.

“Your new status appears to interfere with your productivity.” Cleo tsked under her breath as she swept Fay with condemning eyes. “I will have to report it.” She raised her gaze to look at her, but Fay denied the woman any retort. Cleo was looking for something to add to that report—Fay could see enjoyment shimmering in her eyes.

It twisted her stomach with nausea. How did trust vanish so quickly? Fay retuned her attention to her work. The answer was so simple she chastised herself for not understanding before. True friends were few. Convincing herself that some females were her friends was delusional. There had never truly been any real trust between them. She had allowed her father’s position to influence her own self-worth. At least she might be grateful for learning the lesson.

“Don’t let it worry you. At least you have a reason. I am simply clumsy.”

Fay jerked her head around to catch Zoe offering her a twisted sarcastic look. The small, dark-haired girl was always attempting to lighten the office mood, and often she succeeded with her innocent, often silly humor.

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“Did you have something to add to my incident report, Zoe?” Cleo had whipped about and was frowning at Zoe for breaking the shunning silence that had been heaped on Fay since her arrival.

The dark-haired female rose and smiled at her supervisor. “Oh yes. I think we should all thank Fay for slowing down today and giving us a chance to catch up with her. It’s rather sweet of her to not shame us by being so far ahead of the rest of the team, like she often does.”

“Thank you, Zoe.” Cleo’s face turned to the green wristbands adorning Fay’s arms and she held her tongue. She turned with an angry sweep of her robe and went back to her desk. Zoe sat back down and rolled her eyes as she looked at Fay. Merriment sparkled in her unusual green gaze while she worked her lips in a silent mocking of her superior.

Fay treasured the moment. Zoe was the same person she had been yesterday. The girl wasn’t interested in gaining favor among the rest of the team by changing her opinion of her. That was a gift that Fay would always treasure. Even after she left the Hunter sphere. She had to go. Half a night without her father had been too much. He was innocent and she would follow him into the penal sphere as a testimonial to her belief in him.

It would not be a simple life but maintaining your principles often conflicted with comfort. She would shoulder it and endure. Of course, that meant leaving Janus behind as well. But he might just thank her for leaving. Most Hunters would join in shunning her now that her sire was disgraced.

She just wished that knowing Janus wouldn’t want her now didn’t hurt worse than anything else.

Yet it did.

* * * * *

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Dawn Ryder

“Come, Janus! Antal has a trophy to share with us.” Calder grinned at him as he licked his lower lip. “Time to work off a couple of hard cocks.”

The invitation didn’t interest him. Janus only shook his head. He didn’t understand his own emotions, so it was wiser to keep his mouth shut until he sorted his impulses into order.

Calder frowned at his dismissal. “You’re a fine Hunter, Janus. Just consider it a good thing that you haven’t pledged with Fay.”

Janus turned to glare at his fellow Hunter. Although the comment was expected, it still grated against his temper. “Your concern isn’t necessary. I do not believe in Hunter Edric’s guilt. It would be my pleasure to pledge with his daughter.”

Calder frowned, but the man didn’t shake his head. Janus caught the indecision in the male’s eyes as he considered the firm stand Janus was taking. The convicted were most often shunned completely, and that treatment extended to their offspring. Fay had the single choice of staying in her birth sphere or following her sire. It was a harsh truth that neither was a good choice for her.

Calder stiffened. “I find myself questioning the matter as well.” He extended his hand towards Janus. They clasped wrists in age-old custom before Calder grinned at him. “If you change your mind, I intend to gain an introduction to Antal’s newest plaything.”

Calder turned and left. The Hunter didn’t stop as several of their fellow Hunters turned to look at him in wonder. His words would likely be reported back to command as well, but Calder moved on his way unconcerned. Janus wasn’t as detached from the public show of scorn for Fay’s sire. He glared at those foolish enough to glance his way.

Although dedicated to his battalion, he didn’t need their approval of his female or his faith in Hunter Edric. Besides, he found it harsh to see an entire lifetime of service being discarded so quickly by Hunters who owed Edric for service he had given to them for years. A Hunter shouldn’t be so quick to condemn his fellow battalion Hunter.

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Fay was his choice and it was time she understood it along with the rest of his comrades.

29

Dawn Ryder

Her dwelling was silent.

Fay bit into her lower lip to fend off the sting of tears. She was no child to be weeping for something she understood very well. Her father was not coming home tonight. Crying about it changed it not. All the emotional outpouring might do was prove that she was weak. Still too tender to face adult matters.

Still it was oddly interesting to discover how much she noticed the absence of her sire. He was a veteran Hunter and she rarely heard his boots on the tile floor because he walked so softly. The difference between the normal quiet they lived in and this stark silence was deafening.

It wasn’t unusual for her to be in the dwelling without her father either. He worked long hours just as she did. Tonight, the minutes passed more slowly than honey moving across a chilled plate. After considering what their cold-storage unit offered for her supper, she simply closed it again without selecting anything. Her stomach was still a twisted knot. The tension was unrelenting even after a day’s passing since her father had been taken away. Knowing how deviants were dealt with and witnessing it were two vastly different things. She had been raised with the distorted view that anyone taken away by Hunters must deserve it. The black-clad enforcers of the law didn’t listen to any plea, no matter how earnest. The accused was remanded into their custody in mere moments. Every detail of their lives swept aside as the law was enforced.

She shook her head. She should have known better. Her father had taught her that there were always two sides to an issue. Yet she had never questioned it even once, until now. It was a lesson well suited to today’s dilemma. She considered the green bands on her wrists. She could not remove them. Because she lived in the same dwelling with her sire, she was under suspicion of having tolerated his crimes. It was a 30

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punishable offense to stand by and remain silent as the law was broken. If there was any evidence that she had shared in the profits of unlawful activities, she would answer for those crimes.

A chuckle rose from her throat as she went back into her sleeping room. It was a distorted mess. All of her possessions pulled from their neat storage areas and placed out in plain view. Every inch of the home had been searched as the Hunters looked for the credits her father stood accused of siphoning off with the aid of his Hunter’s authority. When they came to take him last evening, the Hunters had looked at everything she owned to decide if she had more than her earnings and her father’s honest pay might grant her.