Authors: Dawn Ryder
“What are you ashamed of?” His embrace tightened and his eyes flickered with frustration.
“It is not shame.”
“Then explain.” Janus carried her right out of the pool. “You know that Hawk sees everything I do. Sharing is the only means to prevent coveting between us.”
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“I understand that.”
Her voice was low and it sent his frustration up another few degrees. But Janus was at a loss as to how to deal with her tender emotions. Releasing her, he turned to pull a length of toweling from a shelf and wrap it around her shoulders. A low growl escaped his lips as she once again returned to biting her lower lip. Lifting her chin, he stared into her perplexed eyes.
“Explain it to me, Fay. Please.”
That single word meant so much to her. While self-confidence might make you sturdy, there was no substitution to being valued by a lover. It deepened the bond, dragging her into a whirlpool of tender emotion. There was no way to avoid the rush of tenderness. She sank down into it until her heart simply refused to struggle any longer.
It felt too glorious.
“I just don’t want to begin something that must end.” Looking up, she felt a twist of regret spear through her heart so hard it hurt. “Yet it must. I intend to join my father. I am caught between you and him. It is not a simple matter or one I find clear.”
Janus’ face darkened but hurt flared through his eyes too. His jaw was so tight the muscles on the side of his neck were corded. The flare of emotion stunned her. Never once had she considered herself so important to any other person besides her sire. A warm hand cupped her cheek as he considered her.
“We will discuss that later. You are too newly claimed.”
He clasped her wrist and pulled her behind him. One touch of his hand and he turned the dim lighting in the bathing chamber off. “We will not discuss this topic until you have rested.”
Hard authority rang in his voice as he lifted her once more and placed her in his bed. He stood for a long moment absorbing the sight of her among the rumpled bedding before he moved towards the doorway and turned the last light off in the dwelling. Darkness embraced her as only a meager amount of star shine made it in through the sleeping room. Janus almost looked as if he were made of it as he moved 89
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back towards her as a silver shadow. The bed moved as he sat down. A small click hit her ears as he placed something on the stand next to the bed.
“I keep a disruptor at hand.”
“Of course, you are a Hunter.”
Hard arms closed around her. He tipped her head up and pressed a warm kiss against her lips. It was a sweet tasting of her mouth that didn’t press her for any flare of passion. It was more territorial in nature, a firm reminder that he would kiss her whenever he chose.
“This is my bed. Hawk will never share it. Only you will.”
He pulled her down and covered her with the bedding. Her head was pressed against his shoulder as the warm scent of his skin filled her senses. Being so close to a male was slightly alarming, she had never considered just how pledged couples actually slept in the same bed. It hadn’t crossed her mind that they touched while they slumbered. She squirmed out of his relaxed hold to sleep without the distraction of trying to understand her need for him. He was correct in postponing conversation until they had rested. She needed to be strong and most of her strength was spent.
Janus snorted softly and pulled her back against his body, turning onto his side to curve along her back. One hard arm draping over her waist, his hand cupping her breast. His feet caught her ankles, trapping her in place as she felt the beat of his heat against her back.
She needed to consider why he was holding her so close now that his seed was inside her body, but nothing seemed to matter beyond the comfort surrounding her. It was so simple to let her brain drop all the details that needed her attention in favor of drifting off into slumber where there was only the warm embrace and the certain knowledge that Janus wanted to share his bed with her…and only her. That was the thing that love was made of. None of the details mattered, only the fact that her heart was full.
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Janus frowned into the darkness. Wasting the moment on sleep wasn’t inviting. He wanted to savor the scent of Fay in his bed, listen to the sound of her breathing as sleep took over her body. There were twenty little things he noticed about her as she wiggled and tried to escape from his unaccustomed presence next to her. All of the information raced through his brain like critical evidence. He memorized each little motion of her sleeping body as he tried to confirm the fact that she was content. He needed her to be right here at the week’s end. Sheer terror filled him for the first time in years as he considered her walking into the penal sphere. There were precious few souls there unspoiled by greed and selfishness. But her determination to stand by her sire endeared her to him even more. He had no idea if that was love, but it was far too intense to allow it to slip away.
He was a Hunter, and he always succeeded.
Always.
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“So, I hear you have a daughter, convict.”
Edric stood up from his worktable. The male in front of him swallowed roughly before he stiffened. “Just something I heard about.”
“My daughter is not for trade.” Edric kept his voice low, to disguise the deadly note in it.
“Why not? I heard you were interested in being friends. Don’t be stingy. Females have uses too. A chaste one goes for a lot her first time spreading. It would be a mighty good way to prove your worth.”
Edric had to control the impulse to grasp the scrawny neck of the convict. It had been a long time since he’d battled against loss of control so much. He could almost feel his fingers compressing the fragile bones of the male’s throat in retaliation for even thinking about touching his daughter. The first uncertain thought crossed his mind in relationship to his assignment—he had not seen to the matter of ensuring that Fay didn’t choose to follow him into the penal colony.
“She will pledge shortly with a Hunter.” Edric let his face display the rage coursing through his blood. “Why do you think I’m here? The cost of outfitting a daughter isn’t cheap. I got sloppy.”
The convict smirked at him but visibly relaxed as he swallowed the lie. “Yeah, those Hunter bitches are pampered, the way I hear it. Never seen one myself.”
“I doubt you’d like her anyway. She wouldn’t like this life very much.” Edric crossed his arms to keep his hands off the greedy convict’s neck. “She isn’t coming here, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be friendly.”
The convict shifted between his feet for a moment. “Maybe.” His eyes surveyed the room. “Want to take a walk?”
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“Sure.”
The streets of the penal sphere were quiet. Convicts moved along their way without much conversation. Black-uniformed Hunters stood out as they patrolled the population. Edric followed his companion and stepped into a large structure that backed up to a laundry facility. The noise of machinery filled the building. Edric frowned. Even wristband records had their limits. The noise from the machines would down out the recordings.
“Come on. My buddies are back this way.” The male stopped and poked a finger into Edric’s chest. “You’d better be as good as Kendry said you were. He said you had meat. You’d better have meat to trade.”
“I have everything you need. But it isn’t free.”
“That’s good. Everyone trades good stuff. But we don’t like new guys. You’re only here because you got something we don’t. I’m Levi.” He turned and looked behind them before waving Edric towards a back room. The noise was nearly deafening as the machines clanged away and the sound waves were caught between the thick concrete walls. An odd collection of convicts was already in the room. There was also a back-street store set up. Jugs of water were stacked on the floor, power cells were leaning against a wall, while two of the males played with a young female’s nude breasts. She shivered, but remained motionless as her body was handled and her nipples pinched.
She slapped the hand of one who tried to open her robe past her belly.
“You have to pay for anything else.” She snapped out her words and the two males snickered but another convict stood beside her, and they didn’t try to bare her pussy again. Haggling began as the two returned to pinching her nipples.
Edric turned his attention to the other supplies in the room. The Hunter sphere packaging on new power cells wasn’t hard to miss. It was wadded up and lying on the floor. Picking up a power cell, he inspected its new condition. It was displaced among the rest of the merchandise. Most of the water was held in reused containers that were stained with age.
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“Told you we got good stuff to trade.” Levi stroked the shiny power cell with a single, dirty finger. “Got any meat? My men need protein.”
“I got plenty. What else do you have? Meat isn’t easy to get into this sphere.” Edric looked up and waited. Anticipation rose as he considered the prime opportunity he’d just discovered. It would still take weeks but confidence in his assignment grew as he watched Levi begin to offer him things. “Name your price. You like pussy? Boy ass?”
“A disruptor.”
The men all turned as a few low whistles rose over the noise. Levi’s eyebrows rose.
“Now that’s a high-ticket item.”
“Thought you were hungry for meat.” Edric stared right back at him. “Let me know how hungry and you’ll get it but I want a disruptor.”
The female moved away from her bidders and moved right up against his body.
Her hands slid over his cock as she offered him a practiced smile. She smelled stale to him as he looked at the harsh reality of living among convicts. She had been somebody’s daughter once. Now she was a prostitute. She laughed at him before pushing away from his body.
“He likes boy ass. His cock is softer than mud.”
“All the better for me.” One of her bidders yanked her robe up over her hip, baring her bottom. He pushed her over one of the machines as he fumbled with his pants. She hissed as he mounted her like a bitch right in front of everyone.
“You didn’t pay me!”
Edric winced at the words because she wasn’t worried about her body being used, only that she hadn’t placed a price on it yet. The convict fucking her grunted as he worked his hips. “Don’t worry, Tilly, I’ll give you something for your time.”
A smile appeared on her face as she lifted her bottom higher now that she had secured a promise from him. She moaned and wiggled as he fucked her harder. “I love your cock.” Additional endearments rolled out of her mouth but they all sounded 94
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hollow. Edric felt his stomach twist at the lust because he knew just how much better love could be.
Levi clamped a hard hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. No one cares if you enjoy boy ass more than pussy. Not around here. I’ve fucked a few myself. No one sucks a cock like a boy lover. But it’ll cost you. Two cans of meat.”
“I want the disruptor first.” All weapons carried identification marks. It was something that might be traced without doubt from the Hunter sphere. Once he had that, he could net his conspirators. “Name your price. It ain’t easy being an ex-Hunter. I need a little insurance against unstable tempers.”
Levi grinned. “Yeah, I guess you might. I’ll look into it.”
Edric left as he hid his satisfaction behind a practiced mask of self-control. There was only one thing that clung to his mind and that was making sure his daughter never fell to the same level as Tilly. His gut twisted with revulsion as he realized how easy it would be for her to follow him into this den of vice. Wanting her to grow strong was one matter. Wading through filth was quite another.
* * * * *
“Fay? You must wake up.”
She muttered instead and nuzzled against his hand. Janus grinned at the picture she made. It was the honest truth that he enjoyed the picture of her relaxed and in his bed.
Daylight streamed in the window from the top of the sphere and he sighed before he pushed the bedding away from her body. The day held no regard for their personal relationship. There was duty to attend to before he could get back to the much more interesting pursuit of conquering his little companion. Her nose wrinkled as the cool morning air brushed her skin. Her eyelashes fluttered and opened to reveal dark eyes.
Her lips pushed into a tiny pout and the tip of her tongue even appeared as she stuck it out at him.
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“It’s a non-work day for me.” Sweet relief swept through Fay in response to that thought too. Even waking up in Janus’ bed didn’t dim her enjoyment of the morning.
But a gasp escaped her lips when she moved and her lower body bitterly protested.
Janus frowned at the telltale sound of discomfort. Pushing her body up, she rolled away from him as his eyes locked on to her with suspicion.
“I am well.” Fay stood up and refused to let the discomfort show on her face. She forced her lips into a pleasant expression. Janus rose to his full height and she felt a little ripple of awareness move over her skin. He was already in uniform, covered from boot tip to collar in the black fabric of a Hunter. The entire suit was designed to protect his body, but she remembered well the hard muscle he had built to make sure he survived anything that came his way in the line of duty.
“You are sore.” His voice was firm as he considered her, but there was a twinkle in his blue eyes that betrayed how pleased he was with the blunt fact that she wasn’t chaste any longer. Heat colored her cheeks because it was so extremely primitive of him to be proud of such a thing. His expression softened as his gaze settled on her cheek. He stepped closer and stroked the scarlet stain with a single, ungloved hand.
“You will get used to me, sweeting. I will enjoy every moment of you doing so.”
A second shiver shook her as she tried to cover her breast with one arm while her opposite hand spread out over her mons. Being his lover had not prepared her for standing nude in his presence while the bright light of day illuminated her body. She couldn’t recall ever feeling so exposed before. While she did not suffer from a fear that her body was unattractive, she was still far from confident displaying herself.