Janus' Conquest (3 page)

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He would too. She toyed with the concept of just propping her hands on her hips and daring him to do it. That action would certainly put an end to her chaste ignorance.

She spun around and moved swiftly towards her lodging. Cravings were best left unfed when they came so hot and demanding. She needed to be sensible. Challenging Janus amidst the cloak of night might feed her burning need, but it might also see his child take root in her womb.

That would end all choice.

She hissed and didn’t much care if he heard her. Her body was a traitor, a scheming saboteur that spent endless moments concocting ways to tempt Janus into lifting the choice from her hands. Right then, her mind offered her the idea of turning and opening the front of her robe so that the swells of her breasts showed. It was a simple but efficient method of drawing Janus back towards her. Yet it was cowardly and that was what kept her feet moving along the path. Janus was an honorable Hunter. She might not like his demands, but she owed him a measure of respect because he voiced those demands clearly without any hint at attempting to hide them. Some males used a female’s trust to trick her into yielding her innocence, but Janus was a Hunter. She owed him the same courtesy of being honest. If she wanted her passions fed, she would have to ask him to take her.

That was something she was unwilling to do.

She sighed as her dwelling came into view. Her pride was more trouble than it was worth at times like these. But she wasn’t able to simply let it go either. Craving release was something she might be prepared to submit her will to, but she wasn’t going to spend her entire life submissive to anyone, be it a mate or otherwise. That was the wall that stood between her and Janus. The arrogant Hunter didn’t see it and that fact simply confirmed her decision to refuse him. To his way of thinking, her body was for his pleasure. Many Hunters didn’t care for too strong an opinion in their mate, and she very much suspected that Janus agreed with that ideal. She could never sit on her knees and embrace the idea that she would always be the one in submission, never tasting a 16

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bit of boldness or taking the lead from time to time. The need to reach out for her lover burned in her as much as the desire to taste being bent to his will. Both twisted together inside her, and she knew in her heart that she would not be content without a mate who allowed her both.

That truth would deny her Janus.

It was a harsh conclusion, but adult life was rarely comfortable. She stopped before touching the footpad outside her father’s dwelling. Turning around, she searched the shadows and found Janus watching her. His face mesmerized her with its determination. A twist of apprehension went through her belly as her nipples tightened again. It was almost as if there was some force drawing her towards him. Some recognition deep in her brain that chose him above all her reasons to deny any union between them. His eyes watched her for a long moment before he moved forward. It was a lowering of his defenses, to move into the light. He stood in front of her, and a shiver moved over her skin. A tiny moment of indecision flickered in his eyes as he observed her simply standing in place. A little grin raised the corners of her mouth.

“You’ve made an error, Janus.”

One of his dark eyebrows rose in response. Another shiver rippled over her skin as she tipped her head back to keep their eyes locked. Her body was acutely aware of how much larger he was than she. Her clit began to burn in response to that idea. Being pressed beneath him must be decadent.

“What mistake have I made? If it was kissing you, I disagree, Fay. It was long past time to discover what you taste like.”

Yes, it certainly has been.

Her lips smoothed back into a firm line. Knowing what his kiss felt like was a torment she might have done without. The thing she truly feared was that his kiss was going to haunt her. Lifting her chin, she forced her feet to stand firmly in place. “I don’t fear you. I never have. I went to the gym looking for you. It’s a truth that I have 17

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watched you before. But you’re correct that I am a mature female and it is time for games like that to be finished.”

She stepped onto the footpad outside her father’s dwelling and it lit up. A soft snarl came from Janus as she let her sire know that she had returned. The look on his face told her he was in the mood to test her words. But she shouldn’t, not when she understood that she couldn’t be happy with the Hunter and his desires. It was kinder and more honest to sever any bond between them now. Leading him on was childish.

“I mean no disrespect, Janus. My fascination must not be considered anything more than a girlish curiosity. My father says you are an honorable Hunter. You should find a female who will offer you the submission you crave.”

He laughed at her. A deep chuckle burst forth that scared her more than his snarl.

Fay bit into her lower lip as Janus closed his eyes and opened them back up. A dark promise was sitting there, glittering at her well-meaning words. He suddenly grasped her wrist and tugged her forward. She tumbled right into his embrace as he turned her hand around, locking her arm into a solid bar that refused to bend. So simply, she was trapped and held against his body. He leaned down and his warm breath hit her ear as he cupped her chin and raised her eyes to meet his.

“Bravo, sweet Fay. You had me convinced that you were lost in your tender years still.” His eyes flashed a warning at her. She jerked against his hold. Pain shot into her shoulder but he didn’t release her. His eyes were hard with determination as he held her imprisoned. “You will learn, Fay, to respect my will.”

“I will not offer you my submission.”

He leaned down and bit her earlobe. A sharp little nip that made her jump as the small pain raced down her spine and transformed into a crazy sort of pleasure that stunned her with its intensity. Her clit was suddenly alive with a need so hot, she shifted her thighs apart because the folds of her sex pressed too hard against the little bundle of nerve endings.

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“Yes, you will. But more importantly, you will shiver with anticipation as you do it.” His voice was hard and husky. He released her a moment later and took one long step away from her. She hissed as she stumbled and forced her legs to hold her up.

Humiliation colored her cheeks as her father appeared in the doorway.

“Janus?” Edric offered the younger Hunter a solid nod from his head before he swept Fay with a father’s knowing eye. “I see my daughter was in good hands.”

“It was my pleasure to serve as escort.” Janus offered her father a slight nod of his head. It was a gesture she doubted he’d give to many Hunters, but that he received often due to his strength when it came to enforcing law.

Fay turned to look at her sire. “You should not have worried.” Her father frowned at her and shook his head.

“It is a parent’s duty to be concerned over their offspring. However, I approve of Hunter Janus escorting you, daughter. He is a good choice.”

It was the highest praise, the kind that most Hunters worked to obtain for years.

Janus felt it filling his head and he savored to look on Fay’s face as her father all but openly declared approval of his pursuit. The senior Hunter might have dismissed him and that would have placed a large obstacle between Fay and himself. If her father disapproved, it would not do their relationship any good. Her father was a highly respected Hunter, one of the best. His daughter would not be pledging with any male who did not measure up to his own high standard.

Edric stepped back into his dwelling. “You may finish your conversation.”

“We were done.” Fay quickly followed her father into the home. Janus lifted an eyebrow at her retreat and she ground her teeth together as she faced the fact that she was, in fact, hiding behind her father.

Edric turned to consider her. His eyes were full of more than parental authority tonight. Fay felt her attention sharpen on the hint of unhappiness she saw there. Almost as if there was something looming over them that she didn’t see yet.

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“Then maybe Janus would care to join me in a game of
Trilph
. The night is young.”

“I would be honored.” Janus stepped right into their home. Fay felt his presence like a change in temperature. An extreme one. The two black-uniformed Hunters moved towards the greeting room at the front of the home.
Trilph
was a game of strategy her father excelled at. He didn’t even bother to play any Hunter who didn’t boast of great skill at the game. It was another compliment, and one she knew her father was making as a point for her to understand. She turned away from the men as she felt the walls pressing in on her. Unclear as to just when her chaste condition had become so important, she chewed on her pride as frustration made her steps quick. Stripping her robe off in order to bathe made her feel vulnerable simply because she knew that Janus was in her home. He invaded even her small, private room. Her father’s blunt acceptance of his pursuit only made her even more determined to evade him.

She could offer her chastity to another.

Fay turned to look at her nude body. Her nipples were still little points, drawn tight by Janus’ touch. There was a tiny red spot on her earlobe, marking his bite. Excitement raced through her as she quivered with need. Standing still required all of her attention because excitement was surging through her blood. The idea of displaying her body to anyone else made her flesh crawl with distaste. Her body wanted Janus, and she truly was afraid she was too weak-minded to resist the lust he inspired.

May the Gods rescue her!

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Rage wasn’t a feeling Janus was accustomed to. He prized his control more than that. Anger was merely frustration taken too seriously. Rage was something far deeper.

It could soak right into a male’s soul where it might become impossible to cleanse it out.

A hard hand clasped his shoulder. Janus snarled, but Hawk wasn’t deterred by the sound. His partner simply leveled a hard look of understanding at him before the other Hunter grunted under his breath as well. Neither of them was pleased.

“I believe it not.” Janus didn’t care who heard his words either. They could report him to their hearts’ content, he still would not condemn Edric. The man he’d sat with last eve wasn’t one driven by greed. He knew what that poison looked like. He witnessed it every single day he patrolled the penal sphere he and Hawk were assigned. Edric didn’t reek of self-gratification.

“Agreed.” Hawk shot the two junior Hunters standing closest to them a hard look.

The two males turned away without comment. That suited his mood. He had not risen to the rank of commander among Hunters by measuring his confidence against the opinions of others. The garrison had been dismissed but the announcement of treason among their own kind kept the normally prompt Hunters spellbound for long moments. Hawk turned and Janus followed him. Years of dedication to each other bound them. Today that bond was more important than ever.

Janus took to his day’s duty with unsettled emotions for the first time since being a raw recruit. Entering the penal sphere was a journey he took each day but now it felt different as he faced the harsh fact that Edric was a new member of the convicts living under guard. Convicted members of the community had only two options. The penal sphere or a work crew. Living inside a sphere shielded them from the harmful rays of the main star warming their planet, so most chose the sphere. But there was no privacy 21

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for a convict. That was part of the price for breaking the law. You could not be trusted.

Convicts wore purple bands on each wrist that recorded their every word and motion.

Janus spent a good part of his day inspecting those recordings to ensure that peace and the law were being respected by the convicts. Any evidence he viewed that contradicted that was grounds for the convicts to be exported to a work crew where they were not even granted the privacy of a living area. Work crews labored together and slept in barracks.

Of course, some convicts chose to leave the southern hemisphere altogether. That was their right. To pit their fortune against the elements and attempt to reach the northern continent, where rumor claimed any man could live however he wanted without the law interfering.

Janus doubted that. He didn’t question if there was a community north of his own society, but he did doubt that men might live together without law. If that were so, disputes would turn to murder. He couldn’t see life flourishing under those terms.

There had to be expectations of every citizen or they would be living like their ancestors had in caves. Certainly a man might build his own home, but it took cooperation to produce the materials the dwelling would be constructed from. If there was no law, anyone might kill him the moment that house was complete. Such a community couldn’t possibly survive.

It was the core reason he wore the black uniform of a Hunter. Dedication was something that gave him strength. He scanned the convicts in front of him and noticed their lack of self-restraint. They were weak in spirit and body. His own frame was broad and covered with thick muscle from the labor he required from himself. Pampering was for children. The convicts in front of him were men who placed their own comforts above the laws that were set down for fairness. If a man couldn’t understand the simple idea of not taking more than your share, he was worthless as far as Janus was concerned. He had pushed his body to be stronger and harder so that he might serve the ranks of the Hunters well. He did so with the sole belief he helped make his own life 22

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better by ensuring he fulfilled his task as perfectly as possible. When every person in the sphere worked together, all of their lives improved.

Convicts were the defective links in that chain, men who placed their own gain above others. They were the sort of creatures who would stand by with bloated bellies while the less fortunate went hungry. Their history was filled with hard facts that had led them to the more advanced society they were today.