Janus' Conquest by Dawn Ryder Page A

should be able to master his own mind. You didn’t have anything if you didn’t have your own self-control. Where was the value in money if you didn’t have a family to share it with? How did you sit down to enjoy a fine meal, knowing that others starved because you had stolen? The occupants of the penal sphere would have snickered in the face of his questions and that was exactly why he had always enjoyed being a Hunter.
    “I am Alana. It is my duty to bring you your first rations.”

    The man in front of her frowned at her. Alana was used to the dark look, but there was something about his look that sent a chill down her spine. Maybe it was his size.
    43
    Dawn Ryder
    She wasn’t a stranger to Hunters because they patrolled the sphere and inspected her whenever they chose, but she had never encountered a convicted Hunter. The purple clothing of a convict looked misplaced on his huge shoulders.
    “They sent a female?”
    She laughed at his comment. Males did have one thing in common—pride. Oh it was a wonder they survived at all with their arrogance. Her amusement died as she considered her past weakness of the flesh. Well, in truth, the female was engineered by nature to be prey to the urge to mate. Even the overblown pride of most males hadn’t kept her from lying down with one. She’d been too blinded by passion to see him for the thieving greedy bastard that he was.
    “Everyone works here, Edric. Rations can be delivered by females most effectively.
    A Hunter should know that convicts wear wristbands that protect all inhabitants of this sphere from violence simply because you will be exposed if you decide to take advantage of my smaller size.”
    “I did not grant you use of my name.”
    He growled at her. Alana relaxed as the sound hit her ears. She was used to males grunting at her. It had been his dark frown that made her nervous. The look had almost been personal, as if he cared about her well-being. Which of course, he could not. The man was a convict. Any form of good intention was extinct in him.
    “Excuse me, convict. Enjoy your rations. I will bring you more in two days.” Alana turned and moved away from him. She shrugged off her annoyance. He was just a new convict. His surly attitude was to be expected.
    It was still too bad. There was something in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in a very long time. A little smile tugged at her mouth as she went about her duties. Alana enjoyed thinking about that little something because her dreams were her only escape from a harsh life. It had been a long time since she’d had any reason to be amused.
    44
    Janus’ Conquest

Chapter Four
    “Zoe has been reassigned.”
    Cleo announced her news with a flourish that stunned more than just Fay. There were horrified looks from the others who worked in her section as well. Fay made sure to keep her eyes on Cleo as her superior smirked at her department. She wanted to remember how ugly self-glorification could make a person. It was a lesson you might be lectured on but never truly absorb until you witnessed it. Zoe’s laughing face flashed through her memory with its sparkling humor. Cleo was making a point to the rest of the department—stand up against the leader and you would be made an example of.
    It worked. No one dared to even glance her way out of fear that Cleo would notice.
    If she moved past an area, everyone immediately stopped talking until she was out of hearing. The report that her supervisor had threatened to file yesterday was neatly waiting for her signature this morning. Fay affixed her name without a thought, still confident of her record. All the shunning in the sphere couldn’t change her work history.
    Yet it was such a shame. The team had done well together, helping one another and being more efficient because they didn’t allow pride to interfere. Today that teamwork was absent as Fay watched her coworkers refuse to hand off work to her. Instead they struggled with it, choosing to cut