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
Dawn Ryder
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.
26
Janus’ Conquest
“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
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
Dawn Ryder
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.
26
Janus’ Conquest
“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
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