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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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    Janus’ Conquest
    Fay was his choice and it was time she understood it along with the rest of his comrades.
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    Dawn Ryder

Chapter Three
    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