Deadly Pursuit (A Blood Hunter Novel, #2) (15 page)

The
image
showed
a
woman
in
full-length
black
robes,
her
hair
covered
by
a
dark
veil,
a
serene,
otherworldly
expression
on
her
small,
pointed
face.
A
wave
of
suffocation
washed
over
Alex
as
she
remembered
the
weight
of
those
robes—how
much
she
hated
black.

Rico
was
the
first
to
catch
on.
“No
fucking
way.”
He
turned
to
stare
at
Alex,
then
back
at
the
screen.
“That’s
you?”

She
nodded.

“The
Lady
Alexia,
High
Priestess
of
the
Church
of
Everlasting
Life?
You’re
kidding
us,
right?”

Alex
ground
her
teeth
but
said
nothing.

“There’s
a
reward,”
Tannis
said.

Alex
peered
closer
and
read
the
screen.
There
was
indeed
a
reward,
and
it
was
a
huge
sum
of
money.
Way
more
than
she
would
have
ever
thought
they
would
offer.
It
didn’t
make
sense.
And
Alex
didn’t
like
the
speculative
look
in
the
captain’s
eyes.
Tannis
was
a
good
person,
but
if
anything
could
sway
her,
it
was
money,
and
this
was
a
lot
of
credits.

“The
Virgin
bride
of
the
Everlasting
God,”
Tannis
read
out
loud,
and
Alex
cringed.
“Virgin?”

Somebody
sniggered,
and
two
masculine
gazes
swiveled
in
her
direction.

“A
virgin,
huh?”
Rico
murmured,
his
voice
tinged
with
amusement
and
a
measure
of
curiosity.

Skylar
slammed
him
in
the
gut
with
her
elbow.
“Get
that
look
off
your
face.”

“What
look?”
He
grinned
and
shrugged
one
shoulder.
“Virgins?
Highly
overrated
I’ve
always
thought.
Give
me
an
experienced
older
woman
any
day.”

“It’s
only
a
title,
isn’t
it?”
Janey
asked.
“I
mean,
it
doesn’t
actually
mean
she’s
a
real
honest-to-god
virgin.”
She
shifted
her
gaze
from
the
screen
to
Alex.
“Does
it?”

Alex’s
toes
curled
within
her
boots.
For
a
minute,
she
studied
the
floor.
When
she
looked
back
up,
everyone
was
staring
at
her.
Even
Jon’s
bored
expression
was
replaced
with
avid
curiosity.
He
caught
her
gaze
and
raised
an
eyebrow.
Alex
scowled.
What
was
the
big
deal?

“Hey,
give
her
a
break,”
Skylar
said,
but
Alex
could
hear
the
laughter
in
her
voice.
“She
was
married
to
God.
It’s
not
Al’s
fault
he
didn’t
demand
his
conjugal
rights.”

“Ha-ha,”
she
muttered.

Janey
gave
her
a
sympathetic
smile.
“Hey,
she’s
only
a
kid—leave
her
alone.”

“I
am
not
a
kid.”

“You’re
not?”

“She’s
twenty-four,”
Skylar
said.

“No
freaking
way.”
Tannis
stared
at
her.

Alex
drew
herself
up
as
tall
as
she
could,
which
still
left
her
the
shortest
person
in
the
room
by
a
good
six
inches.
What
was
the
point?
She
slouched
again,
stuck
her
hands
in
her
pockets,
and
thrust
out
her
lower
lip.
And
waited
for
them
to
get
over
it.

And
for
someone
to
jump
to
a
few
conclusions.

No
one
had
yet
made
the
connection
between
her
and
the
attack
earlier.
They
would
eventually,
but
right
now,
they
were
too
entertained
by
the
whole
virgin
thing.

“So
what
happened?”
Tannis
asked.
“Why
aren’t
you
back
there
doing
whatever
priestesses
do?
What
do
priestesses
do?”

Alex
shrugged.

“Anyway,
I
would
have
thought
it
was
a
cushy
number.”

“She
got
to
wear
that
great
outfit.”
Janey
giggled
and
waved
a
hand
at
the
screen
where
Alex’s
robe-clad
figure
still
showed.
“That
would
have
been
enough
to
make
me
do
a
runner.”

“Well,
she’s
hardly
a
fashion
statement
now.
So
why
did
you
run?”

“I
was
bored.
It
was
an
impulse
thing,
but
then
I
got
stranded…”

“On
Trakis
Twelve?

She
nodded.

“That
was
three
months
ago,
and
it
looks
like
they’ve
been
searching
for
you
ever
since.”

“And
now
they’ve
found
her.”
Everyone
swung
around
to
look
at
Rico.
“That’s
right
isn’t
it?
They’ve
caught
up
with
you.
That’s
why
you’re
coming
clean
now.”

Alex
would
have
liked
to
deny
it,
but
he
was
spot
on.
It
took
Tannis
a
moment
to
process
the
information
and
her
expression
cleared.

“Shit.
You’re
what
that
High
Priest
guy
was
on
about.
You’re
the
thing
that
belongs
to
them.”

Alex
nodded
again.

“You’re
the
reason
the
Church
came
after
us.”
Tannis
sighed
loudly.
“So
what
do
we
do
now?”