Deadly Pursuit (A Blood Hunter Novel, #2) (37 page)
Read Deadly Pursuit (A Blood Hunter Novel, #2) Online
Authors: Nina Croft
Tags: #blood hunter, #nina croft, #break out, #deadly pursuit, #space opera, #sci-fi romance, #science fiction romance, #vampires, #werewolves, #aliens, #space
Hurt
flashed
across
her
face,
but
he
ignored
it.
Time
she
learned
the
realities
of
life.
He
reached
out
and
pulled
the
jumpsuit
closed,
right
up
to
her
neck.
“Now
you’ve
said
your
thank
you.
Get
out.”
She
opened
her
mouth.
Then
snapped
it
closed
again,
whirled
around,
and
left
the
room.
Jon
took
a
deep
breath
and
slammed
his
hand
on
the
panel
to
shut
the
door.
His
body
ached.
He
couldn’t
remember
ever
feeling
like
this.
Needing
some
sort
of
relief,
he
shoved
his
hand
down
his
pants,
wrapped
his
fist
around
his
erection,
and
closed
his
eyes.
An
image
of
Alex
played
across
his
mind,
on
her
knees
in
front
of
him,
her
soft
pink
mouth
wrapped
around
his
engorged
cock.
He’d
bet
she’d
never
done
that
before
either.
No
doubt,
he’d
have
to
tell
her
how
he
liked
it,
but
she’d
be
a
fast
learner.
He
could
almost
feel
her
small
fingers
stroking
his
balls,
while
her
tongue…
“Oh
hell.”
A
minute
later
he
came.
…
Alex
got
halfway
down
the
corridor
and
stopped.
Instinct
told
her
she’d
nearly
had
him;
he’d
been
so
close
to
losing
control.
She
had
a
brief
twinge
of
guilt
over
the
tears.
Especially
when
she
had
sworn
she
wasn’t
going
to
cry
again.
Maybe
she
would
burn
in
hell.
But
Janey
had
suggested
it
if
all
else
failed.
She’d
said
most
men
went
to
pieces
if
a
woman
cried,
and
that
had
certainly
been
true
of
Rico
earlier.
He’d
been
shocked.
Shocked
was
better
than
no
reaction
at
all.
Her
lips
still
tingled,
and
she
touched
them
with
her
finger
then
pressed
her
hand
against
her
breast.
His
mouth
had
been
hot
and
hard,
the
taste
of
him
unforgettable.
But
there
was
also
a
gentleness
in
the
way
he
touched
her
that
was
at
such
odds
with
his
words
and
size.
He’d
said
he
wasn’t
in
the
business
of
protecting
anyone,
but
he
had
rushed
in
and
rescued
her.
And
kissed
her.
Her
first
kiss.
Beneath
her
palm,
her
heart
gave
a
little
jump
and
unease
shifted
inside
her.
This
thing
with
Jon
was
supposed
to
be
simple
fun—it
was
never
meant
to
touch
her
heart.
Chapter
Ten
“So
what
sort
of
fighting
do
you
want
to
learn?”
Skylar
asked.
Since
their
escape
two
days
ago,
they’d
headed
out
into
deep
space,
the
idea
being
to
keep
a
low
profile
while
Janey
worked
on
the
information
they’d
got
from
Jon’s
contact.
She
was
searching
for
anything
that
would
give
them
some
idea
of
why
the
Collective
wanted
Jon—and
the
rest
of
the
crew—dead
so
badly.
Everyone
was
on
edge,
waiting
for
something
to
happen,
and
Skylar
had
jumped
at
the
chance
to
teach
Alex
some
fighting
moves.
She’d
led
her
down
to
the
docking
bay,
where
there
was
more
room,
and
spread
some
mats
on
the
floor.
Alex
frowned
at
the
question.
“What
sort
of
fighting
is
there?”
“Well,
to
my
mind,
there
are
only
two
kinds.
The
kind
you
start,
and
the
kind
you
try
and
finish.
That’s
offensive
and
defensive.”
“Defensive,
I
suppose.”
“You
don’t
sound
too
sure?”
Alex
thought
about
it.
Mainly,
she
wanted
to
know
how
to
defend
herself.
She
never
wanted
to
feel
as
helpless
as
she
had
with
Bastion
again.
Even
if
she
couldn’t
win
against
someone
so
much
stronger,
she’d
still
rather
go
down
fighting.
On
the
other
hand,
she
had
to
admit
that
there
were
a
few
people
she
wouldn’t
mind
starting
a
fight
with.
Hezrai
for
one.
Skylar
grinned.
“Okay,
we’ll
do
both.
But
you’ve
got
to
realize
that
you’re
at
a
serious
disadvantage
in
any
hand-to-hand.”
“I
am?”
“Yeah.
You
can
build
up
your
strength,
but
you’ll
never
be
a
match
for
most
guys.
Probably
your
best
bet
is
to
play
on
that.
Try
to
look
weak.
Lull
them
into
a
false
sense
of
security.”
Alex
sighed.
“Only
trouble
is
the
sense
of
security
would
hardly
be
false.”
“Don’t
worry.
You
just
have
to
learn
to
use
your
strengths
and
play
down
your
weaknesses.”
“I
have
strengths?”
“Course
you
do.
I’m
betting
you’re
fast,
and
you’re
bright.
We
can
work
with
those.
Okay,
so
the
first
thing
you
have
to
learn
is
that
physical
combat
should
only
be
entered
into
as
a
last
resort.
A
professional
soldier—somebody
that
does
this
stuff
for
a
living—will
almost
always
back
down
from
a
fight
he
isn’t
absolutely
compelled
to
take
part
in.”
“He
will?
I
can’t
imagine
Rico
running
from
a
fight.”
“I
did
say
professionals.
Rico’s
not
a
professional—he’s
a…”
She
seemed
at
a
loss
for
words.
Blood-sucking
maniacal
monster?
The
words
hovered
on
Alex’s
tongue,
but
she
bit
them
back.
Skylar
shrugged.
“There’s
also
a
danger
that
you
might
learn
to
enjoy
it.
The
adrenaline
rush
can
be
like
nothing
else—it’s
addictive.
Which
is
fine
if
you’re
a
six-foot-four
vampire
with
big
teeth.
Or
a
six-foot-four
werewolf
with
big
teeth.
Not
so
good
if
you’re
a…”
She
trailed
off
a
second
time.
“A
five-foot-one
woman
with
small
teeth?”
Alex
supplied
for
her.
“Yeah.
So
your
first
tactic
is
avoid
situations
which
might
lead
to
violence.”
“You
mean
stay
on
the
ship
when
there’s
a
scary,
bad
vampire
outside.”
“Exactly.
If
you
can’t
help
but
put
yourself
into
harm’s
way,
the
next
best
option
is—run.
As
fast
as
you
can.
But
if
you
absolutely
have
to
fight,
try
and
get
it
over
with
fast.
Take
the
initiative,
and
once
you’ve
committed
don’t
hesitate.”
Alex
nodded.
“Right,
I
want
you
to
come
at
me.
Pretend
I’m
about
to
do
something
you
don’t
like,
and
you
have
to
stop
me.”
Alex
had
no
clue,
but
she
gritted
her
teeth
and
hurled
herself
at
Skylar.
A
moment
later,
she
was
flat
on
her
back
on
the
mat.
She
wasn’t
even
sure
what
had
happened—Skylar
had
moved
so
fast—but
she
suspected
she’d
swiped
her
feet
out
from
under
her.
Staring
up
at
the
black
and
silver
ceiling,
she
wondered
whether
she
should
stay
down
here.
A
hand
appeared
by
her
nose,
she
clasped
it,
and
Skylar
pulled
her
to
her
feet.
“Don’t
take
it
too
bad,”
Skylar
said.
“I’ve
been
fighting
since
I
joined
the
Corps
over
a
hundred
years
ago.
Come
on—try
again.
This
time
you
know
what
to
expect.”