Deadly Pursuit (A Blood Hunter Novel, #2) (45 page)

The
ships
had
landed
in
a
large
clearing
surrounded
by
steep
rocks.
The
entrance
was
through
a
narrow
gap
between
two
of
the
great
stones.
As
she
stepped
between
them,
a
small
group
of
men
appeared
from
behind
the
larger
ship.
She
hesitated,
and
Jon
stopped
slightly
behind
her
and
leaned
in
close.

“Is
that
the
High
Priest
guy?”

“Yes.”

He
gave
a
short,
humorless
laugh.
“The
creep
looks
just
as
I
imagined.”

Alex
had
known
Hezrai
Fischer
her
entire
life,
and
she
had
stopped
noticing
his
appearance
as
you
do
with
people
you
see
on
a
day-to-day
basis.
Now
she
studied
him
as
though
seeing
a
stranger
for
the
first
time.

Hezrai
liked
to
think
himself
an
ascetic.
He
ate
sparingly,
took
no
drugs
or
stimulants.
He
was
over
a
hundred,
but
his
body
beneath
the
robes
was
lean
and
strong,
the
body
of
a
much
younger
man.
Yet
his
face
had
developed
an
intemperate
cast
as
though
something
rotten
inside
him
was
trying
to
escape.

Alex
had
hated
him
for
as
long
as
she
could
remember.
She’d
wanted
to
like
him,
but
even
as
a
child,
she
had
sensed
his
dislike
of
her.
More
than
dislike—he
hated
her.
Technically
the
High
Priestess
stood
above
the
High
Priest
in
the
hierarchy
of
the
Church
and
she
reckoned
that
fact
had
festered
in
Hezrai’s
mind.
But
if
she
had
been
a
drone,
then
it
was
Hezrai
at
the
controls,
and
if
she
was
going
to
somehow
change
her
position
and
actually
take
back
some
of
the
power,
then
it
was
Hezrai
she
would
need
to
wrest
it
from.

He
stood
in
front
of
the
shuttle.
At
his
back
stood
three
men,
and
she
frowned.
She
didn’t
recognize
them.
The
Church
had
a
small
army
of
private
soldiers,
but
she
knew
most
of
them.
These
men
she
had
never
seen
before,
and
they
didn’t
wear
the
uniform
of
the
Church’s
army.
Besides,
they
looked
bad.
Maybe
Hezrai
had
had
to
bring
extra
people
on
to
search
for
her.
Maybe
he
did
care.
There
must
be
some
reason
he
had
gone
to
so
much
trouble.

So
she
smiled
as
she
came
to
a
halt
in
front
of
him.
“Hezrai,
how
nice
to
see
you.”

Something
flashed
in
his
eyes,
before
he
blanked
the
expression
and
smiled
at
her—with
his
lips
at
least.

She’d
thought
about
what
to
reveal
regarding
her
little
time
away
and
decided
her
best
bet
was
a
mix
of
the
truth
laced
with
a
few
embellishments.
The
hardest
bit
would
be
convincing
him
that
she’d
somehow
wandered
onto
his
ship
by
mistake
that
day.
If
she
could
get
him
to
believe
that,
the
rest
was
easy.

Afterward,
she’d
got
lost
on
Trakis
Twelve
and
been
picked
up
by
the
crew
of
El
Cazador
.
She’d
been
scared,
unsure
of
what
they
would
do
if
she
revealed
who
she
was,
so
she’d
disguised
herself
as
a
cabin
boy.
And
she’d
been
waiting
for
a
chance
to
leave
the
ship
and
contact
the
Church
when
Hezrai
had
found
her.

She
wouldn’t
have
believed
a
word
of
it,
but
Hezrai
had
always
liked
any
evidence
that
she
was
stupid,
so
maybe
he
wouldn’t
question
her
story
too
closely.

He
bowed
before
her.
“Your
Ladyship.”

Beside
her,
Jon
sniggered.
Alex
ignored
him
and
bowed
regally
in
return.

“Hezrai,
this
is
Jon…”
She
realized
she
didn’t
actually
know
his
second
name,
and
she
glanced
at
him.

“Decker,”
he
provided.

“This
is
Jon
Decker—he
offered
to
bring
me
to
you.
In
return
for
the
reward,
of
course.”

Hezrai’s
pale
gray
eyes
flicked
to
Jon
and
back
to
her.
“You
don’t
feel
you
should
return
our
priestess
for
the
glory
of
God.”

“Do
I
look
like
a
complete
idiot?”
Jon
growled.

A
spasm
of
anger
flashed
across
the
priest’s
face,
and
his
eyes
narrowed.
“I
sense
a
difference
about
you.
Are
you
entirely
human,
Mr.
Decker?”

Jon
took
a
step
forward
so
he
stood
beside
her.
“Why
don’t
you
come
a
little
closer
and
find
out?”