by Nina Croft
For now, she was safe. She closed her eyes and slept.
When she awoke, she was in the sick bay back on the ship. The hated black dress lay crumpled on the silver floor while she lay on the examination table—naked, except for a light sheet covering her—and Janey was running a scanner over her body.
“Hey, you’re awake,” she said. “Welcome back.”
Alex made to rise, but Janey pressed her down with one fingertip. “Not yet. I’m not finished.”
She collapsed back. In truth, she felt as weak as a baby—her body weighted and heavy. Everything ached, with the occasional sharp pain added in. “So how am I?”
“Just bruising. But there’s a lot of it. Bastards.”
Yeah—that about described them. “Jon killed them,” she said.
“He told us that you killed one of them.”
“He did?” She waited for the guilt to strike her, but nothing happened.
“Yes. Good for you.”
“So, where is everyone?
“Having a conference in the meeting room. Or rather waiting for you to join them, and then they’ll have a conference in the meeting room. Jon said we had to sort you out first. He was most insistent. You know, he likes you, right?”
“Maybe.”
She didn’t want to think about it right now, there was too much else to consider. They were waiting for her, and they would want answers. Answers that she didn’t have.
“I’m going to give you a shot for the pain. A stimulant to wake you up, and five minutes radiation to sort out the bruises. Okay?”
Alex nodded.
Daisy popped her head in the door when the radiation switched off, saw Alex sitting up on the examination table, and came in. “Clean clothes,” she said and tossed a bundle onto the end of the table.
Alex jumped down to the floor with not even a wince of pain. A sense of anticipation bubbled up inside her; she tried to push it down but couldn’t quite manage. “You know,” she said as she tugged on the pink jumpsuit, “I thought I’d never be back here, I’d never see you all again, and I’d have to wear horrible black, heavy robes for the rest of my life.”
She pulled on her boots and ran her fingers through her hair before glancing at the other two. “Do I look okay?”
“You look fine—well, at least you don’t look half dead anymore. And you’d better get over there fast. Rico’s telling everyone how they arrived to rescue you only to catch you two at it. I’m sure he’s only doing it to wind Jon up. But it’s working.” Daisy grinned. “He’s prowling around like a frustrated werewolf.”
Actually, when they reached the meeting room, Jon wasn’t prowling. He sat in one of the chairs, his booted legs on the table in front of him, hands shoved in his pockets, a scowl on his handsome face. He didn’t look up as she entered.
No doubt, he was regretting his actions. But it was too late now.
Alex took a seat across the room, where she could observe him without being too obvious. They were all watching her, and she lifted her chin. There was no reason to hide what she was anymore. No more cowering.
Everyone else sat, apart from Tannis who paced the floor fizzing with nervous energy. She came to a halt in front of Jon and her eyes narrowed. “So what happened to my shuttle?”
“It got blown up.” Jon shrugged, appearing almost bored. “You can have the reward I got for Alex. It’s enough to replace the shuttle.”
Tannis appeared slightly mollified. “Okay.” She turned to face Alex. “So are you going to tell us what happened?”
Alex wanted to say no, but she didn’t think that was an option.
“What do you want to know?”
“How about, why didn’t you come to us if you decided to go back?” Skylar asked. She was seated on the floor, her back resting against Rico’s knees, his hand on her shoulder, and she sounded almost hurt.
“I thought you might try and persuade me not to.”
“And would that have been so bad?”
Alex gave a half grin. “Well, in hindsight, no. But I wasn’t exactly expecting what happened.”
“And what did happen?” Tannis asked.
“He wanted me dead.”
“Who wanted you dead?”
“Hezrai. The High Priest.”
“The guy who’s been following us?”
Alex nodded.
“So why would he want you dead?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it ever since, and it doesn’t make sense. Oh, I’ve always known he hates me—”
“Why?”
“I don’t think it’s entirely because I threw up over him when I was a baby, though I did it again today—it’s the effect he has on me.” Well, that and being kicked in the belly and threatened with imminent rape and murder. She shuddered at the memory. “I think maybe he just hated sharing the power, however nominal.”
“That’s hardly reason enough to follow you across the universe and pay a bunch of mercs to murder you.”
“He told me I’d eavesdropped on a private meeting. That he couldn’t take the risk…” She shook her head. “I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
But she’d reached the conclusion that it must have been something to do with the day she’d run away. She frowned as she tried to remember what had happened.
“You’ve thought of something?” Tannis said.
“Maybe. It must be about the day I left the Abbey. But I can’t see why, or what was so important.”
“Okay. Take us through it slowly. See if we can spot anything.”
Alex rested her head against the back of the seat and forced her mind to go back. “It was the day after the feast of the Everlasting Life. That’s our biggest celebration, and it seemed like I’d been praying for an eternity. I needed to get out into the open, or I was going to scream, which wasn’t acceptable behavior in a High Priestess. It wasn’t easy in the Abbey—I had people with me everywhere I went, but I managed to give them the slip and sneaked out onto the roof where I could see the landing bay.” Jon was now sitting up straight in his chair, leaning toward her as he listened, and she spoke directly to him, needing him to understand who she was. “I often went up there to watch the ships come and go. I’d wanted to go into space for as long as I could remember, but I’d rarely left the Abbey since I was brought there as a baby, and then only to the cathedral.”
Night had been the best time; she’d liked to sneak out and lie on the tower rooftop, stare at the stars, and imagine what it must be like out there. On a good night, she would maybe catch sight of a ship’s lights far off and would try and imagine the places it would travel. But she didn’t mention all of that—she had an idea it might come under the heading of “needy.”
She looked from Jon to Tannis, who had finally stopped pacing and was perched on the edge of a chair listening. “I didn’t intend to go for good or anything. It was an impulse. But there was a ship waiting. The doors were open, and there was no one around. I honestly only meant to have a quick look and get off, but somehow I was still on board when the engines started up. The doors were locked, and I had no choice.”
It wasn’t entirely the truth. She could have still gotten off at that point or told them that she was there, and they would have taken her back. But she remembered back to the thrill of excitement when the engines had roared into life and the floor beneath her feet had vibrated with power. All mixed with the fear she’d be found and the adventure would be over before it had begun. So instead, she had hidden in one of the cabins.
“And when we landed, I just meant to have a quick look around—”
Jon snorted and her gaze flew to his face.
“What?” she asked.
“Well, that seems to be a recurring theme in your life—I didn’t intend to go for good; I didn’t intend to get eaten by the vampire; I just wanted a quick look around…”
There wasn’t a lot she could say to that, so she shrugged and continued. “I even found some clothes I could chan
ge into—my robes were a little conspicuous—and I was going to explore and be back in time for the homeward trip.”
Of course, she’d missed the trip home. She still wasn’t convinced that it had been an accident. Her feet had carried her farther and farther away from the ship. But she had expected more time.
“When I got back, the ship was gone, and I was stranded.”
Tannis frowned. “Well, that doesn’t tell us much. Who was on the ship?”
“Hezrai and the crew, that’s all.”
“Okay, so what happened when you landed?”
“I waited until Hezrai had left the ship and followed him. We were in some sort of compound. It looked deserted—as though no one had lived there for years. There was one other ship, and a man standing in front of it.”
“Were there any markings on the ship? A name…anything?”
Alex shook her head. “It was plain black and small like Skylar’s shuttle.”
“Describe the man.”
“I only saw him briefly. I got out of there pretty fast. He was tall, maybe as tall as Jon and Rico, but thinner, and he had short blond hair.”
“There must be more.”
Alex closed her eyes and pictured the scene. “I think he saw me for a second, before I ran. There was some sort of mark on his face”—she touched her finger to her right cheekbone—“maybe a scar like a lightning bolt.”
Jon jumped to his feet. “Fuck me. You know who she’s describing?
Tannis swung around to stare at him. “No. But I take it you do?”
“Aiden fucking Ross. I know. I studied the bastard.”
“Aiden Ross? The Collective founding member you assassinated?”
“Yes.”
“He’s right,” Skylar said.
“He can’t be,” Alex said. “This man wasn’t Collective. His eyes were dark, not violet.”
“Yes, well, we know how easy that is to fake,” Tannis said and cast a sour glance at Skylar. She crossed the room and switched on the console. A screen flashed up, and a minute later the image of a blond man stared down at them. “Is that him?”
Alex had no doubts. This was the man Hezrai had met on Trakis Twelve. “Yes.”
They were all silent for a minute.
Tannis ran a hand through her hair. “So, what would the High Priest of the Church of Everlasting Life and one of the founding members of the Collective have to discuss in secret? Because this was a secret meeting. Obviously Ross didn’t want to be recognized as Collective and Trakis Twelve is about as out of the way as you can get while still being within easy reach.” She turned to Skylar. “Any ideas?”
“Not really—none of this makes sense. Aiden was always the Church’s chief advocate within the Collective. It was well known and made him far from popular, but he was always open about it. I can’t think of any reason he would need to meet in secret. Did you overhear any of the meeting?” she asked Alex.
“Nothing. I told you, I ran.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t interested in the meeting—I wanted to see the planet, explore. But Hezrai must have thought I’d heard them talking—he said I’d eavesdropped on a private meeting. He accused me of spying on him and asked me if someone had put me up to it.”
“When was this?” Jon asked.
“We picked Alex up a little over three months ago,” Tannis replied. “How long were you on Trakis Twelve, Alex?”
“About ten days.”
“And I was approached with the contract offer about a month ago. There’s a big gap in the timing. Could the two things be related? Could the Church have set up the hit?”
“Or someone inside the Collective who found out Ross was up to no good?” Tannis sounded almost excited about the idea. “I don’t know. But there might be something in this that would give us some leverage to get the Collective off our backs for good. Maybe if we can give them whoever killed Ross, they’ll be so grateful, they’ll be our friends for life. We just need to find out what Aiden Ross was up to.”
“Well, Aiden’s not talking.”
“No,” Jon said. “There’s only one person still alive who knows what went on at that meeting.” He grinned at Alex. “And luckily for me, he’s someone I’d really like to meet again.”
Alex would never be safe while Hezrai lived. But there was also the other side to think about. While he lived, she had the perfect excuse for never going back to the Church. She could stay on El Cazador forever, or at least until someone else came along and killed them. But the thought made her squirm inside. Was she so weak that she couldn’t make the decision for herself? Wasn’t it time she started making her own choices? She’d never really considered not going back, had never thought of it as a valid option. The Church was her life. But maybe that wasn’t the case anymore, and she could have a life elsewhere.
Jon stood in the center of the room. He caught her gaze and raised an eyebrow, and a little fire came to life low in her belly. She did her best to ignore it.
She wasn’t foolish enough to think that she could have a life with Jon. Just because he’d kissed her a few times didn’t mean he was ready to promise her forever. Besides, her forever and his were drastically different propositions. Did she want to take up with a werewolf? Strangely, she didn’t mind the wolf bit; she had found him wild and beautiful. But Jon was already far older than her and could live for a whole lot longer, while she would grow old and die.
She needed to back off, keep her mind clear while she decided what she wanted to do with her life.
But one thing she was clear on—Hezrai needed to die. He was evil. Without him, maybe the Church could grow to be a better place.
Everyone was watching her, as though waiting for her to make a decision. It warmed her, made her feel part of the team. She nodded.
“So it’s agreed—we’re going after the priest,” Rico said. “Good, I never liked the slimy bastard.”
Once the decision was made, the meeting appeared to be over and people drifted away. Alex knew she should get up and leave, but instead, she stayed seated as one by one the others left the room, until only she and Jon remained. He stood watching her, hands shoved in his pockets, his face blank, so she had no clue what he was thinking.
Suddenly, she felt shy as she remembered what they’d done together. Her eyes were continually drawn to his mouth, and little shivers of pleasure ran along her nerve endings. She did her best to ignore them as she tried to persuade herself to get up and leave.
“I have something for you,” he said, breaking the silence that stretched between them.
“You do?”
He pulled his hand out of his pocket and held up a small disc. “Here.”
Alex took it from his outstretched hand, turned it over in her fingers. The disc was plain, unmarked. “What is it?”
“Information. Don’t use it unless you have to and don’t tell anyone you have it. I just thought, if anything happens to the rest of us—if you’re ever left alone and the Church is still after you…” He shrugged, looked uncertain. “Anyway, I just wanted to give you this—it might come in useful.”
Without waiting for an answer, he strode from the room, leaving Alex staring after him.
Chapter Fourteen
The cathedral was packed. The air thick with the stench of too many bodies mixed with the heavy, sweet, cloying scent of incense. The light was dim. Outside darkness had fallen, but inside a thousand candles cast their flickering light, adding to the almost unbearable heat.
It was Christmas Eve, according to Alex one of the biggest festivals of the Church’s year. When some guy called Jesus was born. Jon didn’t give a shit. He just wanted to pick up the priest and get the hell out of there.
On the bench beside him, Rico twitched. The vampire’s jaw was set, and his fists clenched at his sides. Despite the place being full to bursting, the people around them had somehow managed to inch away, leaving a good space around them. Even so, he could see Rico was making them nervous.
“What’s the p
roblem?” he whispered.
Rico turned to face him, lips curled in a sneer. “Nothing,” he snarled. “Why? Do I look like I have a problem?”
“Hell yeah. We’re supposed to be blending with the crowd. You’re scaring the shit out of them. Lay off the dead-guy vibes.”
Rico flashed a fang and growled low in his throat. For a moment, Jon thought the vampire might attack him right here. Then Rico took a deep breath, and the tension eased from him.
“Sorry.” Rico shrugged. “I hate churches. They have a bad effect on me.”
“What’s up with that?” Jon was curious. Rico usually gave the impression of being laid back to the extreme. He was anything but laid back now. Jon hated the Church as well. They had been indirectly responsible for the slaughter of his pack—stirring up the local community into a senseless mob. But he didn’t really blame them—he blamed himself.
Rico settled back on the bench and made a visible effort to relax. “I grew up in a time when the Church was very powerful—even more than now—and even back then they were assholes.” He went silent for a moment. “They murdered my wife, said she was a witch and burned her alive.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was a long time ago. And they all died much worse deaths than Maria.”
“My wife was killed in the attack that turned me.” One more person he’d failed to protect.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was a long time ago. And they all died much worse deaths than Sarah.”
Rico laughed. The sound held no amusement, but at least the air around him no longer vibrated with tension.
“Anyway,” Jon said, “I thought your lot couldn’t enter churches. Aren’t you allergic to holy ground or something?”
“To some extent. But it’s not really the place or the thing—it’s the person in control of it, if they believe. My guess is the guy in charge of this show doesn’t believe shit.”
He raised his hand and held it out. The faint mark of a cross showed on his palm. “That’s from Alex’s cross.”
