Changed (The Hunters #1)

by Rose J. Bell

  Jason laid down, letting his legs dangle over the backrest.

  “I’ll be all right, Ice Princess. I am a man. I can bear a lot already.” He filled his glass again with vodka and drank it, too. Rosa gave up another glass. She knew what vodka did to a person. She had too much to drink once before, and couldn’t remember a thing that had happened that night.

  Jason looked at her. “Why aren’t you drinking?” he asked.

  Rosa sat her feet on the table. “One of us must have a clear head.”

  He nodded. “You’re right. This time I get drunk. The next time you will.” He drained another glass.

  “So, Jason. What’s bothering you so much that you came to me?” said Rosa.

  Even on the stairs, she had noticed something was wrong with him. He had a strange facial expression, and his drinking was only confirming it.

  Jason looked at her very tired and a bit sad. To her surprise, she really wanted to know what was bothering him.

  “Has anyone shellacked your arrogance?” she asked.

  He laughed. It was not a happy laughter, but a desperate laugh.

  “Yes, someone has. My dad,” he replied and took another sip.

  “Your father?”

  He nodded. “Yes, my oh-so-caring father blackmailed me, forcing me to do things I didn’t want to do.”

  Rosa leaned forward. “And what are these tasks?” Maybe she could find out what the plan was.

  “He wants me to kill people who rebel against the government. For months I wouldn’t hesitate to kill humans, but now—” He stopped and his gaze drifted away from her.

  “But now?” Rosa asked softly.

  Jason’s blue eyes met hers. They were unreadable.

  “Nothing. Forget it,” he said.

  Rosa sighed. She had known it would be difficult to learn the plan from Jason.

  “So, why didn’t you tell him you don’t want to do what he asks?” she wanted to know.

  He sighed deeply. “Because he knows that I screwed up, and he blackmails me with it.” Jason looked at her. “What can I do, Ice Princess?”

  Rosa leaned back and shrugged. “I have no solution for your problem, but I admire it.”

  Jason laughed again. “That’s a very good answer.” He went to fill his glass with vodka again, but Rosa stopped him.

  “Jason, that’s enough. You’ve had almost the whole bottle.”

  Jason regarded her. “You’re not in the position to tell me what to do, girl.”

  Rosa rolled her eyes. “Now you’re this asshole Nephilim again,” she muttered and put the bottle and glasses in the kitchen.

  Jason followed her, stumbling. He was drunk, and Rosa hated drunken people.

  He leaned forward, so his body pressed against her. Rosa could smell the vodka. She shoved him away.

  “Stay away,” she said annoyed.

  Jason looked at her amused. “What? You don’t like to be touched, babe?”

  “I don’t like to be touched by you, Nephilim. So stay away or—”

  Jason interrupted her, “Or your dagger lands between my legs. Yeah, I know.”

  Rosa smiled. “Good that you remembered.”

  He leaned forward, but didn’t touch her. “I remember everything you say.”

  “Well, everything I say is remarkable.”

  “You’re remarkable, baby,” he whispered softly.

  Her heart jumped. “Jason, you’re drunk.”

  His lips curled into a smile. “Not so drunk. Would you marry me, Ice Princess?”

  Rosa laughed. So much for his “Not so drunk.”

  “If you were the last man in the world I wouldn’t marry you, Nephilim.”

  “Why are you so mean to me?”

  “Because you’re mean to me,” Rosa explained.

  Jason didn’t answer, so she turned around. He looked pale and was at the point of throwing up.

  “I think I’m going to vomit,” Jason said, laying his hand on his stomach.

  Rosa said, “The bathroom is the second door on the right.” He nodded and disappeared into the hallway.

  Rosa filled the water kettle with water so she could make Jason some tea. She had told him not to drink too much, but no, he didn’t listen to her.

  Ignorant Nephilim.

  Rosa took a cup, placed the tea bag in it, and filled the cup with hot water. She heard Jason come back into the kitchen.

  “I think you need a new toilet,” he croaked.

  She took the tea bag from the cup and went back to Jason. He did not look good. His face was paler than before and strands of hair were stuck to his sweaty forehead.

  “Come, lay down on the couch,” said Rosa, and led him to the couch. He plopped down on the couch and moaned.

  She sat down beside him and handed him the cup.

  “Here, drink this. It’ll soothe your stomach,” she said.

  He shook his head and grimaced. “No, I’ll throw up again.”

  Rosa looked at him angrily. “You will drink this now. No back talk!” she railed.

  Jason smiled weakly. “Okay, mother.” He took the cup and drank a sip.

  “You’ll drink the whole cup.”

  Jason took another sip of tea. “Thank you.”

  Rosa nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  Jason drank the rest of the tea and stood up. “I better go,” he said.

  “Are you crazy? You can’t drive when you’re drunk!”

  Jason grinned. “Who said anything of driving? I will fly home. I can fly, you know.”

  Rosa rolled her eyes. “I know. But you can still cause an accident. Not with the car, but with a bird, or you can ram against a building. I won’t be responsible for that.”

  “So, should I sleep here?” he asked, raising his eyebrows up.

  Rosa nodded. “Yes.” Jason smiled. She didn’t like his smile.

  “On the couch, of course,” she added quickly.

  “Of course,” he agreed.

  This time, Rosa had the rules of the hunter clan in mind, and she knew there wasn’t a rule stating you could not let your enemy sleep in your house.

  “I’ll get a pillow and a blanket,” said Rosa, and went to her room. She took a blanket and a pillow from her closet and brought it back to the living room.

  By the time she got there, Jason was already asleep on the couch. Rosa sighed. She wanted to talk with him, but now she would have to wait until tomorrow.

  Rosa went to Jason and put the pillow gently under his head. Then she covered him with the blanket. This evening did not go the way she had planned.

  Rosa yawned. She was too tired to take a shower now, so she’d wait until morning. She went to her room and shut the door behind her. She wore jogging pants and a tank top, and just to be on the safe side, Rosa took another sip from her spell. Then she climbed into her bed and snuggled into the blankets.

  Rosa closed her eyes and fell asleep after a while.

  Rosa dreamt that her father was standing before her. She was surrounded by darkness and a cold breeze made her shiver.

  “Rosa,” she heard her father saying.

  “Dad,” Rosa whispered and tried to take a step forward, but her legs did not obey her. Panic set in as she tried desperately to move her legs.

  “Rosa,” her father said. “My daughter. Rescue me. Please.”

  “Dad,” she cried. “I’m coming! Wait.”

  But her legs would not move.

  “Rosa, rescue me!” Her father’s voice faded, as if he were getting farther and farther away.

  “No, Dad!” she shouted. “Wait, please! I’ll rescue you!”

  A sad smile appeared on his lips. “You can’t save me, my little girl.”

  Frustration cracked through her chest. She couldn’t let her father die.

  Then Rosa heard voices, who were whispering something she could not understand. Hands, many hands grasped her and tore at her clothes.

  “Dad!” Rosa cried and thrashed around. The hands were everywhere, h
urting her. The whispers turned into screams.

  Her father was gone, nowhere to be seen.

  “No!” Tears were running down her face and her breathing was fast and heavy.

  “Shh. Everything is alright,” a soothing voice whispered in her ear.

  The screams disappeared, and strong, warm arms embrace her from behind. The warmth of the embrace chased the cold of her nightmare away.

  “I’m here.”

  Rosa mumbled and snuggled into the embrace. She didn’t want it to go away.

  “Sleep,” the voice said softly, touching her cheek gently with his warm hands.

  She let the sound of his heartbeat lulled her back to a dreamless sleep.

  When Rosa awakened by the chirping of birds, the warmth was gone.

  She opened her eyes. Bright sunrays were shining from the open windows in the room making it bright. Her hand touched the other side of her bed, but didn’t find the warmth of the other body.

  Rosa sat up and frowned. The nightmare was one she had started having after her father was killed. Every time they left her empty and sad, but not this time.

  This time she did not remember the dream, but she remembered the voice that had soothed her.

  The voice that belonged to Jason.

  Rosa took a deep breath and slipped from her bed. She could not believe that Jason calmed her down after the nightmare.

  Why did he do it? Why did he try to help her come out of the nightmare?

  Rosa didn’t know and didn’t want to know. As long as Jason wouldn’t address it, she wouldn’t.

  The clock said it was seven o’clock in the morning. Well, today she would not be late to school.

  Rosa walked to her vanity, taking a sip of the paralysis spell, before sprinkling a little of the glamour on her mark. Rosa put the bottle in her drawer, and then walked into the kitchen. Jason was still asleep on the couch.

  The image of him holding her flashed through her mind, making her heart beat faster. What surprised Rosa was she was not mad at him. She had liked sleeping in someone’s arms after so many years of sleeping alone in her bed.

  But she would not tell this to Jason, or anybody else, for that matter. It was troublesome that she had such thoughts about Jason.

  Forget it, Rosa. You have to concentrate on your job.

  Rosa turned on the coffee maker and walked over to Jason.

  “Hey, Jason. Wake up,” she said. But he didn’t move.

  She sighed and shook him. “Wake up!”

  Jason moaned, and finally opened his eyes, blinking. His bright blue eyes fixed on hers, fascinating Rosa. His eyes were beautiful, and she asked herself how his eyes would look without the blue contact lenses.

  The look on her face told him she knew he had been in her bed, holding her, comforting her during her nightmare.

  He raised his eyebrows as if he were waiting for her to say something. Did he want her to thank him for holding her through the night?

  Rosa tore her gaze away from him and said, “Get up. We have to go to school.”

  His eyes focused on her for a moment longer then he replied in a lazy drawl, “Good morning to you, too.”

  “Just get up,” she said, avoiding eye contact with him.

  He grimaced and rubbed his neck. “Man, I’ve got a hangover.”

  “That comes from drinking too much,” she said.

  She felt his gaze on her. “I should have listened to you.”

  Rosa nodded. “Yes, you should have listened to me. I made coffee. You can drink some if you want it. I have to take a shower.”

  Jason stood up. “Coffee would be great.”

  Rosa nodded again and then went into the bathroom. Her bathroom was decorated in black and white. The tiles and the walls were black, so it looked very dark in her bathroom even with the sun shining through the window.

  She undressed and then walked into the shower. Her body relaxed immediately as the hot water pattered down on her skin.

  After ten minutes, Rosa turned off the water and wrapped the robe tightly around her body. When she pulled back the curtain of the shower, Jason stood in the doorway, his arms across his chest.

  How did he get into the bathroom? I locked the door. Then again, a closed off door couldn’t hinder a Nephilim coming into a room.

  Rosa raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?” she asked and wrapped her robe tighter around her body.

  He sniffed. “You smell good,” he replied.

  “Yes, because I’ve taken a shower.”

  “Without me?” he said with a cocky smile.

  Rosa sighed. “What are you doing here?” she repeated her question.

  “You’ve invited me. Have you forgotten?” he replied.

  “I mean here, in the bathroom?”

  The smile turned into a grin—a grin that Rosa did not like. He advanced a step. Not knowing what Jason was about to do, she took a step back and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I was bored,” said Jason, shrugging.

  “Couldn’t you wait until I was dressed?”

  He drew another step closer, his grin widened as his eyes shimmered with amusement.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you are a huntwe?” he asked.

  Rosa’s heart stopped for a moment. How? How could he know it?

  Rosa tried not to show that he was right. “A hunter? If I were a hunter, I’d have killed you the first time I saw you.”

  The grin disappeared from his face and something dangerous flickered through his eyes.

  “Don’t lie to me, girl. I’m pretty sure that you are a hunter.”

  “I don’t have any mark on my wrists.”

  He waved his hand. “I’m not stupid. I know you can make it disappear easily with a little glamour.”

  Rosa’s heart pounded in her chest. Jason was not allowed to find out. She had to convince him.

  “Jason, think about it,” she said and looked him in the eyes. “If I were a hunter then why haven’t I tried to kill you?”

  He shrugged. “Don’t know. You tell me.”

  Rosa felt her neck getting warmer. “I haven’t killed you because I am not a hunter. I don’t have a reason to kill you, and if I were a hunter, I would never have saved your life.”

  Jason pursed his lips. “I’m not sure if I should believe you.”

  Rosa shrugged. “I don’t know how you came up with this ridiculous idea, but I would like to get dressed. I’m getting cold.”

  “Then let me warm you up, Ice Princess.”

  Before Rosa could react, Jason pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. She was too surprised to do anything.

  Jason’s lips were full and warm. Rosa remembered the kiss with Matt, which was sweet and gentle. This kiss was different, not gentle and loving, but hot and passionate.

  This kiss was dangerous and deliciously forbidden.

  A burning sensation spread over her body and her heart beat so fast she feared it would explode.

  For a moment, she sank into the kiss until she realized it was Jason, who was kissing her—her enemy.

  Rosa opened her eyes and tried to push him away, but Jason pressed her against the wall and held Rosa’s hands in his. She tried to free herself, but Jason was simply stronger than she was. His mouth moved down to her neck.

  Think, Rosa. Think.

  Then she knew what to do.

  Jason pressed his mouth back to hers and this time she returned the kiss, intrusive and passionate. Arousal rose in her along with a longing for more.

  Jason stiffened in surprise, surprise she returned his kiss and eased his grip around her hands. He apparently had not expected that Rosa would kiss him back.

  Taking the opportunity, Rosa released her hands. She punched him with all her strength in his stomach. He gasped and staggered back.

  Rosa pushed him away and ran from the bathroom to her room to fetch her dagger. She didn’t want to injure him, just keep him away from her. She ran to her drawer and tried to open
it as a strong hand grasped her by the arm and pull her back.

  It was Jason.

  He had a dangerous spark in his eyes. “That wasn’t very friendly, girl,” he growled.

  Without hesitation, Rosa struck out. When Jason bent down, she rammed her knee into his stomach before she slammed her fist in his face. He was moaning on the floor.

  From her fighting classes in the hunter clan, Rosa knew that Nephilim were great fighters, since they were stronger and faster, but they had the tendency to not take a fight with a human seriously, and because of that, they didn’t give their best.

  Rosa also knew that men fought different with women than with a man. They tried not to hurt the woman too much, which gave the woman the best opportunity to win.

  Rosa took her knife from the drawer, when suddenly Jason grabbed her foot and drew her back to him. Rosa lost her balance and fell on the ground. Her dagger slipped from her hand, landing a few feet away.

  She wanted to get up, but Jason sat down on top of her. He tried to grab her arms, but she was flailing and swinging them, trying to break away.

  “Ice Princess,” Jason growled.

  “Shut up!” she hissed at him. Then she pushed up with her legs, throwing him from her. She crawled over to her dagger and picked it up.

  As she sat up, Jason pushed her violently against the wall.

  A pain shot through her back as she hit the wall. This was apparently his fighting tactic, but Rosa had fought once before with him and knew what he was going to do next.

  Before he could catch her arm, Rosa punched him in the throat. Jason gasped and she shoved him. He stumbled back and fell to the ground.

  This time she was going to win this fight.

  Rosa took her dagger and kicked him in the stomach. He groaned and didn’t try to stand up.

  A wicked smile appeared on her lips. “Looks like you were beaten up by a human girl,” she said with malicious pleasure. “How bad for your reputation as a strong Nephilim, isn’t it?”

  “You know, honey,” Jason croaked out, his eyes meeting hers with hate and amusement. Rosa watched one of his eyes begin to swell as he spoke.

  “Other girls would slap a boy when they were kissed, or even return the kiss—but you,” he stood up and rubbed his throat, “you want to kill me straight off.”