Changed (The Hunters #1) (34 page)

Jason looked at the picture of his
sister. A pain shot through him.

“
Yes,” he said in a hoarse
voice.

“
You look pretty
similar.”

“
That’s because we’re
twins.”

Milena looked surprised.
“Really?”

He nodded.

She looked again at the picture. “I
also had a sister.” Her gaze turned wistfully.

“
What had happened to
her?” Jason asked cautiously.

Milena looked at him. In her eyes, he
could see sadness and pain. “She died when I was ten years old. She
was only seven.” Her voice trailed off and her eyes were
smoggy.

“
I’m sorry.”

She nodded and wiped her eyes. “Sorry,
I didn’t want to cry, but when I think about her...” Her voice
broke and new tears filled her eyes.

Jason nodded knowingly.

“
You don’t need to be
sorry,” he said softly.

Milena took a deep breath, rallied
herself again. Then she looked at Jason.

“
That’s the reason why you
were there. To find your sister.” It was more a statement than a
question.

He nodded. “Yes, exactly. And I hope
that you can help me somehow.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Have you helped me
because of that?”

Jason shook his head. “No
... yes. Well, not exactly. My first thought was to rush to you for
help, and then it came to mind that maybe you could help me, too.”
He smiled innocently.

She sighed and stretched out her legs.
“I can understand.”

“
And?”

Her brown eyes faced him. “I’ve heard
of your sister. It was rumored the hunters had captured a Nephilim,
but I had’t really believed them. After all, Nephilim were faster
and stronger than us, and it is difficult to catch on of …
you.”

Jason leaned farther forward. He did
not want to miss a single word of what Milena said.

“
But then I saw her, but
only very briefly. Her golden eyes weren’t hard to miss,” she
continued.

“
Where have you seen her?”
Jason asked. His heart was pounding in his chest. He was so close
to find out where his sister was.

Milena frowned and tried to remember
it. “I think it was here in Boston. Yes! Exactly! It was here in
Boston. I was still a hunter and was stationed here.”

“
Do you think she is still
here as a prisoner?”

She shrugged. “I think so. Why would
they take her somewhere else?”

Jason was now one hundred percent sure
that Jasmine was here in Boston, very close to him. He had only to
free her now.

Abruptly he stood up. “I have to
go.”

Milena shook his head violently. “I
wouldn’t go there now. The academy is now full of only hunters.
They are in alarm. I have succeeded to escape from them, and
something has triggered the alarm. You couldn’t take a single step
without getting caught.”

Jason hated it, but he had
to admit that Melina was right, of course. He couldn’t simply
invade into the hunter clan. He needed a plan.

Sighing, he leaned his head against
the wall. He hated it when his hands were tied.

Milena gave him a look of
commiseration. “You have to wait two or three days. Maybe
more.”

He groaned. “Three days? I cannot wait
so long, if I know that she’s so close to me.”

“
But you have to.
Otherwise, they will catch you and then you won’t be able to save
your sister.”

Jason forced himself to
accept the situation. He had to wait if he wanted to save
Jasmine.

It seemed that these three
days would be the longest three days of his life.

The ringing of the alarm
still rattled in her ears. What had happened? She knew that she was
under the earth, but she had heard the screams of the other
prisoners. Something terrible must have happened to
them.

She
almost expected she would suffer the same, but her door
wasn
’
t opened. It
remained closed.

She got up and moved. Her
legs were stiffened, her back still hurt, but the pain had eased a
little. She had to think. Why would the hunters want to take
revenge on the archangels.

Because they were at war.
Frustration welled up inside her. Damn it! Why was she never
interested in learning about the war?

If she
stayed in this prison any longer, she would snap. She
couldn
’
t bear to
be in this little dungeon. For months, she had not seen daylight or
the sun. She had already forgotten how the sun felt on her
skin.

I need to get out of
here!

She pounded on the steel
door. “Let me out of here!” she yelled. “Damn! Open the
door!”

But no one heard her cry.
She clenched her hands into fists. Suddenly she felt a pain in her
jaw.

“
Ah,” she moaned and
grabbed her chin. She gritted her teeth and then she felt the
pain.

“
Shit!” She had a broken
tooth.

The pain was getting
stronger and her jaw began to throb.

She had to get rid of this
tooth, but how? Suddenly the lights went on again. She narrowed her
eyes.

“
Are you hurt, Jasmine?”
the familiar cold voice asked.

“
No,” she lied.

“
I know you are in pain,
Jasmine. I have something that can help you.”

She snorted. “But to get
it, I must answer your stupid question!” She glared at the light.
“Bite me!”

The voice laughed.
“Actually, I wanted to give it to you without question, but if you
do not want it.”

“
What? No! Wait!” she
called. But the lights turned off and it was dark again.

A
frustrated cry escaped her. They were such assholes. When she was
out of here, they would pay for every single thing they had done to
her. She sat back in her corner, alone with her pain and her
anger
.

“
Rosa. Wake
up.”

She heard a gentle voice from far
away. It came closer and closer until it finally entered into her
consciousness.

Slowly she opened her eyes. Her
eyelids felt so heavy! She wanted to close her eyes
again.

“
Don’t close your eyes!
Open them, Rosa.”

She recognized that voice. It belonged
to Colin. Groaning, she opened her eyes and looked into the worried
face of her friend.

“
How are you feeling,
sweetheart?” he asked, stroking her hair.

Rosa blinked and looked around. The
dungeon was now illuminated and she could see the extent of the
destruction that the man with the red eyes had caused. The heavy
grid was lying on the floor, and boulders were everywhere. The
dungeon was completely destroyed.

A shiver ran through her body as she
thought of the man. His eyes were scary and threat lay in his last
word.

We are not done
yet.

This sentence was the assurance that
they would see each other again.

“
Can you stand up?” Colin
dragged her from her thoughts.

She shrugged. Slowly, with the help
from Colin, she stood up. For a short time, she felt dizzy and her
body ached all over.

“
Are you okay?” Colin
asked, watching her worriedly.

Rosa nodded. “Yes, it’s just my
back.”

When she lifted her eyes, she saw
Sergei standing behind Colin. He had his arms crossed over his
chest and he did not seem worried. No, rather he looked
annoyed.

Is he mad at me? If so,
what have I done?

“
Lord Constantine wants to
talk to you, Rosa,” he said coolly.

Rosa nodded. She did not want to see
Lord Constantine. Her anger and hatred against him was too great,
but she had no other choice.

“
Let’s go.” Sergei turned
around and started walking.

Colin supported Rosa, as they followed
Sergei. “What had happened between you and Lord Constantine?” he
whispered to her.

Rosa looked at him surprised. “How do
you know that something happened?”

He gave her a mischievous smile. “I
could see how your mood changed when Sergei said Lord Constantine
wanted to see you.”

Again, it surprised her that Colin
knew her so well. At the same time, she wished that he did not know
her so well.

“
I have a sixth sense for
things like that,” he added, as they climbed the stairs.

Rosa frowned. “I always thought it was
called the seventh sense.”

He looked at her. “You could call it
that, too. Actually, we only have five senses: sight, smell, taste,
hearing, and touch. The sixth and seventh sense expressions are
often used when someone noticed something without using any of the
five senses.

“
Actually the sixth sense
is a colloquial term, and is used to describe an everyday
situation. It shouldn’t definite statements about how perception
works, but only that in the given situation wasn’t obvious to
explain.”

Rosa stared at Colin. “I’m getting a
headache again.”

He laughed and pulled her closer to
him. Colin was inclined to explain everything long and detailed.
This was the reason why she didn’t ask him many questions, though
Rosa did not mind this characteristic. On the contrary, she found
it quite amusing.

They stopped in front of Lord
Constantine’s room.

Suddenly her mood diminished. She
swallowed hard and made herself willing to meet him.

Sergei knocked and entered the room.
“Lord Constantine, Rosa is here.”

She and Colin entered the room. Lord
Constantine sat at the table, flipping through pages. He nodded
without looking up.

“
Let me alone with her,”
he demanded.

Colin gave Rosa an encouraging smile
and released her. Rosa held the edge of the table, because she was
still unsure on her feet.

Colin and Sergei disappeared from the
room and she was alone with Lord Constantine. He still seemed not
to notice her, leafing through his papers.

Rosa looked him over. How could a
person be so cruel? How could he kill his hunters who had broken a
rule once? Why was there not a second chance by Lord
Constantine?

“
Why are you staring at
me, Rosa?” he asked, raising his head.

She winced. “I...” she stammered. Then
put on a fake smile. “I was just asking myself if you’ve trained.
You look pretty good in the suit.”

Lord Constantine smiled blandly and
stood up. “You know, Rosa, I really like your humor.” He stopped
directly in front of her. His eyes were like two black lakes. Deep
and full of danger.

“
I was just like you, when
I was your age.” His smile disappeared. “But I was never
disrespectful toward my superiors. I have never rebelled against
them. I’ve always followed their rules, and now I am the head of
all hunter clans.” His eyes turned hard and cold. Rosa’s heart was
pounding wildly in her chest.