Changed (The Hunters #1) (36 page)

It was a good feeling to feel the
solid ground under her feet again. The sun was just about to go
down and blanket the world in a soft pink light.

“
Everybody to passport
control!” Ms. Franklin called.

Rosa followed Ms. Franklin with the
others. The passport control lasted more than thirty minutes, but
they found their luggage quickly.

“
The bus is out there,”
said Ms. Franklin. Rosa walked out of the airport and looked up to
the sky—the sight was breathtaking.

Innumerable angels were
flying in the sky and they looked so beautiful with their wings.
Although she knew a lot about the Nephilim, she’d never seen them
flying.

Secretly, Rosa wished to be able to
fly—to be weightless just once. This was just one of her dreams
that would never be fulfilled.

“
Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Jason asked her. Rosa hadn’t even noticed him standing beside her.
He stood very close to her, his arm brushing hers, and a tingle
shot through her body.

Why am I reacting so…
intensely to Jason?

She turned her head to face him. Jason
looked at her. Her heart hammered in her chest. His eyes had
already made her nervous from the beginning, but now it made her
more nervous.

Get a grip,
Rosa.

“
Yes, it is,” she said. “I
wish I could fly.”

He looked surprised.
“Really?”

She nodded and looked back into the
sky. “Yes. But unfortunately my wish will never be
fulfilled.”

“
Actually, it
can.”

She raised her brows and
looked at him. “How will that work? I can’t fly.”

A small smile appeared on his lips.
“But I can fly. We could fly together in the sky.”

Rosa was too surprised to say
anything. She searched his eyes for signs that he was not serious,
but his gaze was honest and friendly. He had intended his offer
seriously.

Suddenly she was embarrassed. “Maybe,”
she murmured, turning away. When she walked to the bus, she met
Matt’s eyes. Rosa could not pinpoint the look in his eyes, but it
was obvious that he did not like what he had seen.

Had he overheard the conversation
between her and Jason? And was he jealous?

If she hadn’t been angry with him, she
would now go to him—but she was angry, so she climbed onto the bus
without looking at Matt even once.

“
Welcome to the Cascadia
Hotel and Suites! We are pleased to have you as our guests,” the
receptionist greeted the class, smiling.

Rosa shifted from one foot
to another. She was so tired! Last night and today, she hadn’t
slept very well. She had difficulties keeping her eyes
open.

When Rosa saw the hotel, she almost
jumped for joy. Finally, they had arrived and she was able to
sleep! The hotel was big and luxurious. The front facade consisted
of large, dark glasses that reflected the lights of the
city.

A bellhop had offered them something
to drink. Rosa had refused graciously. Jason had grabbed two
cocktails at once. And now Rosa was standing in the entrance hall,
listening to the receptionist give her speech.

“
Our hotel has much to
offer,” she continued. Rosa’s eyes closed and her mind drifted to a
warm bed.

“
Are you asleep, Ice
Princess?” Jason asked softly.

She winced, terrified, and
instinctively grabbed the hand on her shoulder, and threw Jason
over her shoulder to the ground.

Jason grunted and rolled on his side.
The receptionist stopped talking and looked at Rosa,
shocked.

“
Miss Petrova!” Ms.
Franklin called, and shook her head in disbelief.

“
Everything’s okay,” said
Jason and stood up. He was rubbing his right shoulder. Philip was
laughing behind them.

“
Sorry, Jason,” Rosa said,
flashing him a cocky grin. “I hurt people, I don’t quite
like.”

His eyes watched her with a slight
irritation and a shadow of amusement. “Yeah, I see
that.”

Rosa smiled and he returned her
smile

After some ten minutes—though it felt
like an hour for Rosa—the receptionist finished her speech and gave
them their keys for the rooms. Rosa was lucky to get a room of her
own.

Without looking at anybody else, Rosa
grabbed her bag and rushed for the elevator to her room on the
sixth floor.

She opened the door of her room and
went inside. The room was large and modern. In the middle, a large
double bed stood with red sheets. Opposite of the bed there was a
huge dresser. The bathroom was on the left side of the
room.

Rosa closed the door and threw her bag
in the corner. She took off her leather jacket and shoes and threw
herself on the bed.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep
immediately.

Jason threw his bag sulkily in the
corner. He didn’t have any interest in this trip. Most of all he
wanted to be in Boston, rescuing his sister, but Milena had said he
should wait three days.

“
You want to tell me who
this Milena is?” Philip asked, and sat down on the bed.

Jason sighed and leaned against the
wall. Then he told Philip, how and when he had met Milena, and what
he hoped to gain from her.

“
Do you think it was right
to trust her?” Philip wanted to know, looking skeptical.

Jason was aware that Milena was a
hunter and that she could betray him, but he didn’t believe that
Milena would. He had seen she hated the hunter clan. In addition,
Milena had given him a hint where Jasmine was.

“
Yes, I think it was the
right choice,” Jason replied. Philip still looked skeptical, but
nodded.

“
But it wasn’t very nice
that we had to leave her alone.”

Jason shoved himself from the wall and
lay down on the bed. He had told Milena that he had to go on a
class trip. She had understood, and assured him it would not be a
problem for her tostay alone in his apartment.

Philip shrugged. “You had no choice.
You couldn’t bring her on the trip, but I don’t understand why you
are so kind to her. She is a human, Jason, and a hunter. Since when
are Nephilim nice to humans and hunters?”

Jason pursed his lips. Yeah, he had
recognized that he acted completely different toward Milena than he
did to other humans. He did not really know why, but suspected it
had something to do with Rosa.

“
I don’t know, Phil,”
Jason admitted.

“
Do you have a plan on how
to rescue Jasmine?”

“
I’m still developing
it.”

“
Which means
no.”

Jason looked at Philip. “How do you
know?”

Philip snorted. “Whenever you say ‘I’m
still developing it’, nothing comes out of it.”

Jason took the pillow and threw it at
his friend. He dodged it effortlessly.

“
Did I hurt your ego,
Jason?” Philip quipped and threw the pillow back at him.

Jason caught it and laughed. “My ego
is too big to get hurt.” He took the pillow and laid his head on
it.

He heard how Philip got up. “I’m in
the shower, bro.”

“
Don’t drown,” Jason
called after him.

“
Don’t worry. I’m a big
boy.”

Jason smiled and took off his shoes,
making himself comfortable on the bed. He heard the shower turn
on.

His thoughts wandered back to Rosa.
Something had happened between them, on the plane. She had smiled
at him and he felt caught in her beautiful ice-blue
eyes.

She was beautiful, strong and funny,
but also dangerous. He had not received a confirmation that she was
a hunter, so he could only guess.

Jason just hoped that she wouldn’t
thwart his plans. He was definitely attracted to Rosa and his body
wanted to do lots of thing with her body. He wanted to introduce
himself to every part of her.

He was aware that his feelings were
more than just sexual attraction to Rosa.

The situation reminded him of another
one.

An old pain spread across his chest as
he caught up with the old memory. It had been three years already,
but it felt like it was yesterday. The pain had become weaker, but
his heart was still suffering.

Do not
think about it
,
Jason. You have to concentrate on the rescue of Jasmine.
Think of a plan
.

He tried to find a plan, but after a
while tiredness overcame him.

Jason closed his eyes and fell into a
deep, dreamless sleep.

Something woke Rosa up. She was not
sure what it was at first, but when she opened her eyes, she stared
into the face of Matt.

She winced. “God, you scared me,” she
said and put a hand on her chest.

“
I’m sorry,” said
Matt.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and
sat up. A glance out the window told Rosa that it was still dark.
Her eyes went back to Matt.

“
What are you doing here?
And how did you get in here?” Rosa asked and raised her
eyebrows.

Matt ran a hand through his hair. “I
need to talk to you,” he replied and then looked her in the eyes.
“I can’t stand it when we argue.”

She crossed her arms over her chest
and pointed him to continue.

“
And I’ve been thinking
about what you said. About everything.” He took a deep breath. “You
were right. I should have called you and should have let you know
that I am fine. I should have known that you would be worried about
me.”

Rosa nodded, but said nothing. Matt
scratched the scar on his palm, as always, when he was
nervous.

“
Well, it sucks that you
don’t love me, but I can’t change it. I’ll accept it and take
everything that you’re willing to give me, Rosa.”

Matt took her hands in his and
squeezed. “I don’t want to lose you. If you want to be just
friends, that’s okay. Even if it will be difficult for me. It’s
better than losing you completely.”