Changed (The Hunters #1) (38 page)

Rosa smiled, relieved.

He looked down at her sandwich. “Are
you going to eat that?”

Rosa shook her head and pushed the
plate to him. “Eat it if you want.”

He smiled and took the sandwich. Rosa
knew that they should consider a plan, but she could not think of
anything.

Somehow, she had to talk to
Jason and Phillip. Best method was torture, but she didn’t want to
torture. They had somehow become her friends. And Jason something
more.

Then you
need to think of something else, Rosa
.

A knock on her door brought Rosa out
of her daydreams. She answered the door, only to be greeted by
Jason, Matt, and Philip dressed for the fancy party.

Matt was wearing a white shirt under a
black vest with a black tie. His hair was disheveled as always, but
he looked handsome.

Philip wore white pants with red
Chucks and a red T-shirt. He looked gorgeous no matter what he
wore.

Jason had dressed himself completely
in black.

“
Matching clothes today,
Ice Princess?” he asked, smiling. His smiles sent tingles through
her body. She tried to ignore her feelings for him.

As always, Rosa was wearing black.
Black pants, black tank top, black leather jacket, and black
boots.

“
Certainly not,” she said
and closed the door behind her.

The card that Lord Constantine had
given to her was nestled in her pocket. She had packed several
daggers, all well hidden—and she took a sip from the paralysis
spell.

“
Why don’t you dress
differently?” Jason asked as they walked along the
corridor.

Rosa sighed, annoyed. “Because I don’t
want it.”

“
The only other color you
can get on her is dark red hair. Otherwise, it’s only black,” Matt
explained. Rosa shot him a glance, which he ignored.

“
She really only wears
black?”

Matt nodded. “Yes.”

Jason’s eyes wandered to her. “Can it
be that you’re a Goth?”

Rosa stopped and stared at him. “Can
it be that you’re an asshole?” she hissed.

The
others had asked Rosa, too, if she was a Goth. Even though
she
’
d nothing
against Goths, the question got on her nerves.

Jason smirked. “We all know that I’m
an asshole. You don’t have to ask it.”

Rosa growled and turned away from him.
She could not believe she was attracted to Jason, even though he
could get on her nerves. How could that be? How could you be
attracted to somebody, and at the same time, hate that
person?

Rosa didn’t understand anything
anymore. She felt the urge to talk to Valerie. Valerie would have a
solution and an explanation to her problem, but Rosa had to
concentrate on her quest. She had to find the talisman.

They met
the others in the hall and hit the road to
The Tonic Club
.

On the
way, the four friends didn’t speak a single word. Rosa
couldn
’
t think
about anything else, other than the talisman. She wondered if she
would find the talisman—and what Ellen would do when she learned
Rosa was a hunter.

Calm down, Rosa. It is
just a job. You have done similar jobs a hundred times before. You
do not need to be excited.

The ride calmed her a bit, but the
tension was still there.

The club was full when they entered
it. Stale air filled with smoke, and beer welcomed Rosa. Her eyes
began to burn. She hated clubs that were filled with so many
people. She did not get a panic attack, but she was uncomfortable
with so many people in one room.

“
Let’s go to the bar,”
Matt yelled over the music, but his voice was like a whisper. Rosa
nodded and they made their way through the dance floor to the bar.
The music was loud and vibrated through the floor to her body. It
was dark in the club; only lights in different colors flashed above
them. Some female strippers were dancing on the dance
floor.

Finally, they arrived at the bar, and
Rosa sat down on the stool. She ordered something to drink. She
needed something to help her calm down.

Philip and Jason sat down next to
them. Philip licked his lips and watched the strippers. Then he
pushed himself off the counter.

“
I’m going over to the
strippers,” he said, eyes glowing. “They should do the same to me
as what they’re doing with the rod.”

Jason gave him a significant
look.

Philip shrugged. “If I don’t get what
I want, I’ll take the other.” Then he disappeared.

“
What did he mean by
that?” Rosa asked confused.

Jason shook his head. “Nothing
important.”

“
Rosa!” Matt shouted in
her ear. “I want to dance. Do you want to come with?”

She shook her head and smiled. Matt
shrugged and disappeared in the crowd.

Then she was alone with
Jason.

Heat flushed her right side as she
felt him leaning toward her. Rosa’s heart jumped and butterflies
were in her belly.

“
Don’t you want to dance?”
Jason asked her as his low, rumbling voice vibrated through her
body.

She opened her mouth to answer, but
the bartender shoved the drink she had ordered toward her. Rosa
took it and drank it in one sip.

Jason chuckled beside her. “Are you a
little nervous, Ice Princess?”

Rosa ordered another one. “No,” she
said and had the mistake of looking at him. His warm golden eyes
glittered at her under the bar lights. Quickly, she looked
away.

They fell silent. Rosa felt Jason’s
gaze on her and when she finally looked at him, she realized that
Jason was not looking at her. He was looking at her
breast.

Instead of being angry, Rosa was
amused. “Why are you looking at my boobs, Nephilim?” she asked,
raising an eyebrow.

Jason’s eyes slid to her face and he
gave a sexy smile. “Are you naughty, Ice Princess?” he asked and
his warm breath sent a shiver down her spine.

Rosa flashed him a wicked grin, and
pointed to him with her forefinger to come closer.

Jason’s eyes lit up and he pressed his
body against her right side. Her heart pounded in her chest and her
skin prickled. Rosa felt the desire to touch him.

Slowly, she placed her hand on his
neck and drew him so close, that her lips almost touched his ear.
Rosa sensed the heat of his body. Jason embraced her waist and
pressed her against him.

Their bodies fit perfectly together
and Jason’s lips touched her neck gently. A soft groan escaped her
mouth and for one moment, she forgot everything around
her.

Jason’s lips wandered to her shoulder.
Gently, he shoved her leather jacket from her shoulder and placed
soft kisses on her shoulders and neck.

Her body
was burning and she couldn
’
t believe how good Jason’s lips
felt on her bare skin.

“
Sometimes,” Rosa
whispered in his ear to answer his question. “Sometimes I don’t do
my homework. Purposely.”

Jason’s rich, deep laugh formed a
weird unexpected fullness in her chest and she broke away from
him.

His eyes shone with heat and he licked
his lips. “You’re so naughty, babe.”

Rosa winked at him and pulled her
leather jacket over her shoulders.

“
Do you want to dance?”
Jason asked again.

Rosa took her second glass with vodka
and shook her head. “No.”

Jason shrugged. “Okay.” Then he
disappeared.

Rosa
watched him leave and asked herself what had happened between
them.
Jason was her enemy, damn it! She
could not be attracted to him! She was a hunter and not one of
those stupid human girls, who fell for an angel.

Rosa turned to look at the dancing
crowd.

Many golden eyes stood out from the
darkness. So many Nephilim. And now the hunter was awakened in
her.

I could kill a Nephilim
and become a full member.

It itched in her fingers to kill a
Nephilim. So many were here that she could easily choose any one
she wanted. Her biggest dream to become a full member could come
true tonight. She would never get this kind of opportunity again.
Rosa bit her lower lip.

Her eyes scanned every Nephilim in the
club. She decided to try her luck, but she needed a plan. A good
plan.

The bartender had put a new drink on
the counter. Rosa took it and drank it in one sip. The familiar
burning sensation in her throat felt good.

Her gaze hung on a Nephilim who was
dancing with a girl. He was gorgeous, and he noticed that Rosa was
watching him. He looked in her direction.

And that was the moment
Rosa had a plan.

She smiled at the Nephilim. He smiled
back. She held eye contact with him, smiled at him, flirted with
her eyes.

Then Rosa took the initiative. With
her glass in her hand, she stood up and walked through the dancing
crowd.

As Rosa walked past him, she gestured
him with her eyes to follow her. Rosa moved to the door where “No
trespassing” was written. She pushed the knob and turned to the
Nephilim, who now broke from the crowd to follow her. She arched
her forefinger and told him to follow her.

Rosa walked through a room that was
filled with old boxes. She opened the door at the end of the room;
behind her, she could hear the footsteps of the
Nephilim.

Lucky for her, the door led to the
outside. Rosa stepped into a dark alley. She smiled with
satisfaction. This was the perfect place for a kill.

Rosa drank the last sip of the glass
and threw it on the floor. It shattered into small
pieces.

The Nephilim appeared and closed the
door behind him.

“
Hi,” he said, taking a
step forward.

Rosa smiled seductively.
“Hey.”

“
What’s your
name?”

“
Jennifer.” The Nephilim
hadn’t needed to know her real name.

“
I’m Alex. I’ve never seen
you here.”

Rosa put her hands on his chest and
pushed him against the wall.

“
Why are you talking?
Let’s get straight to the point,” she whispered with a sexy, low
voice.

His eyes sparkled with delight. “I’d
love to.”

He leaned forward to kiss her, but
Rosa held him back.

“
Wait, close your eyes
first.” He obeyed, and closed his eyes. Rosa leaned over and gently
stroked his cheek with her lips. She had to kill the Nephilim
without using her gift, but she would win.

Pulling the dagger from her boot, she
whispered, “Say goodbye.”

The Nephilim opened his eyes and
stared at her. “You’re a...” But he could not finish his
sentence.

Lunging toward him, Rosa punched him
hard in the face. His head jerked back and he stumbled. She raised
her dagger, pointing it at his heart, but the Nephilim was fast. He
pushed her away with his hand and struck at her hand with her
weapon.