Changed (The Hunters #1) (47 page)

Rosa was about to jump at his throat.
She had not failed! She knew that.

“
And what about the book
that I’ve brought you?” she interjected.

His smile was still on his face. That
smile—it made her so angry.

“
It was good, but we have
not progressed.”

I shouldn’t really have
given him the book. Maybe I should take it back and give it to
Jason.

It was worth considering.

“
Your task will be to
train Tamara. We need new fighters. Now you can go.”

Rosa turned to go, but then she
remembered something.

“
Can I ask you
something?”

Lord Constantine nodded.

“
How did you know that I
saved the life of a Nephilim?” This question bothered her for a
long time, but she hadn’t found an answer.

He didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“From Madison.”

“
What?”

My word
of the day
, Rosa
thought.

She was completely stunned. “I don’t
understand. How? She was a shadow creature.”

Lord Constantine nodded knowingly. “I
know. So she joined me to fight against the Angels. Madison had
hated what the angels had done to her, so she was on my side. I was
always updated with all information.” His gaze intensified. “I knew
exactly the day when you killed Madison that this Nephilim was with
her. It was not difficult to figure out that it was you.” He sighed
wistfully. “Madison’s death was a shame, but I cannot bring her
back.”

Rosa looked at him speechless. She
shouldn’t really be shocked. Lord Constantine was ruthless,
dangerous, and intelligent.

“
Thank you for answering
me,” Rosa said quietly.

He smiled at her coldly. “You are
welcome, Rosa.”

With heavy steps, she left
the room.

Jason was waiting outside Rosa’s
apartment for her. He had long considered whether he should take
this step, and finally decided to do it.

He heard someone climb the stairs and
he watched as Rosa’s red hair, followed by her face came into view.
She stopped abruptly on the threshold of the stairs and looked at
him in surprise.

“
Déjà - vu, isn’t it?” he
asked with a smile.

A crease appeared between her
eyebrows. She didn’t seem to be happy to see him.

“
What are you doing here?”
she asked harshly. Disappointment spread through him. Jason had
hoped that she would be happy to see him, maybe.

That wasn’t the case

“
I need to talk with you,”
he said, standing up.

The crease between her brows deepened.
“Didn’t we talk already?”

“
Not about
everything.”

Slowly, she climbed the
stairs. When Rosa walked past him, he could smell her
scent.

Leather and vanilla.

Why hadn’t he noticed her scent
before? That wonderful fragrance. He was standing right behind her
as she opened the door.

How much he wanted to dip his face in
her hair and breathe in her scent.

Get a grip. She is
forbidden.

Rosa opened the door and he entered
her apartment. She pulled off her leather jacket and threw it on
the couch.

Then she sat on the couch and looked
at him.

“
Go ahead.”

Jason sat down facing her, and took a
deep breath.

“
I’m here because I want
to free my sister from the hunter clan. She was kidnapped more than
six months ago and since then I’ve been searching for
her.”

He looked at her face vividly to read
her response, but got none.

Rosa looked at him blankly. “And
you’re telling me this because?”

Why was she acting so different? She
had wanted to know his plan before!

He frowned. “I’m telling you this
because you wanted to know.” She sat opposite of him on the couch
and looked distant and ... cold.

“
I thought you didn’t
trust me?” Her sober tone made him angry. It hurt him that she was
so cold toward him.

“
Obviously, I trust you,
otherwise I wouldn’t have told you.”

No response. Only an expressionless
gaze.

“
Is everything alright
with you?” Jason asked concern, and leaned forward.

“
What shouldn’t be alright
with me?”

Jason groaned. “Come on, Ice Princess.
Stop acting like that.”

A twitch of her jaw muscle. Finally a
reaction.

“
How do I act?” She raised
an eyebrow

“
So!” he pointed at her.
“Distant, cold, uninterested.” He didn’t want to sound angry, but
couldn’t suppress it. “Be the real Rosa.”

“
I’m the real Rosa.” Now
anger was sparkling in her ice-blue eyes.

“
No, you’re
not!”

“
Yes, I am!”

They stared at each other
angrily—another staring contest again. It was like all of their
conversations ended with a staring contest.

“
Ice Princess, please,”
Jason sighed, too tired to fight. “Tell me what’s going on.” He
looked at her.

Rosa stood up abruptly. “I think it’s
better if you leave now, Jason.” She didn’t look at him, her eyes
fixed on the ground.

There, he felt it again, the powerful
attraction between them.

Jason wouldn’t leave her until he knew
what the matter was.

He got up and stood directly in front
of her until they almost touched.

“
Look at me, Ice
Princess,” he said softly. He didn’t know if he could touch
her.

Reluctantly, she lifted her head and
met his gaze. Her eyes were cold, but he could see other emotions
hidden behind the wall.

“
Can I touch you?” he
asked quietly. She nodded almost imperceptibly.

Jason grabbed her arm and drew her
close to himself. She made a sound of surprise and looked at him
confused. He was going to kick her butt or kiss her. Jason wasn’t
sure which of them he would do, but he knew that both would be
really funny.

Rosa didn’t know what she should do.
Jason was looking at her with a dangerous gleam in his eyes and his
strong grip on her arm didn’t allow her to move back.

“
Stop acting like that to
me,” Jason said angry, squeezing her arm. “I know that you’re only
pretending to be cold. Just admit that you’re attracted to me, like
I am to you!”

Rosa blinked and opened her mouth to
say something, but no word came out. She hadn’t expected this
reaction from Jason, but she had to act like that. She had to make
him clear that she wasn’t attracted to him.

“
Jason,
you’re hurting me,” Rosa said, pulling against his grip.
Damn, he’s strong
.

“
Admit that you’re
attracted to me, and then I’ll let you go,” he said.

Irritation spread through her as she
pushed him hard with one hand on the chest. Jason stumbled back,
but didn’t release her arm.

An amused smile curled on his lips.
“Are we going to fight again?”

Her answer was her fist in his gut.
Jason’s breath caught and when her feet crashed on his chest, he
let go of her hand. He lost his balance and fell to the
ground.

Rosa walked to him and pressed her
foot on his chest. Her eyes glimmered angrily.

“
I’m not attracted to you,
Nephilim,” she said, pressing her foot on his chest. He
grunted.

“
I never was, and never
will be. Even if you would be the last man, angel or whatever, on
the earth, I wouldn’t be attracted to you.”

She moved to kick him, when he stood
up lighting fast in front of her.

“
You can’t lie, Ice
Princess,” he said, with a grin.

Rosa snorted. “I’m not
lying. You’re not my type. You’re …”

He arched an eyebrow. “I’m
what?”

“
An
asshole, arrogant, overconfident, an idiot,” Rosa listed. “I
do not
like guys like
that.”

Jason smirked. “Such a pretty liar you
are.”

Jason drove her crazy. “I. Am. Not.
Attracted. To. You!” she said with clenched teeth.

Suddenly her back was against the wall
and Jason’s golden eyes fixed to hers. Her heart beat faster and
her breath caught when his body pressed to hers.

“
If you’re not attracted
to me then say stop,” he whispered and his lips found
hers.

Rosa froze.

Lightly, like a feather, his lips
touched hers. A shiver ran through her body, making her
tremble

Lust, desire, love welled up in
her.

His kiss turned hungry and
passionate.

Jason kissed her desperately, like a
drowning man, and she was his oxygen.

Her self-control crashed down like a
wall and she stopped thinking. Rosa pressed her body against him
and the desire her body had been harboring for him for weeks took
control over her.

She felt the fire again, like at their
first kiss. Against his mouth, she moaned his name, and that seemed
to drive him crazy.

Jason shuddered and there was a sound
from the back of his throat, half growl, and half moan. He wrapped
his arm around her waist and lifted her up. The heat and strength
of him overwhelmed Rosa as his hands wandered under her
shirt.

She wrapped her legs around his waist
and ran her hands through his soft and silky hair. Jason tore her
shirt from her body as his strong, warm hands memorized her bare
skin.

Little shivers of pleasure shot
through her as Jason pressed her hips against his, and his lips
teased her neck and shoulders.

Rosa put her head back and moaned of
pleasure.

Then Jason crashed down his lips on
hers again and their kisses become harder, more demanding, as if
they couldn’t get enough of each other.