Changed (The Hunters #1) (39 page)

Rosa stumbled, but did not lose her
balance. The dagger fell from her hand.

With an angry cry, Rosa threw herself
on him and they fell to the ground. She managed to hit him twice in
the face before he grabbed her hands and threw her from
him.

“
Why are you here?” the
Nephilim hissed, his golden eyes glittering angry.

Rosa spit blood. “To kill
you.”

She pulled out another dagger and ran
toward him. His foot hit her on the chest. The air escaped from her
lungs. She gasped and staggered back.

Shit! That
hurt.

Suddenly, the Nephilim spread his
wings to fly away. Rosa panicked. He could not escape her. He knew
what she looked like. When he escaped, he would hunt her down until
she was dead. She could not allow it.

In the last second, Rosa grabbed hold
of his feet. He was barely a few feet above the ground.

“
Let me go,” he hissed,
and kicked her, but Rosa didn’t let go. Reaching out, she stabbed
the dagger into his leg. The Nephilim cried out in pain. She
continued to stab him until he was paralyzed with pain.

Breathing heavily, Rosa stood over
him. She knelt beside him with a triumphant smile on her
face.

Without hesitation, she thrust the
dagger into his heart. The Nephilim gave a last choking cry and
then he slumped lifeless on the ground.

Rosa took her empty vial from her belt
and filled it with the blood of the Nephilim.

She needed a proof that she had really
killed a Nephilim. Satisfied, Rosa stood up and took a gray
feather.

“
This is my gift,” she
said to herself, and placed both things safely in her belt. Then
she threw the dead Nephilim body in the dumpster. The bodies of the
angels fall to ash after ten minutes. After that, nothing was left
of them.

Rosa wiped her hands on her pants and
sighed. She had done it.

I
’
m a full
member! Oh my God
!

She could not believe it. All the
years she had dreamed about it, and now her wish had been
fulfilled.

Rosa was overjoyed.

Let’s
see what Lord Constantine will say when he finds
out
, she thought.

She started walking to the door, and
as she went to open it, someone suddenly grabbed her
arms.

Rosa fought back immediately as her
senses told her it was a Nephilim.

“
Hold
her,” said a strange voice. Then to Rosa, “You
can
’
t escape,
darling.”

Panic rose within her. She struggled,
but the hands around her were as hard as iron.

Someone stepped in front of her.
Another Nephilim.

“
Well, what we have here?”
he said, stepping in front of Rosa. The Nephilim were huge and
strong.

What did they want from her? Had they
seen what she had done? That she had killed the
Nephilim?

“
A hunter,” said the
Nephilim and his eyes wandered over her body. “And a beautiful one
at that.”

Then his golden eyes flashed
dangerously. “What’s a hunter doing here?”

Rosa fought against the grip of the
Nephilim.

“
Let me
go!” she growled.
Damn it!
Why could she not free herself from the grip? She
had killed a Nephilim just a few seconds ago!

“
You can tell daddy Steven
everything, honey,” he said, smiling. “What are you doing here? Who
sent you?”

“
I won’t tell you
anything,” Rosa hissed angry.

His smile disappeared. “Tell
me!”

“
No!”

The pain exploded in her face. She
hadn’t seen the punch coming. Her head throbbed and she tasted
blood in her mouth.

“
Maybe my powers of
persuasion will make you talk. Otherwise you won’t say it to me,
right?” He smiled. “I hope you’re used to pain.”

“
Where’s Rosa?” Jason
asked Matt. He turned and looked at him, confused.

“
What do you mean where’s
Rosa?” he asked. He seemed to be drunk. “She’s at the
bar.”

Jason shook his head. “No,
she isn’t there. I’ve searched the club. She isn’t
here.”

Matt frowned. “Where can she
be?”

“
I asked you
that.”

Concern was reflected in his eyes. “Do
you think something has happen to her?”

Jason shrugged. “I don’t know, but I
guess not. She can protect herself.”

“
We need to find her,
Jason.”

“
I know. I’ll look after
her.”

Matt took a step forward.
“I’m coming, too.”

“
No, you’re drunk. And I
don’t want you to collapse on the ground.”

Matt squared his shoulders and lifted
her chin. “I’m not drunk,” he replied indignantly.

Jason sighed. “Matt, let me find
her.”

Matt’s eyes darkened. “Why
do you worry about her? She is my friend and not yours. You are an
angel. Angels do not worry about humans.”

Yes, angels do not worry about humans.
But Jason worried about Rosa, even though he shouldn't.

“
This isn’t about whether
she’s my friend or not. It could be that something has happened to
her and we need to find her.”

Matt snorted. “Of course!” He stepped
toe to toe with Jason and he tapped his forefinger at his
chest.

“
You’re just interested in
her safety. But I’ll tell you one thing: She’s mine and you won’t
get her.”

“
Matt,
I’m not interested in Rosa,” Jason lied. He was
so
interested in
Rosa.

“
You’re lying. I can see
how you look at her sometimes, and you think just because you are
so handsome, she will fall for you. But you are wrong. Rosa
is...”

Matt slumped into Jason’s
arms. “Thank you, bro,” Jason said, smiling at Philip. He nodded.
He had knocked Matt unconscious with a blow to the back of Matt’s
head.

“
I’ll bring him to the
hotel while you go look for Rosa,” said Philip as he threw Matt
over his shoulder.

Jason nodded and disappeared from the
club. Where should he look for Rosa? She could be anywhere. The
feeling that something was wrong did not want to leave
him.

Then his phone rang.

Rosa watched Steven through one eye
and a haze of pain as he paced the room.

They had taken her to a house, and
tied her to a chair. Repeatedly, Steven asked her whom she was
working with, but Rosa hadn’t said a word. A hunter was committed
to protect other hunters and the hunter clan, even if it meant
death.

Steven had attacked her
face every time she hadn’t answered his questions. He stood before
her. His dangerous smile did not disappear from his
face.

“
I’ll ask you again,
huntress,” he said, giving her a slap. “Who sent you? Or are you
working for a fallen angel?”

“
I’m here on my own,” she
repeated, glaring at him.

Steven growled loudly and grabbed her
by the hair. Then he slammed her head hard against the wall. Black
spots danced before her eyes and the pain brought her to the edge.
Rosa thought she’d pass out from the pain, which would have been a
welcome respite, but she stayed conscious.

Rosa was aware they would continue to
torture her, when she didn’t do what they wanted.

“
Call Jason,” she croaked
out. Steven had repeatedly punched her in the ribs, so breathing
was a torture. “He knows me. He knows why I’m here.”

The smile on Stevens face disappeared.
He leaned forward.

“
Do you mean the Nephilim
Jason?”

Rosa looked at him. His face had
changed. He suddenly seemed to be nervous.

“
Yes,” she replied,
frowning at his mood change

“
Shit!” the other Nephilim
cursed. “What do we do now?”

Steven ran a hand through his hair.
“We make sure that she tells us the truth.”

Apparently, both knew Jason and were
afraid of him. Why else would they be nervous?

She watched as Steven took his mobile
phone and dialed in a number. He gave her a stern look. “Let’s see
if you tell the truth, hunter.”

“
Jason,” he answered.
“Yes, it’s Steven. Yes, that Steven. There is a hunter who says she
knows you. She is tall, blue eyes, and dyed red hair. Aha. Yeah,
okay.”

Steven hung up and looked at her.
“He’s coming.”

Relief overcame Rosa, but at the same
time, she panicked. Jason would know now that she was a hunter. How
would he react? Or did he know it already? And when he knew, would
he help her to get out?

“
From where do you know
Jason? Are you his girlfriend?” Steven wanted to know. “Or are you
just his toy and have sex with him?”

Rosa glared at him. “None of them!”
How could they just think that she was Jason’s lover?

“
Steve, imagine if he’d
beaten up his lover—we’d be dead,” said the Nephilim.

“
We couldn’t have known!
She killed one of us. We had to take her as a prisoner.” Steven
looked at her, impatience reflected in his eyes. “So, once again.
How do you know Jason? “

Rosa stared at him
silently.

He nodded. “Do you want another
spanking, huntress? Didn’t you get enough?”

An evil grin appeared on his lips.
“Obviously, pain is your drug, bitch. I’ll give it to you
now.”

He struck out for a punch. Rosa curled
up in anticipation, but then something crashed to the ground.
Everyone turned around.

Jason stood in the door.

And he
looked
very
pissed off.

When Jason saw Rosa’s battered face,
something exploded in him. Enraged, he flounced to
Steven.

“
Shit, Steven!” he
bellowed. “What did you do to her?”