Changed (The Hunters #1) (51 page)

Rosa understood Valerie, and she
wasn’t mad at her for not telling her before.

Her discretion came a little too late,
and it didn’t mean anything. Rosa couldn’t leave the hunter clan,
if she didn’t want to die.

“
Did you find the plan of
the Nephilim?” Valerie asked.

Colin was still frowning. Obviously,
he was still thinking about what Valerie had told them, but now he
leaned forward.

“
Yeah, that I would like
to know, too,” he said. “Because of that Nephilim you’ve committed
a betrayal.”

Rosa grimaced. “Thanks for reminding
me.”

Colin smiled.

“
And?” Valerie urged
her.

Rosa took a deep breath. She wanted to
tell her friends the truth.

“
Yes, I found out the
plan,” she began. Colin and Valerie opened their mouth to say
something, but Rosa lifted her hand to keep them silent. “But
things have turned in a different direction than I had originally
expected.”

Valerie arched an eyebrow. “We’re
listening.”

Taking another deep breath,
Rosa began to tell: that she had fallen in love with Jason, and
that she wanted to help him, that he had changed her
life.

Colin and Valerie looked at her in
silence, when Rosa had finished. She swallowed and used all her
will power not to hide behind something.

She, who hated the angels so much, had
fallen in love with one, and had broken yet another
rule.

Colin spoke first. “Wow, I hadn’t
expected this, but if he makes you happy, Rosa, then you shouldn’t
be embarrassed because you love the enemy.”

“
I agree with Colin,”
Valerie stated as she looked at Rosa gently.

“
You’ve lost so much,
Rosa, by entering the hunter clan; not just your dad, but your
life, too. I think you deserve to be happy, finally.”

Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes.
She was stupid for thinking that her friends would blame her for
her love of an angel.

“
You guys are so amazing,”
Rosa said, trying to hold back the tears. Colin and Valerie hugged
her.

“
But I can’t be with him,”
Rosa said and sighed sadly. “Not until I leave the hunter clan,
which will maybe happen never.”

“
Someday you will be with
him, Rosa,” Colin said to her and smiled. “Someday you can call him
your boyfriend without getting killed by this wish. Someday you
will have your happy ending. Because love doesn’t know any limits,
love doesn’t know any rules or enemies. Love is just the thing that
the heart wants—and love will always find its way to come
out.”

Exactly one o’clock in the
morning Rosa and Jason met, like they’d arranged it.

After Valerie and Colin had
gone, Jason had informed her about the plan and disappeared
quickly. To pass the time, Rosa had talked with Matt on phone and
had tried to sleep a little, but her excitement didn’t allow much
rest.

She couldn’t think of anything else,
other than to free Jasmine.

In the forest behind the academy,
Jason and his friends were waiting. Rosa wore her hunting outfit.
Her mask she left home. In this case, she didn’t need to hide her
face.

Jason smiled at her as she stopped
before them. Rosa nodded. She was now the serious
hunter.

“
Only we four will attack
the academy?” Rosa asked, raising her eyebrows. Her eyes wandered
from Jason to Philip and to the girl that seemed familiar to
her.

“
No,” Jason replied. “The
others are waiting for my command.”

Rosa nodded and looked at the girl. “I
know you from somewhere.”

“
I’m ... was a hunter.
We’ve seen each other around,” she replied and held out her hand.
“I’m Milena.”

“
Rosa.” Rosa clapped her
hand in Milena’s and shook it.

Rosa turned to Jason again. “Jason, I
know where Jasmine is.”

His eyes lit up. “What?
Really?”

“
Yes. I just have to steal
the key and we can deliver her. Philip and Milena, you will try to
get the book while Jason and I free Jasmine. Got it?”

All three of them nodded.

“
Do you really want to
betray the hunter clan?” Philip asked. He eyed her
skeptically.

“
Obviously. Otherwise I
wouldn’t be standing in front of you.”

Philip nodded and smiled a
little.

“
So then we go,” Jason
said.

They marched off. With each step
Rosa’s excitement increased, but with that her guilt increased,
too.

I’m
doing the right thing.
This time
I am doing the right thing,
she told herself.

They stopped when the Academy came
into view.

“
Tell your angels they can
attack,” Rosa said to Jason. He nodded and squeezed her hand. She
had taken a sip of her magic potion, so she could touch Jason, if
she needed.

“
Well, let’s betray the
hunter clan again,” Rosa murmured to herself.

Before they entered the academy, hell
broke out in seconds.

Several angels jumped
through the window into the academy. The alarms began to
ring.

Immediately hunters stormed
out of the room, and began to fight against the angels.

Rosa nodded to Philip and Milena. They
nodded back and ran off. Jason wasn’t behind her. He was fighting
with a hunter, who had attacked him.

Rosa didn’t have to wait long for her
attacker.

The Nephilim attacked her, his fists
flying directly to her face. She reacted instantly. Rosa dodged
under his arm and punched him in the stomach. He grunted but didn’t
lose his balance.

He attacked her again. Rosa bent down
to avoid his punch, but at the same time, his knee hit her in the
face. A huge pain spread through her face as she saw stars for a
moment.

The Nephilim grabbed her by the hair.
With an angry cry, Rosa supported herself with her hands on the
ground; she heaved her foot, kicking him in the stomach, over and
over.

He gasped and let go of her. With
another kick, she shoved him on the ground. Without hesitation, she
stabbed her dagger in his heart.

Directly, the next Nephilim attacked
her. Rosa blocked his attacks. She was in rage. The adrenaline was
pumping through her veins. When she killed the Nephilim, she saw
how the angel had killed her father in front of her
eyes.

Rosa killed the other Nephilim,
too.

And she wanted to kill more. She was
in a frenzy.

Concentrate, Rosa! You’re not here to kill every Nephilim!
You’re here to help Jason
, her inner voice
told her.

Rosa shook her head to get out of the
frenzy. Her inner voice was right. She needed to help
Jason.

Then Rosa kept an eye out for Jason.
He was fighting against two hunters. Rosa hurried to help
him.

With the handle of her dagger, she
struck the one hunter on the head, knocking him
unconscious.

Bad conscience plagued her when she
beat her own people unconscious. She consoled herself with the
thought that she was doing the right thing.

“
Are you okay?” Jason
asked her breathless. Rosa only nodded. Her face still ached from
the blow and warm blood was running down her jaw.

“
Let’s go to the cells!”
Rosa said to Jason.

Rosa ran ahead, Jason followed her
closely. Angels and hunters were still fighting with each
other.

When Rosa came into the entrance to
the dungeon, she found that the guard wasn’t there.

Shit! What do I do now?

“
What’s going on?” Jason
looked at her. His face was sweaty and hurt.

“
The guard is gone! He had
the keys to the cell! Damn it.” She placed her hand on her
forehead. “I’m so stupid! I should have taken the key
earlier.”

Jason grabbed her arms. “Hey, it isn’t
bad. I have a weapon. Do you think that we can open the lock with a
gun?”

“
Yeah, I think so,” Rosa
said.

“
Then we’ll
try.”

She nodded and they ran down the
stairs to the dungeons. Her eyes took a while to get used to the
darkness.

“
Follow me,” she said to
Jason over her the shoulder.

“
Okay.”

It seemed like a long time for Rosa to
reach the wall. Finally, they stopped in front of the wall. Jason
looked at her with a quizzical look.

“
We need to push the
wall,” she told him, placing her hands on the wall.

Jason quickly understood what to do,
and together they pushed. Rosa crawled through the gap and ran to
the cell. Jason followed her.

“
She’s here,” Rosa said,
pointing at the heavy metal door.

Jason slammed his fists against the
steel door. “Jasmine! Can you hear me? Jasmine!”

“
Jason,” a faint voice
came from the door.

Jason sighed in relief, and he touched
the door with his forehead. “Yes, I’m here. I will get you out of
here. Get away from the door.”

A slight “okay” was to be
heard.

Jason stepped back and pulled out his
gun. He pointed it at the locks. With five shots, he broke the
lock. He put the gun down again and opened the steel
door.

“
Jasmine,” he whispered,
and a petite girl fell into his arms.

“
Oh God, Jason!” his
sister sobbed. “I thought you’d never come.”

He stroked her hair. “You should never
think something like that. I would never leave you.” He kissed her
hair. “I’ve missed you so much. I love you, kiddo.”

“
I love you, too.” Jasmine
was crying on his shoulders.

This scene touched Rosa’s heart. It
was heart wrenching to see the two siblings, but they needed to get
out of here

“
We need get out of here,”
Rosa said.

Jason nodded. “Can you walk, Jas?” His
voice was so loving and caring.

“
I think so,” said
Jasmine, and stood up on wobbly legs. Her black hair was matted and
dirty. The clothes she was wearing had seen better days, and her
face was haggard and pale, but the similarity between Jason and her
was unmistakable.

“
You’re twins,” Rosa said
surprised. And she recognized Jasmine. It was the same girl on the
photo in Jason´s apartment.

Jason looked at her, smiling. She had
never seen him so happy.

“
Yes, we are.” Then he
looked softly at his sister. “But I’m seven minutes
older.”

Jasmine smiled at him then she began
to cough, until her body shook.

“
Let’s get out of here
quickly,” said Jason.

Rosa went ahead again. She closed the
wall with Jason’s help, and they walked to the exit.

Suddenly the guard appeared. His eyes
flicker from her to Jason.