Rachel flicked through the channels, trying to find something interesting. They'd ditched the hotel and rented an apartment in a residential complex instead. The place was huge. She had no idea what Daniel needed three bedrooms for, but the place was comfy, well-furnished, and had a great view, so she didn't complain.

On the way back to Bucharest, Daniel had tried to contact Gabriel, but no one picked up. He'd given up as soon as they got to the apartment. Rachel half-wondered if they should be worried, but was too tired to dwell on the thought.

She came across a movie channel re-airing Gone with the Wind. It was her favorite movie, and it was subtitled, so she snuggled between the couch pillows to watch. All I need is some popcorn.

Daniel's rock-song ringtone jolted back to consciousness. She rubbed sleep away and yawned. Wow, when did I fall asleep? The movie was still on. The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

"Danny, phone!" she yelled. Weird. She'd never called him Danny before, but it came so natural now.

She sat up, but before she could get off the couch, Daniel charged out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel around his hips, water dripping down his back. He grabbed the phone and stuck it to his ear.

"Hello?" He winked at her and headed back to the bathroom. "Yes, it's me. What?" He froze in the threshold, the towel slipping from his fingers. He grabbed it right before it fell too low. 

Rachel frowned and sat straighter. He sounded scared to death.

"You're kidding! You've got to be kidding!" His muscles tensed and he leaned against the jamb. "Yes, I understand, but..." He stared at her with empty eyes while the person on the other end of the line spoke.

As much as she strained, Rachel couldn't make out the words, just the rapid tirade. She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, silently demanding information, but he didn't pick up on it.

"Isn't there anything you could—?" Daniel exhaled deeply. "Yes, thanks anyway." The phone slipped out of his hand and hit the floor. The battery flew out of it.

"What happened?" She jumped to her feet and rushed to him, but stopped halfway there. He was way too naked for her to get closer.

"Gabriel is dead. That's why he wasn't picking up." Daniel's voice lacked all emotion as he stared out the glass door leading to the balcony.

Her heart skipped a beat. "What? How? Who did you talk to, then?"

"The other guy who voted for our pardon. Gabriel was killed. They don't know how, why, or who did it. But guess who's on top of the suspect list?"

Rachel's anger kicked her shock in the nuts and took its place. "Us? They're blaming us for this?"

She dug her nails into her palms so hard, she drew blood. Getting angry didn't help. She shut her eyes and turned away. Gabriel must've been one of the most powerful Hunters out there. If someone – she suspected Vlad – had managed to kill him, what hope was there for the rest of them?

She opened her eyes and turned back to Daniel, but he was gone. Rummaging noises came from the room he'd called dibs on.

"Daniel?" she pushed the door open. He was buttoning his jeans while seemingly searching for something. "What else did he tell you?" Her voice came out shaky.

"He mumbled something about some elder, and keeping him out of this." He stopped his search, stared at her for a second, then dropped on the bed. "It's awful, Rach. Our whole plan revolved around getting help. But we're on our own. This other guy doesn't have the balls to help us now that Gabriel's dead. I have no idea what to do."

"Hey, hey." She sat next to him and put a hand on his cheek. "We'll be fine. We've never had help before, and look how well we turned out. So it will take us longer to get to Vlad. Who cares? We'll get to him if it means killing every vampire on this planet one by one."

Daniel smiled weakly. "Thanks. Sometimes I need someone to pull me out of my deep blue funk." He took her hand and rubbed it absently . "It must be insanely hard to kill someone as powerful as Gabriel."

"They managed to kill Max," Rachel whispered.

"Max." Daniel stood. "Of course! Max must've seen this coming. His prediction took this into account. It means there's a way to do this."

Rachel stood too, excited by the prospect. It was great to see Daniel back to his normal positive self. "We just have to figure it out."

"Yeah." His smile faded. "Are you tired? I wanna go for a walk. Maybe we'll get a bright idea."

"Sure, let me just change into something decent."

Twenty minutes later, Rachel and Daniel came out of the subway station next to the University. It was already dark, and the orange streetlights engulfed the scene in tender light, making the old buildings look even more intriguing than in the daylight. She shook away the need to admire the architecture and concentrated on feeling anything unusual.

The news of the Head Hunter's death snuffed out the last feeble feeling of safety. She had no idea how she'd lived for so many years as a Hunter without knowing all this stuff, but she wouldn't trade the knowledge for the world. The tension, action and sense of purpose made her feel more alive than ever.

"Where do you want to go now?" Daniel asked, snapping her out of her aura-scan.

Rachel focused her gaze on the cars turning at the roundabout in front of the University. A group of students flocked toward the subway station, talking and laughing. Some of the boys whistled as they passed Rachel.

She rolled her eyes. "What's their problem?"

"Rach, you're a hot chick, wearing leather. Of course they're gonna wolf-whistle at you."

She looked up at him, trying to keep the smirk off her face. "You think I'm hot?"

"I don't think you're hot. I know you are." He hesitated for a moment. Then, as though deciding that he didn't want her to take him too seriously, he rubbed her head, making curls fly in all directions.

"Knock it off!" She swatted his hand away. "Why can't you ever take responsibility for what you say?"

He shrugged. "You don't take responsibility for what you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She put her hands on her hips, a frown on her face.

"All the cutesy stuff and then the oh-so-righteous attitude." He turned his back on her and started walking around the University building.

"Wait, that's it?" She rushed after him. "I have no idea what that means. Aren't you going to elaborate?"

"Nope." He didn't even turn his head to look at her.

She stopped. "If there weren't people around, I'd shoot you, asshole."

Daniel whipped around, a huge grin on his face. "Love it when the feisty Rachel comes out to play. But you gave me an idea." He marched to her, grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a dark, shady street.

She stuck her heels in the concrete, impeding their progress.

"What?" Daniel let her go. "I know it's not pretty and it smells bad, but it's the shortest route. It's not like I'm gonna push you against a wall and grope you."

Okay, he was joking, but she had no idea why she was taking him seriously. "I'm not so sure about that." That was a pathetic reply.

He watched her through half-closed lids, as if searching for weaknesses. "Would you really be against it if I did?"

Oh, no, he didn't! But the anger wasn't complete. A small shiver of thrill joined it. Half of her wanted to smack him as hard as she could, but the other half yearned for the madness. She'd tried so hard not to think about this, not to crumble under the weight of her feelings, of her desires. But he just had to bring it up.

"Arrogant prick," she mumbled, and walked further down the street, as fast as she could without surpassing normal human speed. Not the best comeback, but he'd actually managed to get to her this time. Was she that obvious?

"Did I hit a nerve?" he whispered in her ear.

Rachel jumped. "What the hell's wrong with you, moving like that? Someone could've seen you."

"No one's around. I checked." He grinned and took her hand. Truce for now. Let's go.

"Where are we going?"

"Not far now."

Even if she felt like stopping and demanding a straight answer, Rachel sucked it in and followed, keeping up with the nearly inhuman pace. Some ten minutes and many side streets later, they reached a big avenue. On the other side of the street was a large park, and on the other side of the park, showered in a golden glow, was the People's House, which housed the Romanian Parliament, one of the biggest buildings in the world. Daniel mentioned it could be seen from the moon, together with the Great Chinese Wall and the Pentagon.

They crossed the street and entered the park. Daniel led her to the back, away from traffic, where some of the streetlights were missing. They stopped next to a busted one. Nobody was around. Most of the joggers and dog-walkers stuck to the safe, lighted side.

"Why are we here?" Rachel asked.

"I've been so self-absorbed lately, I forgot to give you your yearly test. I want to see how much your powers have evolved." He held his hands up and bent his knees. "You're eight now, so you should've developed."

She tilted her head. "Oh, of course. You want to test me. In a park full of people." She tried to keep the irony out of her voice, but couldn't.

"Don't worry about that. I'm focusing on human vibes, so I'll know if someone comes within reach." He took a step closer to her. "Now, hit me."

Rachel's mouth fell open. "Human vibes? You can sense humans?"

"Of course, what kind of— Oh." He straightened and took a deep breath. "We might have a problem here. I can sense humans, wraiths, vampires, Hunters and any other paranormal presence. I never thought you'd be different. What can you sense?"

Crap. Why did she feel guilty about this? It wasn't her fault. But she still shuffled her feet and put her hands behind her back. "Vampires, of course, and Hunters."

"Can you tell me apart from other Hunters?"

"Yeah, sure. You're sweet. Other Hunters are bitter."

Daniel looked as if she'd just thrown up on him. "Sweet and bitter?"

"Yeah. Why? What am I supposed to feel?"

"A force with a different intensity for each type of..." Daniel's voice died as he stared at her with wide eyes. "You're completely different. What do you feel when vamps are around?"

"Headache. And nausea." She wasn't sure what to make of his reaction. At first, he seemed angry, but now he appeared embarrassed.

"Wow, that's not very helpful." He rubbed his chin. "Sorry for being insensitive. I just supposed all Hunters were the same. So, vampires make you sick, Hunters taste like crap – love your instincts there – then humans should be...tasteless, since they don't have any paranormal powers. Like..." He looked around as though trying to come up with an idea. "Water?"

"Okay, water." Rachel closed her eyes, urging her senses to explore the surroundings. 

Daniel's sweet aroma filled the air, making her knees weak. No, focus! She pushed her senses beyond it. A cool fragrance rubbed her face, like small drops of water falling on her skin. And there were a lot of them, though she couldn't tell their precise position. 

"Can you tell where they are?" she asked, raising her face in hope of better reception.

"Yes. Each and every one." Daniel's voice echoed around her.

"Amazing. I can't. I mean, I feel them, but they're only a mass somewhere in that direction." She pointed to her left. "You were right. They do feel like drops of water." She opened her eyes. "What do they feel like to you?"

"Like a breeze, frail and harmless. Except for the bad guys, those feel like smoke." Daniel bent his knees and raised his hands again.

"What about the vampires and Hunters?"

"Vamps give me an adrenaline rush. Hunters feel like people you don't really like, but can't tell why. Though, it depends on the Hunter. Gabriel didn't fall into the category. Now, hit me."

"Vampires give you an adrenaline rush? No wonder you're so excited when it comes to fighting." She wished she'd get an adrenaline rush instead of a twisting stomach and headache. "Can you tell me apart from other Hunters?"

Daniel sighed. "Yes, Rachel, I can. Are you going to keep on talking, or take the test?"

"What do I feel like?" She would've normally swallowed this question and kicked his butt, but she didn't think she'd have the chance to ask again. This was too interesting to pass up.

"You feel like..." Daniel straightened out of his combat position. He closed his eyes and a smile crept up his lips. It was almost immediately replaced by a frown. "Rachel. You feel like you. I just know it's you. Like a tag."

"That's it?" She hated that she sounded disappointed, but she really was. He had no feelings regarding her at all. The warmth of the summer evening was gone.

"Yes, that's it. Testing time."

She didn't feel like testing time anymore. "I'm not going to hit you."

Daniel rolled his eyes and thumped her shoulder. The force of the hit knocked her off her feet. She jumped back into standing position, her fists clenched, her heart drumming in her ears, vision hazy with repressed tears. How dare he? She threw an overhand right, but he blocked it. Frustrated beyond belief, she threw hit after hit in his direction, and he blocked each and every one, a calculated expression on his face.

"Okay, that's enough." He grabbed her fist and pulled her against him, immobilizing her in his arms. "Time to test your speed."

Rachel panted against his chest, her body still aching to hit him. "How did I do?"

"You were right. You didn't hit me." He grinned at her.

Rachel pulled herself out of his arms and punched him in the face. The force of the hit threw him backwards, but he still landed on his feet, holding on to his cheek.

"Shit, Rachel, that hurt!"

"You're lucky I didn't use my full strength. I could've fractured your jaw." She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back on him. She felt a bit guilty, but she was starting to enjoy herself again. "Quit moaning like a little princess and test my speed."

"Fine." He sounded amused. "You'll need something to gauge your speed against." He took his watch off and handed it to her. "Use the stopwatch."

"No, really?" She checked the functions of the watch, but then realized what he wanted to do. "What are you doing? People will see you."

"Not if I'm fast enough." He winked. "Start it."

Rachel pushed the button and watched his blurred form sprinting across the park. Wow, he was fast. She could barely see him. Before she could throw a glance at the stopwatch, he was back by her side, and stopped the clock.

"How did I do?"

She stared at the watch. 5.5 seconds. "Good, I guess? What's the route?"

"Main path, one lap. Go."

Trying not to think of humans seeing her, panicking, and chasing her out of the park with pitchforks and torches, Rachel ran as fast as she could, circling the park once and stopped in front of Daniel. She doubled over, panting and rubbing the stitch in her side. She hadn't run in such a long time. She was really out of shape. "How did I do?" She gasped for air.

Daniel shrugged and strapped his watch back on his wrist. "Jumping time."

"Wait, you're not going to tell me how I'm doing?"

"Shush, whiny. Let's move. Follow me." He ran a couple of feet, bent his knees and jumped over the park's fence, across the street. He landed lightly in the courtyard of the People's House.

Rachel swallowed. It seemed like a huge distance. She frowned, gained momentum and jumped as far as she could. Her height was decent but, as she closed in on the ground, she realized she would land in the iron spikes that decorated the top of the fence. Daniel appeared beneath her, jumped, caught her, and landed with her in his arms on the sidewalk, outside the People's House.

"Okay, that wasn't so good. I'll try again." She pushed him away, but he wouldn't let go.

"No, you don't have to try this again." Daniel put her down and took her hand, pulling her across the street and back to the park.

They jumped the fence like normal people and settled down on a bench. Daniel kept hold of her hand and locked his fingers between hers.

I'm not going to lie to you, Rach. I'm a bit worried.

Rachel swallowed, trying to keep her composure. Was I really that bad?

It's not that you were bad. Daniel focused on the busted light bulb on top of the nearest streetlight. I was just expecting you to evolve a bit faster. I last tested you over a year ago.

"Am I worse?" Her voice came out squeaky. She decided to stop talking.

Of course not. But there's not much progress either. In your first years, you're supposed to skyrocket.

What's wrong with me? She sounded whiny, even inside her own head. But it hurt. Her throat tightened and tears pooled into her eyes. She should be jumping to her feet and demand training, not act like a human hose pipe. But her brave front crumbled under the weight of everything that had gone wrong lately. She sometimes needed to cry too, even if just to unload.

Daniel took her in his arms. "Oh, no, Rach. Don't do this to me. There's nothing wrong with you." He sounded desperate. "You're just special and I can't figure out why."

She gave a wet giggle. "Special sounds like a nice way to tell me I suck."

Daniel's grip on her tightened. "You know that's not what I mean. And, come to think of it, what do I know about Hunter evolution? You could be perfectly normal and I wouldn't know."

"But what if," she sobbed, "I never get better and I'll be a burden all the time?" Half of her screamed, trying to snap her out of her pathetic tirade, but, for once in her life, the sensitive side was stronger. How she wished she could shut it up. She hated being like this, but couldn't help it. Having to depend on someone for protection wasn't high on her list.

"You'd never be a burden. Don't cry, sweetheart. You'll grow out of this stage eventually and kick my butt." He squeezed her tighter, rubbing her shoulders, her back.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat. You called me sweetheart.

Daniel froze in place. Everything will be fine. You'll see. He held her at arm's length, a small crease on his forehead. "I want you to concentrate and tell me what you feel."

She stared at him, wondering where all this was coming from. Did he want to finally discuss what was going on between them? Now, when she was in the shittiest mood ever? She couldn't even concentrate past those questions.

Come on... Daniel tightened his grip on her shoulders.

Rachel winced and pulled back. "Look, I'm not in the mood for games right now. Just tell me what you—" The last word never came out. It had been so long since she last felt the bile rising to her mouth and her stomach twisting and turning. Vampires were around. And, for the first time in her life, she could tell there was more than one. "Where are they?" she whispered.

"It took you too long to sense them." He let go of her and got to his feet. "What if I'm not around? You should pay more attention to your surroundings. You're endangering yourself." He sounded angry.

And he should be. All the conflicting feelings only made her weaker, and she hated it. She stood too, her fists clenched, her blood boiling. Vampires were exactly what she needed to take her frustration out on.

"Rach, steady." He reached out his arm to keep her in line with him, as though he suspected she would rush blindly into the battle.

Three shadows wisped from the trees and landed in front of them.

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T

hanks for reading another chapter of Hunters. Hope you had fun! Leave a comment or vote in case you enjoyed it. And thank you for your support!