Rachel stepped out of the baggage claim area and scanned the crowd. People leaned against frail metal railings, some with flowers, on tip-toes, waiting for their loved ones, some with homemade signs, waiting for complete strangers, others just hanging in the background.

Outside, the sky was cloudy. Perfect. She'd left her sunglasses in France. Together with all her luggage.

"Welcome to Romania." Daniel said cheerfully, already moving around the railing.

Rachel followed, craning her neck to read the odd writing around her and pick up bits of conversation. She loved traveling.

"Excuse my ignorance, but isn't Romanian supposed to be a Latin language?" she asked while he led the way out of the airport. "Sounds like Russian."

"You don't know Russian." Daniel looked around as though expecting someone. "It actually sounds like Portuguese."

"That sounds like Russian, too."

"I'd love to stand here and explain the roots of the language, but we have work to do." He crossed the street toward the parking lot.

"Grand theft auto again?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of rent-a-car, but if you find it sexier, I'll steal one." He grinned.

Rachel stopped for a fraction of a second then hurried to catch up with him. Why was he flirting with her? And why did she enjoy it so much? He wasn't over Cheryl yet, she knew that. But that didn't stop her entire body from feeling like it was about to combust. Which was weird. Daniel had never made her feel this way before. Heck, Chris had never made her feel this way.

She snapped out of it and concentrated on the procedure of actually getting a car. Daniel conversed with the rental guy in fluent, flawless Romanian, and the two of them were soon inside one of the local brand cars, driving on a four lane road toward downtown Bucharest.

"It's pretty nifty," Daniel said, checking out all the features. "Works well for a seven thousand dollar car."

Cars interested her as much as sports – not at all. Now, if Daniel wanted to discuss weapons, she'd be willing. Rachel sighed and looked out the window. Giant billboards and open fields... more boring than Daniel's car analysis. She looked back at him.

"How long until we get to Bucharest?" 

"A couple of minutes, I guess." He tapped the brakes as they went over a bridge. 

A sea of cars awaited them on the other side, all of them lining up in front of a distant traffic light. A shopping complex, complete with IKEA, stretched to their left. The familiarity of it brought a smile to Rachel's face.

"Where are we going?" she said as they moved an inch forward before stopping again.

"To a hotel. The rental guy suggested a few places. We need a base of operation."

Rachel shifted in her seat. "And how will we pay for all that? We'll need new equipment, too. All our stuff is in France. My credit card is maxed out, and since we're renegades, I doubt the Council will pay us for killing vampires."

"Whoa, hold on a sec." Daniel slowed to a halt and turned toward her. "You thought our money was coming from the Council?"

Rachel frowned. "Well, yes. It's our job to kill vampires, so I supposed we were being paid for it. You gave me that credit card soon after I was turned. You have an identical one."

"Yeah, I know, but the money on it never came from the Council. I'm a renegade, remember? I'm not sure they even pay people for killing vampires."

"Then where is all the money coming from?" Her eyes widened. How come they'd never discussed this before? She could almost hear Daniel saying something like 'who cares where it's coming from?' She cared!

"Hunters live a long life, unless they're killed by vamps. They have time to get into productive businesses. Max did a lot of investing. And, when he died, he left it all to me." His voice quivered the slightest bit when he mentioned Max dying. "The normal cash and the Hunter Gold."

"Hunter Gold?" Rachel asked, momentarily thwarted.

"Yup. Underworld currency. I'm not even sure what that's used for. And I had no idea it existed until I actually inherited it."

"So all this time, I've been mooching off you." She tried to sound casual, but failed. She hated to think she'd been spending Daniel's money. He should've said something.

"Not at all. What's mine is yours."

"What are you talking about?"

"That's how Hunter law works. Max was my maker, so his stuff is my stuff." Daniel smirked. "I'm your maker, so my stuff is your stuff. It's my obligation to sustain you. Kinda like a parent."

"Eww! Don't say that!" 

"The phrase 'Who's your daddy?' suddenly gets a new meaning, no?"

"Stop it! Do you want to put me off you for good?" Okay, she shouldn't have said that. Please, please, please tell me you didn't hear that.

"Why? Are you on me?"

God, why did his voice have to sound so sexy? Think of a comeback, something that's not flirty.

But a thousand flirty answers filled her brain instead. "You wish, smartass. Now, shut up and drive." Okay, maybe that was too much of a shoot down.

Daniel smiled and turned his attention to the road, but she could tell something wasn't right. His grip on the wheel tightened. Rachel pressed her lips together and leaned her head against the windowpane. Before she knew it, she'd dozed off. Images zoomed in and out of focus, and she couldn't tell what was dream and what was reality.

Daniel parked the car along a narrow side street and nudged Rachel awake. Bleary eyed with sleep, she barely remembered the trip from the car, into Hotel Opera, or how she managed to get into the spacious room. As soon as she saw the bathroom door, her thoughts turned from sleep to shower.

A half an hour of bliss later, she stepped out, dressed in a puffy white robe, towel-drying her curly hair. She stopped once her eyes fell on the queen-size bed. There was no sign of Daniel. She should've asked him if he wanted to take a shower first. He surely wouldn't have taken so long.

She yawned and checked the clock. It was two in the afternoon, so she'd have enough time to sleep. She only wished she'd paid Daniel enough attention to know where he was.

She stopped in front of the mirror and checked her face. The scratches from the vampire's claws were almost completely healed, but the scars would linger for a couple of days at least. A wave of repulsion and anger shook her body as she remembered the vampires and the fight.

A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. She could feel Daniel on the other side, so she rushed to open it. He was laden with shopping bags.

"Hey, Rach. Like your accommodations?" He stepped inside and dropped the bags on the bed.

"Yes, lovely. What's in there?"

"Clothes. I thought you might need some."

"And here I was, thinking you wanted to see me naked." Okay, her big mouth had better shut up.

It was like her brain had lost its filter. She busied herself rummaging through the bags to hide her blush.

"I could throw the bags out." His voice came out wary, as if he didn't really want to play along.

"There's only stuff for me in here." She straightened and stared at him.

"Yeah, my stuff is in my room."

What's wrong with me? Why did she think they were sharing the room, sharing the bed? They never did before. For the past five years, Daniel had shared his room with Cheryl. She gritted her teeth and turned away.

"Get some sleep. I'll be back for you after sunset." He was out of the room before she had the chance to answer.

*

"Okay, let's try this again." Daniel reached his hands across the table.

Rachel sighed and turned her attention back to him. She'd been busy admiring all the turn-of-the-century buildings around her. Each and every one had a store or a café as the ground floor, like the one they were in. Some even had restaurants on the upper stories. The historical center was beautiful with its lit buildings, cobbled streets and no car access.

"Rachel, focus."

She gave him her hands, and braced herself for what she knew would follow. He'd been trying to teach her Romanian for three days straight, but so far, her knowledge resumed to str. being the abbreviation for street.

"Here we go."

Images flashed through her mind together with sounds, but it all went too fast. She only managed to get a headache.

"Damn it." Daniel pulled his hands away and leaned back on the couch.

Rachel shook her head and took another sip of her frappe. The sweet drink made her feel better instantly. "Are you sure this is the way Max did it?"

"Yup – with all the languages at once. He just took my hands and put all the information I needed inside my head. But I can't do it. Something is blocking me."

"Am I blocking you?"

Daniel hesitated for a few seconds. "Maybe."

She huffed. "Liar. You just have no idea what to put through."

"It's hard to select the info. I can't just pour everything inside you at once."

Rachel bit her lip to keep from bursting out laughing. She loved it when he was so flustered. And over the past couple of days, he'd been so quite often. The confident, cocky Daniel was gone, bringing forth a much funnier one. She did miss the naughty side of him, and was sure it was still there, merely dormant.

"Okay, I admit, that sounded sexual. You know what I mean."

"Yes, I understand. You're hiding stuff from me." She peeled her eyes off the National Bank of Romania which glowed marvelously in the streetlight, and concentrated on him. "Like what you're doing while I sleep."

"What do you mean? I sleep."

Rachel looked at the two energizer cans in front of him through half-closed lids. "You haven't slept in days. That's how you know where to bring me every night. It's nice, but I'm not your burden, I'm your partner. I don't mind if we search for stuff together."

Daniel smiled weakly. "I don't mind. I like playing guide for you. It's like our own little vacation."

He used to play guide for Cheryl everywhere they took her. Rachel's heart tightened. She wished there was something she could do. She reached out for his hand. Maybe he needs to be with someone else. She withdrew before she made contact. Why did she think that?

"Rach, are you okay?"

"Don't change the subject." She gulped and grabbed his hand. What's going on?

Daniel turned his head, but didn't pull away. It's nothing. You shouldn't be worried. He stood and threw some cash on the table. "We should go get our supplies."

Rachel drained the rest of her frappe and rushed after him. "I can't believe you suddenly want to get supplies now. You don't even know where they are." She grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face her. She tugged a little too hard and their chests bumped together. 

He didn't move away, but stared at her, biting his lower lip. Her heart thumped against her rib cage, requesting permission to jump him. God, how she wanted to kiss him.

She swallowed and tried to concentrate. Look, I'm your friend. Your best friend. I want to help you. A reminder to both of them.

Daniel frowned and looked away. I know you do, but it's not your fault.

Is it Cheryl?

A flash of reddish light broke through her thoughts and turned into a dimly lit room with a bed. A dizzying sensation had her head spinning out of control. She saw shadows and sensed the fear. There was someone on the bed, a woman, screaming and whirling.

The image dissolved and Daniel's dark blue eyes came into focus. Rachel clutched her chest, trying to calm down. Her breath came out in gasps.

"I don't want you inside my nightmares." He squeezed her shoulders. "It's bad enough that I have to see that every time I try to sleep."

"Why are you always trying to protect me?" she asked between huge gulps of air.

Because you're important to me. Let's forget about this and get our equipment.

"Do you really know where to get equipment?"

"Well, after three days of searching, it was about time, too." He took her hand and the two of them headed toward the University. 

Rachel's breath evened out and she tried to make sense of what she'd seen. What was he dreaming? Something about the whole scene made her feel like she should know. She wondered why he showed it to her instead of making something up.

I didn't want to lie to you.

Damnit! Stop listening to my thoughts!

"Let go of my hand, then." He grinned in a way that showed he knew she wouldn't.

Her fingers were half uncurled from around his hand, when she stopped. It was too comfortable to give up. It felt exactly like hand holding was supposed to — Oh, crap! Red, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink...

"Um, Rachel? What are you doing?"

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Why are you reciting colors? If you don't want me inside your head, just let go."

She noticed that his hand was open while she was holding on for dear life. What was wrong with her? She never acted like this. Daniel stared at her, his head tilted, a small worry crease between his eyebrows, as though he was honestly concerned about her. As he should be. She'd gone completely insane. Quick, distraction. Think of Chris! Argh, she'd gotten over Chris already.

"Really, you got over Chris?" Daniel asked, his face brightening. He closed his hand over hers again.

She paused for a few seconds, considering the answer. This was a conversation her big mouth or fat head would lose. A diversion was better. "Why are you talking to me?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

I mean, why aren't you just thinking this stuff? You once told me you're that lazy.

"Oh. I just feel like talking, that's all."

Rachel squinted at him. He was lying his pants off. There was some other reason he was suddenly talk-happy.

Yeah, maybe to prove I'm not holding your hand because I'm too lazy to talk.

Rachel's stomach fluttered. "Really?"

His eyes widened. What? Oh, fuck! He pulled his hand away.

"What's the matter?" She batted her eyelashes. "Forgot it works both ways?"

He stared at her, and she could almost see his cogs turning in search of a dirty joke. She'd fed it to him on a platter.

"It's amazing how well I've come to know you." He took her hand again. I don't even need the dirty joke. You know what I wanted to say. Now let's get our supplies.

Rachel smiled and followed. She wished he'd keep talking out loud.

🦇🦇🦇

Rachel stared at the tall building with Humanitas written on it. She couldn't tell what was on the upper stories. The bottom one was a shop which sold church supplies. Surely, Daniel couldn't want in there. 

"What are we doing here? Don't tell me you want to buy a priest suit."

Daniel smiled. "Don't be an idiot." He headed inside.

As she entered the shop, Rachel analyzed the colorful paintings of saints as well as the shiny church gear. Daniel was already chatting with the vendor in fluent Romanian. The young woman giggled and answered everything enthusiastically, in an almost flirty manner. Rachel felt like picking up a censer and throwing it at her. Okay, think of something else.

Daniel laughed, too. Rachel bit back a giggle. She could tell he was humoring the woman. He could be such a bimbo sometimes.

He nodded toward the woman, seemed to say goodbye and came toward her. Without a word, he led her outside the store.

"What did you just do in there?" she asked as soon as the door closed behind them.

"This is the perfect place to ask around." Daniel went down some stairs that led around a red-brick church situated in the middle of a small park. "The supplies are actually inside this church."

"She told you that?" She couldn't believe a mere human would know where Hunter supplies were.

"No. I tracked the supplies on my own." He stopped in front of the church entrance. "I asked her about Vlad Ţepeş. She found it funny and very tourist-like. She told me where his supposed castle is, and also about his capital city. So we have two places to go. Stay here and keep a lookout. I'll be right out."

Rachel didn't make a move as he entered the church. She didn't mind being left out. Searching for equipment was never interesting. It was always in some church or museum. Hunters had very little imagination. Daniel must've searched the rest of the churches and museums in the city to come to the conclusion that the supplies were here. But some things still didn't add up.

"Why did you ask that woman about Vlad?" she asked as soon as he was out again, carrying two backpacks.

"Because it was very unlikely for evil beings to hang out inside a church supply store." Daniel threw her one of the backpacks and took her hand. Not much in there. Not even proper crossbows.

Why are you complaining? You never use crossbows. You always attack like a maniac.

He chuckled. Yeah, I know. But you're a really good shooter.

Flattery will get you nowhere.

"Where do you think I wanna get?" 

The smile on his face all but melted her. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and leaned toward her. Before she could seriously hyperventilate, he frowned and pulled back. He made to let go of her hand, but she tightened her grip.

"No. If you won't explain your sudden moodiness, try to hide it better."

He heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry, Rach. I wish I could help it, but it's really hard."

"Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"I can't. It's part of protecting you. Just ignore me."

She squinted at him. "I sometimes wish you'd stop protecting me."

"I'll never stop protecting you." He entwined their fingers and walked on, humming. That conversation was over.

🦇🦇🦇

R

achel twisted and turned in bed, but her thoughts wouldn't let her fall asleep. She tried to figure out why her brain had suddenly lost its filter, why Daniel's every action almost made her drool all over him... Sure, there was an obvious answer, but she didn't want to accept it. He was her best friend. She couldn't have fallen in love with him. Not when he acted funny and still loved Cheryl. She turned on her front and sank her face in the pillow.

Get over yourself. He's Cheryl's boyfriend. There, that should put her off him. But Cheryl is dead.

Her truthful inner voice was a bitch. Anyway, if she started anything and he didn't respond, she'd be too embarrassed to ever look him in the face again. And nothing was worth risking their friendship.

But the inappropriate feelings were there, real and eating her alive. She'd never felt this way about anyone. Not Chris, her first love or any other boy she'd ever gone out with. She tried to think of Chris, but she'd gotten over him. She only wished him well, as if he were an old friend.

But Daniel had turned from her prank partner, her confidant, the person who made everything seem easier and funnier into...just that. Except she now wanted to tear his clothes off. Oh, fuck.

A scream brought her out of her inner struggle. She bolted up, listening carefully, her heart beating loud. A second scream had her jumping out of bed. Daniel was in trouble.

She shot out of the room and was in front of his door in a matter of seconds. She pushed it open. The lock tore the jamb. She stopped in the threshold and glanced around the room. Daniel was alone. He screamed again, tossing and turning in bed as if someone was torturing him.

Rachel swung the door shut behind her and hurried to the bed. She clasped his shoulder and shook him gently. "Daniel, wake up. It's alright, it's just a dream." She kept her voice as soothing as possible.

He moaned, his head lolling from side to side. Rachel tightened her grip, and her surroundings disappeared.

She was once again in the reddish room. The image came into sharp focus this time, and she could take in every detail of the bed in front of her. Everything else was distorted. Vlad stood beside the bed, laughing manically while pinning that poor girl down. She thrashed against his grip, shrieking in agony. On the other side of the room, Daniel was stuck against the wall, as though held by an invisible force. He watched helplessly as Vlad tortured the girl, laughing louder with each scream.

Rachel balled her hands into fists. There was no way she'd let this go on. Kicking Vlad's ass inside Daniel's dream might help him. She swallowed the desperation and fear engulfing her and stalked toward the bed. She expected to see Cheryl there, maybe halfway through vampire transformation. Once she reached the bed, she froze. It wasn't Cheryl. There was no golden hair and bright blue eyes. The girl on the bed had curly, waist-length orange hair, and her green eyes were almost completely crimson.

"No, not Rachel, too!" Daniel screamed. 

Rachel stared from herself to Daniel, unable to believe it. His fear paralyzed her. Something hit her, knocking her over, and the room dissolved. Daniel's face appeared in front of her eyes. She was back in the hotel room, on the floor, with him on top of her.

"Thank God you're safe." He got on his knees and pulled her up. "I'm an idiot. I know it's a nightmare, but I can't help it." He hugged her tightly.

Rachel let him have his way, her brain trying to grasp reality again. She still shivered as if she'd come out of freezing water. Her mind buzzed, her body ached and she was too shocked to do anything. She couldn't believe it was her he was so worried about, not Cheryl.

"I'm so sorry you... I'm so..." Daniel loosened his grip on her and kissed her face. "You're safe. He never touched you. He'll never touch you!"

Rachel turned her head, staring at him with wide eyes. His mouth landed over hers and stopped there. For a second, they froze in that position. Then Daniel's hand sunk in her hair, his other arm slipped around her waist and he kissed her deeply, passionately. 

It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. His lips moved in perfect sync with hers, as though doing a well rehearsed dance. His feelings flooded her being like an avalanche, heating up her entire body. She wanted so much more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her emotions fly freely. Her heart beat in tune with his as his hands moved up and down her back. An overwhelming jolt of desire ran through her. As though sensing it, he tightened his grip and pulled her into his lap.

Time seemed to stop and the kiss lasted forever. This was the kind of feeling she could face the rest of eternity with.

🦇🦇🦇

Well, that escalated quickly... Thanks 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!