Hunter

XXXVIII

Jade groggily woke up, her legs swinging over the edge of the bed. She pushed stray hair away from her face, her other hand reaching out to push open the door of her room. Spicy smells wafted from downstairs, and her stomach growled hungrily. The word 'Mom' formed on her lips, before she remembered where she was. She idly rubbed her torso, trying to feel for any bruises,  and trying to remember the dream she had.
She remembered blue. Lots of flashes of blue that burst from behind the figures of people. Jade pressed her clammy fingers to her temples, rubbing tense circles over and over again.
She walked back into the room and leaned against a wall. She looked over at the wide windows pressed against the walls like wallpaper.
If she could break one of them, she could get out.
Jade tensed, closing her eyes and readying her legs to propel her forward.  She charged, slamming her shoulder and upper body into the window.
The glass didn't give way at all, and Jade clutched her shoulder, cursing loudly.
She realized that she had smashed the window, or, at least, tried to, with the shoulder that the vampire had bitten. So why didn't it hurt?
Then she remembered how she had felt all warm when Cairo had touched her hand. Remembering the heat made her feel sickly, like she was sitting in front of five heaters, turned all the way up.
Had he healed it somehow? What exactly was he, to have that kind of power?
She shook off the thought, and rubbed her shoulder again. She glanced at the rod holding the curtains of the window, and she jumped. It felt incredibly light in her hands once she grabbed it.
Jade swung it against the glass, but it didn't do anything to the window. Not surprising.
She ran at the window, but again, nothing happened. The window merely shimmered at her, like the teeth of a teasing grin. It made Jade curse, and she suddenly jumped, kicking it with her foot.
But, of course, nothing happened. Her foot throbbed, and she massaged it as she collapsed on the bed.
She stared at the ceiling, chewing on her nails. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. She looked at the glass barriers around her room.
What the flipping shit are these freaking windows made of?!
Jade lay there for a few minutes, before getting up to  a particularly painful rumble in her stomach. She steeled her nerves, and stepped out of her room. She lingered in the hallways, snatching any heavy object and stuffing it in her room. Jade meandered through the halls and the stairs, noting some locked rooms, and other suspicious looking objects. She finally slipped  down the stairs, deciding to try breaking out again after she had some food in her. She would needed some energy, and she didn't think she could resist the smell of that food for too long.

She walked down, into something like a dining room. She guessed the kitchen was across from it, and she eyed the pots and pans hanging on the walls. She had barely put her foot over the threshold before Cairo turned away from the stove, smiling sweetly. It all but melted Jade, and she clenched her fists.
He beckoned her in and Jade walked in. "Oh, you are awake. I though you would be hungry, so I made some food." He gestured at the dishes behind him. Cairo grabbed a few, balancing some on his caramel-colored arms and carrying them out to the dining table.
Jade licked her lips, the smell of the food even better up close.
Cairo pulled out a chair for her at the dining table, and she sat down after shooting him a look.
He sat across from her, gesturing at the food. The smile he flashed made Jade even more suspicious. What was this bastard up to?

She looked at the food, deciding that that investigation could wait.

Jade piled her plate with rice and lamb chops, pouring a helping of curry over top.  Her nose almost exploded with the smells of the spices, cinnamon, and meat.

She took a bite, and was assaulted by a group of vibrancy of flavors. Spicy, sweet, salty, juicy. They went so well together; she kept on taking in bites. Her tongue greedily took in the spoonfuls of rice, lamb, and curry. She barely took a breath before the next bite was already in her mouth.
In what seemed like a few minutes, her plate was empty, and she was already taking seconds.
Cairo laughed gently. "I am glad you like it." He took a small morsel of food, before adding,"It took some effort to make."
Jade nodded her head absently, still gently inhaling the food on her plate. The flavors seemed to change every time she took a bite. Even the water she occasionally sipped had some sort of tang to it.
Finally, after finishing her third plate, Jade took a deep breath. Her stomach still felt, strangely, empty. It was unnerving.  She took another deep breath, squeezing her
"Cairo?" She kept the brashness out of her voice, trying to sound sweeter.
"Hmmm?" He looked up, his eyes searching her face. His ears twitched, trying to recognize the sudden change in her voice.
"Why did you take me?" Somehow, Jade managed to keep her voice nice and light. She felt some accomplishment, looking at the affect her new voice was having on Cairo. She widened her eyes, pouted her lips. She gently ran her fingers through her hair. The immediate affect her show was having was astounding. His cheeks were pinking, his ears twitching! Jade managed to keep a triumphant grin to herself.
Cairo looked at her, slightly embarrassed. His cheeks were still colored.  "I saved you."
"From what?" Jade asked, batting her eyelashes. She snickered to herself. God damn, she was good!
"The enemy. The venator."
Jade's brow furrowed, as she lowered her voice to a sultry whisper. "I told you,  Aric isn't my enemy."
Cairo sighed, putting his spoon down. "In our community, he is very well known."
Jade was confused, and Cairo must've read that in her expression, despite the magic that she was obviously working.
"Has he ever told you how his family died?"
Jade nodded slowly. "Yeah, he said they died in a car crash."
Cairo smiled ruefully, his lips pulling tightly over his sharp canines "He did not mention the harpies, or what he did?"
"No....."
Cairo sighed again, walking over to where she was sitting. Jade almost immediately stiffened, before she remembered she had to seem innocent if she wanted to learn anything.
He sat in the chair next to her, putting his hand on her arm. His fingers gently squeezed her arm, before lingering down to her hand.
"I want you to understand somethings. I will let you leave, as long as you do not go back to the venator." He paused for a bit, leaning in. He looked straight into Jade's eyes, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. He continued, "Also, my brethren and I, are your friends, and unless we are attacked by you, we will not bother you. We will not hurt you. You are like a..... a third party. So far you are doing well on your own."  His eyes glinted as he leaned away for a moment. Like he was about to stop talking.
Jade nodded slowly, making sure he could glimpse at her big, innocent, brown eyes. It worked, and he took a breath before talking again.
"I want you to imagine yourself as a young girl, barely 10 years of age. Now I want you to imagine your family. Imagine you have an older brother, and loving parents. Now imagine they are taken away somehow. How would you feel?"
Jade didn't know where this was headed, but she answered. "I would feel upset."
Cairo nodded. "Exactly. Your 'friend' is not totally stable. He is....quite vengeful. He does not like to be treated unfairly."
Jade was silent, biting her lip roughly.
"A while ago, there was a very young boy who rampaged through cities, destroying what he thought was evil. He only destroyed and as a result, he did not sleep much. So how stable do you think this young boy was?"
Jade didn't say anything, only glaring at him.
Cairo nodded. "Your friend is not totally stable; he has somewhat of an anger issue. It is an, ah, side effect of his childhood trauma. You must be safe, you do not truly know how much you should trust him."
Jade protested, starting to get angry. The innocent act she put on was starting to wash away like she was in a heavy rain. "You don't know anything! Aric wouldn't hurt me! He might've done something in the past, but if your entire family was wiped out, don't you think that would jack you up?"
Cairo was only quiet, walking back to his seat. "I am only telling you to be careful."
She shot a fiery glare at him, going back to her food.
Jade got the idea, but she didn't want to dwell on it. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't believe it.
Aric was a good person, who genuinely cared about her. He had no motive for all this.

"Bullshit,"Jade muttered, taking a sip of water.