Chapter 7 The hunt is on

Rowan awakens to the sound of water running from the bathroom. With a yawn, he stretches his swollen muscles from sleeping on a couch. "There is food on the counter." He hears Selena call out to him from the shower as he gets up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and walks over to the small kitchen, looking around for the food. 'How the hell did she know I was awake? he wondered, spotting some muffins and coffee on the counter. Grabbing a muffin, he makes his way back to the living room, taking a seat on the couch as he waits for Selena to get done showering. Looking around the room, he notices the vast array of different items. There was a bookshelf filled with books, a television, a laptop, and several candles scattered around the room. Rowan took a bite of his muffin and looked at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was only nine o'clock in the morning. 

The water from the bathroom stopped flowing, followed by the sound of footsteps and the creaking of the door as Selena stepped out into the main room wearing only a towel. Rowan's eyes widened at the sight, his gaze lingering on the beads of water trickling down her toned legs. "Keep looking, and you're going to get punched," she threatened as she makes her way to her dresser, digging out her clothes. Rowan coughed, averting his gaze from her and focusing on his breakfast. "Go take a shower while I change," Selena commanded, picking out clothes and throwing them on the bed before giving Rowan a gesture to leave the room.

Rowan did as he was told, scurrying out of the room and shutting the door behind him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, and headed to the bathroom. After getting undressed, he stepped into the shower, sighing as the warm water cascaded down his skin, relaxing his sore muscles.As Rowan enjoyed the refreshing shower, Selena sat on the bed, chewing on her lower lip with anxiety. She couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling she had in her gut. As she sat there, a buzz went off as her phone was ringing. She grabbed it off her nightstand and picked it up. "Hello?" she said in a bored tone as she listened to the other person speak. "We are here to inform you about your car's extended warranty. If you wish to know more, please say your ID number," the other person said as Selena rolled her eyes. "Hunter 8971," she mumbled into the phone as the speaker paused and then said, "We have a job available for you; we need someone to locate and eliminate a rouge vampire hunting the city. Contact the scout team wooden bees for further details" before hanging up.Selena groaned in frustration and laid back on the bed.

 After Rowan finished showering, he quickly dried himself off, realizing he has no other clothes. He puts his dirty ones back on with a grimace as he slowly opens the door to her room. Peeping his head in, he sees Selena sprawled out on the bed, looking at the ceiling, lost in thought. "Hey," Rowan called out to her, gaining her attention as she sat up looking at him. "Sooooo, you want to see a vampire?" She said with a shit-eating grin on her face, the thoughts of a mission replaced with the image of Rowans face looking confused and shocked. "Wait what?!" He exclaimed, "I've got a job to hunt a rouge vampire, but if you don't want to risk it, I'll call it off and we can stay in. I'm not going to lie; it will be dangerous for you. It's your choice, Rowan. What do you want to do?" Selena explained, standing up and walking over to him as he thought over the option for a few minutes before nodding his head. "Will you be able to protect me?" Selena smiled. "Of course, just stick by my side." "Alright, then let's go Vampire hunting." He said smirking.

"This is your car," Rowan said, impressed, looking at the red Mustang. "Yep, my baby, "she said, popping the P while tapping the hood lovingly. "1966 Ford Mustang Sally," Selena explained while getting in the car. "It was my dad's," she said before putting the key in the ignition and starting it. "Before you ask, he is still alive," she added while putting the car in reverse and backing out of her parking spot. Rowan nodded. "Ok, cool," he said while putting on his seat belt. 

"Let's go shopping first," Selena said, her nose scrunching up looking at your dirty clothes. "Sounds good to me," Rowan agreed, relaxing into his seat and enjoying the ride.

A little while later, they arrived at a mall. Selena parked, and they both got out and headed into the massive building. "Here," she said, handing him a credit card. "The council gave it to you; they will put your paycheck on it every week," she explained. "Paycheck what for?" Rowan asked, confused. "They told your family you got a job as animal control; it's the cover most hunters use," she explained before seeing the look of concern on his face. "Don't worry, it's just temporary till we get rid of Zarek. Then you can go back to your family," she continued trying to cheer him up. Rowan nodded, understanding, "Okay, let's go shopping!"

The two of them spent a while browsing the mall. Selena dragged him to several clothing stores, getting him some new outfits and necessities. By the time they were finished, they had an outfit for every day of the week for Rowan. Selena smirked, proud of herself, looking at her handiwork. "Time for lunch," she said while walking toward the exit of the mall. "I could eat," Rowan agreed, his stomach growling as they walked out to her car. "Good, we will go to the hunters rest. It's a small cafe where we can get some information about the case while also getting some good food," Selena explained before hopping in the car. "Ok, that sounds good," Rowan said, getting in and putting on his seatbelt as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

After driving for a bit, Selena pulled up to a small restaurant. "Here we are," she said while pulling in to the parking lot. A small log cabin sat on the opposite end of the lot with a wooden sign that read Hunters Rest. They got out and walked in the door as the sound of a bell chimed, announcing their arrival. "Welcome to Hunters Rest," a petite woman with long red hair said. "How many today?" she asked in a chipper voice. "Just two," Selena answered as she led Rowan to a table by a window. "So, what have you been doing, Selena?" The waitress asked, pouring water into two cups for them. "Baby sitting duty" She responded back, motioning her head towards Rowan. "I would hardly consider myself a baby," he grumbled, annoyed at the comment. "I wouldn't ether." The waitress said, eyeing him up as her small tongue flicked across her lips. 

Selena's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Lilly, he is off limits." She growls at the woman, "Of course, of course, whatever you say." Lilly responds back, not caring about Selena's threat, before walking away with a sway of her hips.Selena shook her head in annoyance as she saw her old friend walk away. "That is Lilly; she owns this place," Selena explained while grabbing the menu and opening it to browse. Rowan did the same, looking at the menu, and decided on an Italian sub. After ordering their food, they settled down to talk.

 "So you said there are vampires in the area that's attacking humans?" Rowan began to talk, leaning forward slightly with interest. "Yes, I'll be meeting up with the scouts to see if we can get a location for their hideout. If we find them, we kill them," she said simply with a shrug. "Hey little, have you heard of where the wooden bees ran off to?" Selena asked as she brought their food over. "Yep, last time they checked in, they were heading to the forest east of here to keep an eye on some vampires."Selena nodded as she tore into her raw steak. "Thank you, that helps," she said with her mouth full. "You're welcome anytime, hun; bring your cutie of a friend too," she giggled, winking at Rowan, who blushed embarrassed as Selena rolled her eyes at her antics.After eating their fill, Selena and Rowan got back in the car after paying the bill.

"The receipt," Selena said, holding out her hand as Rowan handed it to her. She turned it over to reveal a set of numbers on the back, and Rowan cocked his head to the side curiously. "It's Lilly's number," Selena growled. "That succubus," she spat the word tearing up the innocent piece of paper. Rowan chuckled, amused at Lilly's antics. "Succubus?" he questioned. "Yeah, they feed on sex, semen, and energy, usually leaving the person as a drooling mess or even killing them if they take too much," she explained angrily. "Wait, so Lilly wanted," Rowan said, connecting the dots. "To fuck you, yes, I was serious about what I said before: being a hunter is dangerous for anyone in the supernatural community, Let alone a newbie human and I won't allow anything to happen to you," she declared seriously, her instincts making her protective of Rowan for some reason unknown to her.

"We are here," Selena announced as they pulled up to a forest as the sun was lowering over the canopy, bathing the forest in golden rays. "Uh, who are we meeting?" Rowan asked nervously, opening the door to get out. "Argh," he chocked out as Selena dragged him back to his seat by the collar of his shirt. "Don't get out. The scouts should have noticed us and met us here," she explained calmly, scanning the woods for any sign of movement. The only movement was the wind blowing on the limbs of trees and the birds flying between branches. "Are you sure about that?" Rowan asked with sarcasm as Selena sighed annoyed. "Im sure about that," she retorted back. "Well, I don't see anyone." "No sh*t, Sherlock." Selena glared at his sass. "Ok, ok, sorry. "Just stay in the care and here we have this," she said, reaching in between her tits and pulling out a small silver dagger. "Do you keep it there?" Rowan asked, blushing at the dagger.

"Stop being a horny teenager." She rolled her eyes. "I'm a hunter, I'm always armed, and vampires hate silver; it's like poison to them if they get stabbed by it," Selena explained before climbing out of the car. "Stay here," she stressed, looking at Rowan pointedly as she got out. Rowan watched Selena get out of the car and start walking toward the treeline of the forest as she looked around. "Fucking elves, fucking vampires," she cursed at everyone she could think of. "Fucking stupid kid," she continued as she walked into the forest. "Stupid horny instincts.".