''Hey... It's your dear friend Danny. Please put your gun down.''
Jason looked at the man. He was a few centimeters taller and molded than Jason. Honestly, he could not be called muscular. His body was trained to trace, adapt to harsh conditions, and be faster than his prey. Or in order to not be prey. Physical strength was not the hunters' first priority. Speed, agility and a strong mind would come first. Daniel's hair was a lighter brown than Jason remembered, and his skin was darker. His leather gloves had a glow in the dark. He was completing his serial killer image with a black shirt and black pants. The man was identical with Daniel Jason knew. Also, dragon blood was immune to illusions, but... Jason had been wrong before.
''How did I get the scar on my elbow?'' It was a question that only Daniel knew the answer.
The man standing at the bedroom door smiled. ''After basic training, while taking the hunting admission test. We were climbing that damn snowy mountain. Two candidates had given up from our team and we were behind the other teams. That b*tch Sally pushed you. You held on to one of the sickle-hammers left by one of the other teams a few meters below. You injured your arm while pulling yourself up. I was almost having a brain hemorrhage. We were both freezing. But we passed the test.'' Yeah, he was Daniel without doubt.
''And then you broke Sally's arm.'' Jason put his gun down. Daniel sighed with relief and lowered his hands. ''What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?''
''We need to talk. As soon as possible.'' His smile was fake. It was kind and professional, the smile of the best student of the class, but it wasn't real. Some people would be expressionless when they wanted to hide their emotions, he would smile like that when he wanted to hid his real feelings. Daniel rarely hid his feelings in front of Jason. It wasn't a good sign.
''And we need to have this conversation in my bedroom because?'' Eve moved beside Jason. She was still sleeping. Jason was on the side of the bed towards the door. The little girl was sleeping at the side of the bed that is closer to the window. The window and the door were on opposite walls, so Jason was between Daniel and Eve. Daniel was not able to see the little girl behind Jason.
''This is the third time I come to see you. You weren't home last evening and the night before.'' He leaned against the doorcase. ''Where were you?''
''Don't worry dad. I didn't smoke anything.'' Eve exhaled loudly. ''Give me a minute and wait me in the living room, okay?''
''Ja-son?'' Daniel's smile turned into surprise. It took a second to regain his perfect smile.
''Sshh,'' Jason stroked the hair of the girl who wasn't fully awakened, ''Daniel, out. I'll be here in a minute.'' Daniel left the room and closed the door.
''Jason?'' Eve straightened up on her arms.
''I am here.'' His smile was real.
''Who was that?'' She rubbed her eyes.
''Just a friend. Continue to sleep. I'll be back soon.'' Jason got out of bed and looked at himself in the wardrobe mirror. A wool sweater and comfortable pajama pants that have turned gray from being washed. He decided to go inside unarmed. Talismans would keep Daniel out if he had evil intentions.
''But I don't want to continue to sleep.'' Eve grimaced. Instead of looking edgy with her babyish face, she looked cute.
''Wait a few years, then you'll do anything to keep sleeping.'' Jason ignored her protests and covered her with quilt. ''Stay here.'' Then he left the bedroom.
Daniel was stirring a cup of coffee on the kitchen counter. ''I hope you don't mind,'' he said.
''Don't mind that you break into my house or use my kitchen without permission?'' Jason sat down on one of the two chairs in the section of the counter that he used as a kitchen table.
''Coffee. I have good reasons for the other one.'' He sat down on the chair opposite him with two cups of coffee in his hands.
''You're forgiven thanks to make me coffee. I'm dying to hear your reasons.'' He took a cup and inhaled the aroma of the coffee. ''I miss having a roommate who can boil water in ten seconds.''
''Thank you,'' He smiled, and this time it was a real smile. ''It's nice to hear that I am useful besides burning people alive.'' He took a sip of his coffee. ''Can we wait for the coffee to wake me before we start?''
''Sure, how was the Sahara?''
''Hot. Cold. Sandy. Look,'' he brought forward his gloved hands, ''made from skin of a real half cobra shape shifter.'' His gloves were scaly like a snakeskin.
''Impossible. You can't skin shape shifters. They turns back into their human form when they died.''
''I know. Isn't it fantastic?'' He caressed his own hands. ''The traitor we captured was not coming out of cobra form to avoid talking to us. We tried kind ways first, offered bribe and freedom.'' He laughed. ''It needs to skin alive to betray his gang.''
Jason sighed, ''You are a sadist.''
''No, I am not. I don't like to torture. I do it if necessary, but it's not something I particularly like. It's just a part of the hunt.'' He took a big sip of his coffee. ''You know that.''
''Yes, I know that. You want your prey to fight, not to be tied up and helpless.'' Jason drank his coffee in smaller sips. The coffee Daniel heated would not cool unless he wanted it or ran out of power.
Daniel nodded. ''Was she your daughter?''
Jason paused for a moment as the subject suddenly changed. ''No,'' he said. ''I'll be her guardian for just a few days. Then she will go to the Nyx temple.''
''As far as I know,'' Daniel put his coffee on the counter, ''There is no one you are responsible for taking care of. You are a skilled young hunter. Why do you live in the city like a retired or injured hunter?''
'Here we get serious now' Jason sighed. ''I don't like being away from the sea and constantly moving.''
''Then why did you try so hard to be a hunter?''
Jason shrugged, ''The Academia was a place where my talents were recognized and appreciated. A place everyone wants to be in. I was thirteen years old, I was doing what I thought was cool instead of doing career planning. Learning to fight and other stuff was pleasure.'' He took another sip. ''Most importantly, It was a better life than I lived as an orphan and homeless.''
''Yes, it was a pleasure.'' Jason wondered what memory came to life in the man's distant eyes. Daniel looked into his eyes too. ''No matter how much I see, your eyes are shape shifter eyes. I would never believe you weren't a shape shifter if we didn't spend dozens of full moons in the same room.''
''That's why I wear contact lenses.''
''So as not to be the target of an overly skeptical hunter?'' Jason nodded. Daniel finished his coffee with one last sip. He clared his throat and said, ''Is the man named Rajid who wants to see you same person Rajid, one of the richest men in the city? Who is Marguerite you're meeting for on Saturday dinner? And how you have a gun? I had to lay down all my weapons in order to enter the city.''
''How... Did you listen to the messages left on my talisman?''
Daniel smiled innocently, ''I was trying to find you.'' Jason kept staring him. Daniel just kept smiling.
Jason inhaled deeply, ''I don't know if the Rajid you mentioned is the same person as I know. What do you know about him except being rich? Marguerite is a personal issue. Don't mention her again. If you are not in active hunt, you cannot carry weapons in the city, even if you are a hunter. Carrying a long distance weapon is equated with casting a deadly spell in the middle of the city. But you can have it in your house. Self defense issues.''
''But they didn't let my long knives either.''
''You must have pissed someone off.''
Daniel frowned and shook his head. ''Might be. After seeing Rajid in your, umm, message, I started investigating. Nothing yet. Where were you last,'' He looked at the clock hanging on the wall ''no, the night before that?''
''Before continue your questioning, can I ask why you listen to my messages, break into my house and look for me so passionately?''
''I heard... that a hunt will start in this city.''
''Where did you hear...'' Jason looked into the man's worried expression. ''You came to warn me.'' It was not a question.
Daniel smiled. ''Looks like I couldn't reach it in time.''
''Why didn't you leave a message?''
''I did.''
''Ah...'' Jason remembered the talisman glowing with a pale blue light indicating he had a voice message in the back of the shop. He thought that message was from Rajid. ''Tell me everything you know.''