A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

saw a neon cord and pulled it. A rusty light bulb
flickered on the other side of the wall. I noticed I was standing in a long,
narrow room with the only entrance above my head.
    The place was one dirty mess with a naked
mattress covering the far side and cobwebs hanging from the low ceiling. “I’m
in a room with no windows. There’s a cooker in one corner and a pad on the left
side.”
    “Describe the room. What does it smell
like? Is there anything else besides the cooker?” Devon’s voice was dripping
with anticipation.
    “It’s dusty.” That was an understatement. “Since
I have no job maybe they should hire me as a housekeeper.”
    Aidan snorted. “Seriously, Amber, would it
really help?”
    “One more housekeeping joke from you and I’m
outta here. Got it?” I walked around, taking in every detail.
    “Sorry, babe. Listen, the book’s there. You
need to find it,” Aidan said.
    With trembling fingers, I picked up a dirty
towel from the bare ground and tossed it across the bed when I noticed the
animal fur. “Oh, God, that’s just disgusting. I see skin shredded to pieces,
like a beast sharpened its claws on it.” My heartbeat accelerated. Whatever
this place was, I wanted out. Now.
    “Keep searching,” Devon said.
    I puffed and turned away to scan the floor.
“Easy for you to say. You’re not looking at dead stuff.” There was nothing else.
No cupboards, no trapdoors. “I don’t think it’s here.”
    “Look harder. The book’s probably hidden.”
    “I’m not blind,” I muttered under my breath
as I skimmed the walls. How big was it anyway? What did it look like? The Shadows
hadn’t even bothered to give me any description or, even better, show me a
picture. If I pretended to search hard enough they’d eventually realize it wasn’t
here.
    I paced the room several times, swirling up
the thick dust. “There’s nothing else, just empty walls and filth everywhere.
If I don’t get a shower soon I swear I’ll—”
    “Search the floor,” Devon said.
    “Dive right in. Oh, why not? I’ve always
wanted to die from asthma.” I cowered on the ground and moved my hands about
through years of dust and what else not. “Nothing.”
    “Have you checked under the bed yet?” Aidan
asked.
    My heart skipped a beat. “You’ve got to be
kidding. What if there’s a monster lurking under there?”
    “Babe, what’re you, five?” Aidan said.
    “Yeah, right. I shouldn’t believe in monsters,
but then again I shouldn’t believe in vampires either.” The shirt on my back
was soaked with sweat; my pulse started to sound like a drum in my ears. Stretching
out my arms, I grabbed hold of the mattress and pulled it up. It was stuck to
the floor, like someone nailed it to the spot, and much heavier than I
expected. With a grunt, I took a step forward, bending my elbows to lift it.
The light barely reached beneath it. As I turned away, ready to drop it, I saw
a bundle pushed to the far side.
    “Nothing? Maybe there’s some sort of vault
or corridor?” Devon said.
    “Please don’t let it be anything dead and
foul-smelling.” My stomach churned as I pushed the mattress aside. After
several attempts of pulling and shoving, my arms ached. I wiped the sweat off my
brows and tried again. The material ripped. I kicked at it until it slid away, revealing
what lay beneath.
    “Amber, can you hear me?” Devon asked. I
heard him, but didn’t reply. No point in raising their hopes, then crushing
them if I didn’t find what they wanted.
    It was a bundle made from skin and fur that
smelled as though the animal hadn’t died long ago. Poking my foot into it, I
pulled the cover aside and let out a shriek.
    “Got it.” Silence. Did they even hear me?
    “Really?” Aidan said, eventually.
    The book was thick and bound in fading
leather with letters and symbols embossed on the cover. I inched closer and
held my breath as I dropped to the floor to touch it. The pages were old and
yellowed, worn out at the corners where fingers had chafed the paper. I couldn’t
stop staring at it, the smell of dust and magic making me dizzy.
    “It’s right here. I’m holding it in my
hands.” I felt proud of myself. There I was, inconspicuous Amber, finding what
a bunch of immortals hadn’t been able to get. It had been so easy, but who
cares? I had it, and now I’d get back home.
    Eventually, I shut the book and lifted it
in my arms. It was heavier than I expected, but not impossible to carry. If I
could pull