A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

me jump. “Are you okay? You’re white as a ghost. Maybe you’re not into
fashion after all.”
    “I need to rest if you don’t mind. The wine’s
made me a little dizzy.” It wasn’t the wine, I knew it. I had felt the same way
after watching the woman crossing the street with her buggy. The woods made
people see strange things, Clare had claimed. Was it true? Could there be a
connection?
    “I’ll accompany you,” Clare said.
    “No need.” I shook my head. Holding on to
the cupboard door for support, I avoided touching the red gown again. “I’ll find
my way. Thank you though.” Clare’s gaze burned on my back as I hurried out.
Several times I stumbled on the way to the first floor, but I managed to
prevent a fall. As soon as I reached my room, I dropped on the bed and closed
my eyes, nausea building up inside me. I jumped up and dashed for the bathroom,
reaching the toilet just in time to throw up the contents of my stomach.

Chapter 7

 
    Aidan

 
    I paced up and down the carpet, boiling
inside, though I couldn’t let the others see how much Amber’s stroll in the
woods had maddened me. If she hadn’t been there, I’d have won the prize instead
of her. Now I had to fathom a way to save her from the dangers her new ability
brought upon the winner.
    Kieran draped his legs over the sofa and
grinned. “Amber’s gone. To hell with the wine. Break out something a little
more refreshing.”
    “Not with a mortal around,” I said,
irritated. I couldn’t risk Amber knowing what we were; not before she recognized
the bond we shared and fell in love with me.
    “Shouldn’t you take better care of your
employees, Aidan?” Kieran said with a smirk. “Amber’s a sweet little thing, and
so very mortal. Letting her walk in the woods at night with half the Lore out
there, hunting—” he shook his head in mock concern “—let’s just say
the job benefits you offer suck.”
    I spun, jaw set. Why couldn’t my brother
just shut up for a change? “Bro, I swear one of these days I’m going to—”
    Clare burst through the door, interrupting
my words of promised torture and murder. “She’s carrying the prize.”
    “Wow, you just broke the case wide open, Sherlock
Holmes.” I cocked a brow. “And you found out how, apart from me telling you?”
    Clare rolled her eyes. “You’re so bloody
arrogant and annoying. Curb it down a little.” She leaned in. “I’m still a little
confused though. Why didn’t you stop her from entering the shed?”
    “Because I didn’t notice her since I was
busy chaining the Shadows and what else not to a bloody tree.” I took a deep
breath to control the annoyance rising inside me. “By the time I finished, it
was too late.”
    “Amber’s weak.” Clare hesitated. “It didn’t
bother me before, but now that she’s carrying the prize it’ll be a problem. What’re
you going to do with her? How did she figure out the riddle anyway?”
    A good question. No one ever had. I should’ve
killed the mortal right there in the clearing. It could’ve saved me a lot of
trouble. But looking at the soft curve of her neck, I harbored other thoughts.
Fate chose her as my mate. If she died, I’d choose to die with her. Like me,
she could never love another.
    “I say we kill her,” Blake said.
    Kieran glared at him. “You and your
constant need for slaughter. We’re not barbarians.”
    Clare lowered next to him and snuggled in
his arm. “I’m surprised you know such a big word.”
    “I know more than one.” Kieran tugged her
close. “And I’m more than happy to show you.”
    “Hey, focus,” I snapped. “This is
important.” Three pairs of eyes met my gaze, eagerly awaiting every word that
came out of my mouth. They always let me make the decisions. I tired of it a long
time ago. “You forget the Interracial Race rule: once a contestant carries the
prize, he can’t be stripped off it. Either they give it up within twelve hours,
or they carry the skill for the next five hundred years. Let’s just hope Amber’s
compliant and does what we tell her to do, otherwise it might get ugly for all
of us.”
    “You should’ve seen her upstairs.” Clare
shook her head. “She’s not strong enough. She’d never survive the journey. She’d
be drained before she even entered the otherworld.”
    “She should’ve dropped the backpack,” I
said. “It was her choice not to.”
    “What are you implying? You know she won’t
survive on her own,” Clare