A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

Was he even
old enough to drive?
    Aidan shot me a smile. “You okay?” When I
nodded he turned back to the road and peered toward the sky.
    This was it: the moment I had dreamed of,
alone with Aidan, and my mind blacked out. Talk about the weather? Nah, too
bland. About Scotland, the news, politics, anything. Fragments of an article
popped up in my head: ask questions about him. Let him know you have things in
common, but don’t make him feel like he’s been summoned to stand trial. I took
a few breaths to put my slow brain into gear and steadied my voice. Never had
making small talk seemed such a bleeding hard task. “How long have you been
living here?”
    “You mean in Scotland?” He didn’t give me a
chance to reply. “I was born on Skye and moved here a while back.” Somewhere in
the distance, backlights flashed twice and Aidan accelerated.
    “Did your parents move here because of the
solitude?”
    He laughed. “It’s quiet compared to London,
isn’t it? We lived there for a while, but it’s not a pleasant place.”
    “How old are you?” I bit my lip and
regarded him from the corner of my eye. It was a personal question. Maybe too
personal?
    “Older than you,” Aidan said, avoiding a
clear answer as usual.
    Heavy drops pattered against the
windscreen. Aidan switched on the wipers. I tried to read his expression. He
appeared relaxed, hands clasped carelessly around the steering wheel, betraying
nothing. Too cool, too confident—I wished I could be at ease like that.
    “Time to talk about you,” Aidan said. “Any
regrets you moved here?”
    I shrugged. “Not really. I think I’m
getting used to the silence.”
    “If you were given the chance to stay here
or move back, what’d you choose?”
    What a strange question. I moistened my
lips. His expression remained impassive, fixed on the street. “I don’t know,” I
finally said. I didn’t miss traffic-ridden London, but I felt bad for not
missing Cameron either. “I guess I’d go back.” It was a lie. I knew it the
moment my mouth uttered the words.
    Aidan snorted, the slightest hint of
annoyance crossing his face, and then his smile returned. “You may change your
mind by the time your placement ends.”
    “Maybe.” My heartbeat sped up again. Did he
want me to stay? Don’t get your hopes up .
It didn’t mean anything, I reminded myself. “Harry said you work in Inverness?”
    “Yes. I’m a freelancer.”
    A freelancer could do thousands of things. I
waited for a narration of his job duties, but it never came. Should I ask, or
would it sound like an inquisition? Ah, toss it. “What is it that you do
exactly?”
    “People pay me to do stuff for them,” Aidan
said. “I read on your application you’re about to start college. Is marketing
your thing?”
    The sudden change in topic didn’t fail to
register with me. Whatever his job entailed, he obviously didn’t want to share
it with me. Was he self-conscious? “I think so. I was supposed to start an
unpaid position in an agency to find out, but money was tight, so I had to get
a job instead.” We drove out of the woods, the rhythmical rattle of the car
engine barely audible. I relaxed a bit as I focused on the white centerline of
the road.
    “What about your parents? Can’t they help?”
Aidan asked.
    I shook my head. “They have their own
worries. I wouldn’t want to bother them with mine.”
    He shot me an amused look. “Do they know
you’re here?”
    “Of course they do. I’m only seventeen.” I
smiled. “They think I’m interning in Inverness.”
    “In god-forsaken Inverness?” He laughed and
I found myself laughing with him. “That’s a good one. I bet every firm in
London would be impressed.”
    “They’re sweet souls. I feel bad for lying
to them, and even more so knowing they trust me implicitly,” I said.
    The car took a sharp bend, gravel crunching
under the tires.
    “We’re here.” Aidan stepped out and opened
the passenger door, then held out his hand. As our fingers met, a jolt of
electricity ran down my spine and my breath caught in my throat. He pulled me a
little too close, towering over me, his gaze lingering on my lips before he
slammed the door and intertwined his fingers with mine. My heart hammered in my
chest. What was he doing? I glanced up at him, but he turned to the side,
unfazed by my questioning look.
    The cobblestones glistened in the dim
moonlight, the air smelled damp. Somewhere in the distance, I heard waves roll
in