A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

wide-eyed, unable to move my legs. What was happening to
the guy?
    Something whispered in my ear to get away
from there before Connor woke up. I bolted up the street and through the gates
toward the house. I didn’t dare stop until I reached the front door, locking it
behind me, then went about locking the backdoor too, but I knew instinctively
Connor wouldn’t follow. I figured he hadn’t been lurking outside the gate
because it was more fun than breaking in and kidnapping me from inside the
house. Aidan had called him a friend, but that’s a relative term. His
definition of friendship probably differed greatly from mine. I sensed there
was some sort of fear that kept Connor from entering Aidan’s property. Shaking,
I poured myself a glass of water, spilling half of it as I returned to the
safety of my room, still pondering.
    I spent the day packing my belongings and
checking my phone in the laundry room where I had reception, jumping at every
sound. Dallas didn’t call. Telling my parents or Cameron of my predicament was
out of the question. Who’d believe me? Besides, I wasn’t keen on risking their
lives.
    At the first signs of dusk, I grabbed the
rosary my mother gave me and strode down to the kitchen to wait for Aidan. The
cross was tiny, barely larger than my fingernail, but it boosted my confidence,
instilling a false sense of safety in me. I poured a glass of water, spoke the Lord’s
Prayer and dipped the cross into it. It was the closest I’d get to holy water,
but I figured a prayer was a prayer, with or without a vicar to say it.
    The door in the hall opened and closed, and
Aidan’s footsteps retreated up the stairs. Fury rose inside me at his shameful pretense.
He could claim he came home from work all he wanted, I knew he had been locked
up in that room, sleeping in his coffin, or whatever.
    I should’ve left. If he was a vampire,
killing came with the job description, but Connor might still be out there,
lurking in the shadows. For some inexplicable, utterly irrational reason, I trusted
Aidan more than I trusted Connor. If he wanted to kill me, he could’ve done so
instead of engaging in mindless smooching. I wouldn’t let a hot guy with a
talent for pulling girls play havoc with my life. Taking a deep breath, I
yanked the door open and stomped after him, fingers clenched around the water glass.

Chapter 11

 
    Aidan

 
    I could sense Amber’s bad mood as soon as I
opened my eyes. Her usual nervousness was gone, replaced by maddening rage, and
I didn’t have the slightest clue what was wrong with her. I stretched and rose
from my four-poster bed, kicking the scarlet silk sheets aside. A preference
for a lavish lifestyle was the only thing Rebecca and I had in common. I just wished
I’d known that before falling for her deception, but then again I wouldn’t be
here with my true love, ready to start a new life far away from the Lore court
and the threat my world posed to a mortal.
    The hearing was tonight, in the heart of
London. I’d use my ability to teleport there. Even though it weakened me, I had
to get there and back as soon as possible because I couldn’t trust Amber’s
safety into Kieran and Clare’s hands. They were strong vampires, but also
careless: Clare was too trusting of everyone crossing her path, and Kieran
always underestimated everyone else.
    I took a quick shower and dressed in my
usual ripped jeans and black shirt, then teleported onto the driveway, ruffled
my almost dry hair and entered through the front door. It was a routine I
performed on the rare occasions I had mortals around, bar the beauty part. That
had started only after Amber’s arrival.
    Amber was in the kitchen. Hot waves of
anger wafted from her as her heart thumped in her chest, pumping that delicious
blood that kept calling me like no other. I walked up the stairs to my study when
the door flew open and Amber appeared, cheeks flushed as though she’d hurried
to catch up to me.
    “Having one of those days when everything sucks
but the vacuum cleaner?” I smiled and cocked a brow, suppressing the urge to
grab her in my arms. Her heartbeat sped up, hammering against her ribcage. She
moistened her lips. I stared at her mouth, wondering whether she’d slap me if I
just kissed her.
    “You lied to me.” Amber inched closer and
poked a finger in my chest, eyes widening when I didn’t flinch. Fury blazed in
her gaze. “I’ve no idea what game you’re playing, but I quit. You can look