A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

my head to the side, gnashing my teeth
against the blinding pain, and peered at Devon’s face.
    “Hold still.” Devon’s eyes—two dark
pools that seemed to suck in the light—glazed over. The chains loosened a
bit, but not enough for me to squeeze through. Devon shook his head.
    Two Shadows appeared beside him, a slender girl
and a tall, blond guy. I turned my head away, not out of respect but to avoid
disrupting their concentration, so they could continue their voodoo stuff, or
whatever they were doing.
    Meeting Shadows here was the last thing I
expected. I was dying to know why my life-long enemies were helping, but I’d
save my questions for later. Someone had asked them for help, and I had a
strong feeling it wasn’t my dear brother. I groaned at the thought of Kieran
storming the Lore court this very moment, falling into Layla’s trap while Amber saved my life. The chains came loose and the pain ebbed to a
bearable level.
    “Get him out now. I can’t hold them in
place,” Devon hissed.
    “I’m not touching a vampire,” the girl
screeched in a Scottish accent, like I carried some contagious disease. “Especially
not a bloody one. That’s disgusting.”
    While their banter continued, I forced my
body into motion, squeezing through the maze of chains now floating mere inches
away from my wounds. Several times I came too close, the sudden pain leaving me
on the brink of unconsciousness. My legs gave way beneath me, and I dropped to
the floor moments before Devon’s concentration slackened and the chains
tightened in mid-air, holding onto something that wasn’t really there.
    I rose to my feet and turned to face my
enemies. “Thank you.”
    Devon scowled. “Don’t thank me, thank Amber.”
    I glared after him as he turned to leave.
What kind of deal had she made with them? Did she even know what she was
getting herself into?
    “Let’s get outta here,” the blond guy said.
    The succubi hissed yet didn’t move. I had no idea how the Shadows kept Layla’s slaves complacent, but it seemed to work. With a wary glance back, I followed
Devon out of the dungeon through narrow catacombs with torches on the walls, wondering
how the Shadow knew the way so well. The stale air smelled of earth and decay,
of burned flesh and body fluids. If the Shadows were bothered, they didn’t show
it. My head throbbed badly. I swallowed down the bile in my throat, and kept
walking.
    A fresh breeze caressed my skin. Devon
quickened his pace until we reached an opening and stepped out into the night. I
realized we were out of London, surrounded by trees and grass. The girl retrieved
a silver phone from her pocket and held it to my ear. “Tell her we’ve kept our
part of the bargain and that you’re okay.”
    At the second ring, Amber’s unsteady voice
answered, “Aidan?”
    “Yes, I’m okay. They broke me out. I’m
coming home.” I barely had time to inhale before the girl snatched the phone
away.
    “Our deed’s done,” Devon said, but he didn’t
leave. “You’re lucky we’re not here to kill you.”
    The girl tapped her booted foot on the
ground as she peered at me, hate pouring from her unnaturally black eyes. The
phone in her hands vibrated. A brief nod toward Devon and the Shadows sprinted
into the night without another word.
    I turned to inspect my surroundings. To my
right, railway tracks stretched into the woods; to the left were concrete
buildings surrounded by high fences. Dogs barked somewhere in the distance. I
had no idea where I was, but there was no doubt I had higher chances surviving here
than in Layla’s dungeon.
    A peek at the black sky told me it was
before midnight. I had to find a way to warn Kieran of Amber’s pact with the
Shadows—if it wasn’t too late already. Ignoring the pain in my thighs, I
walked to the buildings. They looked like warehouses locked for the night, but
I gathered somewhere in there had to be a phone. The dogs threw themselves
against the fence, crazed by the smell of blood. I hesitated for a moment, then
climbed up the fence as fast as I could and jumped to the other side, landing
on my feet. Canines pierced my flesh, tearing through the muscles and tendons
in my legs. Baring my fangs, I spun and growled at them, ready to fight for my
life.

Chapter 16

 
    Clare and the others were gathered in the
library, plotting Aidan’s rescue, going through possibilities over and over
again as though they had all time in the world. I excused myself and