A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

my lungs, hoping it’d wake up the forest and
beyond. My legs turned, ready to head back up the muddy path, but Blake clamped
his hand around my mouth once again, pressing me against his chest until he
squeezed all air out of my lungs. Choking or not, I wouldn’t surrender easily. I
kicked and tried to bite, arms charging to the sides to grab hold of a branch I
could use as a weapon. Clare stepped forward and restrained my legs, whispering
something I didn’t understand.
    “Looks like the lass doesn’t want to be
saved,” Cass’s relative said.
    “Give her a break. She’s been in there for
almost two days. Who knows what kind of stuff they filled her head with.” Clare
pulled a face and tightened her grip, talking slowly as though to a child. “Amber,
this is Thrain . He’s a friend. Trust me and I’ll
explain later.” She took a deep breath. “Bring her to the car. We’ll take care
of any pursuers.”
    I felt Blake’s muscles tensing as I was pulled
up again, speeding down the winding path. We took a sharp bent through the
trees, and kept on running until the path disappeared in the distance. Blake
stopped and peered around before he put me down. Panting, I glanced at him. Our
gazes locked. Something glittered in his eyes.
    The blow, too fast to see, took me by
surprise and sent me flying against a thick tree trunk. Tasting blood, I
scrambled up, my arms raised to protect my face, my head throbbing. What the heck? This wasn’t quite the
rescue I’d imagined. I pictured a white horse and a knight in shining armor assuring
me that everything would be all right. Then it struck me—Blake wasn’t the
king’s brave knight, but the king’s hit man. To be more precise, Aidan’s
enforcer. He had been sent to kill me, right here, right now. The prophecy in my
dream was right on. How could Clare leave me to this fate?
    Blake inched closer when someone moved
behind him. My breath caught in my throat as Aidan threw my assailant to the
ground shouting, “I should kill you for this.”
    A breeze swayed the nearby bushes. Dark,
faceless shapes, thin as veils, appeared out of nowhere, their mouths
whispering words I couldn’t hear.
    Blake rose to his knees, head bowed. “I’m
doing you a favor, Aidan. You’re better off without her.”
    Aidan threw him against a tree with
supernatural force, bark flying around them. “She’s my mate. You’re lucky I owe
you for saving my life once. Don’t ever come near her again, or I’ll forget we
were friends. Now get the hell out of here.”
    Blake disappeared without a look back.
Aidan kneeled beside me. “Are you all right?”
    The shapes inched closer. I gaped at them,
trying to discern their features. “I think I see dead people,” I whispered.
    “Yep,” Aidan said, smiling. “More vampire
jokes. You’re just fine, then. Once this is over, you and my brother will be
BFFs.” He wrapped his arms around me, pressing me against his broad chest.
Against my better judgment, I leaned into him, strangely comforted. I noticed I
was shaking as he carried me to the car, the dark shapes following a few paces
behind. I shouldn’t trust Aidan, shouldn’t trust anyone, but it felt so good to
be near him again.
    “What happened? You just took off,” Kieran
asked as we reached the vehicle and Aidan squeezed onto the backseat, pulling me
close.
    “Just drive.” His voice came low and
hoarse, his warm breath tickling my cheek.
    “What about the others?” Kieran leaned
forward and felt for a pulse on my neck.
    I slapped his hand away. “What’re you doing?”
    “Just checking you’re living and breathing,”
Kieran said. “Maybe we should discuss ways to keep you that way because right
now I feel like strangling you. You got me into a lot of trouble with my brother.”
    “I didn’t mean to sneak off.” He had a
right to be cross.
    “No, no. I get it. You had to do it.”
Kieran’s eyes narrowed. “Believe it or not, I’m a sucker for romance. Two star-crossed
lovers who don’t fit in each other’s world. Kind of like Romeo and
Juliet—just with fangs.”
    Aidan took a long breath. “I said drive.
They’ll find their way back.”
    “Yes, Father,” Kieran said. He started the
engine and sped down the road. I wanted to point out that I’d rather wait to
see Clare was safe, but then I decided to shut up. Aidan knew what he was
doing.
    The tires rattled, gravel crunching under
the wheels, until we reached the main road. The low humming of the