A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

you
should’ve let the others handle the situation.”
    “Ha. If I did you’d be dead by now.” I felt
the first pangs of anger. Of course he’d play the good guy. He had his role
mapped out in great detail: get me to trust him, and then stab me in the
back—or should I say, stab me in the neck. “You’re right; I shouldn’t
have risked my life for you, because you’re not worth it.”
    Annoyance crossed his face. “Just listen to
yourself. You let them manipulate you. Deep down you know whatever they told you
was a lie.” He stared at me when the door opened and Clare walked in, oblivious
to the tension in the room. She slumped down on the sofa. His gaze still locked
on me, Aidan said, “You took your time.”
    Clare let out an exaggerated sigh. “Thanks
for not ditching me in the dumpster. But it’s okay, Thrain gave me a lift home.” She shot me a smile and winked. “I got his phone number.”
    “Good for you. Seems like you have more
luck than the rest of us,” Aidan said with a scowl.
    Clare laughed. “Don’t be a sore loser. I’m
sure he would’ve given you his number—if he swung that way.”
    Aidan snorted, a faint smile crossing his
lips. “Believe me, you have nothing to worry. Demons don’t rank high on my
dating list.”
    “Don’t come running to me when he breaks
your heart,” Kieran said from the hall.
    Clare broke into an adoring chant of how
the guy called Thrain slash demon fooled the guards
into thinking he was one of them. It took her several minutes before she stopped
and scanned the room. “Where’s Blake?”
    I didn’t catch Aidan’s expression, but I
heard his low growl. Clare’s eyes popped wide open as if she understood, and I
wondered whether the vampires had some sort of secret code to communicate with
one another. Surely, if I figured it out, I’d be able to fathom Aidan’s plan.
Or I could just ask him, but I figured the chance of him telling me the truth
was almost nil. Still, I could at least try.
    Aidan must’ve seen the change in my
expression because he raised his eyebrows. My gaze wandered over the cuts and
bruises on his forehead and chin—now almost faded. They hadn’t been there
on the day of his disappearance. For some reason, he had tried to free me from
the gift and risked his life. Could be a trick, but it could also mean he at
least sought a way to avoid killing me. What was the whole shebang about this
gift anyway? It wasn’t like I could put it to any proper use. I was so useless I
doubted I could do more than call the spirit of Elvis to shake his hips. How
could that help an immortal? I had to know. I wouldn’t let them keep me in the
dark any longer.
    “May I talk to you?” I jumped up from the
sofa and walked to the door without waiting for his answer, assuming he’d
follow. He caught up with me as I stepped into the kitchen. When I turned he
stood too close, his breath brushing my lips as he gazed down at me.
    I cleared my throat, unable to hold his blue
stare. “Let’s go elsewhere. This isn’t the place to tell you what I have to
say.”
    “Wait a second.” He disappeared into the
hall and returned with a blanket he draped over my shoulders. “Let’s go for a
walk, but not too far.” He opened the door and we stepped out into the chilly
night wind. “See the path over there? It winds around the house, and leads
directly into the woods.”
    Nodding, I let him grab my hand. I didn’t
tell him I’d seen the path before, on my strolls during working hours. He
quickened his pace, throwing glances over his shoulder every now and then as if
to make sure no one was following. The moon was hidden behind impenetrable
clouds; it was so dark I could barely see my hand in front of my eyes. The
house disappeared in the distance, obscured by thick trees, when Aidan took a
bend and stopped in front of a wide dead trunk.
    “Immortals love the woods,” he said as he sat
on the trunk and pulled me on his lap. “They’re so mystical and tragic, don’t
you think?”
    I pressed my lips tight as I tried to fight
the uneasy feeling in my stomach. Yeah, pretty tragic all right, and a great
place to chase any potential victims. Who’ll hear them scream when they’re
having their throat ripped out in the middle of nowhere? “I don’t know, Aidan.
I’m not immortal.” Pressing my palm against his thigh, I pulled away from him,
but he draped his arms around me signaling he wouldn’t let me go. I sighed and
peered into the