A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

date mortals or
vampires?”
    “Yeah. Zombies, werewolves and mummies kind
of stink like dead meat. Not to mention, they don’t clean up all that well once
they start losing their hair and limbs.” He started rubbing my back.
    “Why was she dressed like Cinderella at the
ball?”
    “It was the year 1499,” Aidan said. “The
year my life was turned upside down.”
    I gawked. Was he serious? That’d make
him—
    “You look great for a man who’s over five
hundred years old and happens to be dead. I mean, you could’ve hitched a ride
with Columbus on his epic voyage to America and helped Sherlock Holmes solve
crimes. You were around to see the great plague claim millions.” And my father
was upset that Cameron was a few years older. He’d keel over knowing Aidan’s
age. What would it be like to work the graveyard shift for hundreds of years
and never feel the sun on one’s face?
    Aidan grimaced. “Thanks for reminding me.”
    “Go on,” I said, smiling.
    “Before meeting Rebecca, I led a sheltered
life with my parents and my brother. At night we’d sit around the campfire and
listen to stories about people like her—vampires roaming the streets of
London, feeding on the poor and homeless. I didn’t believe one word.”
    I squeezed his hand to convey my sympathy. “Until
you met Dracula’s spawn.”
    “Yes. Rebecca was dangerous, charming, and
mysterious.”
    A pang of jealousy hit me in the pit of my
stomach. I raised my brows. “Sexy?”
    Aidan rocked slowly back and forth, his
gaze focused in the distance as he recalled his memories. “Yeah, that too.
Something seemed odd about her though, but I couldn’t place it. I never thought
she was a killer, not until one fateful night when she decided I was worthy of
her blood. I was never given a choice.”
    “I take it there’s no support group for
newbies. Why did she do it in the first place?”
    He shrugged, his gaze lost in the woods
around us, as if he was reliving the details of his former life. “Maybe she was
bored and wanted a companion, or personal slave. I had just turned eighteen and
was easy to manipulate. She never revealed her purpose. There’s another reason why
I wanted you to see the sort of vampire I am.” His gaze locked with mine. “You
and I—we’re meant to be together.”
    I rolled my eyes. “The bond again. Everybody
keeps mentioning it. What’s that all about?” My heart pumped hard as I let my
voice trail off. Something told me we were meant to be together, and it scared the living hell out of me.
    Aidan spoke slowly. “When two people are destined
for each another, they’re called mates. A strong psychic connection bonds them
together. That’s what you and I have. Some of us will never find that rare and
beautiful love of a lifetime. Blake, Kieran and Clare have been searching for
hundreds of years. I’ve found mine and I’ll never let go.” He cupped my face in
his hands, our gaze connecting in the darkness. “Can’t you see, Amber? Losing
you would be like a stake to my heart. We can make this work. I’m not a
dreadful person. Being together won’t be as bad as you think. Just don’t give
up on us.”
    The moonstone pendant burned against my
skin. I shook my head, hesitating. His words touched my heart because they rang
true. I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t.
    “Falling in love with a vampire ruined your
life,” I whispered. “I don’t want it to ruin mine.” This was the stuff of
nightmares, legends and horror movies, and pretty darn freaky. I knew I should
get away as far as I could, but I couldn’t. I felt torn inside, unsure what to
do. “I care about you more than you’ll ever know.” I searched his eyes, trying
to make him see the turmoil inside me. “I’m trying so hard to understand your
world, but all of this is too much to handle.” I got up from his lap and
dropped down near a tree, surprised to find I could still distinguish his
features in the darkness.
    “There’s something else you should know,”
Aidan whispered. “I’m torn whether to turn you because Rebecca’s memory still
lingers in my mind as if it all happened yesterday. Sometimes I wake up
confused, unable to distinguish between the past and the present.”
    He was still into the bloodsucker. So much
for eternal, exclusive love. “She’s gone. Do you want to raise her? Is that why
you still keep her clothes?” I glared at him as more pangs of jealousy washed
over me. The pendant around my neck