A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

a nuisance. She solved the riddle and stole
the jewels that were meant to ensure the prize was ours. No mortal’s ever
stolen from me. So, you see, I’m doing you a favor here.” In one fluent motion,
he grabbed my hands to tie them at the back when the door flew open. From the
corner of my eye, I watched Kieran fling Blake to the ground. A coffee table
broke into pieces under their weight. Kieran’s fist connected with Blake’s eye.
Another punch sent Blake against the wall. Blake stood and wiped a hand over
his mouth. Snarls and grunts echoed through the room as they circled each
other, battling it out.
    Turning away, I crawled to my mate. Amber had
to be saved, even if it meant turning her. I placed my hand on her chest and
tried to stand, but my legs shook beneath me. There was no heartbeat. Pain
rippled through me, threatening to tear me to pieces.
    Amber couldn’t die. She wouldn’t die, or I’d
die with her.
    Someone burst through the door, a pitchfork
in hand. A second later, Blake cried out and the window shattered as he jumped
into the night.
    “We all know what you are, you vile
creature of darkness. Now don’t you ever come back to haunt this blessed house
and the children living here,” Harry said, swinging his pitchfork with Greta
behind him.
    “Please, help her.” My voice was barely
more than a whisper, choked by the guilt I felt. I should’ve returned home with
her instead of sending Clare.
    Kieran motioned the gardener and his wife
out, then appeared beside me and lifted Amber in his arms. Taking a deep
breath, he lowered his mouth to her neck. He’d never turned anyone. Could he do
it? Would he know how?
    “Trust me,” Kieran whispered, voice coarse
and heavy with—hunger?
    “No. Don’t kill her.” I dropped to the
floor, tiredness washing over me as I felt my mate’s life waning. And now my
brother was signing his own death sentence by going against Lore rules.
    Clare struggled against her chains, the
rattling sound grazing my mind like nails on a chalkboard. Darkness descended
around me, but I could see my mate in the distance, smiling, signaling me to
hurry up. Amber was leaving this world, and so was I.

Chapter 29

 
    The room felt warm and cozy; the guy sleeping
next to me smelled of sandalwood and incense. I stirred, but kept my eyes
closed, relishing his scent. I’d recognize him among thousands, but luckily I’d
never have to because I’d never let him go again. Pushing up on my elbow, I
planted a soft kiss on his cheek when he woke up, a lazy grin playing on his
lips. He regarded me, sleepily.
    “Rise and shine. I thought you’d never wake
up.” I returned the smile, a rush of love washing over me. “A girl has needs,
you know.”
    Aidan groaned and rubbed a hand over his
face, then ran it through his already disheveled hair. I swallowed hard, unable
to peel my gaze off him. How did he always manage to look so enticing?
    “What time is it?” he asked.
    I threw a glance at the clock on the bedside
table. “Almost nine.”
    Light seeped through a hole in the blackout
curtains, bathing the wooden floor in brightness. So we were on the second story,
and these were the curtains I had watched from the garden so many times.
Someone had forgotten to pull them. Why wasn’t Aidan burning?
    Jumping up, I reached the curtains in less than
a second, marveling at my speed. My whole body felt alive, eager to move and do
stuff. Like walking and climbing. Whoa, Clare and her fitness obsession were
definitely rubbing off on me. Aidan came behind me and wrapped his strong arm
around my waist, pulling me close. With one flick of his wrist, he opened the
curtains.
    The sun stood high on the grey, Scottish
horizon. I turned to face him, noticing the bandage around his chest and the
choked emotions at seeing the sun for the first time in several hundred years.
Awe. Surprise. Happiness. And then I remembered the book and the winged beings.
After retrieving it, I brought it back from the otherworld. But what happened
afterwards was a big black hole in my memory. “The ritual?”
    Tracing a finger along my collarbone, he
nodded and planted a kiss on my lips. “I love you. We’ll always be together.”
    “I love you too.” I stood on my toes and
pulled him closer. “I thought you’d never say it.”
    “Then you’re not mad? We had no choice.”
    I frowned. “Huh?
    “You can’t remember?” Aidan asked. He
seemed nervous, fidgeting like a five-year-old.
    “Just say it,