Authors: Jayde Scott
Nodding, I joined the laughing concoction that seemed to evolve around a glowing Cass, a staring Dal as and Kieran—the centre of attention, as usual—tel ing a story everyone seemed to enjoy. Everyone apart from Amber, who shot me a glare. I breathed in and focused on our bond to feel her emotional undercurrents. She was mad, but not because of me. She didn't like the way Cass and Dal as looked at each other. I couldn't help but feel a wee smug. At least she wasn't having a good time either.
Without paying the others any attention, I signal ed Kieran to fol ow me. My brother pul ed a face that had the others hooting again and joined me outside.
"You're not helping your case if you come across as a cold fish," Kieran said, closing the door behind him.
"You realise we have more pressing issues than entertaining the ladies."
Kieran sighed and leaned against the wal mouthing, "Salmon."
"Whatever." I shook my head. Most of the time, I had no idea why I put up with him. "Cal Devon and tel him Amber's trip is scheduled for tomorrow night. If they're stil in, he should get the preparations going."
Kieran's jaw dropped. "You're kidding! Why do you think they're going to play fair this time?"
"I don't have a choice. Just do it."
Kieran regarded me for a minute, then shrugged and pul ed out his phone. I returned to the living room. If everything went according to plan, the book would be found soon, and I could final y focus on earning Amber's love. If not—I clicked my tongue. Failing wasn't an option.
Amber didn't get up from her seat, but I noticed her questioning gaze, heart racing again. I sat down next to Dal as, opposite from her, ignoring the devastating cal of the forbidden blood. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Amber lean forward, a frown perched between her brows, as she tried to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"Kieran fil ed me in on your little courtship," Dal as said. "Hey, sis, is it real y such a good idea to mix business with pleasure? It's a great way to lose your job."
"Or your life," Amber muttered under her breath.
"What?" Dal as asked.
Amber smiled, sweetly. "I said it could cause strife."
"We have a fair share to work out," I said. I hated how casual that sounded.
For a moment, Dal as seemed uncomfortable. "You know about the ex in London, right?" When I nodded, he said, "You seem like a good guy.
Don't break her heart like Cameron, or I'l have to kick your butt."
The mortal threatening me—if his brotherly love wasn't so touching, it'd be downright hilarious. Struggling to keep a straight face, I nodded. A minute later, Kieran appeared and gave me the thumbs-up sign. I exhaled, relieved that at least one part of the plan was proceeding according to plan. I stood and reached for Amber's hand. "Can I have a moment?" Four pairs of eyes settled on us.
She moistened her lips. "Uh, sure." I helped her up, our fingers barely touching. An electric shock ran down my spine as I tightened my grip and led her to the kitchen, then closed the door.
"What do you want?" Amber hissed.
In the darkness, I pressed her against the wal and placed my mouth on hers. She draped her arms around my neck. Something stirred inside me—the hunger I thought I had under control. I couldn't touch her, not without gulping down another gal on of donor blood. Not until she chose me and the bond we shared.
Peeling her arms from my neck, I pressed a last kiss on her lips and let go of her, then switched on the light. Amber blinked against the sudden brightness. Her lips glistened with moisture; her hair was in disarray, clothes dishevel ed. I probably didn't look much better.
"We need to talk about tomorrow," I murmured.
"It's done then?" She tilted her head and sighed. Her heart beat faster, her mouth tightened. She was scared. I wished I could assure her everything would turn out as planned, but I didn't want to lie. Her expression softened, and for the first time I saw something in her. As much as she fought it, she recognised our bond. I nodded. The pink tip of her tongue flicked over her upper lip. "When?"
I placed a peck on her forehead and drew her onto my lap as I sat on a chair, burying my face into the soft mane of her hair. "Before midnight."
She nodded.
"I'm scared," I whispered so low she wouldn't hear me.
"What?" Amber asked.
I shook my head. "I asked you to think about my offer. Have you made a decision yet?" I forced myself to meet her probing gaze.
For a brief moment, confusion crossed her face, then she grasped the meaning of my words and her expression darkened. "I have. The answer's no."
"I'm only trying to save your life, Amber. Think about it. With immortality, you also get an eternity of various skil s."
"Like eternal youth, mind-control, and traveling at the speed of light?" She snorted.
"Among others. I can't go into detail because you're not one of us yet, but with my blood you also get my memories and knowledge. We're strong; we're not slaves to our need for blood. The Shadows have outnumbered us for centuries, and yet they can't win the battle."
"Beauty and brains. What more could a girl ask for?" She shook her head. "Don't look at me with those sad, soulful eyes. It won't change a thing.
I don't need your protection. I can take care of myself without turning into what you are. The only things that should be sucking blood are leeches, fleas, mosquitoes, spiders and ticks."
"Your jokes never cease to amaze me," I said, dryly. She was clearly spending too much time with Cass and Kieran. Or where else could she have learned how to come up with one insult after another?
"You said you liked my sense of humour. Al joking aside, Aidan, I'm not trying to give you a hard time, but I want to be able to lay on the beach and sip a glass of water without bursting into flames. Please understand. It's a girls' thing."
Fearing she'd make this choice was one thing, hearing her utter the words was another. I ran my fingers through my hair, wary of the calculating look Amber shot me. "Fair enough. But if things don't go smoothly and—"
Amber cut me off. "Then you let me die."
I regarded her, open-mouthed. The victory I could sense in her told me she saw the situation as some sort of triumph over me. Whatever sort of battle she fought against me, it was slowly starting to tick me off. "You don't mean it."
"Of course I do." She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her chin defiantly.
"Please. You know I wouldn't turn you without your consent." It was a lie. Even though the chance she'd hate me was high, keeping Amber alive was worth risking her wrath.
Shaking her head, she stood. "I'l never change my mind. So, get this book and give me my old life back. Got it?" Shooting me a last glance over her shoulder, she walked out. A few moments later, I heard the living room door open and shut.
I switched off the lights and opened the back door to let in the freezing Highland air. I wasn't surprised at Amber's reaction to my proposition.
Given the same circumstances and choices, I probably would've decided the same way. She was a mortal and had no reason to trust me since I had done nothing to earn her trust. Were she any other, I wouldn't have hesitated to wait out the next race, even if it meant someone else going after the mortal. But this was different; I couldn't risk the Shadows using Amber's powers and let her die in the process.
I swore under my breath and leaned against the wal . A strong breeze ruffled the curtains. My once mortal body would've shivered, but I didn't feel the cold now. And soon Amber wouldn't either, whether she wanted it or not.
How dare Aidan try to fool me into giving in to his sordid proposition? He could pay me a mil ion bucks, but that wouldn't change a darn thing because no amount of money would make me give up my espresso.
I could picture myself at the Coffee, Anonymous Meeting For Vampires , talking to a bunch of sympathetic, nodding, newly turned members. "I miss my old life. I miss my coffee and tea. Sure, I love blood, but it can't replace my latte. I stare at my coffee cup and long for a sip."
The sponsor would smile and say, "These intense feelings go away after a few years. Fifty tops. Okay, newbies, let's give Amber a warm welcome."
Horrified and fuming inside, I snapped out of my thoughts and curled my lips into a smile as I tuned in to the trivial chatter. Unlike Kieran—who kept throwing me questioning glances—the others didn't seem to notice my upheaval. And that was good because I didn't want to worry Dal as.
Regarding my brother, I took a sharp breath and joined in the laughter. His cheeks were flushed, eyes shining, as he hung onto Cass's every word.
Great! As if I didn't have enough problems already. Now he had to fal for the demon and add more to the pile.
"You okay?" Kieran mouthed. With Aidan and Clare gone to take care of what they cal ed 'important business', he seemed to have assumed the role of watching over me now.
I looked away, ignoring him. For al I knew, he could be working with Aidan on that ridiculous plan to turn me into one of them. Frankly, I had no idea why Aidan kept pressuring me into agreeing. In spite of his words, I didn't believe it'd be such a hard task to get the book—use the gift to find the place, get it, done. It wasn't exactly rocket science. No need to give up my life for it.
"You think Amber's a bad housekeeper? You should see me," Cass said, grinning.
I blinked at hearing my name. "What?"
"I was just tel ing Cass how surprised I was you got the job." Dal as winked. "You must've left out in your application that you even manage to burn toast."
"Luckily for her, Aidan doesn't eat toast," Kieran said.
Dal as laughed, oblivious to Kieran's double entendre. If I didn't get a chance to spend some alone time with my brother soon, I might end up forgetting my good manners. I ignored Kieran's stare as I addressed my brother in the most nonchalant voice I could muster. "I believe you came to talk about Mum and Dad?" Confusion crossed his features. I opened my eyes wide, hoping he'd take the hint. He didn't.
"Huh?"
"Their wedding anniversary, dummy," I prompted. There would be no anniversary for the next six months, but I doubted Dal as knew. As expected, his expression turned from confusion to guilt. I slapped my hand against my mouth in mock surprise, hoping I wasn't going over the top with my theatrical performance. "No! Don't tel me you forgot again."
Dal as peeked at Cass. His rosy cheeks turned bright red. "I'm not too late, am I?"
Cass's eyes shone as she sniffed the air. "Chaos coming right up."
"You'd better not be. You know how angry Mum can get." I pul ed Dal as up and motioned him to fol ow me, lest the demon read my mind.
"Hey, do you think you could share with me?" Dal as asked as soon as we reached the hal .
"What?"
He shrugged. "You know, whatever you bought them. I'l total y pay half."
I laughed. He was so gul ible, like an overexcited little boy. Who else would believe he'd scored the jackpot by stealing a bunch of fake gemstones? Would he ever grow up? "Al right. Mum and Dad needn't know."
Dal as let out a big breath. "You got me scared for a second. Mum would've kicked me out. She did last year. Literal y."
"Yeah, I remember." Dal as had been the only guest to turn up at the anniversary without a clue what the party was for. In an angry fit, my mother had cal ed him an airhead, who couldn't find his brain even if it came knocking on his door. I never laughed so hard.
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver. I owe you big time." He turned on his heel to head back to the living room when I grabbed his arm.
"There's something else I need to talk to you about. Come on." Ignoring his raised brows, I pul ed him up the stairs to my room. As soon as I closed the door behind us, I turned to face him. "You brought them, didn't you?"
His face lit up for a moment. "If you mean the stones, they're in my backpack in the kitchen under the table." A frown appeared on his forehead.
"You told me to leave them there." I nodded. He breathed out, relieved. "What do you want with them anyway? They're worthless."
Give them back to the psychopath owner. But I couldn't tel Dal as. Not when the owner wasn't human. "I'l return them."
"You know her?"
"Sort of. Actual y, no." I hurried to add, "But I have friends who do. You wouldn't believe how sentimental this particular lady is. They've been in her family for generations. Like your researcher friend, she's into legends."
"My friend deciphered some of the inscriptions. He said there's a paranormal race every five hundred years, and whoever finds the gemstones gets some kind of gift, or maybe it's a curse. We couldn't figure that out."
Definitely a curse. I puffed. "Listen, if I had any supernatural abilities I'd have used them on you already. You know, turn invisible and pul down your pants in front of Cass and everyone else."
"You wouldn't!"
"I remember a certain somebody leaving me al alone in the woods."
"You're never going to drop that one, are you?" Dal as said.
I grinned. "Never."
"So the owner wants to link this bag of stones to al the things that go bump in the night. Even if she finishes decoding the inscriptions, it's not like she'l ever meet a vampire, werewolf, or whatever. I mean what're the chances?"
I cleared my throat. "You'd be surprised."
"Who cares about this stuff anyway? It's a bunch of hogwash, if you ask me."
I patted his arm, eager to drop the topic. "Real or not, let's give this woman her stones back, okay?"
"What is she, some old, sweet lady?" Dal as asked. I groaned. Was he ever going to stop his interrogation?
"She's pretty old from what I hear. Not sure about the sweet part."
"Do what you want, then." Dal as seemed to be final y losing interest; his glance kept wandering to the door as though he couldn't get away fast enough. I narrowed my gaze, realising I shouldn't have asked him to pop over.
"Are you late for a hot date?" My laughter rang fake.
"No, not at al . I'm here to catch up on my sister's life." His gaze swept over the furniture and unmade bed, then back to the door. I figured I had his undivided attention for al of twenty seconds.