Authors: Jayde Scott
"Don't take him seriously," Aidan said as he started the engine and pul ed out of the parking lot.
Kieran's car overtook and sped off. Suddenly, the narrow space seemed too smal . I dropped my sweaty palms on the brown leather seat, clutching the material for comfort, then focused on the impressive back-lit board. The interior of the car looked like something out of a magazine. It even smel ed new. How could he afford al of this? Was he even old enough to drive?
Aidan shot me a smile. "You okay?" When I nodded he turned back to the road and peered toward the sky.
This was it: the moment I had dreamed of, alone with Aidan, and my mind blacked out. Talk about the weather? Nah, too bland. About Scotland, the news, politics, anything. Fragments of an article popped up in my head: ask questions about him. Let him know you have things in common, but don't make him feel like he's been summoned to stand trial. I took a few breaths to put my slow brain into gear and steadied my voice. Never had making smal talk seemed such a bleeding hard task. "How long have you been living here?"
"You mean in Scotland?" He didn't give me a chance to reply. "I was born on Skye and moved here a while back." Somewhere in the distance, backlights flashed twice and Aidan accelerated.
"Did your parents move here because of the solitude?"
He laughed. "It's quiet compared to London, isn't it? We lived there for a while, but it's not a pleasant place."
"How old are you?" I bit my lip and regarded him from the corner of my eye. It was a personal question. Maybe too personal?
"Older than you," Aidan said, avoiding a clear answer as usual.
Heavy drops pattered against the windscreen. Aidan switched on the wipers. I tried to read his expression. He appeared relaxed, hands clasped carelessly around the steering wheel, betraying nothing. Too cool, too confident—I wished I could be at ease like that.
"Time to talk about you," Aidan said. "Any regrets you moved here?"
I shrugged. "Not real y. I think I'm getting used to the silence."
"If you were given the chance to stay here or move back, what'd you choose?"
What a strange question. I moistened my lips. His expression remained impassive, fixed on the street. "I don't know," I final y said. I didn't miss traffic-ridden London, but I felt bad for not missing Cameron either. "I guess I'd go back." It was a lie. I knew it the moment my mouth uttered the words.
Aidan snorted, the slightest hint of annoyance crossing his face, and then his smile returned. "You may change your mind by the time your placement ends."
"Maybe." My heartbeat sped up again. Did he want me to stay? Don't get your hopes up. It didn't mean anything, I reminded myself. "Harry said you work in Inverness?"
"Yes. I'm a freelancer."
A freelancer could do thousands of things. I waited for a narration of his job duties, but it never came. Should I ask, or would it sound like an inquisition? Ah, toss it. "What is it that you do exactly?"
"People pay me to do stuff for them," Aidan said. "I read on your application you're about to start col ege. Is marketing your thing?"
The sudden change in topic didn't fail to register with me. Whatever his job entailed, he obviously didn't want to share it with me. Was he self-conscious? "I think so. I was supposed to start an unpaid position in an agency to find out, but money was tight, so I had to get a job instead." We drove out of the woods, the rhythmical rattle of the car engine barely audible. I relaxed a bit as I focused on the white centreline of the road.
"What about your parents? Can't they help?" Aidan asked.
I shook my head. "They have their own worries. I wouldn't want to bother them with mine."
He shot me an amused look. "Do they know you're here?"
"Of course they do. I'm only seventeen." I smiled. "They think I'm interning in Inverness."
"In god-forsaken Inverness?" He laughed and I found myself laughing with him. "That's a good one. I bet every firm in London would be impressed."
"They're sweet souls. I feel bad for lying to them, and even more so knowing they trust me implicitly," I said.
The car took a sharp bend, gravel crunching under the tyres.
"We're here." Aidan stepped out and opened the passenger door, then held out his hand. As our fingers met, a jolt of electricity ran down my spine and my breath caught in my throat. He pul ed me a little too close, towering over me, his gaze lingering on my lips before he slammed the door and intertwined his fingers with mine. My heart hammered in my chest. What was he doing? I glanced up at him, but he turned to the side, unfazed by my questioning look.
The cobblestones glistened in the dim moonlight, the air smel ed damp. Somewhere in the distance, I heard waves rol in and crash against a shore. Aidan cleared his throat and pointed at a house on the other side of the parking lot, past Kieran's SUV and two other cars. "I want to show you my favourite place in the world."
"Where are we?" I sounded breathless and unsteady. His presence made me dizzy, the soft caress of his hand playing havoc with my head.
He squeezed my hand. "Just wait and see."
The house was smal with wilting green ivy climbing up the whitewashed wal s. Dim light seeped through the opaque windows, the shadows inside appeared blurred. Aidan yanked the door open and guided me through a narrow hal into a large, open space. Floor to ceiling glass panes covered the ful length of the wal , offering a stunning view of the angry sea below. On the opposite site I noticed Kieran, Clare and Blake together with a red-haired girl and two guys sitting on white sofas around a huge fireplace with large flames lapping at several wood logs. Kieran and Clare stood and walked toward us, the others remained seated.
Aidan grimaced and leaned to whisper in Clare's ear. I held my breath and inched closer, catching every word.
"What's Beelzebub doing here?"
"I heard that," the redhead said. She was dressed in a garish green top and loose jeans that looked like they'd been through the washing machine a few too many times. "One more of those and I'l kick your butt."
Kieran laughed. "What are you going to do, sweetheart? Send out some butterflies to tickle him to death?"
The girl scowled. Kieran draped his arm around my waist and guided me to a sofa. I shot Aidan a quizzical glance, but he walked out with Clare on his arm. I looked around. The large room was clean and tidy with almost no furniture and no food or drinks, not even a bar or background music.
If there had ever been a party, someone had done a great job at removing any traces.
"You know Blake already. Now meet fabulous Cassandra, Devon—" Kieran pointed at a broad guy with cropped, dark hair and eerie black eyes "—and this is Connor."
I looked away from Blake's fake smile as Connor stood to shake my hand. He was at least a head tal er than me with black, spiky hair dyed a dirty blond at the ends. "So, you're the lucky one." His lips stretched into a wide grin, his almost black eyes sparkled.
"He's talking about your job," Kieran said. "You beat quite a bit of competition."
"I did?" I blinked, guilt washing over me. Who'd have thought the employment situation was so bad in Scotland? I felt bad for lying on my application form when others needed the money just as much. I wasn't even into the whole cleaning routine.
"Move it, Cass," Kieran said as he squeezed between Cassandra and Devon, then pul ed me on his lap, snuggling me between strong thighs. I scowled at him and tried to pul away. He wrapped his arm around me and laughed. I could already see, they might look alike but Aidan and Kieran had nothing in common. One was too reserved for his own good, the other the worst player I'd ever seen.
I sighed and tried to avert my attention from his hot breath on my neck when Aidan appeared in the door and motioned Kieran to step out. Blake took his place on the sofa, sitting as far away from me as possible. Cassandra excused herself and hurried out after them. She was about my height, her strange clothes emphasised her curves. As she walked past, I swear two tiny horns peeked from beneath her long, wavy hair.
"What's a little misunderstanding between friends? Right, Aidan?" Kieran asked, laughing.
"What?" I peeled my gaze from the front door as I tuned in to the conversation even though I wasn't keen on tonight's drivel. Amber was safe with Blake. He might not like her, but he wouldn't dare disobey my orders.
"He chained us to a tree. He tried to trick us." Devon leaned against the wal of the house. The moon cast a silver light on his face. He looked and behaved like a mortal. Only a keen eye would notice that Connor and he had no shadow because they were Shadows, carcasses of humans on which their queen fed.
I snorted. The competition again. Boy, were they sore losers. "Why're you so surprised? The book's no longer yours."
"It would be if your beloved Rebecca didn't steal it from us." Connor took a menacing step forward and lifted one arm when Cass placed a hand on his chest to stop him. She barely reached the Shadow's shoulder, but he retreated nonetheless, as though her unspoken warning mattered.
I wasn't just any vampire but an established bounty hunter and a member of the Lore court. That job title didn't matter much during the Interracial Race, but at least they wouldn't dare attack me openly. Not here, not now. I could sense their weapons, daggers and the likes, no matter how much they tried to hide them from plain sight. They reeked of vampire blood. What was Clare thinking, bringing our worst enemies to the meeting? They wouldn't help; more likely, they'd try to find a way to screw us over and dispose of our dead bodies without the court's knowing. At least, Amber was safe because Shadows didn't kil humans. Or so legends said.
"Remind me again why Beelzebub's here," Kieran said to Clare. "Is she coming up for a breath of fresh air? I know how stuffy and humid hel can be."
Cass glared at him. "Cal me that again and you'l see what I can do with a pitchfork."
Kieran grinned. "You look good when you're angry. Now say the pitchfork line again with more oomph."
"I thought she could help," Clare said.
"I should've left you at home." I shook my head. My brother was a loose cannon, always making things worse by opening his mouth, and sweet Clare wouldn't notice someone's ulterior motives if her life depended on it.
"And miss out on al the fun?" Kieran glanced at Connor and Devon. "It's a fact, Rebecca did steal the book from you. But how can you blame Aidan for her treachery? She wasn't his beloved; She just had the luck and good brains to turn us. She couldn't have picked a better bunch. Young, attractive, clever, and I'm only mentioning a couple of my qualities."
Clare elbowed him. "Stop antagonising them. This is serious."
"I am serious. Look at—"
"Okay, enough," I interrupted my brother. If he didn't stop his endless chatter soon, we'd stil be here at sunrise. From the corner of my eye, I peered at Devon and Connor who didn't even pretend not to be eavesdropping on our conversation. "Cass, what do you want?"
"I can help. In exchange for a favour, of course," Cass said.
Kieran smirked. "What could we possibly offer you that Daddy can't get you anyway?"
Cass narrowed her eyes to tiny slits, gaze blazing. "Why don't you turn into a bat and fly away?"
"She wants a position with the Lore Council," Clare said.
Kieran laughed. "Al that fire has fried your brain."
"What would a princess need that for?" I asked. Kieran didn't cal Cassandra Beelzebub for nothing. Her father was the Dark Prince himself.
Why Cass walked on Earth, mingling with Lore folks and humans was beyond me.
"I have nowhere to go but up. The flames don't do my skin justice, not to mention they wreak havoc with my hair. You know how I hate dry split ends." Cass raised her chin defiantly. "You get me the job, and in exchange I'l volunteer a few soul hunters and demon guardians."
I scowled. What a load of crap. She had to have an ulterior motive. But what? "I don't trust demons."
"You don't need to trust them. Clare trusts me. The demon guardians wil do as I order," Cass said.
Kieran snorted. "That's so reassuring."
Clare beamed up at me. "Sounds like a deal to me."
The whole bunch turned to face me, waiting for my answer. As usual. I groaned inwardly. I had brought Amber along because I thought I could keep her away from any chaos until I figured out how to teach her to control the prize. Throw in Lucifer's spawn, a bunch of demons and the insufferable Shadows and bedlam would be knocking on my door within seconds. So much for my plan to woo her while searching the Lore court for a way to save her from the fate she'd unknowingly cal ed upon herself.
"We need the book. Without it, we can't perform a certain ritual," Devon said. "We want it back."
I shot him a sarcastic look. "You don't say. And I care why? So you can't start a fire with a flick of your hand. Big deal. Get a lighter." Usual y, I wasn't one to belittle someone else's abilities, but the guy real y irritated me. Playing friend one moment, and stabbing me in the back the next. I wasn't stupid.
"I understand the mortal's under your—" Devon hesitated "—protection. You need our help if she's to learn to control the prize."
"No way." I shook my head.
"You're getting her kil ed," Connor said. "May I remind you it's against Lore rules to kil humans?"
I shrugged, but not because I didn't care. I could never let on how much Amber meant to me. "I'm strong enough to lead her back from the otherworld."
"Only if you turn her into—" Connor spit on the ground. "That's against Lore rules too."
"Rules are meant to be broken," Kieran said.
"We have a proposition to make," Devon said. "If you work with us to find and then return the book, we'l let you and your clan enter the Cemetery of the Dead to perform the ritual."
Kieran sniffed. "Talk about the hidden power of persuasion. Didn't know a Shadow possessed that skil . You're threatening to shatter every belief I've had about your kind." He grinned. "You're lucky I'm a sucker for a chal enge and a huge fan of magic. So let the games begin."