A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

we would never even catch a
glimpse of the actual horrors the Shadows kept from the Lore court.
    “Stay with Kieran while I check things out,”
I whispered.
    Kieran wrapped his arms around Amber and
Clare. “You go, bro. I’ll keep the womenfolk safe from the clutches of Shadow
Man.”
    “What about me?” Cass said, piqued.
    Kieran laughed. “I’d invite you over but
you know the saying, four’s a crowd.”
    “Hey, idiot, the saying is three’s a crowd.”
Cass pulled Amber and Clare away. “You stay with me. Not only is he mentally
challenged, all he has is a couple of scary fangs and absolutely no idea what
kind of fire is in this furnace.”
    “I’ll defuse you real quick,” Kieran said.
    She took a menacing step forward. “You could
never put out this flame.”
    “Did anybody ever tell you that you suck at
public relations? Since you’re an ambassador, you’re supposed to like me. A lot . You know that, right? But maybe
you’re an ambass -a- snore because you’re sleeping on the job. I’m going to personally
talk to Layla about your inability to do your job.”
    Cass snorted. “Yeah, if you live to tell
the tale.”
    “She likes me,” Kieran chanted.
    “She loves Aidan and look what happened when he visited to complain,” Cass said. “I’ve had
enough of you. I’m never coming back to your house. Clare will have to meet me
somewhere else from now on.”
    I opened my mouth to speak when Kieran cut
me off. “Funny, every time I turn around you’re parked on my sofa. You’re
definitely crossing the line to Stalker Ville.”
    Cass gasped. “You think I’m stalking you?”
The fireflies flickered over our heads, a shrill, indefinable sound, like that
of thousands of wasps, filled the air. I peered up, waiting for the fireflies
to turn into a dragon or something. If Kieran kept winding her up, it was only
a matter of time until Cass snapped.
    “ Think ?
I know it. You like me. You want me,” Kieran said. I threw him a warning look,
but he just shrugged, grinning.
    “Like a bullet in my head,” Cass said. Clare
chuckled somewhere in the shadows.
    “Enough, you two.” I turned my attention to
Devon. “I’m going in.”
    Devon shook his head. “Not without me.”
    My lips twitched. “Don’t trust me to take a
quick look?” I was his enemy. Of course he wouldn’t trust me.
    Devon snorted. “About as far as I can throw
you.”
    “You know I wouldn’t get far without your
help. I just want to make sure you have no tricks up your sleeve.”
    “Fine then. We’ll all go together because I
don’t trust your insane brother around my Angel,” Devon said.
    Kieran turned and looked at her. “So that’s
your name. I knew there was a reason you had that beautiful hair and gorgeous
eyes.” He kissed her hand. “Somebody call heaven because an angel just fell
from the sky.”
    “That’s beyond lame.” Cass groaned. “Every
guy uses that line. Find something original, will you?”
    “When you get a shrink,” Kieran said.
    I leaned into Amber to whisper in her ear. “So,
you’re waiting here?”
    “What?” She peeled her eyes off the bronze
statue—the hideous shape of a woman and bear caught in an
embrace—and turned to face me. “Oh, no. No way. I’m not staying here.” She
lowered her voice. “What’s this supposed to be?”
    “Part shamanism, part—” I shrugged “—Voodoo?
Who knows?”
    “Magic,” Devon said, matter-of-factly. “We
don’t practice Voodoo. A long time ago, the souls of sacred animals entered the
bodies of our ancestors to grant them eternal life. As payment, our people sent
their shadows to the otherworld to watch over the animals’ cubs.”
    It was the longest explanation I’d ever received
about this holy ground I’d been investigating for years. According to the rumours circulating the Lore court, a Shadow could die by
finding his statue in the cemetery of the dead and piercing a dagger through
the animal’s heart. I waited for Devon to reveal more, but he turned away,
heading down the narrow path to a low entrance in the hill.
    “Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked
Amber. “This is your last chance to back out.”
    She puffed. “No way. We’re in this together,
Aidan. I want you to have a life without the need for blood. Besides, even if I
changed my mind I wouldn’t let you go in there by yourself to tell them I’m
chickening out. They’d kill you on the spot.”
    Shadows had tried to kill me for