A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

“I
think she means it. If you don’t do it now, you may never get another chance.
After all Amber went through, she wouldn’t want you to bail out.”
    I hesitated. Of course Kieran was right. Amber
would want me to finish what we’d started. Besides, if the ritual worked I’d
never have to worry again about not being able to protect her during daylight.
    “You both stay here and I’ll teleport her
home,” Clare said. She was the least reckless of us all, faster than Kieran,
but also weaker. Was she a better choice than my brother? Clare placed a hand
on my shoulder. “I don’t need what we came for. Your mates are still alive,
mine isn’t.”
    Kieran planted a kiss on her cheek, but his
gaze betrayed hesitation. I had no doubt my brother would return to the mansion
if I asked him to. It wouldn’t be fair to rob him of this chance. Kieran had
fought to find this book just as hard. He’d earned his right to reap the
reward. “All right, Clare. We’ll be as fast as we can.” I pushed a strand of
hair out of Amber’s face before Clare scooped her out of my arms and
disappeared into the night.
    “That was touching,” Cass said. “Better
than any soap opera. I wish someone brought popcorn.” Her eyes blinked
brightly. She spun, oblivious to the Shadows’ glares. “So, Dee Dee , where’s the real party at?”
    Deidre motioned us to follow her to the
cemetery. We passed the tall bronze statues until we reached a small, open
chapel in the far left corner. Inside, a circle of white candles cast moving
shadows against the hip-high, white fence.
    Cass nodded, seemingly impressed. “Quite cozy.
I’d get some of this for my backyard, or a Halloween party.”
    “The book,” Devon said, snatching it out of
Kieran’s hand.
    “Lay down over there.” Deidre pointed to
the middle of a circle, then started chanting, swaying back and forth as
Shadows gathered around her. Devon flicked the book open and held it in front
of her, and she began reading in a melodious, childlike voice, the foreign
words flowing from her tongue like she’d done nothing else for the past month.
    I figured the sooner I got this over and
done with, the faster I could return home to Amber. Following Kieran’s lead, I
lay on the cold floor, shivering but not from the cold. Something was happening;
I could smell the tension in the air. Kieran shot me a questioning look, then
closed his eyes, waiting just like me. A sense of anticipation washed over me, my
skin tingled. Deidre’s voice grew fainter as though coming through a tunnel.
    How much time passed? I had no idea, but I
could feel myself relaxing, letting go. Wasn’t that what Deidre was telling me
in that strange language? Someone grabbed my shoulder and gave it a yank.
    “Hey, did you just pass out?” Cass said.
    I pried my eyes open and stared at her. She
still looked the same—all red, frizzy hair and gleaming green eyes.
Kieran stirred next to me, pale as a ghost, but otherwise nothing seemed different.
I sat up and rubbed my forehead. “Did it work?”
    Deidre shrugged. “I performed the ceremony for
three reasons. One, to demonstrate my gratitude for helping us find the book.
Two, out of respect for your friend who will pass away tonight. And three, out
of honor because I always keep my word. If the ritual doesn’t work, it’s not my
fault.”
    “What, no refund policy? That sucks.” Cass grabbed
my arm and pulled me up. “Come on, mate. My work shift starts in four hours and
I need my beauty sleep.”
    “Dad’s being a little stingy lately, huh?”
Kieran asked with a grin. “What is it that you do again? Get the rich and
famous to sign the dotted line before they jump into their death? Rob a few
graves?”
    I nudged him in the ribs. “Let’s go.” I
could feel the left side of my head throbbing at the prospect of yet another
confrontation between my brother and Cass.
    “I work in customer services and I’m quite
proud of it.” Cass raised her chin, defiantly. I shot her an imploring look. She
paid me no attention as she continued, “Now, what do you do, moron? That is, apart
from sponging off your brother’s money.”
    Kieran snorted. “I’m not sponging; I’m
learning the craft of being a bounty hunter. There’s a difference.”
    “You mean Aidan’s been taking you to job
orientation days for vampires for the last 500+ years?” Cass laughed. “What are
you, fourteen, or just a slow learner?”
    Devon insisted we follow him the way