A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

ready to start on the ironing, which
was even worse than cleaning.
    As light footsteps approached, I polished
with a little more fervor, seemingly engrossed in my work. The door opened.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed red hair, floating around like an
oversized halo. A faint whiff of smoke wafted in. “Hey. The door was open so I
let myself in.”
    I turned to see the girl from last
night—Cassandra—inch nearer. I peered up from the loose jeans and
green cardigan to see whether she still wore the fake horns on her head, but
Cass sported a turquoise bonnet that hung too low, covering her entire forehead
and partly hiding her spectacular, green eyes. Didn’t she wear the same things
last night? Either she couldn’t be bothered to change her clothes, or she liked
to buy her stuff in bulk. Or she didn’t go to bed yet.
    “You don’t mind, do you?” Cass slumped on
the sofa and pushed the bonnet out of her eyes.
    Happy for any diversion from my dreadful
chores, I put down the dusting cloth. “Sorry I look a wreck. I wasn’t expecting
company.” I fanned myself air. “You wouldn’t believe how hot it gets in here
after an hour of cleaning.”
    Cass smiled. “Oh, gosh. I definitely get
you. Back home, it’s so hot one can fry an egg on the sidewalk. And cleaning
isn’t my thing, either.”
    “Can I get you anything?” I asked.
    “Nah, I’m good.” Cass scanned the room, her
nostrils flaring, sniffing the air. “Fancy place, isn’t it? But kind of dark
and dreary like an old, giant tomb. I prefer brighter colors to lift the mood.
You know, yellow or red.”
    “You haven’t been here before?”
    Cass frowned, hesitating. “I have, but not
in this room.”
    I regarded her for a moment. I wasn’t a
good liar myself, but I could tell when others were telling fibs. Why would
Cass lie about such a triviality, unless Aidan and she were dating and they
tried to keep it a secret? A pang of jealousy hit me full force, taking me by
surprise. Inhaling deeply, I curled my lips into a smile. “What can I do for
you?”
    “There’s this tiny inconvenience I’d like
to discuss with you.” Cass took off her bonnet and placed it beside her. “I’ve
no idea how to start. Made myself this fabulous list—” she fished in her
pocket for a crumpled paper that looked like she’d used it more than once “—but
it’s all useless.”
    “Just spit it out, whatever it is.”
    “Okay.” Cass inhaled and exhaled a few times.
“You may find it a bit hard to believe at first, which I can fully understand,
but once you’ve slept over it, you’ll see I’m offering you a perfectly fine
explanation of what’s going on.”
    Why did I have the feeling whatever Cass
aimed at involved Aidan? And probably not in a good light. “Say it, Cass. I don’t
need any more cushioning.”
    “You’ve won a major prize and now half of
the Interracial court’s coming after you.” Cass let out a big sigh. “There, I
said it. Way to go, me!”
    “The what?” No keep away from Aidan ? No Aidan’s
seeing someone else ? I laughed.
    A frown crossed Cass’s face. Two tiny, red
dots twinkled in her eyes. “What’s so funny? If I were you I’d be scared to
death, girl.”
    I burst into a fit of laughter. “It’s just,
I thought you were going to—” Shaking my head, I wiped the tears from my
eyes. “Sorry. Please go on.”
    Cass regarded me carefully. When I remained
serious, Cass resumed the conversation. “A little birdie told me a few nights
ago you were in the woods, doing something very naughty.”
    The jewels. She knew. Of course, they had
to belong to someone. I groaned. Dallas had messed up big time.
    Cass snapped her fingers. “Hey, focus. You
entered a race, and since Aidan chained everyone else to a tree, they had no
chance to stop you. No idea how you figured out the riddle, but you scooped the
first prize. Congratulations. You’ve just won a vacation to a big, relaxing
place called a grave.”
    “Who did what?” I shook my head to clear my
mind and calm my racing heart. Okay, play
it cool. I had nothing to fear. Cass’s crazy talk proved nothing. “You’re
mistaken. Why would you think it was me?” If I went to jail because of Dallas’s
stupid plan, I’d kick him right where it hurt the most.
    “I know you were near the shed. There was
an eyewitness.”
    “You said it was night. How could this
person possibly identify me?” I tried to keep my composure, but my voice shook.
Dallas was as