A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

good as disowned.
    Cass smiled as she peered at me, green eyes
glinting. “He saw you up close when he demanded the jewels, but you ran with
your backpack. You were wearing all black, covered in mud, and your hair was
tied in a ponytail.”
    “I can explain,” I whispered.
    “I doubt that, mate,” Cass snorted very un lady -like. “Now
you’re stuck with this ability for half a millennium.”
    Huh? “You’re saying I’ve earned a skill for
the next five hundred years? Are you serious? Shouldn’t I be dead by then?”
    “Technically yes, I guess.” Cass squirmed
in her seat, chewing her lip. “Actually, we’re not really talking about a
skill, rather a gift. I’m sure you’ve noticed it already and if not, Aidan will
make you use it soon so you can get the book.”
    I laughed. “What can I do? Fly like
Superman? See the future?”
    Cass waved her hand. “Nah, it’s not that
grand. Would be great though, saving on airfares and all. What you can do is see
and communicate with the dead.”
    “A necromancer, then?” I cocked a brow,
amused.
    “Yes or, in other words, the old spinster who
talks to herself.”
    I stared at her. Cass’s face betrayed no
signs of lying. I had to find a way to give the jewels back without anyone
dragging me to court. Hell, I hadn’t even wanted to steal them in the first
place, so no one could actually persecute me. Could they? Either way, Dallas
would have to understand I wasn’t going to take the blame for him. It had been his idea. He was old enough to deal with
it. I could only hope he hadn’t sold them to the highest bidder already.
    “Okay, let’s say I was in the woods and did
enter a certain shed—” I took a deep breath and brushed imaginary fluff
from the sofa “—I understand the things there must belong to someone, and
I’m perfectly happy to return them. I’m even willing to pay a bit of compensation
from my meager wage. Just give me a few days to sort everything out and maybe
we could make a fresh start.”
    Cass leaned forward and squeezed my hand,
unnatural warmth seeping into my skin. “I’m so sorry, but it’s not that easy.
You solved the Riddle of Sight by gathering the required jewels. No idea how
you came up with the right answer, but those who enter the race must be content
with whatever riddle they solve and whatever gift is bestowed upon them. There’s
no exchange or refund policy.”
    The Riddle of Sight? The woman from the pub
flashed through my mind, and all those strange nightmares, and Rebecca’s
savaged body when I’d touched the red dress.
    “You’re starting to believe. As I always
say, if you can’t take the heat you should’ve stayed out of the kitchen.” Cass
laughed. “Kitchen—get it? You’re a housekeeper and all.” She cleared her
throat, seemingly embarrassed. “So sorry, mate. I can’t help it. It’s like I’m
possessed or something. Anyway, there’s more. Ever wondered why no one’s here during
the day?”
    I shook my head, not because I didn’t
wonder, but because I didn’t want to know, since I was still processing the
news that I was the top winner of a skill that, as per Cass, would bring me a
step closer to an early grave.
    “Never mind, I’ll tell you anyway,” Cass
said as though reading my mind. “Your new boss’s a vampire, and if you don’t
learn to handle him, you’ll wake up dead. And I hope it’s in Hell because it’s
more fun and heaven ain’t all that.”
    “You’re kidding?” Aidan couldn’t be. Last
night he sure didn’t feel like a corpse when he kissed me. In fact, he felt all
warm and gentle and—
    Cass rolled her eyes. “Does he ever eat?
Nope. Does he sleep during the day and only comes out at night? Yep. Is he so
sexy you’d sell your soul to spend just a night with him? Double-yep. What
other proof do you need?”
    I sat up and walked to the window. Cass had
a few points but, really, a vampire ?
Who believed in such a myth? What was Cass suggesting anyway? That I grab my
rosary and head for the nearest church begging for holy water? Line my door and
widows with salt? Sleep with a wooden stake under my pillow? Hang garlic bulbs
from my bedroom door? Why was I even considering these options? The girl was
ludicrous.
    “You don’t have to believe to know deep
inside. Just listen to that voice and you’ll find belief easier to bear,” Cass
said. “Or, in other words, suck it up and just look at the facts because nothing
will work to keep him