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“You shouldn’t have acted so cagey when you received the phone call at the crossroads. A participant in what?”
“Some kind of deity fight. I drank an elixir that will give me the power of a god, and then I fight someone else who does the same thing. Bets are placed. Somebody wins. Show over.”
His brow creased. “I don’t like the sound of this already. Is this why you met with Magnarella? Why would you agree to participate in a farce like this?”
“Because if I don’t, someone else would’ve suffered the consequences.”
The muscle in his cheek twitched. “This is it. This is the secret you’ve been hiding.”
I bit my tongue. I made it this far; I wasn’t throwing Gunther and Dusty under the bus now.
“Lorelei, finally. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You should see the crowd out there. It’s insane.” Gunther slid to a stop behind Kane. “Oh, boy. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Me neither,” I said pointedly.
A white swan waddled next to Gunther. “I sure hope you win because I’m sick and tired of honking when I want to curse instead.”
Turning to face them, Kane folded his arms. “I’m beginning to get the picture.”
The swan looked up at Kane. “Uh-oh.”
“Dusty Saxon, isn’t it?”
“Honk, honk,” she said feebly.
Gunther shot a panicked look at his sister. “I can explain,” he said.
“No need. Let me see if I understand the situation.” Kane pointed at the swan. “You tried to steal an item of value from Vincenzo Magnarella and somehow found yourself turned into a swan. You were doomed to stay a swan unless someone took your place in this ungodly fight. Enter Lorelei Clay.”
Gunther winced. “In a nutshell.” I was relieved that he didn’t mention payment. The fact that I was accepting money for this made me feel even worse.
Kane glanced at me. “When did you become friends with Dusty?”
I sighed. “When she showed up at my house as a swan.”
Kane pressed his lips together. I couldn’t tell whether he was suppressing a laugh or abject disappointment. “How did she ring the bell? With her beak?”
“I carried her,” Gun admitted.
He gripped the edge of the wall. “You carried…” He shut up and pinched the bridge of his nose to regain his composure. “Gunther, I don’t even know where to begin.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong,” I intervened. “He came to me for help out of respect for your gentleman’s agreement.”
Kane eyed the assassin. “Why did you rope in Miss Clay?”
“Because nobody else would agree to help.”
Kane pivoted to me. “And why did you? Aren’t you supposed to be locked away in your tower, avoiding humanity?”
“He appealed to my bank account,” I admitted.
“I see.” Kane took a menacing step toward Gun. “The next time you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, you come to me.”
“But the rules…”
“I am aware of the rules because I set them. I am also the head of the guild.”
“This isn’t guild business,” I said. “Dusty isn’t a member.”
