Page 54 of Dead End

I couldn’t decide whether to be relieved. It was possible he didn’t recall his victims.

Gun jumped in. “Because we can offer you what you’ve always dreamed of: an all-you-can-eat supernatural smorgasbord. You’ll be dining on deities for days in Paradise.” Gunther glanced sideways at me with a satisfied smirk.

I pictured Unas rampaging The Corporation’s headquarters, swallowing its residents whole. What if he encountered Kami or Libitina? They didn’t deserve such a horrific fate.

“Paradise?” Unas repeated. “The Corporation’s headquarters?”

“Exactly. Why bother receiving instructions from them when you could makethemyour meal ticket? If I were you, I would only settle for the most powerful of the gods, not their scraps. They must taste the most delicious and offer the most nourishment, no?” Gun asked in a tantalizing tone.

Unas folded his bulging arms. “I’m listening.”

“Hey, Gun. Can I talk to you?” I forced a smile at Unas. “Excuse us for one second.” I steered Gun into the foyer and closed the door. “I’m having second thoughts about this.”

“After all the trouble we went to, you want to chicken out now? He won’t eat you. We’ll make it part of the contract.”

“I’m not worried about me. It doesn’t feel right to treat them the way they’ve treated others. Where’s my higher moral ground if I set Unas loose in Paradise? I’m not even sure how I would sneak him in.”

Gun slapped a hand on my shoulder. “Your moral higher ground, my lovely, is the hill you’re not buried on because you lived to tell the tale.”

“What if he ends up obliterating some of the good ones? Cam’s right. We don’t know how Unas determines worthiness. Maybe there’s another way.”

“Note to Lorelei: the god devourer is standing on yourporch right now. The time to back out was before we summoned him.”

“I get that you’re viewing this through the lens of a professional assassin…”

“Because that’s who I am.”

“But I think we should reconsider how we fight our battles.”

Gun smacked his forehead. “Lor, you’re killing me, and not with funny jokes the way I’d prefer.”

“I’m sorry. I know Unas was my idea, and I take full responsibility. I was desperate.”

Gun lowered his voice. “How do you expect to get rid of him without some sort of offering? He came here with the expectation of striking a deal. He might decide you make a tasty snack instead.”

I blew out a breath. Gun was right. I’d backed myself into a corner.

Gun pondered me. “Look. I’ll handle it. You stay in here, so he doesn’t decide to eat you.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to. You’re at risk. He won’t be interested in devouring a mere mage.”

“You’re a La Fortuna mage. That’s much different than a mere mage.” Gun and Cam could trace their lineage back to a society of mages that formed in the fifteenth century.

“Even so, Unas will be far more interested in consuming you than me. Wait here. I’ll let you know when he’s gone.” Gun skipped outside and resumed his conversation with Unas.

I watched nervously from the window as they exchanged a few words, then Unas simply turned and walked away.

“He left without a fuss?” I asked, once Gun was inside.

“Not a peep of protest.”

Relief swept through me like a gusty wind. “Thanks, Gun. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He gave my shoulder a gentle pat. “That’s what friends are for, my love. When you’re too weak to carry on, we carry the load, unless it’s laundry. Then I’m out.”

The scream was intense enough to shatter glass. I shot to the door and flung it open to see Anna and West running toward the house. The alpha carried someone over his shoulder like they were a sack of potatoes. The figure’s brown hair was matted with blood.

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