Page 23 of Dead of Night
“She couldn’t join even if she wanted to,” Charles said. “No spots.”
“No spots?” I repeated. For a second, I thought he meant physical spots, like freckles.
“The guild has a maximum number of twenty and spots are highly coveted,” Camryn explained.
I hadn’t realized that. I’d gotten the impression it was more like a labor union for assassins.
“We’re an elite group with rules,” Charles said. “And only the elite members of that group should be permitted to attend meetings.”
“I adore rules,” I said, fluttering my eyelashes. “Tell me more.”
Charles looked ready to tell me more with his fist. Kane’s presence seemed to keep him in check. “The rules are what I make them,” the demon said simply.
“Only for the guild,” Charles cut in. “La Fortuna has been around long before Sullivan arrived in Fairhaven.”
Gun turned his purple-lined eyes to me. “La Fortuna only encompasses a segment of us.”
“Because only mages of a certain bloodline can master the cards,” Charles added.
“Why be members of both?” I asked.
Charles jerked up his chin in a haughty manner. “La Fortuna is a birthright. The guild is a professional organization that allows Fairhaven to serve as our sanctuary.”
“I know that much. No killing anyone else here, or each other. What are the other rules?”
Charles leveled me with a look. “No outsiders should be privy to the inner workings of the guild.”
Ouch. A direct hit. I glanced at Kane. “You’re breaking the rules for me.”
“I’m bending them, as is permissible under Rule 3.1.4.” He pivoted to face Charles. “For the record, she signed an NDA. You would do well to remember all the rules, Mr. Diamond, and I do mean all of them. You’re not exempt from them, despite what you’d like to believe.”
Charles glowered at me but said nothing.
Kane opened his hands. “Shall we begin?”
Camryn patted the empty seat beside her. “This chair is clean.”
The last time I saw Camryn was at my house, where she’d invited two shamans to cleanse my home of negative energy before she was willing to enter. I assumed she had a routine for this place too.
Cam fished a box of Nerds from her purse and proceeded to eat the small pieces of candy. “It’s interesting that Kane is letting you make your announcement. It isn’t as though he’s allergic to the word ‘no.’”
“I think he doesn’t want me to cause a scene.”
She laughed. “Are you kidding? Kane lives for scenes.”
True. The demon owned a supernatural nightclub and walked around with a flaming sword that disappeared at will. He wasn’t exactly an introvert.
“I’d even argue he’s more dramatic than Gun,” Camryn added.
Gun turned his well-moussed head in our direction. “I heard that.”
“Miss Clay, would you like the floor now?” Kane asked.
I rose to my feet. “For those of you I haven’t met yet, I’m Lorelei Clay, the owner of Bluebeard’s Castle.”
“You mean the Ruins,” somebody coughed into their hand.
Kane shushed them.