Kira Thorne by Shia Naawl (book recommendations website txt) 📖

Erik shook his head. ‘I’ve heard rumours that Katra has been forming some sort of alliance with the non-pure witches in this city. The wererats said something big is coming to hit the City.’

The wererats were the ones that knew the who’s, what’s and how’s in the City. The underground of the city was their territory and that meant nothing runs by them without their knowledge –even if it was little knowledge. I didn’t particularly think much of the wererats since they weren’t dependable and you never knew which side they were one. Though, who am I to judge? I hadn’t exactly met one.

‘So we need to find her before the shit hits the fan. Where do we start finding her? The City is way too big for the Pack to find her.’ I asked. Katra wasn’t stupid. Unfortunately she was the type to be smart and batshit crazy. Not exactly great combination to have since she could be potentially planning to kill Erik as we speak. There were a lot of things you can do to this City and especially this one, anything could happen. If it was a human, it would’ve been fine –a few kills and cause a little damage. A fucking non-pure witch, though bottom of the food chain in our world, can not only kill but kill millions. It can not only cause damage but a fucking apocalypse –literally.

Erik rubbed his face with his free hand and slowly shook his head. ‘I don’t fucking know. Katra isn’t stable-‘

‘No shit’ I snorted

Erik glared. ‘-But take the underground. Talk to the wererats. See what else they know. Go to the non-pure witches –see what they know.’

I leaned my head back against Philip’s chest. Great, it was like playing a game of tag. And damn it, Katra’s it.

 

Chapter 16

I looked at Alaric that had a shit-eating grin on his face.

‘It’s a sewer.’ I said dumbly as I felt the need to point it out. The damn wolf was even holding the lid.

‘uh-huh and I’m a wolf. Now jump in. We got an appointment with the Alpha Rat in half hour.’

I wrinkled my nose at the smell. ‘It stinks.’ I pointed out again. He was so not making me do this. No. Hell. No.

‘Is THE Kira Thorne scared to go in?’

I looked at Erik. ‘You said they controlled the underground –not the sewer system.’

‘The sewer system is below the City don’t you think?’

I just looked at him.

Alaric gave me a heavy sigh that kinda screamed women. ‘Where did you think they lived?’

‘Train stations?’ I guessed.

‘Get in Kira. If we’re late the Alpha rat is gonna be pissed and then that Alpha rat is going to tell our Alpha –then Erik is gonna be pissed. I am not having Erik giving me shit. Get in or I’m going to push you in.’

Thing I hated about his argument was that he was damn well right. For someone who isn’t an Alpha and is late to a meeting with an Alpha is some serious offense. Fuck sake.

I walked to the small hole on the floor and my sense of smell flared. God the damn smell! I gave one quick glance at Alaric before a jumped inside. Every part of my body cringed. I so didn’t wanna be here.   

When the damp, dirty, shit-smelling floor hit the tips of my shoes, my knees started to bend to lessen the impact. It was a long way down. Darkness cascaded everywhere as well as the damn smell –but what did you expect? It was a sewer. It was a one-way tunnel. I could have walked forwards or backwards but not right nor left. The walls I bet were filled with grime and I could hear actual rats. Everything inside me cringed. Small rats. Disgusting, tiny, furry rats. Ew. Every monster has something their afraid of right? Mine were damn rats and spiders.

I heard Alaric coming down so I moved slightly forwards so he didn’t hit me. I watched Alaric slyly out the corner of my eye. Even jumping into a sewer, Alaric can make it graceful. His chestnut hair perfectly intact and his silk shirt weren’t even rumpled. Alaric somewhat dressed for this occasion, wearing a fitted button-down shirt in black silk made his fair skin paler –more delicate. He wore black jeans and shiny shoes. When you’re seeing any Alpha, you dress up –if that is, you’re going to the Alpha without your Alpha. It was just bad etiquette to not make an effort to those higher than you.

Which is why, unfortunately, I was dressed up too. I wore a crimson silk blouse with a fitted double-breasted black blazer –courtesy of Violet’s help. My hair was too long for myself to be actually bothered to do something with it so Violet braided my hair till it reached to the middle of my back. Now, I drew the line to wearing a skirt and heels. It was impractical and both was just hard to run in. So I settled for tight fitted black jeans and over-the-knee boots with crimson-coloured ribbons criss-crossing from the top to the bottom.

We waited at the entrance for ten minutes before I lost my nerve. The Alpha Rat’s men were supposed to pick us up and drop us off to Alpha Rat. Like we’d know how to navigate these damn sewer tunnels. I looked at Alaric who stood casually for the care in the world –not minding at all the stink.

‘Where the hell are they?’ I asked.

Alaric sighed. ‘I don’t know.’ His answer wasn’t even remotely helpful.

I didn’t have anything nice or helpful to put into this conversation so I let it die. The silence was annoying and I liked silence. It was the dripping and scattering noise that echoed in the sewer that started to piss me off. We were on time so what the hell was the big hold up?

That was when the hairs on my neck stood. My hands itched for my knives but I remained still. We were being watched. My anger spiked up higher. I didn’t have time for games. I didn’t have time for rats to just sit and watch me while I wait for them to guide me to their king.

I checked my watch. Okay, plan B.

‘Your Alpha is expecting us. I would really appreciate it if you direct us to him’ I spoke aloud.

No one took the hint.

I cocked my head to the side. Trying to listen of anything. From anyone. Through the stench, I smelt them. They were near. What was this? A game? Observation? What?

My patience thinned and so did my control. Damn it. If they had to be difficult, I’ll find another way round this situation. Though the other way was a hell of a lot longer, it was a way to get things done. You don’t rely on people you don’t trust. Especially rats.

“That helped.” Alaric said dryly.

I turned and just glared. There really wasn’t need for that comment. Alaric just grinned and shrugged. Ass.

Something finally moved and I saw three figures coming towards us. Since I was part animal, I could see in the dark. Not amazingly well but well enough to see their faces. One obviously was leading the other two. I was guessing the latter two was his bodyguards. Or maybe his posse. I didn’t really care.

The leader of this trio was shorter than the two, which was weird. It seemed right to have the one taking the lead to be taller and simply more than the buddies that trailed after him. Maybe it was cliché but it made me alert. Maybe this Rat was deadlier than the rest. My guess was, he was about 5 ft 9. Saying the man was any higher didn’t seem accurate. The guy had brown hair and it was close-to-skin short. His skin tone was a darker shade of tanned and it looked like despite his height, he made up for the muscles plastered all over his body. The guy was ripped that seemed borderline unattractive for some but he didn’t look like that type of guy who worked out for the sake of making oneself look appealing. If that was his aim, he would stopped long time ago but I mentally shrugged at the thought, not my business to know. Apart from him muscles, his face was angular and could even say pretty –which was surprising since I the image of a rat-like appearance came to mind. His face was all angles and chiselled and his eyes were black. Not brown black but completely black. My gaze slipped to the two behind him and their eyes were the same. Maybe it was a Rat thing. The other two was different. For one, they were taller but not outrageously taller, maybe 5 ft 11 or maybe 6ft if I was pushing it. They had similar skinny build but not to the point that it looked lanky. However, I knew that underneath the black t-shirt and dark belted pants they all wore, it was all lean hard muscle. I knew there was strength in both of them –all wereanimals had uncanny strength.

The short guy spoke first. “Alaric and Kira.”

It was more of a statement than a question so I didn’t respond but inclined my head. I didn’t really like to talk to strangers, especially dangerous strangers so I much rather observe. To me, it was more effective and usually, it got shit done quicker. Most people didn’t like silence and mistook it for awkwardness. I never did.

The guy wasn’t one too and he looked us both over and something flickered in his eyes that I decided it was…satisfaction. Why? Satisfied we weren’t threatening to the Alpha Rat? I didn’t really know but the guy literally turned and looked at us over his shoulder. Ass.

“Follow me.”

We walked a few feet behind him and the other two waited for us to pass them so they followed us from behind. I kept a tight rein on control. I didn’t like to feel or be trapped but I got it. I would have done the same if positions were reversed. I didn’t mean I have to like it.

We walked through the tunnel and for one thing, the smell didn’t get better.  Then the guy stopped and turned to a flat wall. Like all the secret spy movies, a part of the wall we were standing in front of lifted. To say I wasn’t impressed or even thought the whole idea of a secret door that magically lifted up wasn’t cool would be complete and total bullshit. We all walked through and the door shut behind us. I knew this wasn’t a part of the sewer system. First, it didn’t stink and there wasn’t shit everywhere. Second, it looked nice. We walked on patterned stone floors and I don’t know how, but there was light –not the fire-on-a-stick light but ceiling lights. It was nothing extravagant but light was light. My sight was doable at night without light but having light was easier.

The tunnel was basically a straight line and we ended up in front of a steel door with a little code-panel next to it. It felt like I was stepping into a steel safe and to some, it would have been overboard because through the tunnels alone, that shit would get you lost –not to mention of never finding a secret door on some random sewer wall but they were wererates. Compared to a Pack of wolves or a Pride of lions, they would lose. That didn’t mean if worst come to worse, you trap yourself in a secret safe and hope the bad guy would go away. There was no plan B. If the need to escape arose, the word screwed just didn’t cover the situation.

We followed the Rat, passing several doors, which I was guessing rooms for the rat clan. Some even stopped and simply looked