Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
Keeping to the side, our shoulders grazing the sodden walls, we stalk through the dark tunnel.
There are no lightbulbs here, the pitch-black appearing as glittery gray to my eyes.
The dripping of water is the only sound, apart from the murmurs that are becoming clearer the closer we get to the other side.
Marcus stops, and I place my hand between his shoulder blades, leaning on my toes to see what halted our progress.
The exit is a few feet away, dimly lit by one of the lights nailed in the ceilings.
A couple of shadows shift on the walls, indicating whoever is talking is very close.
Speaking in such low voices means they are not human.
How they didn’t hear us before we noticed their presence is beyond me.
It’s not like I was trying to be quiet. The whole time I called this sewer home, there had never been anyone else here but me.
Well, me and the two traitors that sold me out to become what I loathed most. Pushing all thoughts of Sara and Eddie from my mind, I follow Marcus when he glides forward.
“I told you this is useless,” a familiar voice rasps, but I can’t place it to save my life.
“Shut up and do as you are told unless you want to end up cleaved in pieces,” a bored-sounding man answers. It seems familiar, too, and it frustrates the hell out of me that I can’t recall who they are.
“If they didn’t promise me a place higher up the ladder I would’ve gone with the Italians. First, I have to babysit, and now, I’m crawling through sewers like vermin.” Growling, the first person sounds angry, and my body jolts when I remember where I’ve heard them before.
Mutt saved me, so they didn’t find me between the buildings the night I went looking for medicine. The two idiots were sitting above my head on the fire escape, keeping an eye on the hotel. What are the chances that the same two are here now?
“I would watch my tongue if I were you,” a smooth female voice speaks, and my skin prickles from the power that blasts the air. “Have you found anything?”
Marcus turns his head to look at me over his shoulder, wide-eyed.
It doesn’t boost my confidence much. Apart from the Council, nothing else spooks him out.
Well, Sebastian does, but he is a jerk and has that effect on everyone.
At my questioning gaze, Marcus barely shakes his head, moving his attention back to whoever it is that joined the two idiots.
“Nothing apart from rats…and a stray cat,” the bored one says with a strain in his voice.
“Good. I will tell the others. We will be fine here for a couple of days to think of a way to proceed if Khan’s plan backfires. You should try to join the pathetic rebellion and be useful for once. Go bring me information that I can use.”
“Should we go now?” the other one asks with a whine in his voice. “We searched everywhere, no one is in this damn place. We will try again to gain entrance in the hotel.”
“You can leave after I am gone. And you better not say a word to anyone about this, or you will wish you were dead.”
Silence follows so long that I think that everyone left. When I try to move around Marcus, he wraps one of his beefy arms around my waist, pressing my back to his chest. We both stiffen at the contact; I almost snarl at him, but bubbles from ripples in the water make me swallow the sound.
“She is gone. Let’s get out of here,” the bored one says, and Marcus disappears from behind me.
“Not so fast, my friend.” I watch his profile when he grins at the two idiots.
“How nice. One of you and two of us.” I’m not sure who snarls at Marcus like I don’t exist.
“Lucky for you then.” Marcus chuckles.
“What? I’m not allowed to play?” Leaning my shoulder on the entrance wall, I smile sweetly at the gawking idiots, seeing their faces for the first time.
Both are strangely unremarkable. “I’ll stay here and watch if you like, but you’ll have to tell me who pulls your strings.
And if the almighty Khan knows about it, too. ”
“Like Kali gives a shit what Khan knows.” The shorter of the two—and whinier judging by all the complaining he’s been doing every time I’ve been around him—glares at me. His buddy whacks him in the back of his head, making me giggle.
“Kali and who else?” Marcus gets their attention back to him, so I glide slightly closer.
“No more talking.”
The one that always sounds bored dives at Marcus.
Everything around me slows down, and it’s like watching them move underwater.
Marcus bends his knees, preparing to meet the idiot in the air, not paying attention to the other guy.
The sneaky little shit pulls out a wicked-looking dagger, the silver steel blinking at me when it catches the light for a second.
Pushing off the wall, I lunge at him like a battering ram.
My body collides with his, sending us crashing at the opposite wall a second before Marcus and the other guy slam into each other, the slapping sound of flesh hitting flesh resonating through the tunnels.
Rocks and concrete rain on my head while I grip the idiot’s wrist, keeping the dagger away from my person.
Snarling, he wraps his other hand around my throat, squeezing for all he’s worth.
For a moment, it feels like he is about to rip my head clean off my shoulders.
Then, I feel the switch flip. His hand goes slick around my neck, and his eyes go comically wide.
I have no idea what he sees, but it must be scary enough to freak him out.
The one that is fighting Marcus starts screaming in a high-pitched voice that hurts my ears.
Twisting the hand that still holds my throat, the crunching sound of breaking bone sends an excited shiver through me.
Taking hold of both his wrists, I lean over him, holding him down with my whole body while I turn around to see why his friend is screaming.
My heart starts thumping faster when I see Marcus fight.
He moves like water. I never thought someone as muscled as he is can twist his body in that way.
For every kick or punch aimed his way, he bends and twists, evading it by a hair.
Every movement of his arms and legs connects with his opponent, sending the guy bouncing off the walls, limbs bending in unnatural angles.
Locking his gaze with mine, Marcus snarls and sinks his fangs in the guy’s neck.
I laugh when his eyes glint with a dare.
Winking at him, I let him see my fangs slide slowly under my upper lip.
Turning my attention to the idiot underneath me, I give him a big grin, making him whimper.
A thrill goes through my entire being a second before I strike, my teeth parting the flesh of his neck like it’s made out of Jell-O.
Warm, thick blood sprays over my face and chest, forcing my hunger out like a breaking dam.
After the first gulp from his life force, I know nothing more.