twice cursed mage 05 - claimed Read Online Free PDF Page B

could hit someone was if you were fighting redshirts on Star Trek.
    “Because Ricky is being held by the Beast Lord.” She sighed through her teeth. “He’s a werewolf who has thrown his lot in with Asmodai. He’s the enforcer. What he does is come in and become the Alpha of the pack, then all the weres in the city have to follow his lead. Once that happens, it’s pretty much curtains.” She drew her thumb across her throat. “He’s got to go, Mac.”
    “Like Pierce, except he roams?” I asked, remembering the douchebag alpha werewolf who had tried to overpower Ricky and take her mind, body, and soul with his overwhelming alphaness. If this guy was anything like Pierce, I needed to put him six feet under on principle.

Chapter 6
    I wasn’t sure how long we walked through the twisting sewer tunnels, but it was long enough for me to wish I had some shoes. True, they’d be covered in gunk, but at the same time, I’d long since given up trying to figure out what was squelching between my toes or ever being clean for a whole day.
    “I still don’t understand why you didn’t bring me some clothing,” I growled at the back of Maya’s head. She ignored me, but that was probably because she was listening to music on her phone so loud, I could actually hear Justin Timberlake telling me to cry myself a river.
    I’d been pretty annoyed when she’d donned the earbuds, but to be fair, she had warned me to stop asking questions about the council of seven.
    “We’re here,” she said, stopping abruptly beneath a manhole cover that looked identical to the several hundred we’d passed already. How she knew this was the right one was beyond me, but then again, I was so lost, I was pretty sure we’d been walking in circles for the last hour.
    “Where’s here?” I asked as she pulled the white earbuds from her ear and made a meticulous show of turning off the phone and shoving it in her purse.
    “See for yourself. You go first. I don’t want you looking up my dress.” I hadn’t even considered that, but as I glanced at her standing there in a short vinyl skirt, I decided I’d go first, if only so she wouldn’t have to flash me her panties. The things I do for my… what’s the word for people who aren’t your friends and have tried to kill you, but aren’t actively doing it at the time?
    “You know what works well for killing people? Pants,” I said, moving past her toward the ladder. Part of me was pleased because while I’d climb the ladder with it being relatively clean, my feet were going to cover it with slime she’d have to grab with her manicured hands. It was a small victory to be fair, but a victory was still a victory.
    “Maybe for you, but I find I can get a lot closer to the average guy dressed like this.” She shrugged as I started climbing. I had to admit, she had a point. It wouldn’t be hard for her to get close to most men revealing as much skin as she did. “Besides, there’s nothing quite like grabbing a boy’s waist and pulling him in close before stabbing him in the chest.” A small giggle rippled from her throat. “You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.”
    “The Lannisters send their regards,” I said, reaching up and pressing on the underside of the lid with my left hand. I’d just meant to test its weight, but the manhole cover moved easily. It should have been way heavier, but it felt like Styrofoam, and I was able to push it out of the way with ease.
    Fluorescent light spilled into the sewer from the room overhead. It was pretty bare, having a concrete floor painted with that same industrial paint like in Jack’s bar. There was a pile of cardboard boxes off to one side, but the room was otherwise empty which seemed odd, and not just because the sewer led into a weird room. No, it was weird because it smelled like soot and fresh paint, almost as though it’d been recently renovated following a fire.
    I pulled myself inside, and as I did, I realized Maya was