Page 20 of Pike

“It’s always ladies first when something disgusting is involved. Guarantee if we went to a nice place, I’d be the one holding the door open for you.” Still cringing, she got down on her knees to inspect the gate.

“At least you would look good doing it!” he countered.

Sewer gas burst through the opening in an acrid gust of warm air. It ruffled her hair and caused her eyes to water. Pike wondered if she knew how gorgeous she looked, even surrounded by garbage.

“This grate is heavy, love.” He kicked the metal further away from the opening and listened to it clang. “Shall we hurry?”

With another nasty glance in his direction, letting him know he was worse than the smell of the gas, Lavinia let her body slip through the hole, disappearing into the darkness.

He took a deep breath before following her down. Rat shifters weren’t pleasant to deal with when they were in their human form, and human form usually meant they were above ground during any contact. Now he was approaching them on their home turf. Which meant slimy tails, crusty fur, and of course shit water. Why they couldn’t find a nice warehouse or something to use as a base of operation he would never understand.

Lavinia reached the landing first, her fingers slipping on the ladder rung and her boots flopping down with a squelch in a puddle of god-knew-what. “Is it too late to face the succubus again?” She held up a knee to show him the muck slicking along her pants. “This is ridiculous.”

“I thought you wanted to learn,” he joked.

“I thought that meant, you know, sitting at a desk. Taking a test with multiple-choice questions or something like that. Not sloshing through the sewer because you owe money. At least tell me you brought the cash.”

“’I’ve got the cash. And you.”

“What, like I’m your trump card?”

“You’re my ace if things go wrong. They won’t be able to resist your scent.”

“I highly doubt they’ll be able to smell me down here.”

“Here.” Pike dug around in his pocket and brought out a slim silver chain. “Wear this and don’t take it off until I say so.”

“Why?” She eyed the piece skeptically. “What is this for?”

“It’s going to mask your smell.”

Her eyes lit when he placed the necklace around her head. “A masking spell.”

“It wears off after an hour,” he warned. “This isn’t a permanent fix.”

She sighed. “I know it isn’t.”

“Just follow me.”

He moved past her and took them down a tunnel to the left, making sure to keep a close watch on Lavinia. Physical contact if necessary. Yes, physical contact, he thought as he took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. The sewers were a labyrinth. If she got lost or took one wrong turn, then it would take a miracle to find her again.

“So how much do you owe these guys?” she asked.

“Late payment and compounded interest? More than your rent.”

“More than my rent,” she repeated. Almost like she didn’t believe it. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I thought you had enough money to buy my apartment ten times over.”

“Well, I might have exaggerated just a bit. Needless to say,” he ducked his head through a small opening and gave her hand a tug, “payment is due.”

It took them another fifteen minutes of twists and turns to find the den. It was a circular open room with damp walls. Live rats that had nothing to do with their shifter counterparts scurried around the walls with twitching whiskers. Disgusting creatures. The air echoed with the sounds of scrabbling claws.

“Radclyffe? Is that you?”

Lavinia froze at the sound of the trembling alto. Pike drew her closer and kept his hand on hers, squeezing. Four figures stood in the dim light with legs half bent in an unnatural direction. Though they were in human form, long naked tails curved out of their pants and around their legs.

Pike spared a glance at the shaking woman at his side. This was the first time she’d seen a shifter on their turf. None made quite the impression of the rats, with their beady black eyes. Their claw-like hands.

He struggled to control his own rapidly beating heart among the hissing laughs. “Herb. Gentlemen. Oh, and lady. Let’s not forget the lady.”

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