Free The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld by K. N. Lee, Ann Wicker

your own door?” Koa frowned at the concept. If she was the leader of a Netherworld clan, she’d have all kinds of goons doing her bidding.
     
    He licked the blood from his teeth. “Aye.”
     
    Koa was uncomfortable. She didn’t know why. He looked so young. Why should she fear him?
     
    “A little short on help?”
     
    He shook his head. “I like to check out visitors me self. That way, I can kill ‘em and return to me business.”
     
    “Who are you?”
     
    He sat back in his chair and played with the poker chips. “Should’a been ya first question, lass.”
     
    “My name is Koa, not ‘lass.’”
     
    He chuckled and the others joined in. “Didn’t I already say we all know ya?” He leaned his face in close to hers and she nearly fell backwards in her chair at his speed. He was no longer smiling. “But you gotta earn the privilege of learning me name…”
     
    There was something about him. It was like Koa could tell that he was trying to be as unintimidating as possible. Why would he do that? Why would someone want to appear weaker than they were? The possibilities made her begin to fear him even more.
     
    She cleared her throat. She put on a brave face. “Well, I just need a few answers.”
     
    “Depends on the questions.” He swirled his finger in the bowl of blood as his dark blue eyes watched her.
     
    Koa shifted in her seat. Her knee started to shake under the table. She hid it as best as she could. He wasn’t so much as staring at her as he was leering at her. She hoped her voice would come out steady. “Tell me about this king from the Netherworld. You’re all hiding from him, I know that much.”
     
    He snickered. “I hide from no one.” He leaned in close as if he was going to tell her a secret. “Maybe some of them blokes fear this king, but not me.”
     
    Koa made a face. “Sure,” she said sarcastically. She instantly wished she’d kept the sarcasm out of her voice. He sat back and looked at her for a moment as his smile faded. His eyes seemed to darken. His voice seemed to deepen.
     
    He licked his finger of the blood. “What ya want with Greggan?”
     
    “I want to know why, you…I mean, those ‘blokes’ over there are afraid of him. Why does everyone know me?”
     
    He nodded and kept his face serious. “Good questions. I can see why ya’d want to know those answers, lass.” He tapped the table with a sharp, dirty, nail. “But, me question is why do ya think I would tell ya anything? Why did ya walk in here, all alone, and think we’d just become quick friends and whatnot?”
     
    Koa bit her bottom lip and tried not to look nervous. “Because,” she cleared her throat again. “We have the same enemy.”
     
    His grin returned. He lifted an eyebrow. He shook his head and chuckled. “Silly girl. Silly girl.” He came to his feet. “I sure thought ya’d figure it out. Thought you were all book learned an such .”
     
    Koa looked around. Everyone had stopped drinking. They looked like hounds, ready to pounce. Her palms started to sweat. She wiped them on her jeans.
     
    She tried to turn the tables. “We are allies. We both want to stop Greggan. He wants to kill you for some reason, and he wants me for some other reason. I simply wanted to compare notes, you know?” She kept talking, hoping to buy herself some time to think. “I mean, if we work together, we can send him back to the Netherworld.”
     
    He walked around behind her, as if pacing, and mulling over her words. The room fell quiet. Everyone stopped feeding and looked up at their leader.
     
    Koa prayed inside her head. There was something about him that just felt…evil. Something in his eyes made her feel worried. She should have told Halston where she was going.
     
    “Well said, lass.” He nodded his head as he thought. “But ya’ve still got one thing wrong missy. Me and me crew are mercenaries and we ain’t hiding from Greggan.”
     
    Something tugged at Koa…warning her. She