Dangerous Territory

Twenty Two

Mattheus wanted to say something.

He kept shooting Mala meaningful looks from across the room whenever he caught her eye, looking at her and then Tanya as if she could do something to make the woman leave the room.

They never got a chance to talk in the end, and before she knew it she was back at the university for another day of classes and soon after that, making her way home.

The day had gone by so fast, leaving hardly a moment for her to collect her thoughts.

Jon had told her to hold on to the pictures so they were safely tucked away in her purse, away from the eyes of anyone who would want to find and destroy them. Her immediate thought was to go to the police with them but Jon had quickly put a halt to that.

They didn't know what they were up against for one.

If Wellington truly was behind it, he had done a good job so far of making sure that anyone who tried to vouch for Auden's freedom was killed or scared into silence.

A trend had emerged.

If they were a shifter- a prompt death.

If they were a human- scared with the threat of death. That was usually enough to ensure their silence without any other drastic measures.

The only human who had met a grisly end had been Auden's mother. She had mated a shifter, making her just as bad as them.

The only shifters who had been spared were Auden and Blake. They were forced to suffer because of the acquitted actions of their parents, put in a place that was only marginally better than death.

So, considering all of this, the general consensus was that it was better Jon and Mala to wait. She didn't know how long she was willing to wait for since her patience was wearing thin. There was only so long she could stay passive before she would feel obliged to do something.

Jon needed to fill her in on a plan of action and soon.

Time ebbed away and she couldn't get her mind off the pictures. It was like they were burning a hole in her purse but she didn't dare take them out in case Tanya walked in the house.

It was reaching midnight and the woman still wasn't home, something that was incredibly out of the norm. Usually Tanya didn't go anywhere without letting Mala know either where she'd be, or what time she'd be home.

Sleep evaded Mala, worry causing her to wait up in the living room for the human's return.

Concerning Tanya and Zoe, she still didn't know where they stood. From what she could gather, it seemed like their testing was separate from the penitentiary's- something private between the two of them.

Either way, it had to stop and she would speak to Blake or Auden about it as soon as she could to find out what they knew about it.

There was a scuffling at the apartment door, the sound of jangling keys and the lock being turned. It caught Mala off guard, propelling her to jump up and race to it, upset that she hadn't noticed the noise beforehand.

She opened the door to be assaulted by the stench of alcohol and stale vomit, an unconscious yet still inebriated Tanya being carried by a human lady who had a shaved head and angry red lips.

She shoved past Mala and carried Tanya to the couch, wheezing with the effort it took to roll her friend into a comfortable position.

"Is she okay?" Mala asked, not knowing what else to say when the woman turned back to face her.