Feral Bonds

Chapter 22

Neither of them commented on the fact that Natania had just eaten a dead body, though if Gretchen didn't know much about beast bound, she might have thought it was normal. It wasn't. But she had been starving for weeks, maybe it was just an extreme reaction due to the hunger. It wouldn't happen again. She was sure.

Natania had cleaned off the blood while Gretchen sorted through books, looking for something that Natania didn't really understand.

"It is him," Gretchen had growled to herself. "I knew it." Then they had been moving. Feeling remarkably better, Natania had managed to pull her magic around the both of them and get them out of the tunnel unseen.

Gretchen had made an anonymous call to the police once they'd escaped, using probably the last payphone in existence at a nearby gas station, and tipped them off to the location of the dungeon. Gretchen had informed her that the place was used to traffic women, and part of Natania wished they had killed them all instead of taking the cautious route.

"What are you going to do now?" Gretchen asked over hot breakfast sandwiches. Gretchen had left her purse behind before going, intentionally, to be captured by those men, but Natania still had her wallet in her back pocket. So she'd offered to buy food before they parted ways.

Natania crumpled up the wrapper from her sandwich. "I don't know." She didn't even know what city they were in, or how far from Vincent's place she was. Not that she wanted to go back. Though being on her own had already lost its appeal.

She didn't know why, but she was also reluctant to leave Gretchen behind, which was odd, considering they had just met.

Gretchen seemed to feel the same way as she said, "you could always come back home with me."

Natania raised an eyebrow. "You're just going to invite strange monsters into your home?"

Gretchen shrugged. "I mean, as long as you don't eat me, I don't see the problem."

Natania laughed. "I see someone missed their stranger danger lessons."

The human grinned. "If you were going to kill me, we were just in the perfect place to do it, so I think I'm safe considering I'm still in one piece. Besides, I can think of plenty of uses for a magical werewolf."

Natania pointed a finger at her. "First of all, I'm not a werewolf. I'm a beast bound, there's a difference, and two, I don't work for humans."

"You could work with me," Gretchen insisted. "Come on, it'd be great. I've got the technology know how, and you've got the super strength and," she lowered her voice, "magic."

Natania snorted. "And what exactly is our supposed mission?"

Gretchen leaned forward. "To kill Stefan Duvall."

Natania blinked. Stefan Duvall was a multimillionaire that owned an electronics company. He sold TVs and computers and video games, not the kind of person she would expect to find on a hitlist.

"Er, why?"

Gretchen narrowed her eyes. "You've only heard of his electronics company, haven't you?"

She nodded.

"It's a front," Gretchen whispered. "His actual business is in trafficking, drugs, women, children, you name it. That hellhole was one of his."

Natania leaned forward and covered her mouth with her hand. "This really isn't the place for this kind of conversation." She glanced at the other patrons, who had mostly been minding their own business, but you never knew anymore.

"I have proof at home, I'll show you."

Natania thought about it. If she was right, then... "Okay," she muttered. It's not like she had anything better to do. Gretchen's face lit up with hope, and they quickly finished the rest of their food before exiting the restaurant and hailing a cab. Natania paid, and the driver dropped them off at a tall apartment building. Natania was stumbling exhausted by the time they reached the door and Gretchen led her to an elevator, punching a button for the twenty sixth floor.