Dangerous Territory

Twenty Three

The smell of stale alcohol still clung to Tanya as she walked into the room, dark sunglasses over her eyes as if that would cure the headache bought about by the increased light sensitivity.

The woman sounded absolutely miserable as she addressed Mala, dragging her feet toward her like she needed a painkiller and a nap. "Ovilio's last session for a few months. Go ahead and pick him up, I have a meeting with the men in medical."

Mala gave a nod, picking up her necessary equipment before leaving the room after Tanya's departure. Thankfully, Tanya wasn't in a socialising mood so she hadn't had to speak to the woman all day. She didn't know if she wanted to speak to her anytime soon, only feeling slightly guilty about hoping the human's hangover lasted for the rest of the week.

She had barely gotten the door to Auden's cell open before he was dragging her inside and snogging her against the wall, hand pressing against her lower back so her body moulded against his.

He was making small growly noises and nipping at her lips, leaving her no room to breathe.

When he finally released his hold, looking wholly satisfied with his assault on her mouth and matching flustered expression, she spoke up.

"You're innocent."

He blinked, averting his focus from her lips and rubbing his hands up and down her arms to cover her with his scent.

She tried to take a step back so that he didn't distract her, only to find that the sole thing behind her was more wall and she had nowhere to go.

She gave a small cough. "I met your sister: Blake. She told me that Wellington framed you."

He stopped rubbing her body and hummed, looking her in the eyes.

For the first time, Mala thought that she saw something akin to fear in his gaze.

He scratched the back of his neck, taking a miniscule step back so that she didn't have to strain her neck. "I haven't been feeling too good lately," he admitted. "So I haven't been eating a lot of the food they're giving me. It's funny. The less I eat, the more clear headed I feel."

"They've been drugging you." She placed a hand against his cheek, pressing her lips into an unhappy line.

"I know." He said lowly. "In my head, I feel like I murdered my family but I don't have any memory of actually doing it. It's like the thought was put there by someone else."

Mala felt weariness set in her bones, too worn by the events for her anger to manifest in the form of involuntary shifting. Instead, she sighed and dropped her palm from his face.

"This is the last time I'll be picking you up." She told him, looking down at the floor. "I'm planning to do something very stupid and it could all go awfully wrong."

His scent got stronger, a biting edge to it that she had never noticed before and then he was clutching at her arms, grip so tight it was verging on painful.

"Stupid? No- please, no. Stay out of trouble." He was rambling, terror coating his voice. "Please, Malandra. Don't-" He cut himself off with a strangled cry, seizing her in a bruising hug and burrowing his face in her neck.

"It's alright, baby." She soothed him, patting his back with what was left of her mobility. "I'll be fine."

"I can't see you hurt or locked up. It might kill me."

"I love you, Auden." She blurted. "I promise to get you out of here."

That seemed to be the snapping point for him, the chord ripping the very heart out of her as his teeth sliced through her neck.