Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

“This is a really nice place you have here,” Ren complimented cheerfully as he walked around the large, elaborately decorated room, studying the furniture and paintings and sculptures. He leaned over, staring in awe at a sphere that contained a color changing smoke that swirled around into different images; a lantern, a carousel, a snake.

“Of course it is.” Mahala sat in a plush red chair, one slender leg crossed over the other, watching the angel carefully, becoming more irritated with him with every passing minute. She had thought that he would be more enjoyable company than the fox, but he was proving to be no better than a toddler with his absentminded rambling and short attention span. On top of that, the man hadn’t stopped trying to curiously touch and grab at every single thing since he entered the room. “Do not touch that. It is very expensive.”

Ren pulled his hand back and stood straight, feigning innocence, as he continued his aimless wandering. “So... how much do you charge in order to afford all this?”

She raised a brow. “Why? Are you interested?”

“Just curious if my prices really are too steep,” he chirped. “I think they’re fair... but everyone seems to disagree.”

“Your prices are too much. No one in their right mind will ever pay what you’re asking.” Sakura didn’t bother to even look up from the book she was reading in another matching, luxurious chair across the room, her back against one arm while her legs were splayed over the other.

“Your prices?” The succubus chuckled lightly, her chocolate eyes closely following the angel. “And what are they?”

“Thirty gold, five silver, seven bronze,” Ren said confidently, as though it was a reasonable price for his company.

She laughed, a loud, astonished boom before it quickly died away, her expression less than impressed with the man. “What a ridiculously excessive number. And what is so special about you? You’re good-looking, tall, and muscular? Who cares? Men like you are a bronze a dozen around here. And just look at you. Your hair is a mess, your boots are dirty, pants faded and frayed, and that shirt...” She scoffed. “It has no sleeves. Where are they? It looks like you tore them off yourself. Do not touch that either!”

Ren stopped short of poking an abstract painting that he couldn’t make heads or tails of. “That’s because I did,” he admitted pleasantly. “It was hot, and they were in the way. What else was I supposed to do? But what does it matter what my hair or clothes look like when I’m a maiden of pure virtue? That’s a very desirable selling point.”

“That is only a desirable selling point for actual maidens, of which, you are clearly not.”

The man nodded, considering it carefully for the first time, the reality of his position hitting hard. “Hm, I guess you’re right. Maybe I need to market myself differently? You’re obviously pretty good at that. What would you suggest?”

“I’ll make you a deal,” Mahala offered, sitting further back in the chair, her attention now on the still reading demon. “That feather that that fox has always had on her shoulder there, it’s yours, yes? The bond of a Fallen One? What a foolish thing for you to do, to mark this psychotic woman as your bride. Especially when she still refuses to take your precious little maidenhead after all these years. However, if it will anger the fox, then I will subtract my price from yours and pay the difference. I will be your first.”

The angel felt a charge of exhilaration coarse through him. Finally, someone who was willing to pay his true worth. His price wasn’t too high, he just hadn’t found the right buyer until now. His head whipped towards the demon, pure ecstasy emanating. “I told you it wasn’t too much! It’s exactly what I’m worth!”

Sakura turned the page, her tone calm and uninterested. “It’s too much. And I would suggest you keep your coin. It’ll be the biggest mistake you ever make, and I won’t have anything to do with those regrets.”

“The only thing I have ever regretted was having met you.” Mahala looked at the closed door that contained the girl and devil within. She was growing tired of waiting for them to fall asleep, wasting her time when it could be better spent not having the fox demon sully her home. “That devil. What is wrong with him?”

“There’s nothing wrong with him!” Sakura snarled as she snapped the book shut and glowered at the woman, her unruffled demeanor instantly turning sour. “How about you watch your fucking tongue before I rip it out.”

The succubus smirked, pleased at having found what would set the demon off. “Does that little girl control him? Is that why he doesn’t speak or look up or demolish everything around him? Because he’s her puppet?”

The fox could feel her rage growing, already familiar with the struggle that came with dealing with a succubus. Mahala may have been their best option, but it wasn’t because she made things easy. If anything, it was the opposite. Where the other succubi would tell Sakura whatever they thought she wanted to hear just to quickly get rid of her, Mahala would tell the truth but only after terrorizing the demon, raising her temper higher and higher before giving her the information right before she blew. “I’m not paying you to ask questions. I’m paying you to look into his dreams and tell us what you see. Nothing else.”

The woman smiled, feeling the demon’s anger warm the room. “And what if I do more than just look? He is very handsome, and I do like the shy ones.”

“You fucking bitch!” Sakura pushed herself from the chair, ready to launch across the room and onto the succubus. “If you…”

“Sit down.”

She hesitated, the angel’s demand quiet and low with a venom simmering just under the surface.

“Now,” Ren said louder, and the vixen obeyed reluctantly as he crouched down before the succubus, looking up at her with bright blue eyes and a gentle smile. “I know we’re troubling you, and I appreciate you taking your time to do this,” his voice suddenly kind and gracious. “If you could just take a quick look and nothing else, then we’ll happily be on our way, and you won’t have to worry about us again.”

“And if I don’t?” She ran her finger along his jaw, observing how his expression stayed the same as his irises slowly changed, a threat of storm clouds in the distance.

“Then that will be your choice, and I can’t stop you.” His tone still polite, smile still charming. “But that boy, he’s mine. So, it would be best for you to remember that. And if you can’t, then you’ll be wishing that it had been Sakura who got a hold you. She tends to be much more gentle.”

Mahala smiled seductively, transfixed by the swirling of darkness, “Oh. You may act like a fool, but you are a very scary man, aren’t you? I see why the heavens fear you. I like you though, so I will do as you ask. But when I am done with him, I will come for you. No charge.”

The cheer returned as his eyes brightened. “I’ll be waiting.”

“Wonderful.” She pushed his face away with the finger on his jaw. “The devil is asleep. Check on the girl.”

Ren stood and went to the door, quietly slipping in and examining the two slumbering bodies before sneaking out. “She’s sleeping.”

“Alright,” Mahala sighed, closing her eyes as her body went stiff with only slight twitches to her eyelids.

Sakura looked at the man and smirked. “You’ll be waiting, huh? How romantic.”

“I’ll make it well worth her time.” He grinned as he made his way to the demon, sitting on the floor in front of her between her legs as her fingers began combing through his hair while they watched the succubus. “It’ll be fun for both of us.”

“I can’t stand the woman but I kind of feel sorry for her. She has…”

Mahala’s body suddenly fell from the chair, slamming into the ground as her body convulsed violently, limbs flailing as her torso jerked and twisted uncontrollably. A high pitch wheeze emitted from her lips, gasping desperately for the air that had been cut off from her lungs.

“Oh shit!” Sakura screamed as she flung herself over Ren and to the woman, grabbing onto her. “Wake up! Snap out of it!” She harshly slapped her to no avail.

Ren rushed to the room, flinging the door open only to find Zero and Ivy sleeping peacefully, the girl’s head against his chest and his arms around her. “Wake up!” he yelled, but neither moved. He hurried to the bed, shaking both of them and calling out but neither showed any signs of waking. The angel rushed back out into the other room and joined Sakura on the floor, shaking and yelling at Mahala.

The succubus’ eyes snapped open as she lurched forward away from them and onto her hands and knees, choking on the air she was finally able to inhale. The demon went to her, but the woman smacked at her. “Leave me!” she coughed. “Get away!”

Ren and Sakura sat back and waited as Mahala slowly caught her breath and made her way back into the chair. She stared down at them, eyes wide and full of wonder.

“It was beautiful,” she whispered. “The most beautiful thing I have ever experienced. The light. I have to go back.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” the fox demanded but the succubus had already closed her eyes, going back into Zero’s dreams.

But it didn’t take long for her eyes to snap back open, despair behind them. “There’s nothing. I can’t go back,” her voice cracked as she looked back at the demon hopelessly. “What is that girl?”

Sakura groaned. “That’s what we were hoping you could find out.” She got to her feet and went back to the chair she had been sitting in. Her arms wrapped around herself, resting her chin on her knees. She knew she shouldn’t have, but she had allowed herself to get her hopes up, and now they were crashing down around her.

Another dead end.

“What did you see?” Ren asked. “What do you mean the light? What kind of light?”

“I cannot explain. It was the light. But it wasn’t what I saw. It was what I felt. Like it was everything that was good in the world. Like I was free. Truly. But it was only for a moment, and then it was gone, and then there was nothing. When I tried again, it was still that nothingness.”

“Has this happened before? Has a man ever been able to kick you out of his dreams?”

Mahala shook her head. “No. Never. They can reject me and refuse to give me their life force, but unless they wake up, they cannot make me leave. It must be the girl. Whatever she is, she has the power to keep me out. She doesn’t want me there.”

“Alright.” Ren rubbed his face as he stood, trying to wipe away the exhaustion and disappointment. “I don’t think they’ll be waking up, so I’ll grab them, and we’ll be on our way.”

She reached out, grasping his arm, her eyes pleading for another chance. “No. Stay. I want to keep trying. That girl can’t keep me out all night. Go sit with your little fox bride. I will tell you if I find anything.”

He watched as the succubus closed her eyes, trying again, and then went to Sakura. He held his arms out to her, and she opened hers, accepting him as he lifted her and sat down with her curled up against him.

“Now what do we do?” the vixen asked quietly.

Ren rested his cheek against her forehead. “Tomorrow, after they wake up, we’ll leave. We’ll go get Zero new boots and pants. Then we’ll continue on to the next town and see if we can find anything. We’ll just keep trying. It’s all we can do.”