Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

The library of Golden City was a treasure trove of information about angels.

However, how much of it that would actually be useful was unknown, and it was going to stay that way as long as the Fallen One was around.

“You just need to leave,” Sakura finally broke down and admitted. There were so many books, and she wanted the angel’s help sorting through them. He had always been the quicker reader and much more observant with the ability to easily retain most of what he’d read, but she was ready to rip her ears off from all the constant voices around her. All the disgusted whispers and stares burning into the back of her skull, warming her temper to its boiling point. She had tolerated it the first day they sat in the library, but now it was becoming too much, and nothing was getting accomplished.

Ren wanted to argue but he knew she was right. This wasn’t working and it was best to change tactics. Stop wasting everyone’s time. “Alright.” He pushed himself up. “Let’s go, boy.”

Zero closed the book he had been reading and pushed it into the pile in the middle of the table before standing. The girl next to him looked up at him, and he gave her a small, disappointed upturn of his lips. “I have to go,” he said quietly. “Wear your cloak and be careful.”

Ivy’s smile was bright as she untied the ribbon from her neck. “I will. I’ll see you when we’re done. You be careful as well.”

He nodded as he waited for her to change the ribbon and wrap the cloak around herself, realizing just how similar they were at that moment, both of them having to conceal themselves from those around them.

Ivy pulled on her hood and raised her head once more, speaking his thoughts. “We’re the same,” she chirped. “We both have to hide.”

Sakura dug around in her bag before getting up and going to the angel. She grabbed his collar, pulling him down close, and pushed a chocolate into his mouth. “Go back to the inn.” Her eyes and voice sultry. “We’ll be back later. Wait for me.”

Ren smirked at the vixen as he chomped down on the chocolate and quickly waggled his fingers into her ribs, making her jerk away with a squeak. “Don’t tell me how to live my life, woman. This is my city. I’ll do as I please,” he told her as he made his escape. “I’ll see you when I see you.” He strode off, pleasantly surprised to not have a book flung into the back of his head.

It was certainly progress.

He made it outside fully intact and looked down at the hooded boy who had caught up with him. “What? No arguing? No begging to stay? No tears? What’s wrong with you?”

Zero stared at the ground, watching where Ren’s feet were leading them. “You don’t do well alone.”

The angel chuckled, feeling that familiar sense of pride and adoration he often had for the devil swelling. “That I don’t. We’re going to the docks. I’ll let you know when you can look up.”

Though Sakura had told them to go to the inn, there was nothing that Zero wanted to do less than sit in a room with Ren as the man absentmindedly babbled in order to fill the silence. The docks sounded like a much more preferable option, and he wasn’t going to question the man’s decision.

There were more people on the docks, and it was much busier and louder in the middle of the day than it had been the other evening, and although Zero did raise his head, he chose to keep it tilted down just in case. They pushed their way towards Lore’s ship, but they didn’t need to yell for the man the way Sakura had. He was already on the dock, moving crates around, and had spotted them before they had him.

“Where’s the rest of you?” Lore boomed with a large grin. “You scare them off already?”

“Still working on it,” Ren replied. “They’re at the library. For some reason they didn’t want me there.”

“I’m not surprised. Those two are a staple there when they’re in town. So, what’s your plan? You finally realize that woman is too much for you to handle, and you’ve come to be a part of my crew?” He looked the fully functioning angel over. “Looks like she didn’t rough you up too bad last night. You’re still walking.”

Ren grumbled at the opportunity he had lost and the torment that followed. “I wish she had been that nice to just put me out of my misery. That’s a tempting offer though, I’ll think about it, but for now I just want to talk to you about some things.”

Lore sat his lumbering body on one of the large crates, his height now better matching that of the angel. “Okay, shoot.”

“Before coming here we were in the den…”

“The den?!” Lore’s eyes went wide. “Did that woman burn it down?”

“I thought she would, but she settled on almost killing the former alpha.” The angel couldn’t hide his excitement. “But the good news is I’m alpha now, and the den has never been better.”

The ogre threw his head back and roared before looking back at the proud man. “How’d you manage that?”

“That’s a drinking story. I need you sober for this.” Ren’s playfulness became solemn. “While we were there, Ivy and Zero ran into a little trouble, and Ivy was able to control one of the men.”

Lore lost his smile and his eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by ‘control’?”

“Apparently, she got mad and was able to make the man do what she wanted. It sounded similar to how she makes human men behave, but it was with a demon, and he actually listened to her and did as he was told.”

The ogre leaned back, carefully thinking about it. “It’s hard to imagine that girl as anything but happy. It’s even harder to imagine a fox man obeying her or any woman without push-back. That’s really strange. I’ve never heard of anyone doing that to another person, at least not without a spell having already been cast. Some of those enchantresses are good at that, but it’s not exactly an easy feat. It takes years of dedicated practice to get to that point, and even then, they still need something from their target to successfully cast the spell. You know, hair or toenails or bodily fluids, what have you. But Ivy just looked at him?”

Ren gave Zero a nudge with his elbow. “Go on, boy.”

The devil looked up at the ogre, taking his time to choose his words carefully. “Yes. I think he wanted to spar, and he was rude to her when she told him that we had to go. She got upset and told him to apologize and leave, and he did. His voice and eyes were strange. Like he wasn’t all there.”

“So you can talk. Imagine that.” Lore raised a brow with a light chuckle. “Alright. I’ll ask around, see what I hear. But I probably won’t have much for you before you leave. I’ll let you know if I do though. Is there anything else?”

Zero shook his head as Ren nodded.

“There is.” The angel motioned his head towards the devil. “This guy and Ivy. When they sleep it’s… it’s different. Their breathing and movements, even the noises they make are all exactly the same and done together.”

Zero stared down at his feet. An uncomfortable warmth seeped into the tips of his ears, and he felt an ever so slight urge to throw up. He didn’t know why he didn’t want Ren to know, but he didn’t. All he wanted was to walk off so that he wouldn’t hear anymore, but his legs wouldn’t move.

“I wonder if it has something to do with her controlling that man,” Ren continued. “Maybe she’s unconsciously doing it to Zero in her sleep?”

“It sounds like it could be.” Lore got to his feet. “Give me a day or two. I might have an idea, but I don’t want to send you on a wild goose chase, so let me think it through.” He patted the boy’s back as he passed, chuckling. “Just count your lucky stars that you got the sane one.”

Ren watched the man return to his ship before turning his attention to the boy. “Come on then. Let’s figure out something else to do.”

But the devil didn’t move. “I don’t feel good,” his voice quiet, distressed.

The angel was suddenly concerned. It wasn’t like him to complain. “What’s wrong? Let me look at you.”

Zero raised his face to look at the man. Ren observed him and pulled the side of his hood away.

“Your ears are red.” He snorted. “Are you blushing?”

“What’s wrong with me?” The sickening feeling was starting to go away but not nearly as quickly as he’d like.

“Oh, you poor, sweet child. Nothing. You’re just embarrassed.”

“I don’t like it.” He realized that this was how Ivy had felt in Wei Wen, and why she reacted the way she did. Why she tried to hide. He wanted to hide from it as well.

“Nobody does. That’s my fault. I didn’t think you’d react that way when I told Lore about the way the two of you sleep.” The angel paused. “Or any way really.”

Zero was quiet for a moment as he glanced away. “Have you seen anything else?”

Ren considered lying to spare the boy, but where was the fun in that? “What? You mean when Ivy lays on top of you and smashes your faces together before she freaks out and runs away, and you look like you just died a little more inside.” He grinned, enjoying every moment of the boy’s humiliation. “Oh yeah, I’ve seen it. Plenty of times. Never gets old.”

The devil’s ears went red again which the angel found hilarious. He grabbed the back of Zero’s neck and began pushing him through the docks on the way back to the road.

“It’s a terrible feeling, isn’t it?” The man had absolutely no sympathy. “Everyone goes through it sooner or later, but you’ll grow out of it. It’s normal for boys to get embarrassed when they get caught doing things they’d rather keep quiet about with the girls they love.”

That didn’t make any sense to Zero. “But I don’t love Ivy.”

Ren froze in place, and it was the first time he had ever looked at the boy like he was a moron. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he spat. “How do you figure?”

“Because I don’t want to smash my skull against the wall and finger paint with my brains when I’m with her,” the boy said, seeming somewhat perplexed that he was having to explain this to the person who had once explained it to him.

The man had absolutely no idea what was going on. “I’m… not following.”

“That’s what you told me love was like, but I don’t feel like that with Ivy. I like being with her. I always want to be with her. I like looking at her, and the way she looks at me. I like the way she talks and sings and says my name. I like touching her and holding her hand and sleeping with her. I would do anything for her. If I could die, I would do that for her.” Zero paused. “Maybe not die. She doesn’t like when I do that.”

Ren blinked at the devil, shocked at the amount of words that had flowed effortlessly from his tongue. “Huh? Okay. You feel that way, but you don’t love her?”

“Yes. I don’t love Ivy because I don’t act like you do with Sakura.”

Ren bobbed his head slowly, thinking of how to better explain himself. “I think I’ve confused you at some point. You and Ivy don’t have to act like Sakura and me to love each other. You shouldn’t. It’s best you don’t. Her and I have a… uh… unique dynamic that by no means should ever be replicated by anyone. Ever.” He made sure to drive the point home. “You and Ivy are different, so it’s going to be different. It’s different for everyone. You two just be you and treat her the way you want. Don’t worry about what anyone else does. Worry and you and her. But trust me, it’s painfully obvious, you love her.”

The devil nodded. “Oh. Okay.”

Zero didn’t like Ivy.

He loved her.