Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

Ivy pumped her legs quickly, trying to stretch them farther in an attempt to keep up with the angel’s naturally long strides. “Ren,” she piped, trying to catch her breath. “How tall are you?”

Ren considered it. “You know, I’m not really sure. Never thought much about it.” He peered down at the girl who was struggling to match his pace and slowed down. “Sorry, Little One.”

Ivy felt little, which she knew she was in comparison to her friends and a lot of other people, but especially Ren. Whereas she came up to Sakura’s chin and just below Zero’s shoulders, she stood only around the angel’s heart. And he wasn’t just tall, but broad and muscular as well. While she had grown accustomed to Zero’s large hand holding hers, the man’s were on a whole other level. They were huge in comparison to her small, dainty ones and practically consumed the one his held. It became more understandable how Ren was the only one who could mostly control Sakura’s wild outbursts and sneak attacks, able to effortlessly toss her over his shoulder and lug her around as if she were little more than a wiggly sack of flour.

“Why are angels so tall?” she griped, her cheeks puffing out. “It’s not fair!”

“If it makes you feel better, I’m a freak among angels. I’ve only ever seen a couple who were taller. I guess my father was the same way.”

“Maybe you should have taken more after your mother’s side,” Ivy suggested.

Ren chuckled, knowing that it wouldn’t have helped the short girl all that much. “As far as I’ve heard, I did. Only thing I really inherited from my father was my height and curly hair. I looked a lot like my uncle, too. Folks outside of Hollis always thought he was my father.”

“What was he like?” She hadn’t even known about Raz’s existence until she met Ren, Sakura always having had kept most of the details of her upbringing in Hollis to herself. However, as much as she wanted to know more about the man who raised the angel and demon, she didn’t want to ask the woman who clearly was still not ready to have that discussion.

But Sakura wasn’t here.

And Ren was always more than happy to talk.

A wide smile overtook the angel’s face. “Grumpy. Always. Grumpiest man I ever met. But I don’t blame him. I probably would be to if I was living my life peacefully in the mountains before having two little shits I didn’t want dumped on my doorstep to raise. He did it though. Never complained. And believe me, Sakura and I were not easy to care for. I’m surprised he only ever threatened to drown us in the river rather than actually doing it. The man had the patience of a saint.” He glanced at the girl. “That stubborn woman never talked about him, did she?”

“No. Never. She didn’t talk about you either. All I knew was that she ran away from the den when she was little after her parents died and found her way to Hollis. She mentioned her parents a few times, but said she didn’t remember much about them, and would get really mad when people told her to go back to the den. Sakura refused to talk about who she lived with in the cottage though, and she always looked so sad when I asked so I stopped asking.”

“She never was very good at expressing herself.” Ren sighed. “Always better with her fists than her words. Raz wasn’t her father, but she definitely took after him in that respect.” A low groan rumbled from his throat as his head swiveled around, taking in the sight of the different buildings. “I’m pretty sure we passed a dress shop on the way in, so it shouldn’t be much longer.”

It was the first time that Ivy really looked around at their surroundings, having trusted that the angel knew where he was going, and realized that nothing looked even remotely familiar. “Do you know where we are?”

“Yeah. Sure.” He didn’t sound too convincing, his face scrunched and eyes shifting side to side.

“Didn’t you say you’ve been here before?”

“Oh, yeah, plenty of times. I wasn’t exactly looking for dress shops though. But I wouldn’t worry about that. Just worry about what kind of dress you want to get.”

“You really don’t have to,” she said, feeling sheepish. “They’re so expensive.”

He smiled sweetly down at the girl. “I want to. Besides, I have ulterior motives, so just play along and we’ll both get what we want.”

She looked at him accusingly. “Don’t you always have an ulterior motive?”

He glanced away and shrugged. “Just most of the time.” Blue eyes lit up and he quickened his pace, forcing Ivy to jog along. “Oh! There’s one. See, I told you we’d find one sooner or later.”

They came to the shop and Ren led her inside. He scanned the place, seeing only women, while Ivy rushed to the racks of silk dresses of every color she could imagine.

“Pick what you want,” he told her, following behind and carrying the dresses as she pulled whatever caught her fancy.

The soft silk slipped through her hands and the girl was completely awestruck by the stunning embroidery of each dress. They were flawless. And one of them would soon be hers.

“How can you afford this?” Ivy asked, knowing it rude but also knowing that it was Ren she was talking to. Sakura never had coin like this, and they were raised together so the angel must have acquired it somewhere. He always had it and had no problem getting rid of it.

The man browsed the dresses slowly. “The Kingdom throws coin around like it’s leaves in the fall. It really doesn’t mean much up there at all, while it means everything down here.”

“Do they just give it away?”

“No. I worked for it.”

“In The Guard?”

Ren nodded, making a small grunt of affirmation.

“They must pay really well.” Ivy handed him another dress to carry.

“Sometimes. Depends on the job. The ones up in The Kingdom don’t pay anything since everything’s already provided. But the ones that are one the land pay out. Angel or not, you need coin on the land in order to survive.”

She pulled another dress and examined it closely before putting it back. “What kind of jobs did you do?” The girl paused when she didn’t get a response, and turned around to face the angel who was staring blankly at the rack.

He blinked and looked at her, his face solemn as he considered how to handle the situation. “Would you like me to lie, or would you like the truth, Little One?”

The way the angel’s bright eyes lost their luster made the nerves bubble up into Ivy’s chest. “The truth.” She stepped up to him and took his free hand in both of hers, sensing his reservation.

“I killed people,” he spoke loud enough for only her to hear. “Those who betrayed The Kingdom, I hunted down and killed.”

The girl gulped uncomfortably. “For coin?”

“I was compensated greatly, but I didn’t do it for that. I did it to come home. There are angels who willingly sign up for The Guard and others who are drafted in order to pay for their sins. There are certain jobs you can take on in order to reduce the time that you’ve been sentenced to. It wasn’t willingly offered to me, but I found a way to take advantage of it.”

It was impossible for the girl to imagine that the man she had come to know and care for could be capable of such horrendous deeds. He was always so kind and generous and loving, not even wanting to so much as kill a rabbit for supper. And yet, the calloused hand that she held, the same one that squeezed hers ever so gently, was one that had been able to take the lives of others. “Did they deserve it?”

“The Kingdom decided they did. Whether or not that was true, I don’t really know. I never asked.” Ren smiled sadly at the girl whose eyes brimmed with tears. “I also killed Zero’s father. That’s how he came to be with me. And how I was able to leave The Guard.”

Ivy looked down at her feet, finding the man’s ocean eyes smothering. She didn’t know what the right thing to say was. Or if there even was a right thing to say.

“I’m sorry, Ivy. I’m not who you thought I was.”

Ivy knew that the world was a cruel place full of cruel people.

But nothing could convince her that Ren was one of them.

She let go of his hand and encircled her arms around him. “Yes, you are. You’re still Ren. You did what you had to do. That doesn’t change who you really are. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that. I know that it couldn’t have been easy for you.”

“Thank you, Little One.” Ren hugged the girl back, relieved. It wasn’t anything new for others to look down on or fear the fallen angel, and he had long learned to not care about such opinions. But Ivy wasn’t others, and he did care about how she thought of him because he thought so very highly of her.

“Does Sakura know?”

“She does. You should try on your dresses. There’s a lot here and I don’t know how long it’ll take us to find our way back. I’m sure we’ll figure it out, but it might take awhile.”

Ivy backed away and took the large pile towards the dressing rooms, opening the curtain to one. She paused, looking back at the man, her violet eyes an unprecedented cold. “I’m glad you killed Zero’s father.” And the curtain closed behind her.

Ren chuckled.

She was, without a doubt, a product of Sakura’s upbringing.

The girl peeked out a short time later, glancing around.

“It’s just women,” the man informed her. “And me.”

“Will you look?”

“Of course.”

Ivy stepped out in a long, deep red with gold embroidery dress, her insecurity as prominent as the dramatic colors of the garment.

“You look perfect.” Ren smiled, genuine in his response.

“I don’t like it,” she said softly, glancing away as her hand ran nervously up and down her arm.

The angel’s smile vanished. “It’s awful. Try a different one.”

Ivy tried on dress after dress with the same result. But slowly, she became more comfortable with the process. As her self-consciousness began to recede, she took notice to the women in the shop, all of them constantly stealing glances at the angel, some of them venturing to speak with him while she changed.

“Do women often stare and talk to you like this?” she asked as she handed back a couple of dresses for Ren to return. She had hidden in the dressing room, listening to the second woman who had come to talk to him ask things such as his name and what area of the city he lived in. The man was polite and friendly, answering her questions and telling her his name and how he’s just passing through with his most beloved soul mate, and would the woman like to hear more about the light of his life.

She did not.

And Ren was disappointed.

It was the polar opposite of how Sakura dealt with the opposite sex. She preferred breaking bones over using her words to turn them down. And if one of them so much as touched Ivy, then only an overly abundant amount of her tears and pleading could get the demon to stop her savage beating of the unfortunate man. Sometimes, she’d wear her cloak in smaller towns just to avoid any issues.

He thought about it for a moment. “They used to, but it doesn’t really happen anymore with Sakura around. I guess you’re just not as threatening as a pissed off fox demon with a glaive.” He smirked and tapped the top of her head with his knuckles.

“It’s because you’re an angel and really good looking.” Ivy nodded, set in her reasoning. “Women like good looking men.”

“I guess that’s true.” Ren’s smirk turned to a scowl. “If only it worked on the right woman.”

It was no surprise why women would be attracted to him as they often were with angels.

But he wasn’t the only handsome angel around.

The girl chewed her lip as she glanced down at the floor. “Did they talk to Zero, too?”

A booming laugh burst from the man. “Not like he would talk to them if they did. He barely talked to me, let alone anyone else.” His amusement tempered as he looked at the timid girl who struggled to meet his gaze. “He sure seems to like talking to you though.”

Her toe scuffed against the floor. “I really like him,” Ivy confessed softly. “And I think he likes me, too.”

“I think you’re right about that,” Ren said just as softly.

“I want to be alone with him without Sakura around trying to pick a fight.” The woman was relentless, and the girl only grew more and more weary of it with every passing day. She just wanted one night of peace and quiet to spend with the boy. Ivy finally looked up at the man. “Do you think you can help me?”

“Anything for you, Little One.” He grinned and nudged the delighted girl back to the dressing room. “Besides, I’m already way ahead of you, but it’s not gonna happen if you don’t ever pick a dress. Hurry up, get a move on. I don’t want to be here all day.” The angel returned the dresses, scouting for something that the picky girl might approve of. He pulled a silver dress with red trim and red and pink peonies blooming across the silk. The red clasps started at the high collar, ran across the chest and down the side where the dress would end just below the knee. Going back to the dressing room, he stuck it around the curtain. “This one.” Ren waited until Ivy pulled back the curtain, her face glowing.

“Is it okay?” she asked, extremely pleased with the choice as she twirled.

“It’s more than okay. Do you like it?”

She peered down at the dress and ran her hands over the elegant material. “I do. Do you think Zero will?”

The man snorted. “That boy would like you in a dirty burlap sack. Makes no difference to him. What matters is that you like it. Go get changed and we’ll buy it and head out.”

A small giggle bubbled from the girl, and she tucked herself away while Ren made his way through the racks of dresses again. He pulled one, looking it up and down, contemplating.

“She’s going to be mad if you get that,” Ivy warned from behind the angel, concealed beneath her cloak once again.

He shrugged, blowing her off. “She’s always mad at me. What’s new?”

“You know, you do that to yourself.”

“It’s all by design, Little One.”

The girl didn’t understand the man’s reasoning, but it wasn’t her place to argue, and she wasn’t convinced that she even wanted to. Fingers reached out to slide down the length of the silk before them. “It’s very pretty, but it’s long. It’ll be really tight.”

“Good.” Ren smirked and made his way to the counter. “Makes it harder for her to escape.”