Seeking Strays - Chapter 90 - Love Me More (Patreon)

“Sylvie, I’m—“ The words died in my throat the instant I caught a familiar scent in the entry way of our apartment. Hades. My tail puffed up in alarm, and I almost instantly drew my claws.

”Reyna? We’re in the kitchen!” Sylvie, despite the very valid fears that were coursing through me, sounded totally fine. There was even… a hint of laughter to her voice? That couldn’t be right. 

I wiped my serious expression clean, and tried to put on my normal, happy dog smile like I was just happy to be here. It almost immediately shattered as I turned the corner and spotted the intruder. 

Lena, the Hades lieutenant, sat at the dinner table across from Sylvie. The two of them were casually drinking tea together like old friends. A growl immediately built up in my chest. I barely managed to keep it suppressed as I scratched roughly at the bandages around my elbow. 

“You okay, sis?” Sylvie instantly sat up straight as soon as she spotted me. Her nose twitched, and her softly wagging tail went still.  

“Yeah… A window got shot out above me. Nothing serious.” The lie easily rolled off my tongue. I was getting better and better about lying to my sister these days.

I plucked at the bandages lightly. The cuts the Fog Crawlers inflicted on me had been deep. Staying out all night while waiting to heal wasn’t an option, so I’d bandaged them up all prim and proper like I’d been with a paramedic. I’d even used an anti-septic for once. As far as Sylvie would know, I just got lightly injured in the field.

”A-are you sure?” Sylvie stood up and moved over to my side. She gently grabbed my arm when I tried to shy away from her. “That’s a lot of bandages.”

”Just minor cuts.” My tail swished from side to side. Despite the situation, it felt oddly good to have her fuss over me like this. I gently patted her head. “They’ll all be healed up tomorrow.”

”If you say so.” She leaned into my touch and her eyes closed happily. The moment my sister wasn’t looking at me, I glared at the intruder. 

Lena just sat there watching the two of us with a smile. I could practically see the schemes to rip Sylvie away from me going through her twisted, demented head. Any happiness that I’d been feeling was immediately and totally squashed under the sheer malice radiating off the mute Awoken. 

“A new batch of vitae just delivered itself.” My ear flicked to the side at the voice. It had a point. A really, really good point. “Didn’t you want to be free of us?”

”…” Lena nodded her chin to me. Yeah, I’m here. What are you going to do about it, stupid mutt?

My fingers tightened, and I pulled away from my sister before I could hurt her because of my terrible impulse control. I was already in a terrible mood before my home was invaded by a monster. Now there were two monsters standing in my kitchen pretending nothing was wrong. 

“Ah… should I’ve not let her in?” Sylvie entwined my fingers with hers, no doubt sensing the tension radiating off me. Her ears were pulled back ever so slightly, giving her a certain pitiful look. “Lena said she’s a friend from work. And she flashed me her halo. It’s not like I just let a total stranger in.”

”Said?” I asked back stupidly. My eyes never left Lena as the Awoken casually sipped at a cup of hot tea. 

”Well, signed, I guess.” Sylvie tugged on my hand and frowned at me like I was the one being unreasonable. “You’re acting weird.”

Me? Weird? H-has it already begun? Have they started to turn my own sister against me? I pulled back from Sylvie, and curled away as something caught my eye. My tail swished up, hiding behind my body as I plucked out a few strands of black. Was… was I really being weird?

“Heh, sorry.” I shook my head and forced my ears to perk up happily instead of staying low and dangerous. Every fiber in my being demanded I drag Sylvie behind me and protect her. Well, almost. There was an equal desire to rip out Lena’s heart. It was sounding like a better and better idea as the moments passed.

‘It’s fine. I dropped by unannounced.’ Lena’s hands flashed quickly. ‘I was told it was quite urgent that I saw you, though.’

”What, uh, what brings you by?” I caught my reflection in a window and flinched. My morbid red eyes were practically glowing with a feral intensity. Was I starting to turn already? I shakily moved back to grab a coffee cup.

“Operator—“

”Shut it,” I whispered back at Vigil. I could handle this. I had this. It wasn’t the first time I’d been volatile. I just needed to stay calm and act like I normally did? … how did I normally act?

The first coffee cup I grabbed nearly had its hand snapped off, so I put it back and grabbed something a little sturdier. It still shook ever so slightly in my hand. Civil, be civil. I can totally be civil and pretend like nothing’s wrong. Haven’t I already been doing that my whole life? Just one more time…

“A delivery.” My sweet, innocent sister shuffled back to sit next to my mortal enemy like nothing was wrong. “I offered to take it, but, well… she said she had to give it to you in person.”

Lena pulled a small package out of a hidden pocket in her coat. It was a simple, ordinary box. One about the size of a needle. My inhibitor? Some of my rage faded ever so slightly. “Is it… from above?”

Lena nodded and set it down on the table. Her hands flashed through several signs in quick succession. ‘You were supposed to get it during a job, but something came up.’

”What is it?” Sylvie reached out to grab the box.

My muscles screamed as I surged forward and swiped it off the table in the blink of an eye. She couldn’t see. There was no way I was going to let her see. “J-just some medicine. For headaches. Heh. Right, headaches.”

Lena—that spiteful bitch! She intentionally set it in front of Sylvie to expose me, didn’t she?! She was trying to drive us even further apart than we already were! My hands tightened on the box as my hateful gaze turned feverish. Lena acted like nothing was wrong and calmly sipped at her coffee without even looking up at me.

“It’s okay, silly child. Even if they all turn on you, I’ll still love you,” A gentle, familiar voice called out to me. My tail twitched, and some of my budding bloodlust faded away.

Heh. Heheheh. Right… right! Why was I being so weird? She’ll still… love… she? Who was she? I groaned softly and rubbed at my head. Sylvie gently patted at my hand. “Maybe you should go take the medicine?”

”I… in a bit.” I couldn’t leave Sylvie with two-faced Lena any longer than I had to. There was no telling if she’d strike the moment I let my guard down. I could never let my guard down. It wasn’t safe. “Thank you, Lena.”

’No problem.’ She signed casually. ‘It was a good excuse to come see your cute sister, anyway.’

My sister? Why would she want to come see my sister? They… this was a threat, wasn’t it? Did Hades know about what the Anarch I killed in the warehouse? Was she one of ours? This was all just a warning from Hades to me, wasn’t it? They could reach out and take Sylvie at any time. 

Or was I just seeing things? Heh, right right right, everyone loved Sylvie. It was only natural that my adorable sibling could turn the heart of even the most frigid, demonic, evil, devilish bitch to walk the face of Arthis. Was I being the unreasonable one? I… maybe she really was just here to see Sylvie?

”C-cute?” My innocent little sister blushed slightly, and lifted her tea up to cover her face. Her eyes lifted up to me with mock outrage. “You tell your coworkers I’m cute?”

”The cutest! Absolutely adorable.” I popped my coffee cup onto the table with a cheerfulness that I didn’t feel in the slightest. 

I couldn’t tell her that I never talked about her because I was scared they’d break our deal and come after her given the chance. I’d rather get off my inhibitors and turn into a blood thirsty monster than let Sylvie go through what I went through. 

“It’s not like you’ll turn on your sister, anyway. You could protect her better. Be better. Maybe she’ll even like you more?” The warm voice slid through my brain like a snake. It had the gentle touch of a caretaker genuinely concerned for their ward. 

I liked the sound of that. Stronger. Better protector. Like me more… did Sylvie not like me? No, no, no, no, that was impossible, right? Sylvie loved me! We were all that was left for each other. There was no possible way that Sylvie hated my guts and wanted me to die, right? Unless…

”Well, who doesn’t love a badass older sibling?” She laughed once more. “Think about how cool you’d look, Reyna! She’d love you! And you could be all cuddly and fluffy so she’d never want to leave you for someone else again.”

Wasn’t I already cuddly, though? I stared at my silver-black tail. I swear I just ripped out all the black strands… would it be more comfy if it was all black instead? Was silver just not a fluffy color? No, wait, Sylvie loved sleeping while hugging my tail… unless that was just a deception. 

Maybe she was just doing that because she wanted me to feel accepted? Of course. Of course, of course, of course… Sylvie had always been such a sweet girl. She’d never tell me if I was making her miserable. She’d never tell me she wished I died with mom and dad. She’d definitely never admit that I was the sole reason her life was terrible. She’d just smile and pretend everything was okay even if she hated every second of it.

I knew it. I was just holding her back. She… she’d be happier if I wasn’t around, right? Maybe I should just go up to the roof and jump—

The motherly voice laughed softly at my thoughts. “Nothing so drastic, silly child. Just maybe stop taking your meds? You’ll feel so much better. And Sylvie will love you so much more just like I do!“

My meds? I could just throw them away. That way I wouldn’t have a moment of weakness and dive back for them like a drug addict—

”Reyna? You okay?” Sylvie looked up at me with her wide, adorable eyes in concern. “You just stopped moving.”

”Heh… just have a lot on my mind.” And in it. Just—just shut up! Let me think, okay? Okay? Why did my head feel so foggy? I shakily poured a cup of tea from the kettle on the table, and lifted it toward Lena. Before anything else, I needed to get rid of her. “You can go now—“

”Reyna!” This time, the outrage from Sylvie was very real. “She came all this way to personally deliver medicine. The least we could do is offer hospitality.”

The least I could do was not tear her heart out and eat it for dinner. Heh… why was I so hungry? I felt like I was starving. I plucked a handful of black out of my silver tail to distract myself from the sudden hunger. “S-sorry, sorry… stay as long as you want.”

Lena watched me for a moment. Her gleeful eyes dipped to the small pile of black fur steadily growing on the kitchen floor. In one smooth motion, she downed her tea as if satisfied with seeing me in such a miserable state. ‘It’s okay. I need to get going anyway.’

”Sorry about her.” Sylvie scratched her cheek in embarrassment. Her eyes, when they flicked to me, promised a serious talking to. “Reyna’s usually so happy to have guests over… today must’ve been rougher than she’s letting on.”

Aw, was she worried about me? She totally was. I wanted to reach out and pull her into a tight hug. ”It was fine. Today was fine. I just sat around and did nothing—”

”Getting hit by falling glass doesn’t sound like nothing." Sylvie’s voice had a sharp edge to it. “Unless you consider getting hurt nothing?”

”Um…” It’s a trap! I snapped my mouth closed. I had a feeling my original response wouldn’t go over very well.

Lena noisily scooted her chair back, no doubt trying to hurt my ears with the sharp screech of wood on tile. ’As much as I’d like to stick around, I have work tonight.’ 

“Ah, right… maybe I’ll see you around? Oh! I just awakened too!” Sylvie’s halo popped out before I could shout a warning against it. Instead, my hateful glare turned fully on Lena once more. If she told Hades, and Hades came here… I should silence her, shouldn’t I?

‘Maybe. I’m sure you’ll make for a great Guardian.’ Lena patted Sylvie’s head with a perverted grin on her face. 

Rend snapped out before I could stop it. The glowing blue claws dug into my leg, bringing me a moment of clarity just before I could lunge across the space and make good on my instincts to rip and tear. The nanites instantly deactivated before anyone could see them. The door was abruptly shut as Lena left.

”What the hell was that, Reyna?” My sister’s cute facade dropped to reveal a very unhappy hellhound. “She was our guest!”

She’s screaming at me? Why is Sylvie mad at me for doing an exorcism? I was just trying to help… Sylvie. Sylvie don’t be mad at big sis, okay? My tail lowered, and my head dropped. My silver hair fell forward, framing my face and hiding my expression. I couldn’t let her see that I was about to cry.

”You could never have to feel this way again, Reyna. She won’t ever be able to leave you.” It felt like a knife stabbing me in the head.

I didn’t want that? I didn’t want to control my sister's life. That so wasn’t okay. If she wanted to leave, even if it felt like my heart was being ripped out and tossed into a blender full of broken glass again, I’d just have to let her. Right, forcing her—

“You can be a real bitch sometimes, you know that?” Sylvie huffed in annoyance. “You’re obviously not doing well, and she stayed over an hour to give you medicine.”

“S-Sylvie.” My voice came out as a low whine. I bit my lip roughly to keep my words in. “I… I’m sorry. My head is killing me.”

“Yeah! And about that.” Sylvie didn’t let me go. She looked like a wild wolf who’d just gotten a hold of steak, and nothing was going to tear her away from it. “Why the hell are your coworkers bringing medicine over? Is it… is it drugs?”

”Heh, ‘course not!” I tucked the box into my jacket where she wouldn’t be able to reach it. “I’m not that irresponsible.”

”Are you sure, Reyna? Do I need to talk to Quinn about this?”

”Nope!” My smile cracked around the edges. She could never mention this to Quinn. If Quinn knew she’d start digging into the mysterious Awoken who most definitely was not part of Harbor like she claimed. “It’s… it’s something to help me sleep, Sylvie. Nothing to worry about.”

”You said it was for headaches.” She crossed her arms.

”At night! Headaches at night!” I laughed awkwardly. I was totally convincing her, right? Right, I just needed to lie harder. My ear flicked as I felt a heavy weight on it. The Rose Window Ear Cuff instantly got hot. “It really is just medicine, Sylvie. It’ll make me feel better.”  

“Just medicine, huh?” Sylvie’s eyes narrowed. After a few moments, she relented slightly. She still wasn’t smiling, but she wasn’t eyeing me like she had no idea who I was anymore. Her lips curled into a frown, and she led me to the kitchen table. “You're bleeding.”

“Ah, this?” I quickly covered up my leg. There were four new cuts digging through my jeans. “It’s nothing. I’ll just—“

”Sit.” She ordered me.

I instantly sat down before my mind could even catch up. “I can take care of it—“

”I’ll get the medkit.” She left, and quickly returned with an oversized red case. “Reyna… I don’t know what's been going on recently, but if you need help just tell me. Or not even me. Neriyov will help you out in a heartbeat.”

”I—I know.” My issues weren’t something Neriyov could solve. Maybe… maybe a bullet to the brain could work, though?

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.” She started to fiddle with the kit and pull stuff out. “Take off your pants.”

”Take me to dinner first.” I chuckled softly, though I followed orders. Good dogs follow orders. That was how I normally acted, right? 

“Ew.” She shot me a look of disdain, though wiped away the freshly spilling blood. The injury happened to be right on the top of another bandage. “Did it reopen? This looks fresh.”

“Heh, yeah. I, uh, I accidently scratched too hard.” I gave my best stupid laugh, and tried not to flinch as she helped me clean and wrap the injury. Once all was said and done, I quickly headed back to my room. The sooner I had the inhibitor shooting up my veins, the better. Unless… maybe, maybe I should just not take it?

Heh. That was crazy.

Was it?