4. Xeraphine

4

Xeraphine

I gaze down at her blue eyes, her eyelashes fluttering up at me. Her glossy pink lips curve into a smile, her cheeks lifting, crinkling her eyes.

"Leave." I really don't understand why Sydni was even still my friend.

She gasps, her mouth opening wide. "Don't be such a meanie, Phiny-bear!" Mister is curled in her lap, and I'm more hurt by his willingness to let her pick him up than by anything else.

She looks at me as if I'm not standing here covered in blood, bits of flesh in my hair, and my eyes shrouded in twilight.

"Who pissed you off?" Her smirk is cat-like, making me roll my eyes. "Tell me."

"Shut up, Syd. Why are you here?" I cross to the kitchen, careful to keep my feet off the carpet. They've got me fucked up if they think I'm not getting my deposit back.

"You forgot again. Why do you even have a calendar, Miss ‘let me check if I'm busy'?" As I slip my dress down to my knees, I glance up at my calendar.

"Oh—shit, that's today?!" One of my heels is broken; I'm pretty sure I left the piece behind in the blonde's stomach, but I can't quite remember. I should've just left the shoes behind, now I have to toss them in the dumpster or burn them, the second of which is probably safer.

"Season six of Crime Boss Hause. We haven't missed an episode since we became besties." Her smile never falters. "This is the one normal thing you promised to always do with me. I don't ask for much."

I lazily drop my head to the side and stare at her. That was a lie, and she knows it.

"Okay, okay! But CBH above everything."

"How long until it starts?" She lifts her phone, and when it flashes on, I see Mister as her home screen photo. For some reason, my deadened heart warms slightly.

"You have twenty-six minutes."

I quickly wash both of my feet in the sink, dry them, and rush into the single bathroom. "I wish I was into women!" Sydni screams as I close the door and immediately turn the water to its hottest setting.

While the water warms, I stare at myself in the mirror. The darkness in my eyes is beginning to recede; Miles had filled me nicely. I'm excited to be full for a few weeks. The blood on my chest stops as my nipples come into view. My breasts are honestly perfect, and I squeeze them as I admire them.

I am so full of myself.

I pull back the translucent black shower curtain as steam begins to fill the room and step into the scalding water.

"Fuck yes," I groan, letting the blood fall from my body before scrubbing myself with my washcloth. Finding a few pieces of flesh, I plop them into the toilet and flush.

As much as I want to soak myself in the comfort of the shower, Sydni would kill me if we missed even a second of the stupid opening.

Once I'm out, the water is off, and I'm dried enough, I dart out of the shower and sprint across the apartment. Her giggle becomes background noise to my haste. Stupid girl, doesn't she understand I could easily snap her neck if she pissed me off enough?

I would never.

Still.

Stupid girl.

I slip into my pajamas, a simple black pair of shorts and a matching crop top, then rush back into the living room .

She moves her legs, which had been sprawled across the loveseat, and I sit beside her. Her feet inch toward me, and I shoot her a warning glance. We don't cuddle. I think I've barely ever given her a hug, except maybe once when some guy broke her heart and she wouldn't stop crying. I had to shut her up somehow.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her toes wiggle, mere inches from my leg. I swear, if those sparkly painted add-ons touch me, I'm going to throw her off the balcony.

"Not really." She pulls back her feet and sticks her tongue out at me. "His dick was bigger than the last one at least."

She draws out the "Oh!" and giggles. "I'm so happy for you. I really need to get laid."

"Yes, yes you do. You need someone else to occupy your time that isn't me," I say pointedly.

She points the remote toward the television, and it blinks on.

"Even if I got married, you'll always come first, Phiny-bear." I roll my gaze from her to the television. The news is still on; I rarely watch anything other than that. They're just beginning to report on what happened at Morrison and the park a few blocks down.

A gentle meow calls for Sydni's attention. "I was going to say, that was a lot of blood for one person," she comments, just as purring begins to filter out from the needy cat. "Did you get anything out of them?"

"One of them was Miles Talon, and after feeding him his last meal, I finally found out who his father reports to." I pull my legs up to the couch and cross them, leaning onto the armrest. "Matteo Castillo, high council lead for the Mortars Syndicate."

"Shit—" Sydni rarely ever curses, so when she does, I am so proud of her. "That's deep, good luck getting anywhere near him."

She's flipping through the channels, and I lazily watch. "I think he has a daughter. I may try to go that route. I'm getting so close, Syd. I can feel it..."

"I know, and you're doing such a wonderful job. I'm so proud of you."

I'm truly not sure how I got lucky enough to find someone as crazy as I am. She may not be the one killing them, but damn, if I gave her a knife and the means, she would do it. Sydni has her own demons she refuses to face. One day, I'll give her the safe space to unleash that wild inner murderer .

"Thanks," is all I say.

Buzz. Buzz.

I realize I've left my phone in the kitchen.

Buzz. Buzz.

The beginning of Crime Boss Hause is starting, and I slouch further into the couch.

"Your phone, Phiny-bear."

"It's no one important." It's likely the psych ward Tali is in. They've been calling a lot more recently.

Buzz. Buzz.

Sydni scoops up Mister, who protests with a loud hiss, and moves to the kitchen. "What if it was me? What if I was in trouble?"

"You're sitting right next to me," I argue as she tosses my phone at my face. I debate letting it hit me; she would feel horrible.

I catch it with inches to spare.

When I look, it isn't Tali like I expected but instead, it's a message from BXM, a stupid dating app for Dylox and Mundane to connect. I filter myself under the Mundane side, and when I see who it is, I grin.

"Seems I've landed myself a date," I respond swiftly, confirming the details of the location and time. In a mere two weeks, I'll be stepping my toes into Ansford territory. Oh, what a fucking delight.

"Wait, did you just confirm that? Without looking at your calendar?!" Sydni shouts in agitation.

Oops.