"Very well," Sirius said, his voice low and dangerous. "Now," he looked at Natsu, "you shall leave. I won't forget what you did for her." Natsu nodded once, his expression remaining impassive, before turning on his heel and disappearing down the corridor.
Regan stood there, forgetting about the cold or the chillness. She couldn't believe Sirius was here. What had Agnar told him? What a sick creature like him had told?
Sirius approached her, his expression unreadable for a moment, before a knowing smirk crept on his face. "Finally," he said, his voice low and husky, "I found my kitten."
Regan's cheeks blazed with embarrassment at his words. She knew Sirius was mocking her, but she couldn't help the strange flutter in her chest at his presence. But then she remembered this was Sirius, someone she loathed, someone she found the same as everyone else. She masked her face with a scowl.
"I'm not your kitten," she hissed.
"Aww, the kitten's angry," he scoffed, his eyes filled with amusement and something else. Something like....concern. He stepped closer to her and unlocked her wrists from the manacles and threw them at the floor, the sound of the clicking metal echoing around the walls.
Regan felt a slight relief, but her wrists were red and she tried to hide them. Sirius noticed and something shifted in his eyes, "Let's get out of here."
"Where to?" Regan asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Back to my castle," Sirius answered with a shrug. "Enough of this madness. I did that mistake before, I'm not going to do it again," he muttered, more to himself.
Regan felt a sense of dread washing over her. He was going to bring her to his castle and there she'd start the cycle as his prisoner. No, she wasn't going to escape from a prison and end up in another one.
"No," she retorted sharply. "I'm never going back there. Now, fuck off and leave me alone. I'll never be a captive of yours again."
Sirius chuckled, "Ah, such a language for a good girl. So you're willing to stay here? Stay then."
He turned away and started walking back towards the doors. Regan's heart pounded as she watched him. She didn't want to go with him, but she didn't want to stay here either. She was terrified of what would happen to her.
"Why are you here?" she demanded, her voice laced with curiosity and confusion.
"Why do you think?" Sirius retorted, his tone unreadable. "You got in trouble, you said you were my spy and now.... I'm feeling generous enough to take you away from here."
"I never said I was your spy! I never said anything of that sort!" Regan spat, anger boiling inside her. She couldn't believe he was suggesting she said she was his spy.
"Oh, come on now. You could have thought to get away with blaming me, I know," Sirius teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
It only infuriated her more. "I hate it! I hate you! I hate this whole damn place!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the empty corridor, "I hate all this!"
Sirius raised an eyebrow, amused by her outburst. "Oh, you hate all this? That's too bad. I thought you might have had some feelings for me. This really wounded me, you know." He chuckled, clearly not taking her seriously.
Regan felt a mix of anger and embarrassment course through her veins. She wanted to run away from him, but it wouldn't help.
"Listen here, kitten," he began once again. "You'll come with me one way or another. Now, you either follow my lead or I'll carry you. Or..." he trailed off, his voice taking a conspirational turn, "I can also knock you out and make you feel nothing. It's your choice."
Regan hated him, but she hated the thought of being picked up or whatever he was suggesting even more. She bit her cheek, trying to decide what to do. But she couldn't stay here either. "Fine," she muttered, "I'll follow you."
She lied. Of course she lied. She was going to outsmart him. Somehow.
Sirius smirked, "Good girl."
He then approached Regan and grabbed her arm, his grip firm, but not painful. Regan recoiled and tried to pull away.
"Now, now, stop struggling. Unless you want to be caught again," Sirius threatened, keeping his unyielding grip. He led her out of the dark corridor and began to walk on the opposite side. Regan's heart raced as she glanced around, fearing of what would happen if someone saw them.
They reached the end of the corridor that led to a closed, glass door. Regan could see the storm raging outside. Sirius broke the door's lock effortlessly, the door swinging open.
The biting wind rushed inside and caught Regan off guard. It was very, very cold and she gripped her cloak tightly. She couldn't see anything through the snow mist.
Sirius motioned for her to follow, and didn't grab her arm. Regan knew she'd rather die than step inside his castle. Not only because of him, but also because of Vesper, of whoever lived there. She hated them all.
They walked like that for some time, with Sirius knowing where he was going. Regan couldn't wait until she was as far as possible from the fortress. Despite the harsh and freezing snow, she was faster than Sirius and passed by him, wanting to escape from all of them. Her whole body trembled from cold, but she didn't care.
You're a fool, you're an idiot, she told herself. She couldn't even breathe properly, the cold air had frozen her nose. The mist was so dense that she couldn't see more than a few inches in front of her face.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her shoulders, bringing her close to him. Regan went immediately alarmed, trying to push away.
"Get your hands off me!" she growled.
Sirius chuckled, only pulling her against his chest more. "Oh, come on now, kitten. You don't want to catch a cold now, do you?"
Regan's face was tight with anger and embarrassment, "I'd rather catch a cold than stay near you!" she shoved him away harder this time and he let go. She walked forward, her anger replacing her shivering.
Sirius followed her with his gaze, "My, my, my," he drawled, laughing softly. "My dear, it's not a crime to stay close to me."
"It is a crime for me!" Regan hissed back, glaring at him. She quickened her pace, trying to be as far as possible.
However, Sirius caught up fast with her, leaning closer, "Come on....even the worst loners need someone to talk to."
"I don't need anyone to talk to!"
"But it's only you and me. No one's going to judge you here," Sirius said, his tone persuasive, his words getting on Regan's nerves. "Why don't we play a game? Truth or dare? The game humans play?"
Regan's eyes widened at his suggestion. "What? How do you know that?"
"You think I haven't lived on Earth? You think I've haunted you using only mirrors and spells?"
"You've used mirrors?" Regan sneered, her voice a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.
Sirius's expression turned guarded, as if he had revealed too much. "Never mind that," he said quickly, avoiding her gaze. "But I've been living there for some time. And I've learned a thing or two about your world."
"And where have you been staying?" Regan snapped, glaring at him. "You've been staying at Vesper's house, haven't you?" she added, her voice laced with bitterness.
Sirius's smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "That's none of your business," he replied smoothly. "But back to the game. Truth or dare?"
"I'm not playing these shitty games," she declared, her tone defiant. "I hate games." But even as she said that, she couldn't help but wonder what dares he'd have for her if they would've played.
She rushed on her steps and Sirius watched her with a sly smirk. He stood where he was, letting her go forward. He rolled a snowball, aimed and then threw it at her. It hit her back, and she turned behind, seething.
"What the hell was that for?" she demanded.
"Oh, come on. It's just snow. You can't hate that too," he answered, that smirk still on his face. Regan hated it. She hated the snow, the cold, the heat, the place, the stupid mist, the stupid situation she was in, and most of all, she hated Sirius.
"Bastard," she cursed under her breath. She looked down, trying to roll a snowball, but her hands were numb from the cold. "I'm going to kill you," she muttered. She managed to roll a snowball, aiming it at him. But he effortlessly dodged it, laughing.
Regan felt angry and helpless at the same time. She knew he was just toying with her, but she couldn't help the thought to make him pay for it. It was useless though, she couldn't strike him. She only wanted to escape.
"My God, I want to leave from here," she whispered, turning her back at him and moving forward, not caring if he would hit her with another snowball.
He appeared beside her, walking faster. "Follow me," he said.
She did, cursing under her breath.
As she walked, the sense of helplessness grew chiller than the cold. She had to do something. Maybe attack Sirius with some spell and then run away. However, she doubted he wouldn't defend himself. He didn't seem affected by the cold or anything else. She saw as he walked, his cloak covered in snow, flowing behind him and making him look like some sort of angel.
She sighed in frustration.
"What makes you think I'll follow you like a fool and I won't attack behind your back?" Regan shouted, her anger evident.
Sirius turned to her, a smirk on his face, "Maybe because you know you don't stand a chance now. Maybe because you know you are going to faint from overexertion in this cold any moment now, and maybe because you would hate me to pick you up."
"Oh, and don't even think about attacking me. I'd see that coming from miles away." His voice was mocking, but there was a hint of warning in it.
Regan felt her anger rise once more, but she knew he was right. She was exhausted and the storm was making it difficult. She had to find a way to get rid of Sirius, no matter how helpless or lost she was.
Sirius seemed to sense her intentions. He chuckled softly, "Ah, I see you're trying to outsmart me again." He shook his head, "But I see through you, Regan. You can't fool me."
Anger burned through Regan's veins at his mocking tone. She clenched her fists and took a step towards him, but Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "That's what I thought," he said with a smirk. "Now, why don't you just calm down? You got the claws, I know, but you're still a little kitten. And if you don't want to suffer harder from the cold, you can come here. I'll carry you."
"Just shut your fucking mouth." Regan growled, her anger overwhelming her. Her fists clenched even tighter and she wanted to punch something. She couldn't believe he was saying those things. Did he really mean it, or was he just provoking her?
"Watch that language of yours," he remarked.
The anger inside Regan rose to a boiling point. She could feel her heart racing and her breath becoming labored. "I swear," she growled through gritted teeth, "if you don't shut your mouth right now, I'm going to-"
Before she could finish her threat, Sirius cut her off with a laugh. "Oh, please, do go on." He mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm terrified."
His words only served to fuel her anger further. She attempted to calm herself down. After all, she realized it wouldn't do her any better to continue her tantrums. She had to go to the City of Lights. She had to meet with that girl, Iris.
"So, where are you going now?" she suddenly asked. Maybe he could pass through the City of Lights. Or maybe she hoped he would.
"To a portal." Sirius's reply was short and to the point.
Regan blinked, taken aback, "A portal?" she repeated, "Where is it?"
"Oh, you know," he said with a shrug, "just a little portal that'll take us to the City of Lights. I have business there as well." His tone was casual, almost dismissive, "You can come if you want. If you don't, I'll order Vlad to bring you to the castle."
The mention of Vlad sent a shiver down Regan's spine. Vlad didn't seem any better than him. No one seemed better. She knew she was alone in her quest, and the fact that he was going to the City of Lights made her a bit hopeful. If she could find that bar, she could meet up with that southern girl. She had no other hope. Her sister was going to help her. Her parents were a quest for her to find out. Her aunt was on Earth and didn't know anything. The girl, Iris was her only hope, and if Sirius was going there, it was the best chance she had.
"I'll come with you," she sharply said. She knew she had no other choice. She couldn't trust him, but she couldn't risk not going either.
"I knew you would," Sirius smirked, his voice low, "Follow me, then."
Regan scowled. She hated making him think as if she was willing to come with him.