Page 103 of Pet: Genesis

“You want to see the Leviathan?” she asks. I slowly nod my head.

“Can I ask why?” she asks.

I let out an awkward laugh.

“I would rather you didn’t,” I say softly. She studies me for a moment and, for some reason, decides in favor of me.

“Come on. We just finished up a session,” she says as she uses the card key to allow us both access. We make our way through the familiar hall, and I feel myself growing tense the closer we get to Ezra. Sky, however, doesn’t seem worried at all.

“He’s asked about you,” she says as we continue up the hall.

“You talk to him?” I ask in disbelief, earning me a soft chuckle.

“Of course. It’s my job to know everything about him. Including the way he thinks,” she says.

“What did he ask?” I ask hesitantly.

Sky shrugs as we reach the control room.

“Mostly curious about the nature of your arrival,” she says before pushing open the door. There are two men sitting at the desk looking through the glass at their prisoner. I note that they are currently injecting him again with whatever it is that keeps him weak. Sky walks to the screen, taking in the numbers and lines that run across them.

“Are these his vitals?” I ask, eyeing them. She nods her head, pointing to the nearest screen.

“His genetic makeup has taken months to decipher, and even now, there are components of his blood and tissue that we can’t even identify.” I look at her as she speaks, and I can see the pure fascination in her gaze as she explains her discoveries to me. I look beyond the glass to see him with his head slightly raised, his eyes focusing on the glass. Sky notices as well.

“Why don’t you guys take a break? I can handle things from here,” she says softly. The men don’t hesitate as they rise from their seats, leaving the room. Sky takes a seat at the desk, pressing a button before speaking into the mic.

“Ezra, you have a visitor,” she says. I take note that her tone is friendly—as if she knows him as a person. Ezra smiles only slightly before lowering his head.

“I know.” His voice comes back over the speaker, and I shiver from the sound of it. I look at Sky, who is watching me with a strange expression. She gestures for me to go to the door.

“Go ahead,” she says. I slowly make my way to the large door, looking at her one last time.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right here and dose him if anything goes wrong,” she says reassuringly. I gently nod my head, wondering if this is a good idea, as I push the door open to enter the same room as Remus’s brother. He lifts his gaze upon my entrance, eyeing me as I approach. I take in his battered state and the way his arms are held in the machines above his head. He looks weakened physically,but the way his eyes glow in excitement, I can tell he’s fine mentally. Before I can get a word out, he’s speaking.

“You reek of my brother.”

He studies me intensely, his gaze lingering on my throat.

“He didn’t tell you, did he?” he asks with a grin. When I don’t respond, he laughs, shaking his head.

“It would seem he is a little more than intrigued by you, Iris. My brother is a force that should not be tampered with. And judging from your presence here and your lack of knowledge, you did not favorably part ways with him.”

“Remus is dead,” I snap. Ezra raises a brow at me.

“But you don’t believe that, do you?” he counters.

My flesh crawls from the weight of his gaze and he angles his head to better study me.

“Why else would you come here? Why secretly sneak into the prison where his brother is being held? To chat?” he laughs. I hate the sound of him laughing. It makes me uneasy. And puts into perspective just how little he cares for the situation.

“Why do you think I’m here secretly?” I ask. Ezra’s smile widens.

“It’s quite obvious. Guards had to come and get Sky just to let you in the building. You’ve fucked up Iriel’s plans, and now that your usefulness has run out, he wants you nowhere near any of this. Can’t have his leverage gaining a change of heart now, can he?”

I feel myself beginning to tremble from the knowledge he has, all from making inferences.

“They made weapons using research from your body,” I say to convince myself more than him. Ezra releases a breath, his irritationvisible. My heart skips a beat as he briefly resembles his older brother.

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