Page 107 of Pet: Genesis

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” I ask, searching his gaze. A strange feeling washes over me. The sensation clouds my sane mind as I study him, fueling words I never would have said otherwise. I shake my head when I finally see it—the terror in his gaze. Amusement strikes me at the sight.

“You lied to these people to gain their trust. You promised them you would fight for them, but you only used them to see just how far you could get in taking down Remus. You had no idea he would find out about your betrayal, and when he did, you were forced to hide along with the humans. Then I came along, and just when you thought you had found your out, I destroyed your last bit of hope of ever returning,” I say. His eyes fill with rage as he studies me, but for some reason, I can’t stop the words pouring from my lips.

“You won’t kill me. You won’t touch my brother. If you do, and Remus somehow survived, you’ll be signing your own death certificate,” I say. Out of instinct, a laugh leaves my lips, earning me every bit of Iriel’s rage. He’s too fast for me to register his handcoming at my throat as he grips me, lifting me off the ground with force. I cry out, my hands immediately clawing at his own as he seethes beneath me.

“You are very lucky Remus favored you, or I would crush your throat, human. I may not be able to kill you, but that does not change the fact that you are nothing more than a glorified whore he fell to because of what lies between your legs. If you think you will live through this either after betraying him, you are sorely mistaken. Xion will end your life long before I have the chance to, and I will revel in that, you fucking traitor,” he growls, throwing me to the ground. I cry out in pain, looking up in time to see him storming away from me.

The moment he leaves, the strange weight that fell over me disappears, leaving me hollow and empty. I suck in a trembling breath as my cheeks turn cold from the trail of tears that fall. I hastily wipe them away, standing to continue watching Iriel’s retreating form. We’re fucked. We’re all fucked. It’s only a matter of days, if not hours, before Xion finds us. There’s no telling what Iriel will do if he doesn’t just flee tonight. He already proved how low he’ll slink in a moment of desperation when he almost killed Cypress, Jude, and me just to attempt an assassination on Remus. Or before that, when he sacrificed countless rebels, knowing Remus wouldn’t show them mercy so that he could escape when he was found out.

I slowly rise from my place in the dirt, wiping the grime off of me before I walk away from the facility. I don’t know where I’m going, but I continue to walk as I lose myself in my thoughts. My headcontinues to pound, my body aching uncontrollably. The feeling is suffocating, making me endure a never-ending physical and mental battle against myself. This is how it ends for us. Everything that I did and endured was for nothing. The fact that I murdered Remus and damned humanity to a fate worse than death is more than I can bear.

I’m not sure what I want anymore. As I look around at the shabby resistance, I see now that my initial intake was through rose-colored glasses. I was happy to be free and a part of something that I felt at the time was bringing humanity hope. But I see now that this is a visual of just how far off we are from being anything other than eyesores to the Leviathan race. I feel myself falling deeper into the mentality Sky expressed just the other day.

Why did I fight and risk everything for these people?

They are corrupt. They don’t care about moving forward and taking back. They only care about survival, something I should have cared about long ago. My mind shifts to Remus in our last days together. I saw parts of him that were new. He was changing. And I’ve tried to keep that fact at bay in my mind to ease my guilt because I ruined everything by killing him. I ruined any chance of a future for us. I chose wrong.

“What was I thinking?” I whisper aloud to myself. Regret hits me full force as I continue my way through the dark refuge. I regret what I did. Living in this harsh reality of the resistance has forced me to see what Remus was adamant about proving. Sky was right; I am naive.

A familiar house comes into view, and I finally realize where it is I am going. The light is still on in the window, meaning he is still awake. My heart beats frantically as I make my way up the steps to the last person on this planet who seems to understand me. I softly knock, my mind calming a bit when I hear his footsteps. The door opens seconds later to reveal Jude. His pale hair is messy, and his chest is covered in a light sheen of sweat as he studies me with wide eyes.

Concern laces his features when he notices the tears on my cheeks, his head angling to take me in.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

I open my mouth, unable to find the words to express how I’m feeling. So, I throw my arms around his neck, smashing my lips to his. I vaguely register the door closing behind us as Jude’s hands come to rest around my waist. He gently pulls me away, looking at me in shock.

“What—” I place my fingers over his lips, enjoying the soft feel of his skin against my fingertips. His eyes search mine, and I muster all the bravery I can.

“…Please,” I whisper.

Jude’s expression softens, and he seems to understand my dilemma without me having to express anything more. His hand gently wraps around my fingers, holding mine in his as he leads me away from the door to his bedroom. My heart beats wildly as I follow him, excitement pooling in my belly when he turns to face me. The thoughts swimming around in my mind finally vanish as he places his lips against mine.

His lips are warm but not as soft as Remus’s as he kisses me. I feel his hands around my waist, pulling me flush against him. He’s shorter than Remus, so I feel his erection straining against his pants on my thigh as he runs against me. His skin is warm, not the intense heat like Remus’s, but the normal temperature of a human. I thread my fingers through his hair as I deepen the kiss, ignoring the sudden squeezing pain in my head as I try to find solace from my emotions.

Jude’s tongue slips into my mouth, tangling with my own as his hands shift under my shirt. He maneuvers us to the bed, never breaking the kiss as he lays me gently against the scratchy blanket, and I release a soft gasp as the dull ache of pleasure intensifies between my legs. Jude’s hands roam over me, his lips suckling over my throat. I know he’s trying to be gentle, but I want more. I need more andfast. I place my hands against Jude’s chest, flipping him over so that I can crawl on top of him.

His eyes widen as I straddle him, enjoying the feel of his erection pressing against my sensitive sex. I pull my shirt over my head, revealing my naked breasts to someone other than Remus for the first time in my life. My heart thrums erratically, fueling me as I lean over Jude, placing my own kisses against his throat. His skin tastes salty, with the slight musk of his scent lingering as well.

The pain in my head grows to a pounding that becomes difficult to ignore. But I’m desperate for something other than the pain I’ve grown accustomed to. So I ignore it, grinding my sex against Jude as I ease myself toward release. Jude’s hands find my face, pulling me back to his lips as we both struggle to remove our clothing. Islip my hand between us and hear Jude moan softly beneath me as I take his shaft in my hand. He isn’t as large as Remus, but he’s still well-endowed as I begin to stroke him.

I press his tip against my entrance, shivering slightly as I slowly lower myself atop his cock, and I begin to ride him. I hesitate as the pounding in my head shifts to an unbearable ringing that I can no longer ignore. Images of Remus flash across my mind at a speed that makes me tense from the sudden onslaught of information. My breathing comes out in soft pants until it suddenly feels like I can no longer take in a breath. My throat constricts against my will as the world blurs around me.

I vaguely register Jude saying my name as blood trickles from my nose. I choke, my eyes rolling back as the headache feels like a battering ram against my skull, the world around me spinning. I taste blood on my tongue as it spills past my lips, and I am no longer able to control myself as my body convulses on its own, and I collapse. I feel Jude shaking me, screaming my name, but I can’t respond. I can’t do anything as an outside force strangles me from within. I continue to seize violently on the floor, my muscles taking a mind of their own.

After a moment, I feel my body being lifted from the ground as the sound of Jude’s screams permeates what’s left of my consciousness. But I can do nothing as darkness overtakes me.

Remus

My eyes remain focused on the massive crater of chaos that now barrels in front of me from my rage. The water splashes violently, colliding with itself as it tries to fill the new depth of emptiness created in the ocean. My body trembles with rage as I try my hardest to regain my composure, but it feels like a mundane task. I should have killed her. Her life is now mine, and she betrayed me again. I let her live when I should have killed her.

I roar, releasing my power at full blast, ripping up the shore of the beach, the sand dissipating into nothing as the rock beneath it explodes into debris.

“Remus?” Xion’s voice pulls me from my rage-filled haze, but I don’t respond to her. I breathe. It’s the only thing I can do to keep from destroying more of the planet. After a moment, I finally turn to face her.

“We leave now.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

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