Page 114 of Pet: Genesis

Remus releases a heavy breath. “It was a mistake. But I do not regret that it happened.”

Through my haze of panic, I feel a small sense of amusement at Remus’s words. Remus doesn’t make mistakes. From the moment I met him, he has been a very calculated being, pushing his emotions aside. But he made a mistake. He finally made a mistake at my expense. I feel his fingers gripping my chin as he forces my gaze to meet his.

“I do not hate you, Iris. I’ve lived for many years. I understand your reactions, emotions, and need to protect all you’ve ever known. What you never understood was that from the very beginning, you never stood a chance. There was never a point in this war when I felt humanity would take this planet back. There was never a time when I doubted my plan. I allowed them their will to fight and never unleashed my full power on this world because that would just be cruel,” he says.

I shake my head, pushing his hands away.

“Why aren’t you punishing me? I betrayed you, I killed your people, I fought you. I told them about the main port, and I told them about the weapons. All of your problems came from me. Why won’t you just kill me and rid yourself of me?” I ask in desperation. Remus eyes me in pity.

“After everything I’ve told you, is it not obvious?” Remus studies me with a strange expression, his eyes roaming over my face as he comes to terms with my lack of understanding. A small chuckle escapes his lips, and he shakes his head before finally responding.

“I don’t want to. Ilikeyou, Iris. Even if you are hellbent on advocating for your planet, and after this escapade, I will acknowledge that you are a very real threat for your planet.” Before I can respond, Remus is up, signifying an end to the conversation.

“For now, you have a choice to make. I am very curious to know how your time among them has affected you,” Remus says as he steps toward the open glass, looking out at the ocean.

“You can remain here on Earth, and I will grant your desire to live under the darkness of an inhibitor... or you can come with me toXyrannisof your own free will.” Remus turns to face me, crossing his arms over his chest. A curious expression fills his features as he watches me.

“You’ll let me go just like that?” I ask.

He nods. “As I said before, you are a very worthy adversary.”

“But what about... being bonded?” I ask.

Remus raises a brow, angling his head to study me. “That’s my concern if you decide to stay, is it not?”

I take hesitant steps toward the railing, looking out over the ocean as my mind tries to process what this could mean.

“And humanity... you still won’t let them go?” I ask. Remus releases a breath, turning to face the ocean alongside me.

“You should no longer concern yourself with their fate.” Remus gently places his hand in mine, pulling me to face him. I find myself drawn into his gaze as he searches mine. This was his plan all along. He allowed my escape so that I could see the cruelty of humanity up close. So that they could break me in the way that he couldn’t. My own brother turned on me and used me for bait. Jude was killed trying to protect me. Everything I had to live for turned out to be wrong. Remus told me this the entire time we were together, but now he no longer has to tell me. I’ve experienced it.

Even Sky’s words ring in my head.

“The world I grew up in was hell long before the Leviathan showed up.”

She was right. I was naive. There was never any right or wrong to fight for. Just the lesser of two evils. Remus gently grips my face between his palms, his expression holding me steady.

“Choose, Iris. Me or them?”

The air is warm. The sky is blue, and the water vividly matches the color. I take in the small hairpin in my hand—the same one Remus gave me the night of the celebration. While I was in the resistance,it was a way for me to remember him, but he never left. I look up at the water as it brushes the shore, only to sink back into the ocean.

He was connected to me the entire time.

Remus is forcing me to make a decision. A conscious decision. I can choose my planet or him. I laugh bitterly at the turn of events. There’s no more fighting for it, no more rebellion. According to Remus, we never stood a chance, and after watching him and Xion tear through the resistance in under an hour, I agree with him.

It’s a terrifying thing to be at the mercy of such a strong being. His idea of mercy was allowing us the free will to fight against what we thought was a close fight. He was sparing our feelings. I laugh aloud at the thought of it. Remus allowed us to wallow in our own suffering so that we wouldn’t have to face the might of his power. And now he is making me choose.

It should be an easy decision. The amount of betrayal and sadness I endured in the resistance is enough to make me crave the dreamless state of the inhibitor. The nightmares I have of Jude’s death, Cypress’s betrayal, and Iriel’s very real threat make me want nothing more than to step away from this world. Remus was right about one thing: I did see too much. It’s too much for me to handle. Even now, my eyes burn with unshed tears as I think of Jude’s meaningless death.

I still have yet to ask Remus about Cypress’s whereabouts or condition. Does it make me a terrible human for not caring? For not unconditionally loving him or my people? Remus knows exactly what he is doing. He is giving me a choice I never had in the first place. All this time, he kept me alive with threats and the falseidea that my planet would be liberated, but both of those are null and void. I can join my planet how I would have if he hadn’t found me, or I can live by his side.

I think of the night of the celebration. Throughout my time with Remus, I have slowly transitioned from a slave to the empire to his equal. Even in our last days together, he constantly reiterated my being by his side. Not his pet, but by his side. And that night, he kept me there. He treated me as if we were together and I was not beneath him. He was kind and patient. And now he still is, even after all I have done. Before then, his attitude toward me was shifting. He constantly told me how he felt and how he saw me. I just never truly acknowledged it until now.

He has changed. For me, he has changed. But for my people, he has not, and after the resistance’s reveal of their true plans, I don’t think he ever will. Will it always be my job to fight for a planet that is lost?

I suffered for months secretly plotting against Remus, risking everything when it was all for nothing. I spent years of my life suffering in the blight with women I had grown up with after the Leviathan invasion, only to find out that we were never on anyone’s radar to save. We were the bait. And even when I finally found my brother, the man in my memories who was kind and gentle, he never once treated me as his sister. From the moment we met, he saw me as a calculation in this war. I bring my knees to my chest, lowering my chin as my emotions seem to spin out of control.

I am truly alone.

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