Page 22 of Pet: Genesis

“Iris. Eat.” I tense at the sudden sound of Remus’s voice and begin chewing on the toast in front of me.

Every time I close my eyes, I see Leah’s pained face. I hate that there’s nothing I can do.Nothing. And each time I think about rebelling against Remus, I want to vomit. That’s the level of anguish he has instilled in me. Today, we are in a different room in Remus’s home. It’s a large living room that’s spacious and bright. Something that I’ve noticed about Remus’s culture is that everything is spread out and natural. They enjoy using natural lighting and a lot of space.

I look up to where he’s seated across the room. His eyes are roaming over a screen in his hands, his face holding no hint of what it is he’s going over. He said he was of nobility at the event we attended, so what could he possibly be working onall the time?

Remus suddenly stands, making his way out of the room. I take the moment to move closer to the glass wall. The scenery before me is beautiful and causes a sad ache to flow through me. I miss the outdoors. Even though the blight was a city of ruin, it was still outside. And I was free. I was able to come and go as I pleased. I was able to feel the sun against my cheeks and the wind in my hair.

Now that I am here, Remus keeps me inside all the time, only able to watch the scenery from behind the glass walls that encompass his home. I look around the empty room, making sure he is gone, before stepping even closer to the glass wall. I press my hand against the glass, reveling in the warmth that greets the inside of my palm.

I miss this.

“Iris. Step away from there.” The sound of Remus’s voice brings me back to reality.

“You were right, brother. She is exquisite.” I tense and immediately turn my head to take in the owner of the new voice that has entered the room, completely forgetting the number one rule of not looking them in the eyes.

The stranger is beautiful, just like his brother. His silver hair only reaches his shoulders, curling gently around his face, unlike Remus’s, which falls past his waist. He also seems younger. His build is lean, and he’s an inch or two shorter than Remus. His eyes aren’t the same either. Instead of bright purple, one is purple, and one is blue.

The stranger raises a brow at me, forcing me to realize my mistake, and I immediately drop my head, gazing at their feet.

“Come here, Iris.”

My stomach drops at the command, and my body begins to react to the fear rushing through my veins. Each time I’m in the same vicinity as Remus, I begin to shake from fear, and this time is no different. I hear a deep chuckle as Remus places a hand out to steady me, and I squeeze my eyes shut from his touch.

“Damn, Remus, what’d you do to her?” his brother asks.

“Merely taught her a lesson,” Remus quips. I hear the waver of excitement in his voice.

“So, what drove your decision to house a humanwithoutan inhibitor?” his brother asks.

The room is silent, and Remus finally speaks as he walks away. I note that his brother’s eyes are still trained on me as Remus responds.

“She intrigued me.”

Remus’s brother chuckles softly, shaking his head as he follows his brother to the opposite end of the room.

Remus

Even though my brother is here to discuss important matters, I can’t bring myself to tear my gaze away from Iris. She’s a foolish human. I think back to the moment I laid eyes on her in that wasteland she wants so badly to return to. I was going to kill her, just like I did the rest of the humans in the area. But the longer I watched her, the clearer my hesitation became.

She has a spark—a desire to live that she uses for those around her rather than helping herself. Humans in positions of power have failed to display this on many occasions. Even humans driven into corners eventually reveal the nasty side of their true nature—but not her, for some reason. And now, when I look at her, that spark is almost gone.

I knew when bringing her to the celebration that she wasn’t ready. But, like I said to my brother, I was intrigued. I wanted to see if she would once again let emotion rule her instead of logic. And she didn’t disappoint. Eventually, I will destroy that spark. For now, however, I will enjoy the process of extinguishing it.

I study her as she sits away from us, pretending to eat. Her dark hair waves slightly, falling barely past her chin. I don’t mind. If anything, I prefer it. I can see the delicate shape of her slender throat. When I found her, she was too skinny and malnourished, and her hair was matted with dirt and grime. Now, she looks like she should, and she’s absolutely stunning.

And all mine.

I can tell from the direction of her gaze that she is trying to listen to our conversation, which is why I make sure to speak in our native language.

“Remus,” my brother snaps, pulling me out of my musings.

I reach for the blueprints I’ve been drawing up all day. Thirteen Earth years after our invasion, an entire community of humans has come together to begin the long battle to take back their planet. As head of the Leviathan race, it is my job to eliminate that ambition entirely, which is why my brother has arrived today.

“This is what we’ve uncovered recently involving surrounding bases. Your job is to find their primary base. If we can rid them of their leaders, they’ll all be left in disarray and easier to round up,” I say.

Ezra nods his head, looking at the blueprints, and I can’t help but let my worry shine through.

“Are you sure you want to do this? It doesn’t have to be you. I can designate a team to—”

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