Page 23 of Pet: Genesis

“I wish you would stop treating me like a child. I can manage on my own. I do oversee an entire fleet, remember?” he snaps.

I laugh at his response.

“Yes. I remember,” I say.

He hates it when I treat him like a child. But he is my brother. My only brother and the youngest of three. I am the eldest. There’s me, our sister Xion, and lastly, Ezra. It’s an instinct for me to be worried. He’s always been treated with the most care. I take in his face as he looks over the satellite images of the fortress. Ezra was born with traits of the elite, except for his eyes. It’s a strange mutation that my sister and I never understood. Xion and I inherited the white hair and violet eyes, physical proof of our standing in the Leviathan society.

Our mother always ensured we knew how different we were from the rest.

“You are divine,” she would say.

“I will expect you to report in, Ezra—only you. I will assume something is wrong if it is someone else. You have to check in with me,” I say.

Ezra huffs in irritation, his gaze narrowing. “I told you I’ll be fine—”

“They’re making weapons, Ezra,” I say, pulling up the digital reports on the screen. I shift my attention to Iris, who no longer bothers to at least pretend to chew anymore as she listens to our foreign conversation. It’s almost amusing as she looks at the screen covered in a foreign language that she couldn’t begin to comprehend.

“So? Their weapons are useless against us,” Ezra pulls me out of my musings, and I release a breath of irritation, pinching the bridge of my nose before continuing.

“From what we’ve seen, the weapons are still in the early stages, but they have been shown to have damaging effects on the Leviathan at least,” I say. For weeks, I have been getting reports of weapons that are actually causing damage. When we first arrived, the weapons used to fight against us weren’t comparable. The fight was laughable. But now, years after the invasion, they are creating effective weapons. They’re learning.And I don’t think this sudden bout of knowledge is on their own.

“So there’s a traitor?” Ezra asks. I slowly nod my head.

“It is a possibility. And this traitor seems to be amid the resistance.”

Ezra’s eyes light up at my admission, his excitement growing at the idea of a hunt. He’s as sadistic as I am, he just does a better job at hiding it. He gains people’s trust and creates relationships before he blows it all up in a matter of seconds. And that is why he is the head of our armada. I have often allowed him to take downplanets from within instead of my much less merciful method to the inhabitants.

Ezra finally stands, grabbing the blueprints as he leaves. “Just leave it to me, Remus,” he calls.

“Be careful, Ezra,” I call after him. He turns back to me, giving me a goofy smile.

“Aren’t I always?”

I roll my eyes in response.

Hardly.

Chapter Eight

Iris

I miss the sun. I miss the warmth that the sun granted. Remus’s home is air-conditioned and cold, and the more time I spend here, the more it seems that the walls were made of glass solely to torture me. I keep my eyes focused on the greenery that spans beyond Remus’s living room, my fingertips tingling in anticipation. I can always see the scenery that surrounds us but never touch it.

“Iris. Step away from the glass.”

My excitement immediately fizzles out as Remus steps into the room. He never allows me near the glass. I turn to face him, and he’s focused on something in his hand, not bothering to ensure I move away from the glass. He keeps his head down the entire way, taking a seat on the couch. I use the moment to return to the glass, taking in the scenery, my longing and despair growing by the second.

“Iris.” Remus’s voice comes out like a whip, causing me to tense from his tone. I slowly back away from the glass, making my way to where he is seated. His eyes drop back to the device in his hands, and I round his shoulder, taking in the object in confusion. Symbols and numbers dance across the screen, and I don’t understand them in the slightest.

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Remus murmurs. He looks up at me with those captivating irises, and I immediately look away, unable to hold his gaze. After a moment of silence, he finally speaks again.

“You have an issue with following directions.” I keep my eyes down but don’t miss the unmistakable sound of him rising from his seat. I close my eyes as a chill runs through me the moment he touches my cheek.

“You don’t understand how lucky you are to be taken as mine instead of death or where we send able-bodied prisoners of conquered planets to live out their lives.”

He runs his fingers through my hair, his grip tightening on the strands as he speaks.

“You’re just a wild mongrel who lacks the ability to obey. When I say to move, does that mean to linger until you feel like it? No. You are to follow my command immediately. Why is that so difficult for you to comprehend?” he asks.

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