Page 38 of Pet: Genesis

My voice cracks from the sudden use after hours of screaming, and I begin coughing. She quirks a brow at me, laughing to herself as she reaches toward the nearest counter, grabbing a glass cup with a glass straw. She brings it to my lips, and against my better judgment, I gulp it down, mentally thankful for the soothing drink. I hadn’t realized just how parched I was until now.

The Leviathan chuckles as she places the glass back on the counter.

“You cannot rule orenslavea species if you don’t know how to preserve it. Our goal here isn’t to wipe you out; your planet is too valuable, and your species is too intelligent to waste. If Remus hasshown us anything as our leader, it’s that he will give a purpose to even the lowest of species. That species, however, must first learn its place in society,” she says, repeating Remus’s philosophy.

I slowly shake my head in disbelief, but she doesn’t seem too inclined to argue with me about it or even punish me for being disrespectful toward her ideals. She’s eerily pleasant and eager to speak with me, even if we aren’t on the same page.

“Your treatment will take the rest of the day to complete. Remus will retrieve you then,” she says softly as she rises from her seat. I expect her to leave, but she doesn’t. She slowly turns to face me with a troubled expression.

“Why did you do it?” she asks.

I look at her in confusion, but she’s more than happy to elaborate.

“Why did you challenge him? You must have known he would kill you. He must have warned you, and yet you defied him in front of a large crowd, almost getting yourself killed in the process.” I watch her in mirrored confusion. She seems genuine in her questioning. It shows how structured the Leviathan society is. No one defies Remus sheerly because of his power. Of course, it’s strange when someone they see as weak does so.

“Your leader seems to think that just because we are faced with fear, we won’t do what’s right to protect our own. When he conquered this world, he encountered the corrupt men in power, not the weak, who would die for their own. He has a horrible misconception that we are selfish, and he takes that misconception, trying his best to make it a reality against me. But that is not who Iam. I will never stand idly as another human being begs for mercy. I will never let my fear control me,” I say.

Her eyes grow wide with each word I say, and she looks at me as if I’m the crazy one.

“Our leader has never taken a personal servant of any kind from any of the worlds he’s conquered—none of whom he left with their free will. Word is spreading fast as everyone tries to uncover why he would take a human of all things and allow you so close to our world without an inhibitor. But I see it now. The rebellion in your eyes. That spark of life… the challenge.” She breaks into a fit of giggles, shaking her head as she dims the lights.

“You are aware he has conquered entire planets, right? You are a blip on the life he has lived. And when he breaks your spirit and makes you swallow those words, you’ll wish you had let that fear control you.”

The ride back is silent. Remus has, for the most part, taken my challenges in the past with a playful undertone. But as I think of what transpired to force me into a tank to heal me, I get a sickening feeling in my gut. The Leviathan doctor explained not only what those torture weapons were but just how damaging the result was for my body. Remus was content to leave me suffering for my actions. I don’t know what changed his mind at the last minute to show only me mercy.

I place my finger against the window and take in the city beneath us. I can’t believe a world like this exists on the same planet I grew up on. It’s all foreign buildings on land that was once a thriving society belonging to someone else, and they’ve come in, establishing their way of life as if we never even existed. And among the people in this society is a cruel way of life that has no room for humans, as they proved at the event. We are a nuisance in their eyes—in the way of their progress.

“How are you feeling? Physically?” Remus asks, breaking the silence between us.

I slowly maneuver my gaze toward him. He doesn’t regret his actions at all. I find a small bit of strength, looking back out the window as I ignore him and luckily, he’s back to his relatively playful mood because he laughs.

“There should be no more pain. Petra is the leading specialist in healing the human body. She trained for years to join this mission,” he says.

I tense when I feel his fingers trailing down my cheek to my neck. “She healed you up quite nicely,” he says.

I pull away from his touch, looking at him with a narrowed gaze.

“After you caused the damage,” I emphasize.

Remus must be in light spirits because he once again laughs, this one louder than the last.

“Do you still think that it was worth it?” he asks. I take in the intensity of his gaze, and it dawns on me that he and Petra are one and the same in their curiosity. He wants me to regret my decision, and he’s hellbent on proving to himself that I am like the rest ofmy race. He wants to prove that, at our core, humans will save themselves over others if pushed far enough. It shines a light on why he was so excessive in his punishment.

“I’ll always think it is worth it,” I say. “No matter how many times you break me down to prove to yourself otherwise,” I add. Instead of anger, Remus raises a brow. The blue within his eyes illuminates, pulsing in excitement as he studies me. I don’t know why I provoke him. Sometimes, I do so without meaning to.

“With every passing day, I like you more and more, Iris,” he laughs.

“Bear in mind I could have stopped you at any moment. I could have ensured you never even left the platform. I haven’t seen that kind of fight in you since our first encounter. I guess I placed too much trust in you to believe you would remain docile so soon,” he says.

Realization dawns on me as I acknowledge what he’s telling me. The bracelet was around my wrist, meaning he could have prevented everything. But he didn’t. He waited until I was in the middle of the room and had already caused a scene in front of the people of his society to unleash his wrath on me.

“You catch on quick,” he laughs, taking my silence as understanding. “What you fail to understand is that I enjoy a challenge. And you give it to me each time you see one of your own suffering, without fail. You gave me the perfect opportunity to not only display what will happen to the humans in attendance if they disobey but to demonstrate how easily outmatched they are. It wasn’t a shock that you rebelled. I’m honestly surprised it took you so long. I really thoughtyou weren’t going to react for a second. You knew what would happen. Youfeltwhat would happen. Yet you did it anyway.”

My emotions are numb as Remus recounts his experience of the night. I don’t have any one emotion to feel anymore. Anger, disbelief, disappointment: they all swirl inside of me, overwhelming my senses as Remus once again looks at me.

“Are you even aware of the difference in power between you and me? Are youtrulyaware?” he asks. I ignore his gaze, trying to force myself not to lose control as he provokes me. I’ve seen Remus do strange things, for sure. I’ve experienced firsthand something only an extraterrestrial like him can do, like taking my “essence.” But the way he speaks cryptically about our differences in strength is beginning to make me feel wary.

Remus takes my silence, finally shifting his attention away from me. “I’m sure you will see soon enough. Then, the real challenge will begin.”

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