Page 39 of Pet: Genesis

Once we arrive back at Remus’s residence in the city, he leaves me with Margot to keep me company. I don’t know if he keeps her near me to torture me or to remind me to behave. Either way, seeing her in this state makes me uncomfortable. My eyes drift over the room, taking in the abundant space. It’s large for a temporary home, but I guess the Leviathan society believes in only the best for its leader. My eyes fall on the bookshelf in the far corner of the room, and I find myself drawn to it.

I take a few steps, looking back at Margot, who watches me silently, but she doesn’t object to the direction ofmy movement. Once I reach the bookcase, I run my fingers over the spines of the books. They aren’t books like ours. The spines are a foreign translucent material that lights up with my touch, showing me the Leviathan language. It stays like that for a moment, and when I don’t grab the book, the words darken, leaving a blank spine. I grab the book from the bookshelf, and upon my touch, it lights up again to reveal a title I can’t read. It’s interesting to know that books are something all societies share.

I look back to Margot, who is silently standing in the same place, her eyes dull but focused on me. I’ve decided that each time I’m with her, I will do what I can to strengthen her brain. Remus said that the brain is like a muscle. If I can somehow reach her consciousness, I can allow her a chance to break free. Or at least have a chance of fighting back.

“Remember in the blight, when we would find all kinds of burned and destroyed books? We would spend hours trying to make sure our literacy didn’t disappear even though the books were charred ash at that point,” I chuckle bitterly.

Margot doesn’t respond. She doesn’t even shuffle.

I release a deep breath, looking at the book in front of me. Although we tried, we didn’t have time to scavenge for books to preserve our ability to read and write. It was about survival. Not intelligence. Even now, I barely remember the basics. I haven’t picked up a pencil since my last day of school. I had no idea that the following summer would change my life forever. I open the book, looking at its contents. The pages are heavier than paper but thin. And the language moves across the page, building until itstops. I couldn’t even begin to understand the Leviathan language. They don’t look like any words I’ve ever seen. I close the book in irritation, moving to put it away.

“You don’t likeIfasy?” I flinch, spinning around to see Remus standing behind me, his eyes focused on the book in my hands. My gaze immediately drifts to where Margot once stood, but she’s no longer there.

“Where—”

“She’s off doing her duties,” Remus says as he steps around me.

He gently pulls the book out of my hand, placing it in its rightful place on the shelf. I take in his stature as his back is to me. He’s wearing white, but the shirt is a loose, delicate material that breathes with his movement. It’s the strangest thing seeing him in what I assume is his kind’s loungewear. Up until now, all I’ve ever seen is him dressed in regalia.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, facing me. I narrow my gaze, wanting nothing more than to lash out at him, but then I recall the pain of the weapon he tested on my flesh. The pain of my bones breaking. And the pain he caused just by looking into my eyes. Remus is a puzzle to figure out, and I don’t think provoking him will help me or Margot in this situation.

“Fine,” I say softly. He raises a brow at my response.

“Fine,” he repeats before stepping away from me and into the kitchen. I slowly follow, my eyes lingering on the bookshelf. He still has his back to me so I reach for a book, pulling it out of the shelf as I make my way to where Remus is now pulling out ingredients in the kitchen.

My gaze narrows as I watch him act human. He places vegetables and meat on the counter, separating them to begin preparing. His amethyst gaze meets mine briefly before drifting back to the book on the counter.

“Why do you have that?” he asks as he turns away from me to grab a knife. I watch him closely, his movements are so inhuman even as he cuts through the vegetables sitting on the counter. I study the strange book as my desires come to the forefront. Maybe if I can’t challenge Remus physically, I can mentally.

“I want to learn your language,” I say softly. Remus stops what he’s doing, his eyes drifting up to meet mine.

“Why would I teach you that? You have been disobedient and rebellious and are a slave to the empire. You have no right or reason for learning,” he says matter-of-factly.

“So I’m only here for you to fuck whenever you feel like it?” I ask.

Remus thinks for a second before answering with a smirk. “Yes. Reading is a privilege, Iris. Something that comes withearningmy trust. And you have done nothing to earn any privileges from me.”

Silence stretches between us as he focuses on what he’s doing. He’s making food. I assume for me since he admitted to me himself that he doesn’t eat. In all the time I’ve been here, I’ve never seen Remus make my food. Usually, it’s already prepared and brought to me. But now, he’s the one preparing it so knowledgeably as he reprimands me for having the nerve to want to learn his language.

“We still have yet to discuss your act of rebellion at the event,” he says, breaking the silence.

I narrow my eyes at him. “I figured the beating you gave me was discussion enough,” I say.

Remus laughs. He actually laughs, shaking his head.

“The ‘beating’ was retaliation. You still haven’t been properly punished for openly disobeying me,” he says. My heart sinks when I notice his eyes. The black is slowly dilating. He’s serious. He stands tall as if a switch has been flipped, placing the finished plate in front of me.

A delectable-looking sandwich with sauce spilling over the sides of it sits perfectly plated.

Remus watches me expectantly. “I know you’re hungry. Eat.”

I slowly pull the plate to me, my stomach growling in response to the sight and smell of food. He’s right. I am hungry. Tears burn my eyes as I study the sandwich. Not because I’m hungry but because Remus knows and controls everything about me. All the way down to my ability to eat or learn. He is superior, his words from earlier blaring in my brain.

“Are you aware of the difference in power between you and me? Are you truly aware?”

At this moment, I feel a small piece of me breaking.

Remus lets out an irritated sigh before leaning over the counter. He grabs the book from me and walks past me to the shelf to replace it. He doesn’t say another word as he leaves the room, leaving me to cry in my own pit of despair.

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