Page 42 of Pet: Genesis

“She doesn’t believe in inhibitors. She likes to break us herself, proving that fear is stronger.” A sad look crosses his features. “She, uh, killed the last three men she had because they never stopped fighting. The rest of the slaves in her household are too terrified to make that same mistake. Me, however, I’m counting the days until she grows tired of my fight and ends my life as well,” he laughs bitterly.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur.

“No need to be. We’re all just living different versions of the same hell, right?” I look up, and he’s smiling at me. It’s refreshing to see a smile in such a dark time. I haven’t seen a genuine smile from another human since I was taken into the Leviathan society and surrounded by humans with inhibitors.

“What’s it like? Being his slave?” Jude is staring at me with unnerving curiosity on his face, and I honestly don’t know how to answer. Just thinking of all the pain and pleasure Remus brings to me is enough to make me want to crawl in the corner in discomfort.

“It’s... terrifying... degrading... unpredictable,” I say softly.

“And yet you still tried to save those humans,” he says.

“I wasn’t thinking about Remus at the time. I was thinking about them. I was thinking about saving them—about showing others that not all of us have given up,” I say.

“But weshouldgive up, right?” he asks.

I immediately shake my head in shock at his words.

“No. Never. This is our home. We can’t just give up,” I say. Jude is silent as he thinks about his next sentence.

“If you had a chance to kill him, would you?” he asks. I’m caught off guard by his question, and I immediately look to where Margot prepares food to see if she’s listening. Jude chuckles at my reaction.

“He’s not listening through her. That isn’t how inhibitors work. And even if it was, he’s in a meeting. Even Leviathan can’t multitaskthatwell,” he says.

I almost correct him and tell him that Remus isn’t actually a Leviathan. But I don’t. I don’t know if Jude’s purpose is to test me or if he’s genuine in his inquiry. So, I keep my eyes focused on Margot as she continues to make dinner silently.

I still don’t trust Jude’s logic, so I decide to change the subject.

“Do you know why Remus is meeting with them here instead of in the city?” I ask.

Jude nods, his expression serious. “The resistance.”

I look at him in shock, a flutter of hope blooming in my chest, but I push it down.

“You’re not serious,” I whisper.

“It’s like you said, we shouldn’t just give up. And those who haven’t are giving them a run for their money. Leviathan resourcescan’t pinpoint the exact location of the resistance, and now the resistance has access to weapons that are damaging to the Leviathan armies,” he says.

I find myself moving toward him with wide eyes.

“How do you know? How are you sure that they have a real chance?” I ask. My voice trembles as real hope washes over me.

Jude’s eyes meet mine, and I immediately see the remorse in them before he responds.

“The humans you tried to save were from the resistance. They were caught trying to infiltrate this city’s enslaved.”

My eyes widen, and I stumble, anchoring myself to the counter for support. For the first time since my capture, genuine hope blooms in my chest. It grows until I feel overwhelmed with emotion. A new door has opened—a new path. This isn’t the end. I don’t have to die a slave to the Leviathan empire—a slave to Remus. I find myself stepping closer to Jude, my hands closing around his in excitement.

“But how are yousure? How do you know they weren’t just thieves?” My whisper echoes over the room as tears burn my eyes. Remus lied to me during his translation, saying they were thieves. I see now why his punishment was so excessive. I had given hope to a group of people who were a threat to his empire. And if Jude’s reaction has proven anything, it’s that I have given the resistance more reason to fight.

“Because I’m from the resistance. I knew each of them. And I could only watch as they were made an example out of. But you… seeing what you did for them and the fact that Remus didn’t killyou for it means we have a real…” Jude tenses, ripping his hands from mine as his stance turns rigid and his expression shifts to stone. I only have a few seconds to register his reaction before I am ripped away from him by my hair. I release a gasp of pain, looking behind me to see Remus watching me with an irritated expression.

“You must learn to keep your distance, Pet,” Remus snaps. His features hold no amusement as his eyes slowly pulse, the black growing with his anger.

Zaya’s laugh pulls me out of my fear-filled trance as she steps around us, her finger drifting over Jude’s stoic expression. His body trembles as she touches him. “It’s okay, Remus, I’ll have to mar this pretty face to keep the girls away,” she laughs.

I narrow my gaze, but I don’t have an opportunity to say anything as Remus pushes me to the side, allowing Zaya to step past me.

“Thank you for meeting with us, Remus. We will see you again very soon. Come, Jude,” she says. Jude quickly follows behind her, and I take a moment to compare them. Jude is easily six feet, and Zaya is at least five-foot-ten. It’s strange seeing that this woman actually instills fear in him. She injures him easily when he should be able to hold his own—in theory.

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