Page 58 of Pet: Genesis

“You know why I chose you, Iris? You have the strongest will I’ve ever seen, a will that shines bright among your people. You may have been a great leader in another life, but in this one, you will be mine.” He presses a kiss to my lips, but it isn’t gentle.

He captures me, my body involuntarily reacting to his kiss. Warmth spreads over me, settling between my legs until my mind becomes a muddle of lust and desire. After a moment, Remus finally pulls away, his eyes searching mine as he angles his head to better take in my flushed appearance. He lightly taps my nose, the smattering of blue flecks within his amethyst gaze glowing in excitement as his cold tone washes over me.

“Tread carefully, Pet. I am much more experienced at making peace than you.”

Chapter Twenty

Iris

It feels trivial at this point: learning.

It feels like I have been placed in a delicate existence compared to the rest of my race. Margot’s death was inflicted upon her by her own hand because of the horrors she endured. That facility Remus took me to was only one of however many they have on our planet. And yet, I sit here in the comfort of captivity, learning.

I haven’t seen Remus much lately. Though it doesn’t seem like it’s out of avoidance. He’s busy. I am in bed before him, and he’s awake before me. I only ever see him in between meals or at random hours of the day, and that’s if he’s here. He hardly ever is, which has given me more than enough time to decipher his study. I look up from my paper when the sound of footsteps comes from the direction of the hallway. I feel my heart sink a little at the realization that it will not be Margot coming, but I have to remind myself thatshe is no longer suffering in this hell. A servant I haven’t bothered to name rounds the corner with a blank expression on her face. Just as she disappears, I hear the sound of the door opening.

Remus is back.

I feel my heart racing at the knowledge. I think back to his words just a week ago.

“Tread carefully, Pet.”

I don’t know if that was a warning because I was asking too many questions or if he somehow knows of my impending betrayal. Either way, I can’t let it deter me. I owe Margot that much. I look up when I see the servant who was making her way toward the door passing back through with something in her hands. From this distance, it looks like a glass vial. I note that it has some kind of liquid in it, but that’s all I can decipher.

Remus rounds the corner directly behind her, his eyes not missing a beat as they land where I am seated in the living room. A small smile plays on his lips as he approaches. He’s dressed in regal attire, so wherever he was must have been important. His eyes drop to the paper in front of me, taking in my work so far. He doesn’t speak or give me any direction of his thoughts.

Finally, his eyes meet mine.

“You’ve been practicing,” he says, smiling. “Very good, Iris.”

“I want to learn more,” I say after a moment. Remus looks at me with a strange expression but doesn’t seem irritated.

Yet.

“More?” he asks. I slowly nod my head, looking toward the glass.

“I know what you said about making peace with Margot’s death, but I can’t. Not when I’m sitting here in silence all day. I want to do more, to take my mind off of it. To give me meaning,” I say softly.

Remus frowns, taking a seat next to me. His eyes are boring into my soul, and I find myself unable to hold his gaze,

“So you feel that learning something else entirely will give you purpose? How so?” he asks. His voice is so soft and gentle that it confuses me.

I was hoping to get Remus to teach me geography. That way, I could learn about the landmasses that hold all the important Leviathan locations and get the information out. But as he stares at me, I find myself releasing emotions I had stuffed down. Tears spill over my eyes, and I keep my gaze focused on my fingers as they twist in my lap.

“Why me? Why do I get to live? Why did I survive in the blight? Why is everyone suffering, and I am here... alive?” I sob. I drop my head into my hands, my shoulders shaking from the weight of my heartache.

“Why did you have to choose me?” I whisper.

Remus is silent for a moment, and I tense when I feel his fingers prying my hands away from my face. He angles his head so that I am looking directly into his eyes. They are a vivid swirl of light and energy as they take me in, his hair pulled out of his face. I know I must look terrible to him, the perfect being that never eats, cries, or even has the slightest hair out of place. His eyes take in my pathetic state, and I see no delight in seeing me in this state. He looks as if he is figuring it out himself at this moment.

“You are different. Everything about you is different. You would risk yourself every time for someone who doesn’t deserve your grace. You would fight, knowing you don’t stand a chance. You would sacrifice yourself if it meant others could see the light of day. And that is why humanity doesn’t deserve you, Iris. You are too good for them,” he says as if it’s obvious.

My eyes widen slightly and Remus uses his thumb to wipe my tears. “And I will never let them have you.”

I shake my head, pulling away from him. This is the second time he’s said something along those lines. The first was at the park. He feels such a deep disgust for humans, yet he ignores that when he’s with me.

“Why? You hate humans,” I say.

Remus quirks a brow at me.

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