Page 62 of Pet: Genesis

Chapter Twenty-One

Iris

My mind is a swirl of emotional turmoil.

It’s exhausting having to learn the Leviathan culture, spy on Remus, and sate his desires while at the same time remaining inconspicuous. As we make our way to a beautiful home encased in the cliffside of the city, I once again notice the Leviathan are prone to intertwining their homes with nature. It’s as odd as it is beautiful.

I walk silently next to Remus with as much freedom as I’ve ever had in his presence. There’s no inhibitor and no bracelet that controls me. It’s me of my own free will. There’s a small pull at my chest, having earned his trust. His mood earlier this week is more than enough of an indicator that I have cracked some kind of wall he holds up. He has entered a different stage with me than whenhe first found me in the blight.He doesn’t suspect a thing, and I have learned how to manipulate information out of him easily.

Jude was right about one thing: their arrogance will be their downfall.

Remus knowingly makes his way through the home, pausing when we reach a glass door. He silently opens it, revealing a captivating garden with a glass ceiling. I look around in awe before my eyes fall on a familiar face. I feel my heart skip a beat as excitement courses through me. It’s Jude. He’s sitting near the fountain in the center with his back to us. I also note that there are other humans here, which can only mean one thing: there’s another war meeting.

I take a step into the room, happiness washing over me as I begin to move toward Jude. I feel a rough pull on my arm, yanking me toward the solid body that stands in the doorway. I look up at Remus, but he isn’t looking at me. His gaze is focused on Jude. His grip tightens, and I immediately flinch out of reaction.

“Calm yourself, Iris. Or you will get him killed.”

I gaze at him in shock.

He’s jealous. Remus is jealous.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, trying my best to calm him down.

The sooner he leaves, the sooner I can speak with Jude about everything I’ve learned. If I make him too angry before that happens, he might not let me be in the same room as Jude, let alone bring me with him to these meetings any longer. Remus looks ready to say something when Zaya saves me. She approaches with a smile on her lips, and Remus releases me as he begins speaking to her. I stand silently with my head down, remaining as I knowRemus has trained me so that he doesn’t suspect my eagerness. He continues his light conversation with Zaya before finally deciding to head into their meeting.

He looks back at me with an unreadable expression before relaying his warning.

“Don’t push me,” he growls.

I watch as he exits in the opposite direction, counting to sixty before I dare to enter the garden. I finally reach Jude, taking a seat next to him. He looks up in irritation, but his expression softens when he sees that it’s me, and a smile graces his lips.

“Well, well... So you’re still alive,” he says. I chuckle softly at his words, feeling a sadness creep over me.

“Yeah,” I murmur.

“I’ve uncovered so much since our last encounter,” I say softly.

Jude’s eyes widen and he smiles at my words. I immediately launch into everything that I’ve learned since our last meeting. I tell him about the main port and how many cities there are total on our planet. It takes me a while, but I finally give him all the information I can, ending with Remus’s plan for humanity and his unkillable status with our weapons.

I take in Jude’s shocked expression, waiting for him to process everything I’ve told him, and he finally looks at me in disbelief.

“So Remus is basically unkillable, is what you’re telling me,” he says.

I slowly nod my head.

“That doesn’t mean he can’t be hurt. Or captured. He said himself that weapons that can injure Leviathan could injure himbut not kill him. He also said the Leviathan sealed his mother away at one point,” I say. Jude nods his head.

“So, what are you thinking?” he asks. I mull over his words.

“What if we could somehow injure him? Just... consistently so that he is always weak?” I say. Jude raises a brow.

“How does that prevent him from recovering, though?” he asks.

“Remus feeds off energy. If he never gets it or has access to it, maybe he’ll eventually die. And what if the injuries could speed along the process?” I ask.

Jude glares at me incredulously.

“Okay, say this plan of yours works. How are we supposed to capture the leader of the Leviathan race? He’s conquered entire galaxies!” he says.

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