Page 64 of Pet: Genesis

Right on schedule, he passes the archway of the living room. I expect him to keep going, but he doesn’t. He pauses mid-step, his head angling slightly toward the ceiling before his gaze lands on me. The usual amusement I see isn’t there, and I’m greeted with the same hostility I saw when we first encountered one another. Remus slowly makes his way into the living room, his eyes never wavering. The closer he gets, the more terrified I feel from within. But I can’t give myself away. So, I drop my gaze upon his approach, trying to think of anything but the looming aura of intimidation he holds as he approaches. He’s standing directly over me, studying me before I feel the light touch of his finger under my chin, lifting my gaze to meet his.

My body immediately trembles out of reaction, as it knows that this being in front of me isn’t human. He is nothing like Jude, and my instincts have begun to take over. His eyes slowly roam over my face, and I notice the black of his pupils vibrating as he tries to keep some semblance of control. He leans in closer to me, his face hovering inches from my throat as he inhales my scent.

“You reek of that male.”

I try to think of anything else to keep my heartbeat calm, but I seem to be failing miserably. Remus stands over me, a look of disgust on his face as he studies me. He seems to be having an inner battle with himself. A light gasp leaves my lips as I notice the black of his eyes has almost swallowed the purple. He stands to his fullheight, not speaking another word as he turns away from me. He doesn’t have to say anything to me to know what he wants. So I force my legs to move, following him up the hall.

Remus keeps his back to me as we make our way to the bathroom. Steam already fills the air from the heat of the water. The bath itself isn’t as large as Remus’s usual taste, but it’s still large enough for two people to fit easily. It’s built within the curve of the window that overlooks the city, revealing the sun slowly setting over the land, the lights of the Leviathan buildings coming to life.

Remus keeps his back to me as he pulls his clothing off. I take in his muscular form, silently admiring his physique. He still doesn’t say a word, stepping into the tub. He leans against the tub with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. The usual steady pulse of the symbol on his chest has picked up a new rhythm. He isn’t as calm as he seems. And that’s all the more terrifying.

“Iris. You have yet to move.”

I tense at the sound of his voice, my body immediately moving forward to appease him. My brain is going into overdrive. If he can smell Jude on me, does he suspect? He seems to be in a sour mood about something, but I don’t know if it has to do with me or with something that happened in the meeting.

Remus’s eyes open, focusing on me once he hears the sound of me removing my clothing. His expression is blank, reminding me of our first months together. Chills break out across my arms as I take him in. I never bothered to acknowledge how much I’ve become accustomed to Remus in the time we’ve been together. Atthis moment, he seems completely different than he’s been, and it scares me.

He continues to watch me as I step over the edge of the bath, submerging myself in the water. I don’t see lust in his eyes. I don’t see anything. Remus’s eyes stay lined to mine, and he doesn’t look away. He’s studying me. I wish more than anything I could read him the way he reads me.

The longer he studies me, the faster my heart beats.

“Pet... you’re frightened,” he says. I suck in a shuddering breath, and yet Remus still hasn’t moved. He’s eerily still. He angles his head, his gaze never wavering.

“Why are you so anxious? I haven’t even touched you,” he says, his eyes dropping to my lips. He finally moves, the sound of the water filling the still air of the bathroom as he comes near me. He’s so close that I feel like I’m suffocating in the warmth that engulfs us. Remus’s hand comes up to my face, cupping my jaw as his thumb runs over my bottom lip.

His eyes meet mine, and they’re vividly bright as he looks into my own. My breathing catches in my throat as a nagging pain begins washing over my body. It starts out as an irritation, like the feeling you get when you have a small cut. And it slowly grows. I begin to shiver as the pain increases. My flesh begins to prickle in discomfort, and the pain dips beneath the surface of my skin, finding its way into my bones. My bones ache and weaken. I want nothing more than to scream as pain finds its way into my every nerve ending, but for some reason, I can’t. I can only look into Remus’s eyes as he mentally tortures me.

I feel tears brimming my eyes, only to slide down my cheek, but nothing else escapes me. Not a whimper, not a scream, just tears.

“I own you. Not just physically... I own every part of you, Iris.”

The pain intensifies, spreading through my chest like wildfire. I’m vibrating against his palm, unable to move in the slightest, and he watches me. He watches me suffer.

“I control every part of your body. Your blood vessels, nerves, bones, and flesh are all mine to control. I can smell the second arousal touches your skin. I can sense the rise and the fall in your hormones. I can access your mind easily. I don’t need an inhibitor for that. And I can control the way your brain perceives everything.” His gaze remains on mine until, finally, he releases whatever mental hold he has on me. A whimper leaves my lips as the pain dissipates. His hand slowly finds its way over my throat, and he slowly tightens his grip, cutting off my air supply. I panic, my hands trying to move to claw at his, but as he holds my gaze, I find that I can’t.

I can’t move.

When he sees the panic in my eyes, his grip tightens, and he pushes me under the water. Now that I am out of his sight, my body launches into a panic, clawing at his grip and trying to find my own grip in the slippery bath, but I can’t. I suck in water, and I can feel myself begin to slowly drown.

He’s drowning me. He’s going to fucking kill me.

Suddenly, he yanks me up out of the water, and I instantly sputter and cough, my lungs burning from the water intake. Remus has me out of the water with my back against the glass, his hipsanchoring me against the wall as he pins me. His hands grip my arms above my head, his grip impossibly tight.

“I don’t need to control your mind when I can easily overpower you physically.” He emphasizes his claim by tightening his grip to the brink of the bone snapping. Pain radiates up my arm as he holds me on the edge, making me guess if he’s going to break it or not.

“I.Own. You.”

I’m panting against him, succumbing to the fear he’s brought forth.

“I know that he put his mouth on what’s mine. Did you think I would not notice?” he growls. His fingers grip my jaw as he forces my gaze to meet his. “And I’m going to make you watch while I kill him. Slowly. And painfully.”

He steps back from me, letting me fall against the window as he exits the bath. He walks toward the door, pulling on a robe as he does. My brain finally connects with my body, and I’m out of the tub, screaming at Remus as I run toward him.

“No! Please!” I scream. I reach Remus, pulling on his clothes as I beg.

“Don’t-Ah!” I cry out in pain as an invisible force knocks me back. When I open my eyes, Remus is glaring at me in open rage. As I look up at his face, my breathing hitches in my throat. My whole body runs cold, and any instinct I had to fight flies out the window. I’m literally paralyzed in fear. His eyes are pitch black. Any color that was once there is completely gone. I feel myself growing weak just from being in his presence. His hand grips mearound my throat, holding me so that I am inches from his face. The sound of his voice sends tremors down my spine, and I can see clearly just how inhuman this being is.

“You are a slave to my empire. Nothing more. To do with as I please. If I want to kill you right now, I can. Everything that you are, your thoughts, your emotions, your fucking body, all the way down to the brain cells that reside in your skull, are mine to control.”

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