Page 68 of Pet: Genesis

“Iris.”

There it is again, this time accompanied by the pleasant scent of grass and a cool breeze. I can’t help but smile—it feels nice to be able to smile. I inhale, enjoying the expanse of my chest.

“Iris... come back to me, Iris.”

The voice is beautiful. The tone rings like a pleasant melody in my ears, and I can’t help but follow it. I need it to know that I can hear it and that I want to be out of this dark place... this lack of existence. Slowly, my world comes back to me. I’m in bed. I recognize the softness. It’s overwhelmingly comforting. I roll over, not wanting to move. I just want to lay here and finally be. A gentle breeze carries the scent of nature over my nose. It livens my senses.

I feel a gentle caress on my cheek, followed by my name.

“Iris.”

My eyes fly open as all my memories return to me, hitting me like a bolt of lightning. Remus, Jude, the kiss; Remus’s terrifying reaction to my betrayal... Jude’s death. I jolt up, my world spinning just as a wave of nausea washes over me. Panic sets in as I try to breathe but can’t seem to get any air in my lungs, as if my body has no idea how to control itself. I feel a gentle hand on my back, followed by the soothing voice that coaxed me out of my slumber.

“Breathe, Iris. Breathe.”

A chill ripples up my spine as Remus’s voice washes over me, my terror spiking. Tears spring into my eyes, spilling down my cheeks as my brain tries to cope with the reality around me. He put an inhibitor on me. Remus actually placed an inhibitor on me. I pull away from him, falling off the edge of the bed in my panic to get away. I cry out in pain as the floor comes into contact with my bodyunceremoniously, but my eyes remain focused on the bed that I was just in. In my terror, Remus rounds the bed, his eyes looking down at me with no emotion. Chills pour over my skin as I recall his reaction to my betrayal. His outright rage.

He reaches toward me silently, and I squeeze my eyes shut, a squeal leaving my lips as I wait for the pain. But there is none. My eyes slowly open, and Remus has his hand outstretched to me. I look at it in confusion but gently take hold of his grip, and he helps me up from the floor. He’s eerily gentle with me, his anger seems to have subsided as he helps me to the bed to sit.

“It’s nice to have you back, Pet,” he says with a smile. I don’t respond. I can’t. Every time I look into that gaze, paralyzing fear ripples through me. He tortured me. Mentally and physically. I silently reach behind me to feel my nape for the chip, almost breathing in relief when it isn’t there.

“Don’t worry. I’ve removed your inhibitor. I think you’ve had plenty of time to suffer for your betrayal,” he says bitterly. His eyes glow in resentment as he studies me.

“I’m eager to know how your time was under my control,” he says.

My heart rate rises as he continues to eye me. My body grows increasingly warm from my nerves, and I feel terror wracking my brain as I recall my time under the inhibitor. I never want to go through that again. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way. I blink back tears as Remus continues to stare me down, and I can see that he is pleased with my reaction. He reaches for my face, his thumb wiping away a stray tear on my cheek.

“I told you, be appreciative of your position in life, Iris. I may not kill you because I’ve grown fond of you in the time we’ve spent together. But that does not mean I won’t make you wish you were dead,” he says, studying me.

I hear footsteps in the doorway, and when I look over Remus’s shoulder to see who has entered, my heart comes to a standstill in my chest.

“Iriel has arrived.” Jude’s monotone voice washes over the room. He stands in the doorway with the same blank expression that Margot wore, his eyes dilated as proof of the control he is now under. I tremble in Remus’s arms as Jude silently walks out of the room. My gaze shifts to Remus, who has a lazy smile on his lips as he takes in my increased suffering. He leans into me, placing a gentle kiss on my lips.

“You’re mine, Iris. Don’t forget that. If you ever betray me again, I will make you watch as I torture innocent souls. And once I feel that you have endured enough pain emotionally and physically, I will let you live the rest of your wretched days under an inhibitor.”

Remus placed me under an inhibitor for a month. As a result, I find myself unable to form my own thoughts at times, let alone my own feelings. I don’t know how long the effects of the inhibitor will last, but I understand Margot’s tortured expressionnow more than ever. I feel nauseous just thinking about what she went through.I look away from my plate of food to the surrounding room. The pleasant scent of the outdoors caresses my nose, and I feel a small swell of happiness. Just to be able to indulge in my own senses again is something that I missed—and being able to see nature so close.

The home is very open and foreign to my eyes. The walls are circular, giving me the perfect view of the scenery. Our location is far from civilization in the middle of a valley. The large mountains in the distance loom over us, accompanied by a river and warm air. It also appears to be secluded.

My eyes shift to the bracelet that now rests around my wrist. Remus first placed this on me when he took me to that awful celebration where they tortured those humans... and now, he’s returned it to my wrist. I look up as Jude silently crosses the room, placing flowers around. A weight forms in my chest as I take him in. Remus is cruel. He did this to Margot, and now he’s using Jude to ensure my obedience. I choke back tears once again as I think of just how outmatched we are by this one being. Jude and I were the only inside source for the resistance, and now we’ve both been completely blocked out. I think back to Jude’s words to me in that room.

“What we did… was worth it.”

At the time, I thought he was just reassuring me the only way he knew how. But a small part of me hopes there was a double meaning to his words. I hope that all the information we were able to get was relayed to them. Now, we can only wait and hope. I hatemyself for crying again, but I can’t fight my emotions ever since I was released from the inhibitor. Remus is in a whole other class than us. I’m no closer to figuring out how to kill him today than I was when I first agreed to help Jude. And now, we have both paid the price for a betrayal much smaller than leaking secrets to the resistance.

As a result, Remus has left me a pathetic, sniveling mess.

Maybe he’s right. Maybe it’s time that I accept my fate. We won’t win. Remus is somehow always ten steps ahead. And now I wonder if he may be aware of my and Jude’s involvement in the resistance. If this is our punishment for a kiss and what he feels is a betrayal, I can’t imagine what awaits us should he discover the truth. I push my plate away, unable to garner an appetite, standing from the table. I silently move to the living room that overlooks the landscape beyond. For once, there’s no glass. I can step outside if I’d like to. But I have no desire to at this point.

Why am I here? Why, after all this time, did Remus decide to remove my inhibitor?

My eyes shift to the bracelet. I’m still his prisoner in more ways than one. I no longer have free will, even if he’s letting me keep my mind. He’s still punishing me for what I did. He’s dangling my freedom and Jude’s life in front of me.

I tense as the sound of Remus’s voice pours out of the hallway. He rounds the corner with a Leviathan. I recognize him as one of the generals from the celebration. If he’s here, then something serious must be happening in the vicinity, possibly with the resistance.

Remus’s eyes fall on me as he enters, his smile widening. Other than that, he doesn’t acknowledge me. But I feel my body moving against my better wishes. It’s the bracelet. He’s showing me he still has control over me. I keep my eyes down, but Remus’s hands close around my jaw, angling my head toward him. Fear crawls up my spine as I take in his intense gaze. The Leviathan next to him speaks up, pulling my attention.

“She is captivating, Remus. I see why you’ve grown so fond of her,” he says with a gentle smile.

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