Page 76 of Pet: Genesis

Cypress holds his wrist to his mouth, murmuring into the mic.

“I need backup,” he says.

Remus steps closer, catching Cypress’s attention.

“Stop right there, or I’ll fucking shoot!” he shouts. Remus stops, his smile disappearing. I know instantly things are about to go south. He doesn’t like to repeat himself. I step around Cypress out of reaction, my gaze meeting Remus’s.

“Please,” I murmur. I know he hears me. But Cypress still doesn’t understand the situation. He pulls on my arm, trying to move me.

“Iris, get out of here. What are you doing?” he shouts.

I stand my ground, keeping my gaze focused on Remus.

“Protecting you,” I whisper.

I hear the sound of more rebels rounding the corner, weapons raised, and I know there’s nothing I can do to de-escalate the situation.

“Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!”

I turn to face the rebels, trying to save them somehow.

“No!” I scream, but it’s too late. The Leviathan made weapons fire, and I feel heavy panic as the beams make their way toward Remus. They never reach, however. The beams dissipate, never reaching him. And he doesn’t lift a finger to deflect them. His hair slowly shifts, the black turning to white just as the blue in his eyes shifts to that vibrant purple. The air around him ripples and changes as he does, pulsating with his power.

He smiles as he takes in the rebels’ looks of horror, revealing those sharp canines. I hear a mutter of curses among the rebels as the Leviathan leader reveals himself to them.

“Keep firing!” Someone shouts. But it’s no use. All weapons fire, none reaching him as he deflects or absorbs them.

Remus has yet to move an inch. His gaze is focused on the humans before him, the excitement of the situation visible by the pulse of color within his vivid gaze. His hair levitates around him as a massive wave of energy surrounds his form. It’s visible from the slow rise of dirt and the quaking earth beneath him. Masses of rock break off from the ground as he defies Earth’s gravity, bending it to his will. His gaze roams over each of us, and I shiver from the lack of emotion on his face.

He’s unearthly in his terror.

Remus takes one step, and the ground itself shudders and rips apart from the pure power that is Remus. His eyes meet mine briefly.

“Rem—Ah!” My body is forced in the opposite direction of where the rebels stand. I vaguely hear my brother’s voice screamingmy name as we are ripped apart, just as the cries of agony fill the air and Remus unleashes hell around him.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Iris

I still hear the screams. The agony and suffering fill my head, haunting me even in the darkest corner of my dreams. The begging and pleading rakes against my skull, permeating itself within my mind, not allowing me even a moment of peace. My body is paralyzed as I try and wake myself up, but I can’t. I’m choking on my own breathing, unable to move my limbs.

I’m trapped.

“Come back to me, Iris.”

I know that voice. And as much as I hate to admit it, I revel in the sound of it. It entices me out of my slumber, giving me the slightest bit of euphoria as I follow it to consciousness. I know that once I reach consciousness, I won’t like what awaits me. But my brain doesn’t understand that. It only wants to follow the voice. The world slowly comes to life around me as my dreams fall away.My eyes flutter slightly, opening to reveal the familiar surroundings of Remus’s home. The original home I found myself in when I came into Remus’s care. The floor-to-ceiling windows are slightly dimmed but still open to reveal the world beyond. The familiar trees are slightly below the level of this place, the tops painting the view green.

I feel a pleasant sensation on my exposed back. It’s warm and gentle, like kisses. That’s what it is, kisses. I moan softly, tensing as a familiar chuckle fills the air.

“There you are,” Remus murmurs.

It takes a moment for my brain to catch up with what’s happening around me, my vision slowly sharpening to focus on the white strands surrounding me. The screams that haunted my slumber suddenly register as I remember the events before my blackout—the massacre of the rebels.

The power that Remus emitted...

I dip my face into the pillow as dread slowly grips my throat. I’ve always known Remus was powerful. It’s been an intuitive thought process with his small demonstrations of power. But the brute strength he released without moving a muscle… just the thought has me trembling underneath him.

“... Is he... Did you...?” I can’t find the strength to finish my sentence. I know that if he did, there’s nothing I can do about it. Clearly, there’s nothing the rebels can do about it either. I watched them fire at Remus with weapons specifically created for him and his race, and none of them came close to touching him.

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