Page 104 of Pet: Torment

“There is nothing left for you here, Remus. You and your sister belong among your own kind. There is so much more for you to learn and for me to teach you—Ngh!”

My body is moving before my brain can stop me from having an emotional outburst. My arm is pressed against his throat as I shove him against the window. I am still disconnected from my power, so all I can do is hold him physically as I let my anger fuel me. And he lets me.

“We have lost everything because of you two.Everything!You are much more arrogant than her if you think I will be going with you, let alone letting you take Xion after what you did,” I say through gritted teeth.

Kuron remains calm as he watches me. His eyes, though glittering with the same power our mother has, remain neutral. And after a moment, he laughs, shaking his head.

“And what will you do now? Continue your mother’s legacy? Conquer worlds for the race she abandoned and imprisoned you for? Or maybe live out your days on the world she chose for you, ignoring your birthright?” he asks.

I narrow my gaze, hating how I am as much a prisoner now as when I was under my mother’s control. I have no control over anything. I slowly release him, stepping back.

“Where is Xion?” I ask.

The last time I saw her, she was restrained with the energy beams that drain us. When I awoke with all of my memories returned, I was in a room aboard this ship. I don’t know what state she’s in. But I need to see her. She is the only person through all of this who is experiencing everything that I am.

“She is still recovering,” he says.

“Take me to her,” I say.

But Kuron doesn’t move.

“She is not adapting as fast as you have, Remus. You might want to give her—”

“Do not speak to me as if you know what is better for her. I have been her brother and protector from the moment she was born.The moment!Take me to her,” I growl.

By the time we reach the room where Xion is recovering, I am exhausted. I haven’t fed since waking up, and I am highly aware of the precautions Kuron has put in place to keep me and Xion amenable. The room she’s restricted to is dark, and once we step inside, I feel the familiar energy similar to the room I was held in. Both were made to hold us, and I can feel the physical change in the air as I enter, and the darkness encompasses me. The lights slowly rise, revealing Xion. She’s on the floor, curled into a fetal position as she quietly shakes, trying to hide her tears.

I’m across the room in seconds, kneeling next to her, my hands gently pressing around her shoulders. She tenses, relaxing when she hears my voice.

“It’s me. I’m here,” I say gently.

Xion slowly lifts her head, her eyes bloodshot from her tears. She has no words for me as she shakes her head, collapsing against me. Her sobs are violent, and I can do nothing but hold onto her. I know the pain she feels.

I know it intimately.

“He’s gone, Remus. I couldn’t save Ezra,” she sob.

I squeeze her tightly. “I know. It’s okay.”

I have no words of comfort for her. I have hardly any for myself. There is no comfort to be found in this situation. She lifts her hands, and they’re trembling as she stares at them.

“She wouldn’t even let me try to protect them from what she’d done. She left the rest of them to…,” she trails off, dropping her head in her hands. I grimace as I think of the moment Iris crumpled into the ocean right before my eyes. I too was helpless to save her.

Xion suddenly lifts her gaze to mine, her eyes wide.

“Oh, Remus…I’m so sorry. I—I thought it was right, I—”

“Don’t,” I say.

It comes out harsher than I intend, but I can’t take anything else she is about to say. Not when she is as much a mess as I am.There is nothing to be done about an apology at this point. There is nothing that can fix anything that has happened. We are in no state to discuss the trauma done.

For now, we just have to live with it.

Xion looks behind me, noticing Kuron’s presence, her expression darkening as she tries to stand.

“You! How dare you show your face to us!” she hisses.

“After everything you caused, how fucking dare you!” she shouts. But she’s as weak as me, crumpling into my arms. The silence is accompanied by Xion’s slow breaths as she tries to compose herself, and when I look up, Kuron’s expression has changed as he steps closer into the room.