Page 110 of Pet: Torment

He sits on the bed right next to me, and I can’t bring myself to speak as I finally recognize why his eyes are so unnerving. They shine the same way his mother’s did.

Somethinghaschanged.

He reaches for me, and out of instinct, I flinch away. Remus notices, but his expression doesn’t change as he tries again, placing his hand on my cheek. His thumb gently strokes my skin, the warmth making me close my eyes in comfort. I keep my eyes closed, lifting my hand to cover his. I don’t want to askquestions. I don’t want this moment to be shattered. But I know that I can’t hide behind my fears forever.

“It’s me, Iris. I’m here,” he says gently as he closes the distance between us, pulling me into his arms. I easily melt into his touch. For the first time in months, I feel safe again. I feel comforted and certain.

“How?” I murmur.

Remus releases a bitter chuckle.

“You were right about it all. My mother, the rings, all of it. I’m just sorry you had to suffer trying to prove it to me,” he says, his hold tightening. “I’m so sorry.”

I feel him shaking above me, and I realize he is crying.

“I thought I lost you. I thought—” he trails off, and I pull away to look him in the eyes. I’ve never seen Remus so shaken before. And I can’t believe that it’s because of me.

My heart stutters as it connects.

“Is that why you were going to destroy the planet?” I ask, my stomach knotting.

Remus doesn’t respond, and I can’t read his expression, especially with the way his eyes glimmer.

“That, among other reasons. My mother is the cause of all of this pain. It’s only fair that she feels an inkling of what she’s put us through. What she put you through,” he says.

I look out the glass. The snow has begun to fall, creating new drifts right outside. It’s all I can focus on not to tremble from the nonchalant way Remus talks about wiping out a planet. The empathy he had before he left has been replaced with cold resolve.

“You can’t do that, Remus. It’s wrong. It’s as evil as your mother,” I murmur.

Remus gently grips my hand, and I follow his movement back to his face. He angles his head, studying me.

“You don’t know, do you? Everything that she’s taken from us?” he asks, studying me intensely.

I furrow my brow in confusion. Of course, I know. I am the one who risked my life to makehimremember. But the way he looks at me, the way he holds me, makes me think there’s more.

“I…I know what she’s done is evil. ButXyrannisdoesn’t deserve to be punished for it,” I say.

Remus is silent. His eyes shift over my face as if he’s making an internal decision, and it takes him longer than usual to answer as he looks past me to the snow beyond the glass.

“Okay,” is all he says.

“Okay?” I ask.

Remus nods, shifting his attention back to me. The intensity of his gaze is unnerving as he watches me. A smile finally brushes over his lips.

“I just got you back. I’m not going to do something you will resent me for in the long run. I said we would try when I returned, remember?” he asks.

I slowly nod, tears spilling over as I look at our hands. Remus doesn’t want to let go.

“So…what did she do to you? How did you get your memory back?” I ask.

Remus laughs. “None of that is important now.”

I don’t understand him at this moment. His rage toward her was so intense that he was ready to destroy the world she loved just to retaliate. But now, he has completely dropped it and is reluctant to even speak of what actually happened?

“Why? She wiped your memory, Remus. She took our bond, how is it not important—”

“Because I want you to focus on recovering. Whatever has happened is in the past, and I have you now. One day, I will share it with you. But not while you’re still recovering…not while you’re so fragile,” he says matter-of-factly.