Page 2 of Pet: Torment
Once again, I don’t respond, and Remus takes the hint, standing to leave. The moment he steps away from me my body tingles in discomfort, my head pounding. I squeeze my eyes shut in frustration, a small squeak leaving my lips.
“Wait,” I murmur.
It’s so soft that no human would ever have heard it. But Remus isn’t human. He is a creature beyond the Leviathan existence. He is the oldest of the Divine Three. He is a god-like being with the ability to destroy and create. So, of course, he hears me.
When I open my eyes, he is watching me expectantly, letting me voice the words myself, once again making me see how my actions do little to help me in the long run.
“Please…stay,” I whisper.
I’m grateful when he doesn’t give me a smirk or laugh at my pathetic state. He silently crosses the room, sitting next to me on the bed. My body almost instantly calms down as he allows me to lay on his lap, his hand gently stroking my hair away from my face.
My breathing is still shaky, but my body feels much calmer as he holds me. I allow myself this small moment of reprieve because I know that once we arrive inXyrannis, my world will once again turn upside down.
Chapter One
Iris
The day Remus came to Earth was the last day of my life as I knew it. And as I looked at the looming ship in the sky, I never imagined I would be on board it years in the future for it to return me to the world from whence it came. I never imagined the alien who was on board leading the charge would be theone to offer me the option of returning to his home world after subsequently conquering mine.
And as much as I resent myself for the decision I made, there’s still a part of me that is happy I chose this. If I hadn’t, I would never have known something like this existed beyond our planet.
For the past hour, the ship has slowed its progression due to us entering an actual star system: no storm, no asteroid belt, a star system filled with planets. I’ve prided myself on remaining hidden in Remus’s chambers for the entirety of this trip. But as the ship finally slowed and the bright blue planet passed by my window, I had to leave my tiny place of refuge to get a better look.
The striking blue planet is far in the distance, but it must be massive. Because even as we pass, it fills the view of the glass I’m gazing out of. The large balcony overlooks part of the ship and its crew as they move about below, but it is raised directly in front of a window as if made for viewing.
I blink rapidly as I try to take in every piece of the planet before it disappears from my line of sight. The entire planet is icy blue, with what looks like clouds lingering in its atmosphere from this distance as we pass. I see no landmasses and no green, making me wonder if anyone inhabits this planet.
“We’ve reached the edge ofAnafalta.” Remus’s sultry voice washes over me in comfort as he approaches. I note that the guard who follows me bows, moving as far as possible in respect to Remus. And now, after witnessing firsthand the power Remus contains, I see why.
I shift my attention back to the planet that has begun to drift out of my line of vision, and I feel a tinge of disappointment.
“Anafalta?” I ask.
Remus nods as he comes to stand next to me, and I note that his presence instantly calms my body.
“It’s the name of our star system.” He gestures to the blue planet in the distance as he continues. “That isCeruleaus. It’s an ice giant.”
My eyes widen as I look back at it—an entire planet made of ice. I can only imagine what that means for the surface of the world. Does it have glaciers? Are there landmasses or oceans? Rivers, even?
“It’s beautiful,” I say.
“You’re lucky to have seen it.Ceruleaussits in a sharp orbit. We only ever see it a few months out of the year,” he says absentmindedly.
There are thousands of questions I want to ask him at this moment, but I don’t want him to see that he’s right once again. I don’t want him to see me as easily impressed when this is the first thing that I’ve seen in his star system. But Remus, being Remus, sees right through me and continues his explanation without me having to voice my questions. I don’t miss the ghost of a smile that graces his lips as he speaks.
“We must slow our speed when entering Anafalta, as our star system functions differently from yours. Three of the ten planets are in sharper orbit than the rest, making it dangerous to speed through. We use Ceruleaus for its resources. But don’t fret, there was no intelligent life on it prior to our discovery,” Remus says.
I shake my head, attempting to wrap my mind around everything he just said. But he continues before I can think of anything to say.
“Once we clear the danger of each planet’s orbit, we can resume our original speed and make it toXyrannisin a few hours,” he says as if it’s the simplest thing in the world.
Just as he speaks, a Leviathan’s voice sounds over the intercom system. I’ve grown accustomed to her voice over the period of our travel. Even though I don’t know what she’ssaying, I know she’s giving instructions and information to the Leviathan on what’s occurring.
“We’ve cleared the planet’s gravitational pull safely, so we will be picking up speed,” Remus clarifies, proving my theory.
“Shouldn’t you be with your crew? Giving orders?” I ask in irritation.
Remus laughs, leaning against the balcony as the world outside of the ship blurs.