Page 4 of Pet: Torment

“Once we arrive onXyrannis, I’ll send your blood for testing. There are things in my home world that the human body has never come into contact with. And I am unsure of your allergies and how you’ll react to them. For now, you’ll have to remain in my home until we know every possible reaction,” Remus says watching me carefully.

He must think I am troubled by the prospect of my future, not the trauma of my past. I am appreciative that he has stuck to his promise not to invade my emotions using the bond. I know that once he crosses that line, I will lose even more of myself to him. And I am not ready for that to happen just yet—not when I am barely able to hold my bitter resolve in these small moments we have together.

I take a deep breath, looking Remus in the eyes as I speak.

“Can I go now?” I ask.

Remus doesn’t react initially. He continues to watch me, his face giving no indication of his thoughts. I fight the urge to clench my fists as he continues to stare at me, his gaze making my chest ache.

“Of course,” he finally says, breaking the silence.

He doesn’t wait for me to respond as he looks back at the screen he was focused on before, going about whatever it was he was doing. He’s eerie as he stands there, his attention elsewhere. He still doesn’t acknowledge me as I slide down from the table, making my way to the door.

It opens upon my approach, and just as I enter the archway does Remus call to me.

“I know you hate me right now. But hating me won’t take you back to your planet. I suggest you look ahead, Iris. Instead of letting the past influence you,” he calls to me.

My eyes remain on the hallway as silence passes between us. I don’t respond as I make my way out of the lab, breathing a sigh of relief when I hear the door close behind me. Remus’s patience is running thin, and my lack of control is running me ragged. We’re both ticking time bombs, waiting to go off on one another.

At this point, it’s only a matter of who will go first.

Chapter Two

Iris

I didn’t expectXyrannisto look so much like Earth. Obviously, there are signs that it’s not even close to Earth. The continents are shaped differently, and even from space, I can see colors that range in more than just green, brown, and blue, meaning there must be an entire land mass of yellow. I can only imagine whatthat could be. The planet is much bigger than Earth, allowing for much more landmasses and water, and even from here, I can see the different cloud formations.

But most shockingly,Xyrannishas rings. And they don’t look natural like most rings that surround planets. No rocks are drifting in between them. They move slightly and glow in space, the familiar color similar to the alien who calls this world home. I can’t fight the feeling that these rings have something to do with Remus and his siblings.

A feeling of warmth tingles at the base of my spine, a feeling I’ve accustomed to Remus’s presence. As I turn away from the glass, focusing on the door, it takes a few seconds before it opens to reveal Remus. It’s become like this more and more in the time we’ve been traveling together. As if the essence “gifted” to me can sense its owner, vibrating in excitement when he is near.

Remus doesn’t speak immediately when he enters the room; his eyes drift to the clothes laid out for me on the bed and then to the glass where his home world sits in the distance. I expect him to reprimand me for still not being dressed but he doesn’t. His face remains blank as he comes to stand next to me, his eyes focused onXyrannis.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asks.

I almost don’t respond. But as I continue to stare at the planet, and each of its peculiarities begins to stand out to me, Remus’s words pop into my head.

“Admitting your planet is beautiful doesn’t put you on the Leviathan side.”

A soft chuckle escapes me as I reluctantly take his advice. “Yes.”

Remus doesn’t make a snide comment or laugh at my response. He continues to study his home, a small smile forming on his lips.

“You’ll loveXyrannis, Iris. It truly is filled with wonder.” He turns his attention to me, genuine excitement twinkling in his eyes as he studies me. “I can’t wait for you to see all of it.”

It’s strange seeing him this way. Outwardly excited about something. He even seems more at ease now that we have arrived, his disdain for Earth’s inhabitants a thing of the past. I never thought of Remus as being the type to get homesick. But as I recall the small moments he would visibly be in a poor mood, it was usually attributed to his siblings not being nearby. He seems to have forgotten all about the human world he leveled and extinguished.

The voice that usually declares instructions comes over the comm system. Her voice is calm and matter of fact. Remus waits until she is finished to relay what was said.

“It will take us three hours to clear the rings and the atmosphere,” he says.

I look back at the planet, studying the rings. “Did you do that?” I ask.

Remus shakes his head as he makes his way to the bed, his eyes focusing on the dress laid out for me as he speaks.

“No. Those are a result of my mother,” he says.

I almost forgot that beyond Remus and his siblings exists his mother. I don’t know why Iriel ever thought he could defeat Remus, let alone hold his siblings for ransom. If this woman is powerful enough to give a planet rings, there’s no telling what she would have done to Earth to get her children back. There’s no telling what a woman who raised an emotionless being like Remus is like.