Page 43 of Pet: Torment
She stirs, rolling into me. I laugh aloud at how she subconsciously tries to get closer to me whenever she is asleep.
“Iris…I am leaving,” I say, trying again.
She moans, her eyes fluttering slightly as she opens them, looking at me. I ignore the feeling of arousal that rushes through me from the sight as she stares at me.
“Don’t go…” she murmurs in her half-sleep state. She reaches for me, blinking sleepily as her fingers drift through my hair, coiling the strands around her fingers.
“Something bad is happening, isn’t it?” she murmurs, closing her eyes.
I smile as she lies back on the pillow, murmuring to herself. I place a kiss on her cheek, shifting to get out of the bed when I suddenly feel a sharp pull on my sleeve. I look back in confusion, and Iris is sitting up, watching me with a worried expression.
“Please don’t go,” she murmurs.
I watch her carefully, trying to decide whether she’s still asleep. Her concern is as endearing as it is confusing. I havegiven her no indication that where I am going is dangerous, and I can’t understand why she feels it is.
I shift so that I can gently lay her back down, stroking her cheek as she fights sleep.
“I will be back. And we can pick up where we left off,” I say, shifting my attention to the hairpin she still wears. I touch it lightly, pleased to see that she hasn’t taken it off before letting my fingers drift to her temple. Her eyes watch me lazily as I use my power to help lull her to sleep. I keep my attention on her, smiling down at her as her thick lashes flutter, briefly covering the warm green gaze I’ve become accustomed to.
She easily gives in to the pull of sleep, her soft snores filling the silence. I lay with her for a few minutes, ensuring she is in a deep enough sleep. Her body is so soft and warm against mine, I can’t help but place a kiss on her forehead. She doesn’t stir, and I use it as my signal to leave.
I quietly stand from the bed, glancing back at her once last time.
“I love you,” I say aloud.
My home is silent as I walk through to leave. But there are traces of life in it, which only occurred recently when Iris arrived. There are cups and plates on the counter, books strewn everywhere, accompanied by blankets, and even crumpled papers where Iris practiced writing.
She’s a messy human, I realize. And I like it. It brings chaos to my otherwise organized life—my life I never would have stepped outside of had I not met her. I make it outside faster than I would like, walking past the courtyard. Before I reach the border of my home, I turn to look back one last time. My bedroom is dark, except for the light of the fire dancing over the ceiling. I smile, already looking forward to returning and finding it lit, signifying her presence.
The air is still as I walk under the light ofLlorain the atmosphere. The further away I get, the more my thoughts bother me, especially since Iris voiced her concerns.
But I push them down.
Iris doesn’t know where I am going. There is no reason to fear my mother. She is intimidating, yes, but she would never harm me. And she is the only one who can answer the question of what’s happening to me before it’s too late and I end up injuring someone close to me.
Of my siblings, I am the most like my mother in terms of power. And though I don’t remember much about my time with her, I know that each time I have visited her after returning from conquering a world, nothing has ever gone wrong to where I should fear her.
It takes me almost an hour to walk through the snow to the edge of the mountainside where a cave sits. When visiting my mother’s plane, it is safer to have as little living organisms around as possible. I take a deep breath and take one last look at the scenery.
Iris would love this view. There are no trees, only a flat mountainscape with snow surrounding me, andLloraon the edge of the cliff. I make a mental note to bring her here when I return before moving into the cave.
Once deep enough inside, I sit, closing my eyes. My mother lives on a plane different than this one. And getting there will take the last bit of energy I have left from not feeding for weeks. I pull in a deep breath, feeling the world around me—the essence of it. The makeup. The sounds, the mass, the colors, the inhabitants, the vibrations. I can feel the planet’s structure all the way down to its heated core. I feel the atmosphere and its pressure, accompanied by the gravitational pull holding me atop it. I feel it all.
I shift my attention to my body’s place in all of it, the familiar prickle of transporting myself washing over me. I can feel the plane I exist on, and I can sense my mother’s. I latch onto it, moving myself away from this plane to the next.
To the dimension of my mother.
Loud ringing warbles over me as sounds and space shift. My body is stretched and pulled, but I hold it together as I travel. The heavy vibrations ripple over me, thrashing about wildly until suddenly, I am surrounded by silence.
The familiar presence of this world washes over me, and this time I immediately sense my mother’s presence. She returned from wherever she was when we initially arrived.
Her voice sounds behind me just as I open my eyes.
“My son. To what do I owe this visit?”
Chapter Twenty
Iris