Page 5 of Pet: Torment

“Will I meet her?” I ask.

Remus finally looks away from the dress, his attention focusing on me. Sometimes, I hate the way his gaze makes me feel. It’s always so intense, not only with the color swirlingaround in them, but with the way he watches me—studying me, taking every little piece of me to store in his memory.

“Not anytime soon,” is all Remus says.

Once again, he is keeping something from me, but this time, I don’t mind the secrecy. I fear the kind of reaction that could come with coming into contact with his mother, especially if he’s hiding something from me.

“You should get dressed.Xyrannisis much different than Earth. You’ll have difficulty doing so if we are inside its atmosphere by the time you decide to stop being stubborn,” he admonishes.

My cheeks burn from his jab. It’s like I said, he’s constantly studying me, knowing me inside and out. But his choice of reasoning catches my attention.

“Why would it be more difficult?” I ask.

“Gravity is slightly heavier onXyrannis. Once we enter the atmosphere, you may not find it difficult to move at first, but you will become winded much faster,” he says.

I’m about to ask more questions when sharp pain flits over my skull. I cringe, stumbling slightly as my vision blurs, my breathing hitching in my throat. My head is pounding, like something is inside it, clawing to get out. And my skin feels like it’s on fire. I feel Remus’s touch as he wraps his arms around me, and it takes me a moment to orient myself from the sudden dizziness.

“…rings…temporary…hold on…” I hear Remus’s voice breaking through the pain, but I can’t decipher what he is trying to tell me. It all comes and goes until suddenly, I feel intense heat. But it isn’t searing—it isn’t painful. It’s nice. It covers me, relaxing me.

“Breathe…” Remus’s voice gently saturates my senses, coaxing me into a state of calm. I slowly begin to register his presence. His chest is flush against my back, his breathing deep as heguides me back to reality. An intense buzz settles over my arms, and I note Remus’s arms are wrapped around me as I finally come down from the intensity of the assault.

I’m still in the room. We’re both on the floor, and the room has darkened from the window shifting to black. I release a trembling breath, for the first time, not wanting to leave the comfort of Remus’s arms. It feels like the only thing keeping me grounded at the moment.

“What was that?” I murmur.

Remus gently rubs my arms comfortingly as he speaks.

“A side effect of our bond. My essence being housed in a human is uncharted territory. It must be getting more erratic the closer we get to the rings. It should pass once we are through,” he says gently.

I release a soft gasp, blinking away tears. I can’t imagine the extent of the side effects awaiting me from the bond I share with Remus. But I won’t cry. I won’t allow myself to feel like a victim. Not when I chose this. But the tighter I feel Remus’s arms around me, the more vulnerable I feel. The cold reality is that I am completely at Remus’s mercy. No matter what angle you look at things.

Remus remains with me the entire time we pass through the rings, which takes three hours just as the Leviathan said. During those three hours, he remains with his arms around me, gently stroking my hair in comfort and offering me soft words to ease the ache. But now, as we slowly enter the atmosphere, I can feel the slight shift in my weight increasing, making me highly aware of just how difficult this transition will be.

“You’ll get used to it in a few months,” he says, sensing the direction of my thoughts. I sit up, slowly shifting my legs to the edge of the bed. The room is still dark, the baseboards offering a warm ambiance of light since the window is still darkened. I release a breath, slowly standing. It feels like a three-poundweight has been wrapped around my waist, making me slightly heavier. But it isn’t unbearable.

When I turn around, Remus is still lying on his side, watching me in delight. But he doesn’t say anything. It’s almost as if he’s once again coaxing my excitement for me. But instead of offering, he’s waiting for me to make the decision for myself.

I release a shaky breath, my attention turning back to the darkened glass. I place my fingers against it, swallowing my resentment. But before I can get my request out, Remus spares me my dignity.

“Would you like to see my home?” he asks.

“Yes,” I murmur, my eyes remaining on the dark window. I tense up when I hear Remus approach. His soft chuckle sends a wave of warmth over me as he wraps his hand around mine, pulling my hand to his lips.

I choke on my saliva as I look into his eyes. They burn brighter than they ever have, his excitement almost palpable. Warmth jolts from my knuckles as his lips brush over my skin and he smiles.

“Not from here, Pet.”

For the first time since boarding this ship, Remus has brought me to the control room. I bite back my laugh as I take in the room, my excitement that the Hollywood producers got something right bubbling to the surface. The walls of the room are all glass, giving everyone a 360 view of our surroundings. As I look around the control room, it is much bigger than what I expected, almost like an office instead of a small war room. Leviathan sit behind wide monitors, on either side of the aisle,the floors and ceiling white and covered in a smooth material. At the center, behind a rail lies a hologram of the planet, and fastened into the ceiling are monitors, revealing information that I can barely decipher from my lessons in the Leviathan language on Earth.I note that there’s an empty seat on the balcony above that I assume belongs to Remus.

“Aureon!”

The entire room stills as the Leviathan rise to greet their leader, all eyes on him. I suddenly feel out of place as he waves his hand dismissively, leading me to the glass. It is also slightly tinted, making it difficult to see what’s beyond.

“Trousal l’panya.”1 Remus’s commanding tone washes over the room, and it doesn’t take me very long to guess what was said as the tint slowly lifts, revealing the world ofXyrannis.

“Oh my…” I whisper as I step closer to the glass, my eyes wide in awe as the world slowly passes us by. Trees cover the world beneath us, taller than the buildings ever were on Earth. As we pass, the colors change, ranging in the most peculiar of hues.

As the greenery thins out, I note that we must have been on the edge of the city. The buildings are shapes I can’t describe using human references. And I see now how different the settlement on Earth looked from their home world. The mountain here has been intertwined with the buildings in an intimidating way.