Page 51 of Pet: Torment

“Did he go see her? Is that where he went? To see her about whatever is happening to him?” I ask.

Sky doesn’t respond. But her silence is all I need. I quickly stand, making my way to the house.

“Where are you going?” she asks, following closely behind me.

“I have to talk to Ezra,” I say.

“You can’t! He’s not going to tell you anything, Remus forbade it—”

Sky grabs me just as we reach the patio that overlooks the shore we were sitting on earlier. She whips me around to face her, panic on her expression.

“This is what I meant about you being impulsive! Do you think I was supposed to tell you the reason he left? Even Ezra was forbidden to tell you—” Sky stops mid-sentence as her attention shifts behind me, her demeanor shifting entirely.

I hear the door open, turning just in time to see Ezra joining us on the patio, obviously because he heard the commotion. He might be less intimidating than Remus with his charming smile, but he is still intimidating nonetheless as his peculiar colored eyes shift between us.

“What’s all this about?” he asks when neither of us speak. He leans against the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks at Sky.

“Have you been saying things you shouldn’t?” he asks.

Sky doesn’t respond. She pulls in a trembling breath before looking back at me, pleading with her eyes. So, I speak.

“Of course not…she won’t tell me anything, which is why I wanted to ask you myself,” I say.

Ezra chuckles, and the sound causes a chill to ripple over me.

“Why would I answer anything you ask me?” he asks.

I open my mouth to explain to him my concerns when a wave of complete and utter confusion washes over me. It is quickly replaced by terror and hopelessness. It claws at me from within, filling my every blood cell until I can no longer stand. I drop to my knees, choking, my nails digging into the wood as tears burn my eyes.

My heart accelerates, pulsing wildly in my ears, drowning out Ezra’s voice. These emotions aren’t mine. The world suddenly tilts, becoming too bright, and my body is wracked with an intense rush of energy.

I feel Ezra’s hands on my back, and I suddenly jump, my nails digging into his forearms. I look into his concerned eyes, praying he’ll understand as words that aren’t mine spill from my lips.

“She’s taking it from me!” I scream.

I continue to scream, releasing frustration but also fear. It’s all a lie—my entire life, everything I’ve been told, my mind, my memory, my world, bits of my personality—it is all a lie.

“Stop! Stop her! Protect her!” I scream.

Ezra’s panicked face fills my line of sight until I am suddenly transported, my vision shifting as something forms in front of me—no, it’s someone. It’s a woman with white hair and eyes that resemble her son’s, except they glitter with the promise of knowledge I could never understand.

Deadly intent laces her features as she reaches for me. I can’t move. I am helpless. Her fingers are warm as they come into contact with my face, and I feel the sweeping sensation of ice inmy veins. It feels similar to when Remus feeds, except this time it covers me quickly. I’m dying, I can feel it.

I squeeze my eyes shut, no longer able to take the pain until the world swirls violently around me. My insides shift, and the chill that I felt disappears as warmth encompasses me once more. I briefly acknowledge the sound of the shore in the distance, as darkness crashes into me, and my world goes black.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Iris

As I jolt awake, a scream tears from my lips. My hands fly to my body, making sure I am still me and I am still intact. As my fingers find my face, a pair of hands roughly grips me, holding them firm as I’m met with a set of peculiar eyes. One purple, one blue.

Ezra is watching me with deep concern, his brow furrowed.

“Breathe, Iris.” His tone is extremely gentle, as if he is speaking to a three-year-old. I know immediately from his uncharacteristic mannerisms and touch that something is wrong. Seconds after I acknowledge the possibility, I am suddenly aware of my body’s state.

I feel…empty.

My muscles are sore, and my chest has a heavy ache that makes my heart twist each time I breathe. Something is missing. The more I breathe, the heavier the ache, and it somehow elicits tears that I try and fail miserably to blink back. I only blink them from my eyes, forcing them to roll down my cheeks as I take in my surroundings, my gaze shifting past Ezra to the living room.