Page 55 of Pet: Torment

“Ezra is right. This isn’t about your personal feelings.” Sky speaks from the living room, standing to join us. I see no fear in her eyes as she speaks among gods, level and confident in what she’s about to say.

“Look at the facts. Remus is obviously in distress. He sent a message through Iris, and the next instant, the bond was broken. According to you two, that was impossible until this moment. How could a piece of Remus’s soul be taken? Iris said she saw your mother. All evidence points to her. But you’re asking the wrong questions,” she says.

Tension sweeps over the room as Sky voices what we are all too afraid to speak ourselves.

“Why did she attack Remus when all he was doing was trying to understand why his power was out of his control? And why in his moment of desperation, did he tell you to protect Iris?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Iris

I never acknowledged how comfortable I had become in Remus’s home. The snowy landscape and the magnificent interior that reminded me of him had become an inadvertent source of comfort. It was quiet, peaceful, and beautiful. But Remus has yet to return, and Ezra has been too anxious about the situation toallow me to return alone. So, until he and Xion get to the bottom of things, I am staying with Ezra as a guest.

I finally manage to block out the last bit of sunshine as I push another sheet into the window crevice, closing it. The sun, the waves, and even the bird calls are all too much. I have felt terrible ever since Remus’s seal disappeared, and no amount of pink liquid has been able to remedy that. Even the slightest of sounds pierce my skull, and at night, sleep eludes me, the image of Remus’s mother seared into my head.

But what’s worse is that I have no idea if Remus is okay or not. I never thought I would care—hell, I never thought it would be possible to think Remus isn’t okay after what happened on Earth. But I know it’s his mother who is behind this, even if Ezra doesn’t want to acknowledge it. And I know her involvement in his life has never been a positive one, making me more anxious about what this means for Remus.

A light knock sounds in the doorway, and I flinch as it causes my ears to ring, turning to see Ezra standing in the doorway. His expression is filled with pity as he takes in my handiwork, and he releases a deep breath, stepping into the room.

“Don’t you have a punishment to decide?” I murmur, dropping my head in my hands as I rub my temples.

As much as I want to appreciate Ezra’s concern, his presence alone makes me uneasy. Noah was right about these beings in general. They are too far outside of our understanding to have to be around so often. And with this newest development, just the sight of Ezra is enough to make me shiver in discomfort.

“Iriel’s punishment won’t be decided for another few weeks. Though he betrayed his people, he is still a Leviathan. He has been allowed time to say goodbye to his loved ones before they, too, are banished from our empire,” he says.

I don’t bother responding. The Leviathan culture is a strange one that even allows the most treacherous of people in its midstrespect. I chuckle as I imagine my brother’s life being spared even though I betrayed Remus. Both of us should have perished if we were to follow the Leviathan custom, and yet Remus spared us both, once again forcing me to see the kindness he extended me.

“Why are you here? Is he back?” I ask.

Ezra is quiet for a moment before shaking his head.

It’s been three days since we lost contact with Remus. Xion and Ezra both tried to travel to their mother’s dimension but had no luck. It’s no longer existent, according to Xion, forcing us to wait out this madness. And with days onXyrannisbeing a few hours longer than they were on Earth, the wait is killing me.

“What are you going to do if Remus doesn’t come back?” I ask.

“He’s going to come back. Our mother wouldn’t do anything to hurt him—”

“You don’t know her like you think you do,” I say bitterly.

“Neither do you,” Ezra counters.

I release a humorless laugh, looking at my hands. “I don’t think Remus felt confident going there. I think even he was concerned,” I say as I think of our last day together. No matter how many times or how many different ways I asked, he was very elusive. As if he didn’t want me to worry.

Ezra chuckles, pulling my attention.

“Since when are you an expert on his feelings? Last I checked, you were still bitter about losing your planet,” he says.

I look away, shaking my head. “I don’t know,” I whisper.

I may have been bitter, but Remus always made it a point to engage with me, even if I was angry. Him bringing me toXyrannisallowed me to see him in a different context than a ruler I had to outwit. It allowed me to see who he is as aCelestivine. Which in turn allowed me to pick up his mannerisms.

“Why are you protecting her? Can’t you see she is different with you and him?” I ask.

Ezra narrows his gaze. “I am not protecting her, I’m just saying your theory is extreme. She is our mother. She birthed and raised us. She would never harm us, especially Remus,” he says.

“She would only raise him with no push to have any aspirations beyond what she deems acceptable, right?” I ask.

Ezra scoffs. “He is aCelestivine. It would be a waste of his life to do anything other than that. And I don’t expect someone with a lifespan that doesn’t even count for a quarter of ours to understand that,” he says.