Page 58 of Pet: Torment

It takes a moment for my body to reconnect to my mind, and as hard as I try, I can’t remain conscious. The world slowly dims around me, and I hear the sound of Remus’s voice, forcing me to tremble from the lack of emotion I hear as he speaks.

“Bring that thing to my home again, and I will kill it on the spot.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Iris

As my eyes open, I pull in a deep breath. The sudden rush of air causes the muscles I my throat to spasm in pain, forcing me into a coughing fit.

“Try not to move.” I recognize Ezra’s voice as gentle hands drift under my head, lifting me higher on the pillow. As Iblink, the room slowly comes into view, and I note that I don’t recognize it.

The walls are high, the colors are forest green with murals of locations inXyrannis, I’m assuming. The window right next to my bed overlooks miles of forest, with some branches falling into my view. I’m not in the mountains, nor am I near the ocean.

“Where—” I break into another coughing fit as desperation to speak eludes me.

“Try not to speak. Remus crushed your throat. Can you write down what you need to say?” he asks, handing me an electronic pad with a pen.

My vision blurs as heavier tears fill my eyes, and I take the pad from him.

Remus attacked me. And not in the “I’m warning you” kind of way. He tried to kill me...intimately. And he would have, had Ezra not stepped in. I tremble as I recall the expression on his features. He was so cold, much colder than the moment I met him in the blight.

I sob aloud as the memory of what he was doing when we arrived hits me. He wiped my existence out and moved on without so much as a goodbye.

“Where am I? What happened?”

I flip the pad around to Ezra, and I can see from his expression that he doesn’t want to tell me. Lucky for him, the door opens, and Xion enters the room. It’s eerie how much she and Remus look alike. And while his intimidation is unmatched, she is a close second, even if she seems to be dressed in what this world considers loungewear.

For once, irritation isn’t on her features as she looks at me. She is uncharacteristically gentle as she kneels next to the bed, her eyes falling to the pad. She places her hand on my leg, her tone soft.

“You’re in my home. It was the only place we could think to bring you. The only place she won’t expect you to be—”

“Xion!” Ezra hisses. “I haven’t told her yet.”

Xion’s eyes widen slightly, and she looks away, allowing Ezra to speak. Their hesitance is driving me crazy, and I sit up, tapping my finger over where I wrote ‘what happened’frantically.

Ezra is the one who decides to tell me.

“We don’t know exactly why or how…but Remus doesn’t know who you are. He has no recollection of you,” he says.

My fingers feel numb as I sink against the pillow, looking into the faces of his siblings. Their faces blur slightly, and as I blink, they clear once again as the tears escape from my eyes, rolling down my cheeks.

My sob fills the air as I lower my head to write more, but Xion’s hand closes over mine, and as I look into her eyes, I see she has more to tell me.

“While you were unconscious, our mother came to both of our homes, looking for you. We were very lucky that she showed up to mine first, so that I could warn Ezra,” she says softly.

Remus’s words make sense now.

“Stop her. Protect her.”

He meant to stop his mother. And protect me. Xion and Ezra’s expressions indicate they know it too. I use what little bit of energy I have to rise in the bed, shoving Ezra. To my shock, he lets me, falling back as he looks away in shame.

“I told you!” My voice is a cracked, hoarse whisper. And only a few of my words even make it out as my throat constricts, forcing more coughs.

Xion’s arms are around me, gently moving back onto the bed as she tries to calm me down.

“You’re safe for now. She won’t be looking for you. She thinks you died from complications with the bond…that you were tooweak to adjust to it. She doesn’t know that we know the truth. I swear Iris, we will fix this…”

Her voice disappears as my panic blooms. I’m not in his memory. He has no idea who I am or the past that we shared. My sobs grow deeper as I think of his words.