Page 63 of Pet: Torment
But Xion is watching me in pity, and I note that her eyes are slightly glassy.
“He would kill you before you could utter a word, Iris,” she says.
I shake my head as I recall his smile when he explained to me his lack of a childhood. Remembering that moment is eerie, watching the manipulation in action.
“What does it matter? If he kills me, it’s the end of your problems. If he lets me live, we can possibly bring him back,” I say.
“You actually care about him…” she says.
I’m shocked myself at how natural my desire to fix things has become. But like I acknowledged last night when I was alone and in pain, I miss him. I miss what we were becoming. I miss the adoration I saw in his eyes and the smile on his lips anytime I entered the room. I miss his soft chuckles as he brushed off my attitude. I miss his gentle explanations, and towards the end, his curiosity that spanned beyond my will to survive.
I look down at the hairpin he gave me. It was supposed to signify a new start between us. I squeeze it in my hands, my determination shifting to the forefront. All of the hesitance and guilt that I felt falls away as my new purpose becomes clear. I told him I would try when he returned. And I plan on standing by that.
“Yes. I do.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Iris
The road to recovery has been long and grueling. Xion is nothing like Remus in terms of healing. Remus’s ability to heal is instant. Xion’s took over the course of four days. And still, the muscles of my throat feel sore. And nothing she can do can get rid of the intense ache that has remained in my chest since that day.
I barely recognize myself as I look in the mirror. The loss of Remus’s seal and the stress my body has been through over the course of the week are visible in the reflection. My eyes have dark rings around them, and I have lost noticeable weight. Even my hair feels dry and dull. I look how I feel—hopeless.
My fingers tremble slightly as I move them to my bare collarbone. The skin is smooth, the pulse of Remus’s symbol stripped away from me. My vision slowly blurs as tears form, spilling over my cheeks, and after a moment, I laugh, my chuckle echoing off the walls at the irony of the situation. I loathed Remus for bonding with me, without realizing how much it meant—how much it connected us. It feels heavy living without it. I’m curious if he feels the same, even in his lost state.
Xion and Ezra have tried to go about their normal lives in hopes of not drawing their mother’s attention. According to both of them, there has been no sign of her since she confirmed my “death.” I’m desperate to know how Remus and I bonding was a threat to her. It’s a useless desire at this point.
It’s terrifying to think that when Remus and his siblings showed up on our planet, we thought they were the biggest threat we had ever seen. But now, leaving the boundary of my home world and being forced to face the possibility of something even more dangerous than their existence is difficult for me to wrap my mind around.
I push the thoughts from my mind and quickly brush my hair into a ponytail. Now isn’t the time to be hesitant. It’s time to step out of my comfort zone and fight for Remus. He needs me. He’s never had anyone fight for him before. Everything in his life has been on his shoulders to carry alone. I won’t let his mother get away with this, if I have to die trying.
I make my way out of the bathroom, down the halls I’ve grown accustomed to over the past few days. Like her siblings, Xion lives in seclusion within a dense forest. It’s the completeopposite of Remus, which I’ve learned also applies to her personality.
Getting her to let me leave her home has been like talking to a brick wall. She’s obsessed with the idea of protecting me from any outside threats, including Remus. It’s funny, only a week ago, she couldn’t stand me. But with my near-death experience at the hands of the alien who used his last bit of strength to beg them to protect me, she’s turned a new leaf, becoming my fierce protector.
It took Ezra joining in to convince her to let me go to the verdict for Iriel’s life. I know Remus will be there, and he won’t kill me in front of people, at least. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to get close. I make sure to put the hairpin he gave me in my hair so that he can at least see there’s a connection between us.
The further I move up the hallway, the muffled sound of voices becomes more evident. They sound tense, and I feel like they are trying to remain quiet, putting me on edge as I round the corner.
The first thing I notice is the distressed looks on everyone’s faces in the room as they turn to look at me. And by everyone, I mean Xion, Ezra, Sky, and Noah. I know instantly that something terrible has happened.
My hand slowly lifts to my necklace for comfort as I speak.
“What?” I ask.
Ezra looks away, his expression troubled. He’s been like this each time he’s visited. He can’t look at me. He barely speaks to me, usually letting Xion lead the conversation, which is very out of character for him. It’s like seeing me reminds him of something painful.
Xion is the one who steps forward, her expression once again soft as she looks at me. “Iriel is dead.”
The meaning of her words doesn’t register at first. I remain where I am, staring at her, until suddenly my legs can’t holdme up anymore. I stumble slightly, leaning against the wall for support.
“How did he die?” I ask, dreading the answer. I pray that it’s because he took his own life. But I know from everyone’s expression that is not the case.
“Remus killed him last night,” Xion says.
My legs can no longer hold me up as a heavy wave of nausea washes over me. I remember Remus explaining to me how important it was that Iriel got a trial, even though he was responsible for countless deaths. He spoke with respect for the Leviathan law system, content to stand back and let whatever happens run its course. The only reason Iriel’s verdict was to be made by Ezra is because Iriel committed personal crimes against him, as well, which resulted in the injury and death of Leviathan. But Remus has now overstepped that boundary.
I tense as hands suddenly wrap around me, and when I look into Xion’s eyes, my heart sputters at the similarity to her mother. I jerk away from her, trying to mask my panic but can’t.