Page 71 of Pet: Torment

I look away in irritation, my brow furrowing as I try to push down my frustration. The last thing I want is to cry in front of him. But the tears fall. I don’t know how I could respond to his question without shedding light on things that need to stay in the dark for now. And what’s even more confusing is how Remus found me here so far away from where they were meeting. It looks like my only option is a slow, torturous death because I can’t answer him. Not when the result would be him asking his mother about the allegations.

I gasp as Remus grips my jaw, forcing me to look at him. His touch is electric, and I have to fight the terror that settles in my spine as we look at one another. I’d grown so used to the warmth I saw in his gaze when he looked at me. Even the smile that would grace his lips anytime I stepped into the room. But all I see in that otherworldly gaze is cold hatred.

“I didn’t steal it,” I finally say, hoping he’ll take my answer and allow me to go. I try to pull my face from his grip, but his grip tightens, his eyes narrowing. I’m sure he has waysof determining whether or not I’m lying. And it is probably confusing for him to see that I’m not.

“Xion will be looking for me,” I say.

Maybe hearing his sister’s name will make him remember that I’m important to someone. But it only causes a more terrifying reaction.

He laughs.

“You’re confident for a creature who is already dead,” he says.

I feel the blood draining from my face. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” I say, my voice trembling.

Remus shifts, his free hand drifting toward me. I close my eyes, waiting for the imminent death, but I only feel the book in my hands being taken away. And when I open my eyes, Remus is looking at it. His eyes drift from the cover to me, but his expression doesn’t shift.

“Were you reading this?” he asks.

I once again don’t know how to respond. If I blatantly lie to his face, there’s no telling what punishment comes with that infraction. Why else would I be in a records room, sifting through books on an alien world?

So, I slowly nod my head.

“Shuffling through our archives as a prisoner of war is enough to banish you. And stealing something that belongs to me is enough for death,” he says, watching me carefully.

Even though he’s stated why I should be punished, he hasn’t acted on it yet, I realize. Is he toying with me? He finally releases me from his grip, standing to place the book in its rightful place. My skin flushes with heat as a sense of deja vu washes over me. But I use the moment to put much-needed distance between us, standing as well.

“I’m assuming one of my siblings taught you,” he says.

I keep my eyes down as he speaks. It’s all I can do to keep from collapsing in relief.

“My siblings are desperate to keep you alive for some reason. Even though you have no connection to them,” Remus says matter-of-factly.

He studies me intensely, closing the small distance I placed between us.

“And are poorly trained,” he finishes.

I bite my tongue. Being berated like this by him, the one who once admired everything about me, is hard to withstand. As I lift my eyes, I look for the hairpin. It’s still in his grip. If I make it out of here alive, I doubt I’ll be getting it back. But the longer I stand in his presence, the more suffocating it feels. Like, at any second, he’ll change his mind and end me. He’s so unpredictable like this.

I pull in a trembling breath.

“You’re right. I saw it on the ground when we came in. It looked insignificant compared to everything else. I was just fascinated by how beautiful it was. I didn’t think you’d notice,” I say.

The lie is difficult to speak. But there’s no way I can explain to him that he gave me the hairpin when he has no recollection of me. Giving in to his accusation is the safest route, even if it tastes like vinegar on my tongue.

I cry out as my body is suddenly moved by an invisible force, my back crashing into the shelf. I choke on a gasp as Remus stands over me, his eyes narrowed as he looks at me. My pants are audible as fear claws at every inch of my flesh. He’s angry, and he’s letting it show.

“You’re lying,” he says.

“N-no, I—Ah!” I cry out as the force increases. It’s grown to an uncomfortable press of my body, my bones beginning to rattle beneath my flesh.

“How did you get this?” he asks. “My siblings may want you alive. But they didn’t specify in what condition. I can return you with broken bones.”

There’s a hint of anger in his voice that accompanies the press of force, and I clench my teeth as he focuses his power on my arm, intensifying his threat. It slowly twists unnaturally on its own, the pain growing more excruciating by the second.

“Ngh! I found it!” I scream.

But the pain doesn’t stop. He doesn’t believe me. My screams echo off the wall as I feel my wrist bone slowly separating as it breaks under pressure. He’s following through on his threat. He’s going to break my arm. And what’s worse is how excruciatingly slow he’s doing it. He’s making sure I feel every intimate second of it.