Page 8 of Pet: Torment

As the door opens, revealing the living room, Iris steps ahead of me, her body moving on its own accord to sate her curiosity. I smile as I watch her take in the foreign surroundings.

It’s foreign to me to have these fleeting emotions. And they only seem to exist around Iris. I want more from her than the pleasure of her body. I want the pleasure of her company. I want her smile, her laugh, her pain, and her anger. I want all of it. Every little thing she can offer, I want for myself.

I fought against these feelings on Earth, mistaking them for a challenge—the challenge of breaking her. But the more I tried, the more she proved me wrong, and the deeper I fell into this obsession.

I notice Iris’s breathing has shifted, trembling as the cold sets in. My home has been empty for years since I left to finish what we began with Earth. But Leviathan technology is different from human technology, and my home remained warm even though I’ve been gone. I knew I shouldn’t have let her linger outside for as long as she did. It’s still affecting her.

“I’ll be happy to show you around once you are more settled. We should get you warmed up for now,” I say, leading her to my bedroom.

There is a lot more I have to worry about with Iris now that she’s onXyrannis. Even our atmospheric composition is different than Earth’s, our air containing more oxygen than her home planet. Soon, she’ll begin to feel its effects, just as the lingering effects from the cold have begun to settle within her and the denser gravity. She has a long road ahead all while dealing with the unknown involving the bond and the loss of her home world.

But I know she’ll pull through. It is one of the reasons I adore her. Her desire to live—to survive. It’s a fascinating thing to watch in action.

Once we reach my bedroom, I place my hand against the wall, feeling the makeup. After a few seconds, the wall dissolves to reveal the room. Iris has always been confused by the way my life works. I don’t use doors. I keep walls, removing them at will. Imake a mental note that I will have to change that now that she will be around.

I leave her to light the fireplace against the wall, and when I turn back to her, she has begun to shiver as she stares out the glass wall. I release a deep breath, pulling her attention as I approach. I don’t miss the increase of her heartbeat as I wrap my arms around her. She’s avoiding my gaze as she always does, so I place my finger under her chin, lifting her head to see her eyes. I smile, pushing a stray curl behind her ear.

“I’m sorry that your planet went down the road it did, Iris. There was no saving them. I hope in time you will be able to see this as your home,” I say.

She glares at me, gently pulling herself from my grasp. She pulls in a shuddering breath as she removes my cape from her shoulders, pushing it into my hands as she speaks.

“This will never be my home, Remus.”

She turns away from me, moving back to the glass, putting her back to me. And as I study her, her shoulders begin trembling once again.

She would rather be cold than wear my clothes.

My amusement dissipates when I hear the soft sniffle that accompanies her shivering. She wasn’t cold. She was holding back tears. She’s been stoic most of the trip, suppressing her emotions. But it seems she can no longer do that. She’s at her limit.

I feel an ache in my chest.

I want to hold her. But I can’t. I caused this. I don’t have the right. And it takes all my willpower not to drop the mental block between us to understand what she’s feeling. So, I do what I always do. I quietly leave, giving her space until the day she is ready to share her pain with me.

Chapter Four

Iris

I don’t know this place. It looks…celestial. The night sky is a blend of purples and blues as more than one moon circles above. The vision shifts and I am in a palace. The world beneath the balcony is vast…it stretches to the edge of the formation, which floats high above the land…

“Remus”

I jolt awake, flying up in the bed. My body doesn’t recognize my surroundings, and it takes me a moment to breathe through my panic as the vivid displays that played about in my brain slowly dissipate into a foggy memory.

“What the hell was that?” I murmur as I place my hand against my forehead. My skin is clammy, even though this place is colder than the average “warmed” household on Earth. The flashes across my mind felt unnatural, as if they were forced, making me subconsciously panic. I’ve never seen the place that appeared in my dream, but it felt so vivid…so real.

As I slow my breathing, I look around Remus’s bedroom. It’s much different than his home on Earth. The walls stretch impossibly high, but the entire wall is a window that overlooks the mountainscape. The upper half is an accumulation of columns, the designs of which are more than likely native to this planet, and the ceiling, instead of containing a window that opens to the world above, displays detailed embellishments. I shift over the edge of the bed, but it doesn’t move even though it is slightly elevated from the ground using whatever technology exists on this planet.

And the moment I move, a warm light dimly radiates from the walls, illuminating it just enough that it isn’t sharp as I awaken.

I release a soft gasp as a table floats to the edge of the bed with clothing, a toothbrush, a hairbrush, and what I assume is this planet’s version of toothpaste and soap. One is a clear bubble-looking object, while the other is a cloudy petal-shaped material, and underneath them, in Remus’s neat handwriting, are the labels. Not only in English but in the Leviathan language as well.

I scoff in irritation, snatching everything from the table as I make my way to the designated bathroom.

Remus’s patience is beginning to wear on me. Not only does he no longer bother to argue back with me, but he gives me space. And it’s starting to grow exhausting being angry over what I cannot change. Remus left me alone for the remainder of the day yesterday. The only proof of his existence being when left dinner at the newly installed door and even let me sleep in his bed. Alone. Just as he did for the entire trip toXyrannis.

I don’t know if it’s the bond between us or my own fucked up brain. But I’m beginning to grow antsy even if we’ve only been on the ground for a day.

Once I’m showered and dressed, I quietly make my way out of Remus’s room to the rest of the house. I vaguely recall the direction to the living room from his brief tour yesterday. The sun still has yet to rise, leaving the house cast in a dim glow as the lights are still hesitant to fully shine. As I move up the hall, I notice the floor warms with every step that I take, making me feel more comfort as I walk through this foreign place.