Pet: Revelations - Chapter Twenty-Two (Patreon)

Iris

I brace myself for the impact that I know is coming. Somehow, my body is paralyzed. It must have something to do with the invisible force surrounding Remus. It’s as if it has short-circuited my system, and my brain won’t connect. My surroundings tilt as I fall, unable to utter a scream, but I never touch the ground.

Warm arms encircle me, cradling me against a warm chest.

Worried, ethereal eyes come into my line of sight, and I am mesmerized as they swirl with emotion in the dim light, almost lighting up Remus’s face. His white lashes fan them, adding to his otherworldliness, and for a moment, I forget the terrifying visage he held only seconds ago as he attacked a stranger without using his hands.

“What were you thinking?” he murmurs, looking down at me.

His touch is warm as he gently strokes my hair, and I recognize the familiar feeling of his healing at work. Slowly, my body reconnects, and I can wiggle my toes and fingers.

“Mngh,” I groan, blinking desperately.

My body tingles in the same way my arm does when I hit my elbow on something. But I ignore it, feigning resilience as I nod.

“I’m fine,” I murmur.

“Shale touyonme fenria, Omleyah?” The being Remus attacked stands only a few feet away, an emotionless expression on his face as he watches our exchange. His eyes drift from Remus to me, lingering slightly before looking back to Remus. He doesn’t seem bothered at all by Remus’s attack.

Remus nods. “Shal.”

I almost laugh from the bitterness that forms in my chest at the sound of Remus speaking a new language. I had put so much time and effort into learning the Leviathan language. Not only to be able to speak it, but to be able to read and write it as well. Now, it is useless, and Remus is becoming even more of a stranger to me.

I gasp when he suddenly lifts me, keeping me in his arms. I briefly glance over his shoulder to see where the man disappeared to, but he is nowhere to be found as Remus carries me deeper into the palace and away from the stairs.

“That was stupid and dangerous,” Remus grumbles to me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I sense the anger in his tone, but I don’t know exactly what he's angry about. He is the one who disappeared when he said we could talk, and he is the one who sent me flying down the stairs.

“You…didn’t give me…a rule book,” I manage. Even my words are difficult to get out. Remus doesn’t respond, and I make sure to keep my gaze down as he continues through the unfamiliar halls with me in his arms. I note that there are voices coming in his direction, I assume in greeting. Each of them use the same phrase.

“Omleyah.”

It must be this planet’s version of Aureon.

We finally reach our destination. I hear the doors opening, but I can’t see them from this angle. Remus gently lays me on a couch, the cushions molding comfortably to my body as he sits beside me and immediately reaches for my face. He gently strokes my hair away from my forehead, the worry in his features starting to concern me as well.

I take a peek at my surroundings, my eyes widening at the beauty. I know instantly this must be a study. That is only because there is an immaculate desk near the wall that sits in front of the massive bookshelf. It stretches the entirety of the room, and to the second floor that is accompanied by a balcony and a circular staircase that leads to it.

The ceilings are arched and vaulted just like the rest of this place, but instead of a mural, a tree whose branches have bloomed grows into each crevice. I follow the branches, finding the tree's base in the opposite corner. It’s massive, its branches spreading purple leaves just like the ones in the mural. And just beyond the tree is the floor-to-ceiling glass that overlooks more of Euoa.

“I said I’m fine,” I murmur, pushing Remus’s hand away.

He doesn’t move away like I hoped he would, but he slowly lowers his hand.

“Are you? That was dangerous, coming to the other side of the door,” Remus says.

“You never said—”

“I know. That’s my fault. I’ve been busy with everything else, and you’ve been…difficult to relay rules to. It slipped my mind,” he says.

It’s out of character for anything to slip Remus’s mind. I flinch as he gently grips my hand, holding it in his. His thumb runs over my knuckles, and his gaze remains lowered, following the motion.

“The door has a field around it to keep certain people out. For you to have walked through it, means it took some of your essence with it. This place as a whole is dangerous for someone like you—someone human. So please, in the future, do not roam unless you have me with you,” Remus says, his gaze lifting to meet mine.

For once, I am at a loss for words. That’s a big thing to let slip your mind. It now makes sense why I was disoriented when I touched it. Judging from Remus’s tone, it could have killed me. I don’t want to know what touching the field around him meant.

“That seems a little important to have forgotten,” I murmur.

“You are right,” he says, standing.

“But in my defense, you are usually asleep at this hour,” he adds, confirming my theory that he’s been avoiding me. He moves gracefully across the room, behind the desk. He is so uncanny in this moment, as he stands against the ethereal backdrop. It’s hard to believe that he’s real—that any of this is real.

“So you are avoiding me,” I murmur.

But he hears me.

“Yes,” he says.

He’s eerie in this moment. His answer is honest, and yet he gives it with no thought to my reaction.

“Why?” I ask.

He pulls in a breath, leaning against the desk. I note that as he crosses his arms over his chest, I can see parts of his symbol peeking from his sleeve.

“I don’t want to fight with you, Iris. I know that you want to speak with me about my siblings. And I know that you are unaware of how deep everything runs,” he says.

I suck in a sharp breath, my nerves building. Of course he knows what I wanted to talk to him about. His hearing is immaculate. He probably heard me and Sky’s conversation long before he stepped in.

A knock sounds at the door, and Remus gives a brief command before it opens, revealing the man who was attacked earlier. His eyes remain down as he enters, making his way to where I am on the cushions, and he’s carrying a cup of familiar pink liquid. I see no bruising on his skin from Remus’s attack. Even still, his presence alone is unnerving.

“Takaar voymune,” Remus says from across the room. Once again, his tone is cold as he snaps at the man, and suddenly, the man looks up at me, his gaze eerie as he speaks.

“I apologize deeply for earlier. It was not my place. I mistook you for a servant. It will never happen again,” he says, bowing.

I immediately sit up in shock, holding my hands up as I shake them along with my head.

“You don’t owe me an apology—”

“Yes, he does,” Remus says firmly. My blood runs cold when I look past the servant to Remus. His body language screams aggression. Not just from his stance, but from the menacing stare mingled with the aura surrounding him, even the shift of his hair. He’s threatening him in real time.

I look back to the servant, and his eyes are wide and focused on the ground. He is very good at keeping his composure, but I know fear when I see it. I’m sure my expression mimics his in this moment.

“It’s okay,” I whisper.

He nods, standing, but he doesn’t leave. He faces Remus, bowing, and he doesn’t move until Remus makes a small gesture. The blood drains from my face as I watch the interaction, my confusion joining horror as he acts the way he did with Leviathan. And I am suddenly reminded of his cold words that day.

“An animal knows its place in regard to its master.”

“Drink, Iris,” Remus calls to me from across the room, pulling me out of my thoughts. He has his back to me, his fingers gliding through the air, and I finally see the flickers of light that move at his command.

He’s working.

He’s not taking any of this seriously. In his mind, because he said he didn’t want to discuss his siblings, there will be no discussion. Because he said the servant should apologize, we followed it without hesitation. Once I take this drink, he’ll send me back to my room so that he can continue to avoid me.

I shift my attention to the pink liquid that sits on the table.

“No,” I say.

I keep my gaze focused on it, and it’s all I can do as I hear Remus’s movement stop.

“No?” Remus asks.

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath and when I open them, I look at him.

“Not until we talk,” I say firmly.

Remus scoffs, sending a chill up my spine. It’s so dismissive, as if he can’t believe I’m not listening to him.

“Iris, if you don’t drink—”

“I know what will happen if I don’t drink,” I say, holding his gaze.

His expression darkens. He studies me intensely before stepping from behind the desk to approach. His irritation is heavy in the air, and the closer he gets, the heavier it feels. So, I start talking before I lose my nerve.

“Ezra hates himself. He thinks that everything is his fault when it isn’t,” I say.

Remus’s glare turns more dangerous.

“Iris—”

“And I may not be here the biggest fan, but Xion is suffering something…unimaginable. She lost someone very close to her. You must know what that feels like; you felt it for a second- you were going to destroy an entire planet in your grief! Can’t you see that she needs you? They both do—”

“Iris.” He says my name with such calm that I instantly stop speaking as he stands over me. My body feels heavy, the air suffocating me like a blanket. I know he wants me to stop. I can feel it as if he is telling me verbally instead of glaring down at me. And I have to look away to get the last bit of my sentence out.

“Pushing us away isn’t going to help anyone. We need you…and you need us. All we want is for things to go back to the way they were,” I say.

Silence settles in the air once again. I flinch when I feel Remus’s touch under my chin, and he gently directs me to look him in the eyes. They look just as they did in the bath the other day. They pulse slowly, calmly, with the danger of uncertainty.

“The way things were?” he repeats slowly to himself more than me. After a moment, he tilts his head at an angle to look at me.

“There is no way things were. This is how things always were, Iris. Ezra was never supposed to exist. Xyrannis was never supposed to exist; the Leviathan Empire was never to exist.” His eyes drift to my necklace, and he releases my face, pulling it between his fingers. It opens easily, and he studies my family as he speaks.

“Earth was never supposed to be invaded. Your family was never supposed to die the way that they did. You were never supposed to meet me. And your life was never supposed to come to this. Do you still feel for my siblings—for me, knowing that?” he asks.

“I…” I trail off.

I hadn’t thought of it at all that way. I don’t even have time to process that, and he knows it.

Remus scoffs, releasing my necklace.

“Now, will you drink?” he asks, reaching for the glass.

“Will you tell me what happened to you? Help me understand why you don’t care about your siblings,” I say.

Remus laughs. “I can always make you drink, Iris. I would prefer not to.”

I don’t respond, letting the silence relay my answer.

Suddenly, Remus’s fingers thread through my hair, pulling tight enough that I arch my neck as his lips cover my own. I gasp as heat explodes over me, and Remus takes it as his opportunity. He opens his mouth, and I am caught off guard as pink liquid rushes into my own. I don’t have time to think; my body instinctively swallows, and the small aches disappear instantly as it relieves me.

Remus doesn’t break the kiss, however. His tongue slips past my lips, tangling with my own. My body responds in kind, warmth building between my legs just as an involuntary moan escapes me.

It’s the sound that I need. I finally get a hold of myself, pressing my hands against his chest, shoving him away, and he lets me. His smile is devilish as he brings his finger to his bottom lip, wiping away the remaining liquid. Lust clouds his eyes as he looks at me, and I swear he finally notices what I’m wearing, his eyes drifting lower, lingering over my breasts.

I pull in a sharp breath, standing.

“How could you?” I hiss.

Remus shrugs, standing as well, his gaze twinkling dangerously. “You were playing with your life.”

“Yes, my life!” I snap. “All this time and you still have no respect for my—”

Remus is suddenly in front of me. He stands over me, his eyes bright with emotion as he looks down at me, his hands wrapping around my waist to hold me flush against him. The heat from his body is almost too much. I can feel the pulse that radiates from him, making my knees weak. The pupil of Remus’s eyes is so small that I can barely see it as he speaks. He’s different.

“My life,” he says.

His hand drifts to my bottom lip, which is swollen from his kiss. His thumb gently strokes back and forth, his expression mesmerized. “I think you mean, my life.”

“Rem—mph!”

Remus’s lips cover mine before I can utter another word. His kiss is more urgent as his hands travel to my waist, hoisting me up. My legs wrap around his waist as the heat between them grows into an incessant ache. I gasp from the heat of his arousal pressing against my sex, my inner walls aching viciously as he carries me, never breaking the kiss.

I barely register him laying me on the cushion as his body completely covers mine. Remus’s hands never leave my body; they move knowingly over me, gripping my breasts before trailing down between my legs, and I feel the familiar tingle ripple over my skin before the material of my clothes is gone, and the cool air caresses my naked flesh.

Remus breaks the kiss, his lips finding my throat, and I shiver in pleasure as he leaves not only kisses, but his teeth scrape lightly against my flesh. My mind is no longer my own, as my body gives in to the pleasure he gives me. My anger, my anxiety, all of it disappears with Remus’s touch until I am wanting more, my body reminding me just how long it’s been between us.

His hand drifts between my legs, and I immediately spread myself for him, my eyes rolling back as he rubs his fingers along my folds, before slipping between them to massage my clit.

“Ohhh,” I moan, arching my back as the heat builds, settling over each and every part of my body. My inner walls pulse, and I involuntarily lift my hips in his hands, urging him to give me more.

“So impatient,” Remus chuckles against my throat, but he gives in to my silent demand, lowering his fingers until they tease my entrance. He slowly inserts a finger, pulling out to add another, and I am in bliss. My body recognizes the touch of this alien, begging him for more. He lowers himself, capturing my nipple, and my eyes fly open as I moan aloud from the pleasure that rocks through me.

“Angh!” I groan, tossing my head back, thrusting more than just my hips, my body taking on a mind of its own. Remus finds a rhythm with his fingers, and my body slowly builds with that rhythm to my release. My hands fly to his hair, pulling his strands between my fingertips as he pulls my nipple between his teeth, adding another finger.

“Oh, I—” My orgasm hits me, and my eyes water from the pleasure. My inner walls pulse around Remus’s fingers as my entire body is released, and I can’t control myself, grinding my hips against him. My moans fill the air as pleasure ripples through me.

Suddenly, Remus’s lips cover mine, swallowing each of my moans as he slows his strokes with his fingers. My orgasm dies down, but my arousal doesn’t. Remus slips his fingers out of me easily, his eyes glowing dangerously, as he looks down at me, having an internal battle with me.

His breathing is slow as he places his free hand along my throat, his touch gentle. His fingers caress my flesh, and I suck in a trembling breath, pulling his attention. I tense as an icy wave rushes over me, and a blue light reflects barely on Remus’s features. His eyes are otherworldly as he watches whatever it is he is doing at my throat.

Then, he speaks.

“Your life is mine, Iris. It always has been. You have no claim to it,” he murmurs, rising up so that his eyes bore into my own. I’ve never seen them like this. His pupil is almost nonexistant, trembling within his glittering gaze. Almost as if he is lost control somehow. It makes my heart beat fast, pumping my adrenaline to uncontrollable levels as my body understands the threat.

His finger drifts along my chin, holding my gaze, and I suddenly feel his tip pressing against my entrance. He enters me slowly, and my mouth opens wider the deeper he stretches me, until he is flush with my pelvis, inside of me.

“Ngh…,” I release a guttural groan, my eyes fluttering in pleasure as I try to hold his gaze.

He slowly pulls out, thrusting back in, and my entire body reacts to it. Warmth spirals through me, spreading warmth that elicits an audible reaction from me. My inner walls flutter around him, begging him for more as he pulls out again.

His thrusts are slow and deliberate as he watches my reaction.

“You have always been so stubborn,” he murmurs, kissing the corner of my mouth. His tongue gently swipes my bottom lip before he rises back up, watching my reaction. He shifts, and I arch my back in pleasure as he thrusts deeper than before, lifting my hips partially.

“But why would you taunt me with your life, Iris? It is the only thing that keeps me sane,” he murmurs, lowering himself to my throat.

I gasp as his teeth once again scrape over my flesh, and he gently bites down. Not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to get another moan from me. His thrusts become more rhythmic, stroking me deeper each time, and I can feel myself building to another orgasm.

My arms fly around his neck, my hands digging into his back. But it doesn’t bother him. A deep growl emanates from him as he thrusts deeper, jarring my body each time. My inner walls spasm around him as I continue to build to my orgasm.

“Oh!” I moan, tossing my head back as I come apart in his arms.

Remus lets me fall back against the cushions, rising up on his knees as he continues to fuck me through my orgasm. His naked chest heaves with his pleasure, the symbol illuminating with his excitement. His hand snakes up my stomach, and I gasp as the familiar sweep of a chill rushes through me. My heart sputters as he pulls his hand back, and what looks like a blue beam emanates from his palm to my throat.

“Agh, ngh!” I moan, my orgasm becoming too much as Remus continues to fuck me through it. My eyes water from the pleasure, and I can’t focus on anything other than what I feel rushing through me.

Remus’s cock grows harder inside of me, and I shiver at the delicious feel of him finding his release. Warmth spurts inside of me, filling me as his guttural groan fills the air, reigniting my pleasure.

He lowers himself to me, his lips covering mine, and I know from the heat behind it that we are not finished for the night. By challenging him like this, I have awakened something in him that he has been avoiding me to keep at bay. And now, it has reared its head with a vengeance.