Pet - Chapter 23 (Patreon)

Pain. I just want it to stop. My body is screaming in pain. There is a foreign being above me, and I am nailed to a metal bed. He's been burning my flesh, slicing me up, and breaking my bones. Time is nonexistent. I don't know how long it's been. I don't know who I am. I don't know why this is happening. All I know is pain.

I let out another blood-curdling scream as he stabs a machete through my thigh, twisting it hard and severing my bones from each other. I'm throwing my head side to side, begging someone. Anyone, anything to help me. But no one hears my call. No one answers.

I'm ripped from my nightmare, and when I open my eyes, I'm looking at a set of purple eyes. My body is slick with sweat, and my hands are strapped down next to me. My breathing is ragged and heavy, and my mind slowly finds itself once again. It's all a simulation. Remus is punishing me for running away and trying to kill him. He's teaching me a lesson by ripping my mind apart, because physically if he hurts me, the mental block may not be strong enough for him to ignore my pain.

So he's been torturing me for days on end. He's staring at me, emotionlessly, just watching me suffer. I feel my anger building up once again, and lunge at him, only to have my bonds holding me back. I let out a scream, screaming my hatred for him.

In my life, I've learned that life is short. Too short. I had come to accept the idea of my death coming early. I had accepted the fact that I may very well die in the blight. I had accepted it. But now, as I sit here, gazing at the man I'm shackled to for the rest of my life, I feel hatred. So much hatred, that it consumes me. Completely.

Remus' eyes narrow at me, and he sits back in his seat. He wants to break me. He may have broken my will to fight for freedom, but my hatred still spurns me on. He murdered all of those people. He took everything from us. Everything. The only reason I welcome this form of torture is because I don't have to think of the screams and the cries of agony that were caused because of me. Because I led Remus right to them.

"Have you still not learned your lesson, Iris," he says. He stands to leave the room, about to make me go under again, and my base instincts take over.

"No!" I scream. He stops. My broken sob fills the room.

"Not again.. please..." I trail off, unable to find my words.

"I won't fight you anymore," I sob.

"Just don't make me go through this again." Remus stands with his back to me, not moving an inch. He turns slowly, facing me. His gaze is scarier now than it has ever been to me. Because now, I have actually done something to provoke him. I tried to kill him. And he has not taken that lightly.

He reaches out, running his knuckles along the length of my cheek. I hate my body at this moment because it screams for his touch. He leans into my face, and I can feel the heat from his skin. My fingers are itching to touch him. He's inches from my lips, and just when I think he's going to kiss me, stops.

"No." I sit stunned into silence, and glare in complete and utter shock. The last thing I see is his emotionless gaze before the world goes dark, and I'm dragged back into hell.

* * * * *

When I was a child, I feared the monster that lurked under my bed. When I was a woman, living in the blight and fighting for my life, I feared that my girls would starve because of the decision I made. When I was captured, I feared the being that took me and ruled the race that took over this planet. And now, I fear the dark.

The actual dark terrifies me. Because that's where the torture began. That's where my hell began. The dark would happen, and the pain would come. The constant fear and worry. So as I sit quietly, letting the beautiful dress be put on me, I stare out the glass window at the sun shining over the land. I don't want it to ever go away. It's all I have in this world. The only thing that I can rely on. Because I know the sun will shine a light on everything, leaving nothing in the dark.

I live with the guilt and pain of thousands of innocent people being murdered because I led Remus to them. Every time I close my eyes, every time I try and sleep, I hear it. The screams. I see the blood and mass destruction brought by Remus and his siblings. I just want it all to end.

I look to my left at the servant fastening the jewels on my sleeves. Ruth. Her gaze is blank. Empty. Her mind long gone.

"Who were you before you were forced here," I say. She doesn't respond. She only continues her work diligently. It makes me sad. The thing I hate the most about this is that Remus is right. He's right about us. We're a hopeless bunch of beings. No matter the circumstance, when the light is revealed, we do everything in our power to control it. That's the way of man. Greed.

Remus may be a ruthless killer in our eyes, but he's never acted with his race the way we do with ours. He looks out for his people. He protects his people. He fights for his people. Everything he does is in their best interest. I've seen it. In the way, they love him and show their praise for not only him but his siblings. He always looks out for those who are dear to him. To us, yes, he is a horrible being in existence. But that's because he is against us. To his people, he is perfect.

I lower my head, letting the tears silently fall down my face. Even when they believed they had the means to defeat them, it never crossed the resistance mind to fight for the people enslaved. They just wanted to rise to power. I think back to Remus' words about his brother.

"If I find my brother dead, there will be no saving this planet from my wrath. Everyone will die. Everyone."

He was so serious. So protective of him.

I feel him. No sooner do I sense his presence, is my hair being pulled out of the intricate updo. He doesn't speak a word to me. I don't understand it. Is he still punishing me? He walks around me, keeping his gaze trained on me. His hand slowly reaches undermine, and he lightly runs his thumb over my knuckles.

"You look stunning, Iris," he says. I don't respond. I don't have to. He knows I won't.

I know there is a large crowd. I can hear the roar just beyond the massive white doors with Remus' symbol on it. Whatever is happening is huge and exciting. Remus told me to stay here, leaving me with two Leviathan guards. They silently stand on either side of me. Flawless faces and solid builds. I hear the unmistakable sound of heels and turn, to see Xion coming up the hallway.

She looks stunning. Actually stunning is an insult. I don't know if the word has been invented yet for how she looks. Her hair is past her waist, and stark white. Her eye sports the symbol I now have on my throat, and Remus has on his chest. Her purple gaze meets mine, and I know instantly she doesn't like me. I mean, why would she? I tried to kill her brother.

I immediately drop my gaze, remembering what she did to all those armed guards. But that doesn't stop her. She makes her way to me and stands directly in front of me. The guards that were on either side of me step sideways. I look up and wish instantly that I hadn't. Her gaze is colder than Remus'.

"You hurt him, and I will personally see to it that your brother and Jude die horrible deaths," she growls. I feel happiness, shock, and terror all in one moment. I had no idea my brother was ok. Nor Jude. I assumed he was dead when Zaya came to take my brother away.

"Oh? You didn't know did you?" she asks sarcastically. Her tone is so cold, I feel myself shivering.

"I will tell you this once. They are both alive and well, but depending on your actions will they stay that way." She pulls a blade from her sleeve inspecting it right in front of me. It looks foreign, but I know for a fact that it is deadly.

"Know that I am not my brother," her gaze meets mine.

"I only recently discovered compassion." She turns away from me, walking out the door, and the roar of the crowd grows louder as she steps through. I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding.

The roar of the crowd is insane. They are all beyond excited. I can only imagine why. The men next to me look at each other, and slowly motion for me to move through the doors. They pull open, and I'm momentarily blinded by the light, but soon my vision clears and I see it.

A crowd that stretches miles and miles, as far as the eye can see. I look up and on the podium are Remus and his siblings. They are smiling and waving. When I look around on the separate podiums opposite of me, I take note that there are three. On one is a man with blonde hair. He's human. He looks upset. I let out a small gasp of shock when I see who's on the other podium. Sky. She's wearing a white dress that clings to her slender frame, and her hair has been pulled up into an intricate updo leaving only a few curls to fall. Around her throat is an inhibitor. Her gaze isn't empty though. So I know only her body is under control. Not her mind.

When I look back to where Remus and his siblings are, Xion and Ezra take a seat while Remus holds his hand up to quiet the crowd. Then, he begins his speech. Whatever his speech is, it's really exciting to his people. They are shouting and cheering. I have no idea what he's saying because he is speaking his language. Nor do I know what he's thinking or feeling.

He pauses momentarily in his speech, and motions to Ezra who stands and waves. The crowd goes wild, and Remus smiles at his brother. Then, he says something else and Xion stands. She waves and the people love her. They both take their seats again, and Remus continues. The speech is uplifting for the people. It lasts for a few minutes longer, and the celebration begins.

I'm standing inside the grand hall that I was in before, waiting for Remus. I look up when I feel his presence. Sure enough, he's walking up the hall, an emotionless expression. His clothing is regal attire and of course all white. The guards on either side of me step sideways, bowing as he approaches.

"Did you enjoy the celebration?" he asks simply. I know why he's asking me this. Because he knows that the reason behind the celebration will kill me. And I'm beginning to have an idea of what it was.

"I couldn't understand it," I say. Remus lets out a soft laugh, placing his fingers through my hair.

"I know," he says. His hand drifts down to mine, and he clasps it in his.

"Come." He begins walking, pulling me along with him. As we walk up the hall, we pass by his siblings. I see Xion with the man that was across from me on the podium. I stare in shock at the love I see in her gaze for this man. Her smile is so bright and excited as she looks at him. We also pass by Ezra, who is saying something quietly to Sky. I see the inhibitor around her throat in his hands, and I see the resentment in her gaze as she looks at him. I think back to a time when I felt that way towards Remus. When he first took me from my home.

She doesn't stand a chance.

I think that Remus is going to take me to a ball of some sort, but instead, he takes me back to his home in the mountain. I look around me silently, taking in the fact that it's empty. Even the silent slaves that are usually under his control are nowhere to be found, and all too soon I realize what his speech and that celebration was for.

I look up at him, but he keeps his gaze trained forward. He leads me to the bedroom, where he pulls me between his legs and begins removing my clothes. I think he's going to have sex with me, but he only puts something comfortable on me. He then goes and changes himself.

I look around at the empty room and feel dread creeping up within me. Horrible, terrible dread. Remus leaves the room, expecting me to follow, and I do until we reach the end of the hall. My footsteps falter, and I'm staring at my feet. Remus knows the exact moment I stop following him. He stops himself, and I know he is looking at me.

"Please..." I whisper. My whisper comes out shaky and broken. I look up at Remus with tears swarming my eyes and spilling over heavily. I take in a shaky breath.

"Don't take me away from my planet," I sob. Remus doesn't speak immediately. And for the first time in a long time, his facial expression shifts. He raises his brow and begins walking towards me. As he gets closer, my body is shaking more and more. I squeeze my eyes shut, and place my hands over my mouth, trying my best to stop my sobs from coming. But I'm failing miserably.

Remus is standing over me. I can hear my heart's erratic beat in my chest. For once, I just want some miracle to happen. I open my eyes and gasp lightly. Remus is eye level with me, his purple gaze burning into my own. He seems to be looking for something. A ghost of a smile tickles his lips, and he places his hand against my face. My sobs are loud when he touches me. I feel his thumb lightly caressing my jaw, his lips over mine lightly. He places a soft kiss on my lips, and at the same moment I feel his fingers against my temple, and darkness envelopes me.