Revelation - Chapter 7 (Patreon)

Remus

The castle is swarming with servants. They’re all scurrying to find their place before our guests of honor arrive. I stand by the window looking out at the world around us. The clouds are especially calm today. Swirling in and out and blowing softly across the large windows. I take in a deep breath as a wave of irritation washes over me.

I haven’t spoken to or seen Iris in a week. I’ve given her the space she seems to need. I haven’t even bothered keeping an eye on her. It kills me inside knowing that she’s literally a few feet away from me every night, and I can’t touch her. I’ve tried patience, but it seems like that isn’t working at all. And my patience is beginning to run out. With each passing day frustration and the need to remind her of who she is claws at my brain.

I wanted to make her my equal. But with each day she shows me she isn’t deserving of that. I’m afraid my patience has run out. And any day now we’ll be back to where we were the moment we first met. It seems more possible today than any other due to the nature of the event.

I turn away from the view when I hear plates crashing to the ground. A few servants have run into each other and are profusely apologizing to me as I walk over. Both of them have pitch black hair like the rest of their people. They look up at me apologizing as I come closer. Those black eyes staring at me in fear. I stare back into those black depths. My people believe that these people are soulless entities. They believe that they are a species beneath us. The positive thing to come from my abduction and life among the stars is that I’ve learned to never underestimate your enemies. Especially the ones you think you have complete control over. Iris has been a clear example of that.

So I’ve been keeping a close eye on them as time in this world has lengthened. They have all proven to be like the servants on any other planet. But I still don’t trust them.

“Clean this up.” I snap before walking away. I make my way through the castle silently. I've been nothing short of irritated in the past few days. Hearing the constant hate from Iris and the same argument as well as her constant need to shout at me was a key factor in my decision. I thought maybe if I gave her some space things would calm down, but it seems to have the opposite effect. She's grown too used to my complacency and has lost any and all fear she had of me so she has her outbursts whenever she feels necessary. It has to stop. I don’t even have an idea of where I’m going until I reach the balcony that overlooks the gardens. I step onto the balcony looking down to the gardens and as I expected, Iris is sitting down there.

Her hair is falling down her back as she wears a light white dress that barely comes above her thighs. My eyes focus on her lips. Even from this distance, I can see her as clearly as I would if she were right in front of me. I miss her body. I miss her moans and sighs of pleasure. She keeps walking until she reaches a bed of roses. She leans over them, closing her eyes as she sniffs the flowers. She even reaches out to touch the vine and pricks her finger. She pricks it deep enough to draw blood.

I miss her taste. I haven’t taken anything from her. Not even her energy since our arrival. I’ve taken the energy of others. Some even have died at my hands. She continues to walk through the gardens until she disappears from my view.

“The most powerful being in the universe and you fall prey to one of the weakest.” My father comes up behind me, and I immediately turn to walk away from him. He grabs my shoulder and I immediately counter, getting rid of his hand on me.

“Don’t touch me.” I snap. He glares at me for a moment.

“I just want to talk to you, Remus.” He says. I narrow my gaze.

“I have nothing to say to you,” I say. Now his eyes narrow.

“Well, I have something to say to you.” He growls. He looks over the gardens where Iris re-emerges from the shrubbery.

“You bring a human here and I said nothing. You brought your mothers bastard children here and I still said nothing.” I feel my flesh crawling at his description of my siblings.

“But you dare bring her outside son into my kingdom, and into my council?” He snaps. I step closer to him.

“My counsel,” I say. I look into his eyes challenging him.

“You’re going to flaunt your mother's mistakes right in my castle? In my home?” He snaps.

“Yes,” I respond. He narrows his gaze.

“You owe me some modicum of respect Remus. I am your king.” He snaps. I laugh.

“You manipulated me. You almost had me kill my brother. My sister.” I growl. I step closer to him, showing him that any fear I had of him is non-existent.

“You used me to punish my mother for what she did. And had Acacius not been there, you would have succeeded.” I say. I look him up and down.

“Don’t forget I took your power form you once. I have no qualms about doing it again. The only reason I released you from that prison is that you’re still king. So don’t piss me off before I take your throne and your dignity.” I growl. He stares at me.

“She ruined you.” He says. I scoff at him.

“Yes. She did. But you already knew that.” I say. I turn to walk away from him.

“Remus!” He shouts. I don’t stop walking though.

"You think I manipulated you? That was all you on your own son. That was the monster your mother always tried to keep at bay!" He shouts. I ignore his words.

“If you touch Ezra or Xion, I will take everything and lock you away. We both know you don’t have much longer.” I say.

It’s quiet. Then again, it always is with Iris. I step into the room to check on her. She’s beautiful. She’s dressed in the white gown I chose for her that sports my family's crest on the train. Her hair has been pulled into an intricate updo, with a few stray stands left to fall around her face. Jewels adorn her skin. My gaze travels to the bare skin around her collar. Skin that used to have my symbol embedded in it. But since my mother's attack and the break of our bond, it’s gone.

Her back is to me, but I can tell by her body language she is uncomfortable. It’s something that I knew the servants would elicit inside of her. Her muscles are tense and her heartbeat is fast.

“Leave us.” The servants immediately bow and scurry out of the room. I take note that one of the servants is the same one I saw earlier today. She’s not one that I’m used to seeing, yet she shows up when Iris is near or when I’m alone. Hm.

I walk towards Iris. She’s standing on the stump in the center of the room surrounded by mirrors. She looks at me in the reflection, and her eyes widen slightly. I can hear her heart. And smell her fear. I keep my face blank of emotion as I approach her.

I feel a strong sense of déjà vu as I take her hand in mine.

“This is a beautiful dress.” I murmur. She doesn’t say anything. Not like I expected her to. I look up at her.

“It was made by the fines seamstress in this dimension. She made my mothers dresses. And now she will make your clothes for you.” I say. I trace my fingers over the intricate seams of the fabric and slowly move my fingers above the low dipped collar to trace Iris’ soft flesh. I have to fight the shudder of pleasure that threatens to wash over me from the contact.

I look into her bright green eyes, making myself a stoic as possible so that she understands the importance of tonight. She's always had a habit of having outbursts at important events.

“I have invited rulers from all over this realm to a dinner tonight. To re-introduce myself.” I say. “I want you to know, that the last thing on my mind tonight is hurting you, Iris.”

I bring her hand up to my lips and place my lips on her palm. I suck lightly on the skin, pulling her energy with it. A hoarse cry escapes her lips and I know the message is clear.

“But I will if I have to.”

We make our way through the castle and finally reach the double doors of the ballroom. Iris is silent the whole way. But I don't need a bond to tell me what she's feeling. I've given her enough time and space. I've used all of my patience on her. If she can't accept the things that have happened and be my equal, then she will be stuck by my side as she once was.

I can hear my father on the other side giving his speech about his long lost son and how happy he is to have me back where I belong. He then goes into a speech about what’s happening to my mother currently. I tune him out not wanting to hear anything that has to do with her.

Iris is next to me shaking. I look down on her and grab ahold of her hand. She looks up at me, and I can’t help the feeling of nostalgia that washes over me. I remember when I first acquired her as a pet, she showed no fear. She had that fire. And each time I would take her somewhere, was because I wanted to test her. But now, she seems to be completely different.

Maybe because then she had no idea what she was up against. But now she has a clear idea. Even if she isn’t aware of the change in me and what it is I can do now. She hasn’t the slightest clue. I grab her hand in mine. I'm not sure if it's fear or anger, but I know that either way tonight I will find out.

“Just follow my lead,” I say. The doors to the ballroom open and the crowd is revealed to us. I feel Iris’ hand tighten in mine, and I smile. A new test has begun. Before the night is over, we shall see the true nature of Iris. And if she truly is tamed.

Unknown POV

"My son, my heir, and your future king, Remus."

The applause is deafening as the doors open and finally reveal the long lost prince of the celestevine.

Anger flows through me at the sight of him. The one thing that is standing between us and victory. He smiles and waves to his people, and I look around at the smiling faces of all those that love and adore him. I can see the aura that surrounds him. His energy is far greater than his mothers and fathers combined. They were right. He is a prodigy. And he will propel his race into a new era.

All we needed was for his mother to keep him away from this realm, but his father finally found him. My gaze travels to the human on his arm. I stare at her in confusion. She's so dull in comparison to him. Her energy levels are next to nothing. Even as she descends the steps next to him, her eyes are wide and her skin is flushed.

It's inadvertently sensual.

It was one thing seeing her from a distance all this time because he was keeping her hidden. But now she is close and I can take in her features much better. There's something about her that makes me unable to look away. And those eyes. They're such a beautiful color. She almost looks delicate.

I can see the shakiness and fear in her. The prince must have said something to her moments before the doors opened for her to look like this. He finally reaches the bottom of the stairs and turns to her. He whispers something in her ear and she nods and bows slightly before stepping towards the guards that are glued to her.My gaze travels to the prince. His hand lingers on her waist. It's for a split second, and if I weren't aware of her status here I wouldn't have noticed it. I keep my gaze trained on her as he walks towards his father at the head of the room through the throngs of people.

She is watching him with a mixture of fear and hate. I do wonder how he came across such a resentful creature and why he kept her around. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

Tonight should prove interesting if anything. A captive with that much malice in their gaze doesn't stay docile for long. Especially when surrounded by the enemy.