28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Remus

They've fucked themselves.

My attention is focused on Iris's unconscious form through the glass. Petra is trying her best to save her, and the process is grueling. She looks lifeless lying there, and that doesn't sit well with me. Her skin is burned and bloody, her body disfigured from the heavy beams that crushed her spine, ribs, and lungs, all while burning her through. The high heat, combined with the weight of the beams, caught fire to her skin easily. Had I not abandoned my original plan to capture Iriel, she would have died in that room. Humans are such fragile beings. One wrong slice to the neck, one unlucky break, one horrible accident could end their lives swiftly. And Iris is no exception to that fact.

She almost died .

Her brother had a tracking device in his arm, something that I was counting on to reveal the location of rebels within the vicinity. The signatures on each of the inhibitors in the city aren't erratic enough for me to pick up. So, I needed to figure out which ones belonged to the rebels as opposed to slaves. I knew they would come for their leader once he was not only somewhere they could easily locate him but also the location of the Leviathan leader. I didn't, however, suspect they would use that to their advantage, using weapons created for my destruction to attack. It never occurred to me that they wouldn't consider three humans' safety. Iris's overwhelming belief that humanity is generally "good" got in the way of my logic.

Once again, my feelings for her overruled my reason, and for that, she paid the price. Now, her brother and Zaya's pet have been taken into the rebels' custody, and Iris is holding onto life by a thread. The faint sound of her heartbeat is the only thing keeping me both calm and fearful in the same breath.

Iriel has taken things too far. He's been backed into a corner, and that doesn't bode well for Ezra, wherever he may be. The weapons they created are powerful, meaning they can only get this information by testing them on my brother.

One of Petra's assistants brushes past me into the room with more mineral-soaked cloth gauging my attention. She immediately begins working on Iris's legs, one of which I can see the bone peeking through the skin. The weapon fired into the room she was in was created using our technology and was able to deconstruct matter while emitting an explosion. Not only do the rebels have dangerous technology, but technology targeted toward me, which is puzzling. I know Ezra would never reveal that information, no matter how violently he was tortured. The only person close enough to me who could give that information is currently on the table fighting for her life. But Iris would never do that. She couldn't. How would she even get the information out?

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when I notice Petra's heart rate is growing more erratic by the second. She's beginning to panic herself. My gaze shifts to Iris's body. I've never felt so helpless. The longer I stand here, the closer she gets to death. I did what I could to keep her alive on the way to Petra's facility, but I can only do so much. The cells where her skin was burned have long since died. So they won't be receptive to my touch. I suck in a deep breath as my thoughts circle back to one solution.

Giving her my essence.

It's dangerous and may do more harm than good, but I'm desperate. Iris is extremely weak compared to me. I've not only existed for a long time but have mastered the art of essence. It could be too much for her, seeing as our bodies are not compatible, nor does the human body have any kind of understanding of how to process it. But, like I said, I'm desperate. If I don't do this, she'll die.

I make my way into the room, and Petra immediately notices my entry. Her eyes widen as I approach and she steps back with her head bowed as her fear becomes clear to me.

"I'm sorry, Remus... the damage is too extensive. We may have to amputate— "

"Everyone out."

Petra's assistants immediately scurry from the room, but Petra takes a step closer to me.

"Everyone," I reiterate.

I wait until she leaves the room to approach Iris's body. Her eyes are closed, her breathing deep from the lack of consciousness. She has a deep scrape on her cheek, her lashes stuck together from the tears. I lean over her body, placing my hand against her cheek as I find myself becoming more aware of my emotions regarding her. She's become more than a source of amusement. And if she dies, I don't know what I'll do.

"Come back to me, Iris."

I study her silently before placing my lips over hers, offering a piece of myself to save her.

Iris

I must be dead. I have to be. There's barely any pain, but I know what happened. I was crushed. I was blown to pieces. I was dead. The pain is a dull throb compared to what it should be. My eyes peel open, and I have to blink rapidly for them to adjust to the blinding bright light surrounding me. The entire wall ahead of me is a window that opens to reveal the ocean. The water reflects the clear sky perfectly, and the color is vividly blue as it washes up on the sand before descending back into the ocean.

My arms and legs are encased in a foreign material that emits a comforting aura onto the top layer of my skin. Somehow, I am alive and in as little pain as possible. My mind shifts to the reason I'm here in the first place. The rebels attacked. Cypress said they had come for the both of them and now I have no idea if he's dead or alive. The last I saw of him, the room was blown to bits, and the ceiling collapsed on top of me. I fight the wave of nausea as I relive the pain of the weight and flames burning my flesh. I never want to feel that again.

"You're awake."

The sound of Remus's voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I turn to see him entering the room. He has a gentle smile on his lips as he takes me in, and I feel a sense of unease at the sight. He is once again watching me with that strange expression. He's dressed in his signature white, though his clothing is more oriented toward the tropical weather, the material light. Even his hair is pulled entirely out of his face, held in place on top of his head instead of his usual low ponytail.

He takes a seat next to the bed, immediately placing his hand against my cheek as he studies me. His thumb rubs lightly over my skin before moving to the coverings on my limbs. He still doesn't speak as he pulls back the material, checking my skin for remaining damage.

His eyes remain focused on his task as he speaks. "The humans did this. They attacked with no regard for the humans that were in my home."

His eyes shift to meet mine.

"They were willing to sacrifice your life for a plan they had no idea would work or not. Are those the people you want to fight for?" he asks .

"Where's Cypress?" I ask ignoring his question. Remus doesn't respond immediately, forcing tears to spring into my vision as the words he just spoke echo in my brain. My breathing hitches in my throat as panic comes over me. Remus notices my panic and offers me a comforting smile.

"The rebels retrieved him and Zaya's pet. Don't worry. They are both safe from my wrath for the time being," he says sarcastically. He's watching me as he speaks, studying me. I shake my head in confusion at his words.

"But Cypress said they were there to kill him, to make sure he didn't give up important information," I say.

"No. If that were the case, your brother would have killed himself before I could catch him. They were there to kill me. Once that plan backfired, they retrieved their comrades and left. It's much wiser to retrieve members that have survived so close to me for intel rather than kill them. Don't worry, Iris. They are safe," he reassures me.

The confidence in his tone gives me comfort. My brother is once again safe from Remus's wrath, and so is Jude.

I look at Remus as a question forms.

"But Jude's inhibitor," I say. Remus shrugs.

"Iriel has given the rebels plenty of information on how to disable them. And like I told you before, they are only for controlling. Nothing more. Your brother will return to try and win his planet back."

"Why didn't you stop them? Why let them escape with your informant and your leverage?" I ask .

Remus smiles softly, looking away from my legs to me.

"If I did that, I wouldn't have been able to save you."

My eyes widen at his words. He gave up information on his brother's whereabouts and the only leverage left to keep me in line. He let the rebels take them to save me. After a moment, his eyes drop to focus on his task, and he doesn't say a word. But my mind is running in overdrive as I try to understand this powerful being in front of me and what the meaning of his actions could entail.

Remus keeps his gaze locked to mine, and I notice the blue flecks within his gaze begin to burn bright as he watches me.

"So what do we do now, Iris? I assume you still want me to spare the lives of the ones that tried to take yours?" he asks.

I open my mouth only to close it again, my mind shifting to his words before we were attacked. He spoke as if everything he'd held off on was for my sake. I vaguely recall the panic in his tone as he tried to coax me away from death when I was injured, and now he sits across from me with a heavy look of possession in his gaze. I look down at my limbs, unable to keep his gaze any longer as my thoughts take a wild turn.

"How did you save me? I know for sure those beams crushed me," I say softly. I shiver from the memory.

"I did what I had to do to make sure you didn't leave me."

Remus's tone captures my attention but before I can say anything else, there's a light knock in the doorway. I look up to see Petra standing timidly, waiting for Remus to acknowledge her .

" Tsivoyah sharl ?" 1 he quips. She tenses from his tone, bowing her head in submission before she speaks.

" Tenma rive, " 2 she says softly.

I don't understand the drastic contrast of this interaction between them. Petra never seemed to be scared of Remus in the past. If anything, she admired him. But now, he seems irritated by her mere presence. Remus abruptly stands, continuing to speak to her in their native tongue, to which she nods her head, stepping deeper into the room. Remus looks back at me, his expression shifting as he takes me in.

"Petra will take care of you."

He then makes his way to the door, leaving me alone with the doctor. She watches the door for a moment before turning back to me. She then silently begins to pull the cloth from my skin, shaking her head as she looks at my flesh. I'm as shocked as she is. I expected there to be some kind of scarring, at least. But it seems that she has once again proven why she was the chosen Leviathan that specializes in humanity.

I silently reach for my legs, running my fingers over the smooth skin. There's nothing there. Even the scars from the blight have disappeared.

"How did you do this?" I ask. Petra doesn't answer immediately, reaching for my skin to test it herself. She lets out a light laugh before looking at me.

"I didn't. Remus did."

"...How?" My voice comes out in a whisper.

Petra only shrugs.

"That is something you will have to ask our leader yourself," she says, eyeing me. I feel my heart beginning to beat a little faster as the situation slowly comes into perspective for me. Before I can dwell, Petra lets out a laugh, placing her hand against my cheek. She's eyeing me with a look of pity.

"So, I was right," she says. I look at her in confusion, unsure of what she's talking about. She pushes my hair behind my ear, offering me a soft smile.

"He broke you, didn't he?" she asks, her eyes searching mine in genuine curiosity.

"I don't see any rebellion left in you. He broke your spirit, and yet... you somehow managed to capture his."

1. Translated: "What is it?"

2. Translated: "They've arrived."