29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Iris

I'm alone. My brother abandoned me, Jude was taken from me, Margot is dead, my parents are dead, and I have been left alone. The only presence I have is Remus, and he's a constant, terrifying threat that I've come to realize is much too powerful. My brother, however, has not. What should have been a tearful, joy-filled occasion of finally reuniting was just me arguing with him, trying to convince him of why he should give up on going to war with Remus. I don't understand what his drive is in fighting Remus. He saw for himself that Remus is indestructible and the weapons they used against him were useless. Why would he continue to fight? Why would he leave me without so much as an attempt to take me with him?

I've risked everything in giving all the information I could to the resistance, and it seems to have given them zero ground in this "war." I suck in a deep breath, pulling open the glass door that leads to the patio. The patio overlooks the beach surrounding us, the plant life immaculate atop it and filled with a plethora of colorful flowers. I angle my face toward the sun, enjoying the feel of the rays for the first time in weeks. Remus has been very strict about my recovery, keeping me indoors at all times. But finally, I have been cleared to roam free. Freer than he's ever let me be.

There are no humans with inhibitors monitoring me, no Leviathan servants, or even Remus standing nearby.

It's just me and my thoughts.

In the days since the attack, Remus's behavior has been abnormal. I don't know if it was the loss of Cypress and Jude and any chance of finding his brother safe or the fact that I almost met my end. Petra's words are constantly torturing me with the possibility of Remus having feelings for me. He seems closed off and distant, more so than he was when we originally met. And he rarely leaves his office.

Whatever reason he has for dealing with humanity so patiently seems to be losing its importance the longer this stretches on. The rebels are backing themselves into a tight corner. And with the retrieval of Jude and Cypress, I know the corner is going to get much smaller for them. They seem to think that whatever they are doing to his brother is enough reason to continue to attack Remus. What they don't seem to understand is that Remus and his brother are not the same, and that is information I gave my brother before he was rescued. I can only hope that instead of using it as more ammo, Cypress will take it as a reason to discontinue this empty fight that only results in the deaths of more humans.

I pull the locket open, looking at the faded picture of my family. I blink my eyes rapidly to force the tears down as I stare at the picture. We look happy. My brother looks so young and innocent, my parents seeming to enjoy the life they've created. A moment like that has been frozen in time forever, and I can't even remember it.

I really am alone.

I don't know if Cypress sees me as his sister or just a lost cause to the enemy. The more I try, the harder it is to find the will to fight. Even during the rebel's attack, Remus's only concern was me. He never seemed concerned about the mass attack with weapons beyond my imagination. And somehow, he managed to bring my mangled body back to a healthy version of itself.

I'm tired.

I'm tired of feeling like humanity depends on me, yet I am failing them. I wish I had the resolve my brother had. But I don't even have the strength to ask Remus about his plans for the rebels. Or beg. I don't want to push him. I'm terrified of angering him. I was so stupid in the past, rebelling against him, and now I'm afraid that his patience has worn out. I fear the pain he can inflict and the fact that his rage knows no bounds. None that exist on this planet, anyway.

I face away from the water, keeping my gaze locked on the locket in my hand when movement catches my attention. When I look up, I catch a glimpse of Remus on the inside of the glass. But he isn't coming toward me. He's walking away from me with a plant in his hand.

My legs are moving before I can stop myself as I make my way back inside to follow him. The house is large but very spacious, which I've learned is a part of the Leviathan culture. They like natural light and open spaces along with plant life. I make my way up the hall until I finally realize where Remus is heading. He's going to the courtyard, something I've noticed in each of his homes. They always contain a garden somewhere inside.

The entire wall surrounding the courtyard is glass, while the open area has the natural light of the sky shining down on it, so I can see him from inside the house. He's still holding the plant in his hands, looking for a good place for it, I assume. I step closer to the glass, my eyes widening when I realize he's holding Margot's plant. I pull the door open, gauging his attention, and he watches me with an unreadable expression. His gaze wanders over me, lingering on my arms and legs before he speaks.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

"I'm fine," I say softly, eyeing Margot's plant. "You saved her."

Remus nods his head placing the plant on the table as he makes his way toward me. He doesn't speak as he inspects my body, his fingers leaving a warm trail over my arms. "Of course I did."

"How? I thought they burned everything down," I say.

Remus smiles softly.

"I knew they would attack. I had already moved everything that was valuable prior to. Other than you, that is."

He flips my arm over, tracing his fingertips over my veins .

"Your body seems to have reached normal working capacity," he speaks to himself more than me. As Remus inspects the rest of my body, I peek up at him from under my lashes. He's very focused on his task, allowing me to admire his beauty. His skin is smooth, his lips set in a line as he inspects me. Even his hair is pulled perfectly out of his face, allowing a view of his features. He's once again distant yet extremely focused on me. His eyes meet mine, and I look away. For once, he doesn't tease my shyness but I'm sure he's aware of my sudden rise in heartbeat. Still, he doesn't say anything about it, and I am grateful.

"It's lonely, isn't it?" he asks. When I look at him, his eyes are focused on my necklace. He grabs the locket, popping it open to reveal my family. I look at him as he looks at the picture taking in each of his features. Even the lashes surrounding that vivid gaze match the unnatural hue of his hair.

"The only family you had left abandoning you for a suicide mission..."

His eyes are still focused on the locket in his hands, and I find myself unable to look away.

"Even after you begged him not to, he chose them over you."

I can't find the words, so I raise my finger, pulling my locket out of his grasp.

"If you're trying to make me hate him, I won't. He's only doing what he thinks is right," I say.

"And what do you think is right?" Remus's tone catches me off guard, causing me to look at him. He's watching me with that strange expression .

"I think it's pointless to fight. You're not in our league... you're just playing with us," I say softly. Remus smiles at that, revealing his sharp canines. I find myself wondering if that's a genetic trait to help him sink his teeth into someone.

"What happened to the woman that said, ‘I will never turn my back on my people'?" he asks. I finally see it. The motivation behind his taunting. His amusement stems from the power he holds over me and everyone on this planet. His pure enjoyment from watching us struggle in a situation we don't understand... until we finally do.

"You broke her." My voice comes out in a small whisper, betraying just how broken I am. Remus places his hand under mine, lifting my palm to his lips. He eyes me as a soft smile spreads over his lips.

"Then tell me this my broken Pet...," his smile disappears and his eyes seem to glow with his next sentence. "How much information were you able to give those rebels?"

I rip my hand out of his grasp, my eyes wide as fear creeps up my spine. My body begins to tremble as I study him, trying to ascertain whether or not he's testing me again. There's no way he could possibly know.

I shake my head, clutching my palm to my chest as I try and force my body to stop giving me away. "No, I—"

"You, what? Thought I wouldn't find out?" Remus steps closer to me, his gaze narrowing as he takes me in. He gently pushes my hair out of my face, leaning into me .

"It's my fault, really, for not seeing you as a threat. I should have known you were a formidable adversary. Even if some of your methods were rather... enjoyable," he says with a smile. He lightly pats my cheek, angling his head to better view my expression.

"Just how much did you give them? And how did you possibly get it out without me knowing?" he asks. I don't respond, and suddenly, I feel myself growing weak as the familiar feeling of his feeding washes over me. My body is compressed in an icy chill, my legs growing weak.

"What did you give them, Iris?" he asks again. His tone indicates he has lost all patience with me. I collapse to my knees, my eyes wide.

"Nothing," I whisper. His frown deepens at my outright lie, but he continues to suck my life away.

"What did you give them?"

My flesh begins to prickle, my consciousness waning. Just when I think I'm going to pass out, Remus snatches my top, pulling me in close to him, his eyes boring into mine. The darkness of his pupil is trembling as he takes me in, and suddenly, I can feel the slow descent of pain wash over me.

"Do you really want to play this game with me?" he growls. The ground around us begins to tremble, the air growing heavy, making it difficult to breathe.

"What did you give them?" he snaps. His eyes are beginning to take on the rage that I've become terrified of, but for the sake of everyone, I can't tell him. I won't. It's the least I can do after trying to convince my brother to abandon humanity. I squeeze my eyes shut as more tears stream down my cheeks, shaking my head. I can't find words to speak anymore from the pure terror gripping me, nor can I bring myself to look at Remus.

I hear the crack of glass as Remus's rage grows, the reality around me shifting.

"Iris!" he shouts my name, throwing me to the ground. I cry out in pain as my body collides with the solid surface from the force. When I open my eyes, Remus is standing over me, his body trembling in rage. His eyes are focused on me, and I can see him fighting for control, though I don't know why.

Just kill me now. It's the perfect opportunity.

"No! I won't... I won't betray them again," I shout. Tears rush down my face, and my fingers are trembling as my nails dig into the dirt beneath me. I feel them tearing from my flesh from the tight grip that I have. I look up at Remus, my breathing shaking as he takes me in. His gaze is frightening. He kneels to my height, gripping my chin to hold my gaze. He has somehow calmed himself down, but not fully.

We look into each other's eyes, neither of us aware of how to move forward from here, but I finally break the silence between us.

"Just kill me," I whisper. Remus's gaze narrows, and I can see him considering, if only for a moment. He lets out a bitter laugh, shoving me away roughly. He then stands to full height, glaring down at me.

"You and I both know I can't."