34. Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

Iris

My chest aches. The feeling is coming from within, like an emotion. I feel... betrayed. The emotion swims around my head, squeezing my chest as it's swallowed up by rage. I don't know where the feeling is coming from, but it's suffocating me until I can do nothing but gasp for air.

I jolt awake, flying up in the bed I'm lying in, clutching my chest. A heavy coat of sweat covers my skin as the room around me shifts into focus. I blink rapidly, trying to figure out where I am and what is happening, making it difficult to catch my breath. There is an IV in my arm, and I immediately rip it out, pulling at the electrodes that are glued to my chest.

"Iris!" I tense when I feel hands on me, immediately swatting at my attacker in panic .

"Iris, calm down. You're safe!" The hands roughly grip my arms, steadying me until I am looking into the face of my attacker. Tears spring into my vision as I take him in. It's Jude. He's here.

"Jude?" I whisper. I hesitantly reach out, touching his face, and he places his palm over mine to reassure me. His hand is warm, his gaze gentle as he smiles, nodding his head.

"Yeah, it's me," he says softly.

"I thought—but I saw you—" I can't finish my sentence as I take him in, and he understands, pulling me in for a hug. My tears pour even harder as I squeeze him to me, running my fingers in his hair and over his back to make sure he's actually here and not brought back into my life as a slave under Remus's control. I quickly pull away from him in fear as the thought washes over me. My eyes meet Jude's with fear.

"Remus," I whisper.

My gaze swiftly runs over the room but it looks nothing like the rooms Remus held me in. The lights are dim, and the room itself has sheetrock instead of fully finished walls. It looks thrown together and falling apart. I also note that my bed is far from comfortable and extremely scratchy against my skin. Something that was never an issue in Remus's care. It takes me a moment to realize I'm in a makeshift hospital. There's a small sink in the corner and even a mirror on the wall; the double doors are closed, but I can see the shadows of people passing by on the outside.

I look at Jude with wide eyes, and he's still watching me with a cautious gaze .

"What happened?" I whisper. The last thing I remember is escaping the celebration... My eyes widen as the memory of what occurred after hits me. I attacked him. I attacked Remus while he was trying to save his own people... because of me. I shot at him with a weapon that killed Zaya and was made especially for his downfall. I look at Jude with wide eyes, a feeling of terror washing over me.

"Please... tell me he's dead," I whisper. My fingers tremble at the thought of him being alive and coming to find me after what I did—the wrath that I have incurred because of my rage not only targeted him but his people. The innocent. Something that I have always harped on and accused him of being a horrible leader for. Jude gently places his hand over mine, a small smile forming on his lips, and he nods his head gently.

"He's gone."

"Iris?" We both look toward the door as a woman steps into the room. Jude immediately stands next to me as she enters, her eyes focused on me. She has a smile on her lips as she approaches. She's beautiful. Her skin is a deep mocha with a warm golden undertone, without a blemish in sight on her face. She's also very tall with a lean, athletic build. As she smiles at me, I notice a deep set of dimples that form on her cheeks, and her hair is braided up, the rest left to wildly curl around her face, resting at her lower back. As she approaches, I notice the tight coils of those curls.

"Hi, my name is Sky Barlowe. I am the lead researcher here in the resistance, but before that, I was a commanding officer alongside your brother," she says softly .

"Once you are feeling up to it, I've been asked to bring you to him," she says with a smile. My eyes widen, and tears once again fall over. I look at Jude for confirmation, and he smiles at me, nodding his head reassuringly. I've finally made it. I'm in the resistance.

The resistance is an entire society that has formed within a cave in the mountains. I look around in awe at what humanity has managed to create in a few years. There are homes carved into the mountainside and some made of rock and stone on the base where the people live. The sky opens up in random crevices of the mountain, giving little light that shines down on the people who live here.

I can see why Remus would have trouble finding it. They've been building their home inside a mountain. I watch Sky interact with the people passing on the street. She looks at ease as she smiles, reciting all of their names as they greet her.

"You really know everyone here," I say, gauging her attention.

"Of course. I practically grew up here. This is all I know, and these are my people. We've all been here since the invasion," she says with a smile.

I smile again at her confidence in this thriving society. Women, children, and whole families are not only surviving but creating a life here. People also stand watch with their weapons. As I look in the distance, I can see people near the furthest wall of the cavern, working away. Sky notices the direction of my gaze and speaks.

"We've finally found a way to expand our reach within the mountain safely," she says.

"I can't believe you guys have been thriving here this entire time," I say softly. I feel a tinge of anger that none of my girls survived to see this or at least make it here. There are so many more people in the world who have no idea this place exists or that there is even someone still fighting for them.

We make our way deeper into the cavern, away from the sunlight, where artificial light hangs on the walls. I note that as we approach the building, there's a gate to block regular citizens from getting in. There are also what look like soldiers coming in and out on the combat motorbikes we used during our escape from Remus.

Once we reach the gate, Sky shows a pass to the guards, and they let us inside, not glancing in my direction once. We enter the building, and I find myself looking around in awe. It's nothing impressive compared to Remus's buildings and research labs, but for a group of humans hiding in a mountain, it's amazing. They've even generated their own electricity in these buildings made of stone.

I continue to marvel at the people moving about their day, doing their jobs. Some even pause to say their greetings to Sky. Whatever her role is as lead researcher, people around here respect her for it. We continue to make our way through the halls until we finally reach two double doors that are once again guarded. The men silently step aside, allowing Sky to enter the room. She looks at me before entering.

"Wait here," she says softly. With that, she slips inside the room, leaving me alone in the hallway. I take the time to look around, letting the situation settle into my mind. I did it. I escaped Remus. According to Jude, I managed to kill him, something that should excite me but makes me feel...uneasy.

If Remus is gone, where does that leave the Leviathan society? Remus and his sister are both dead, leaving Ezra alone on this planet. What could possibly be next? How do we eradicate them from our world for good?

The doors to the room open, and Cypress comes out, grinning at me as he pulls me into an embrace.

"You fucking did it," he whispers as he squeezes me. He pulls away from me, taking me in with pride.

"You should have seen it, Iris. The weapon worked like a charm. One second, he was there with his back turned, and the moment that beam of light hit him... there was nothing. Just the collapse of the building and no Remus to protect them," he says with a smile. My eyes widen as his words wash over me. I take a small step back, wanting to vomit at the turn of events, but I hold strong as a look of concern washes over Cypress's face.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"I... I'm just feeling overwhelmed, is all," I say softly. Cypress smiles at my words, gripping my shoulder .

"Well, you certainly saved us a lot of work. The last thing we thought was going to happen was the death of their leader," he says.

"How did you know he would let his guard down over something so simple?" he asks. I immediately pick up Cypress's use of the word "simple." Sacrificing a group of innocents is simple to him.

"I... he told me," I say softly. I sense an oncoming headache, my chest growing tighter by the second. Before Cypress can respond, the door opens, and Sky beams at us.

"He's ready for you," she says. Cypress nods his head, grabbing me by the arm as he leads me into the room. The room is dimly lit, but I immediately notice the Leviathan technology that sits on the walls, adding natural light. There's a circular table in the center of the room, and a Leviathan that I immediately recognize sits behind it.

Iriel.

He eyes me as I approach, a smile on his lips. I note that two other humans are also sitting on either side of him, watching me as well.

"Welcome, Iris. Your brother has explained everything you have done for us." Iriel stands, making his way toward me, and I feel my muscles tense as he approaches. Out of reflex, I drop my gaze, keeping my eyes focused on the ground. I hear his soft chuckle before he gently grabs ahold of my hand.

"We don't do that here, Iris. You are no longer under his rule. "

His words are gentle, and I can tell he's trying to reassure me, but I only feel tense by them. He knows nothing. Even if Remus is gone, his hold will always exist in the back of my mind. As I look at Iriel, I feel a deep-seated hatred brewing inside me. I rip my hand away from his grasp, looking at Cypress.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask. He doesn't respond, though. Iriel takes it upon himself to speak.

"Your brother wanted me to meet the woman that propelled our cause forward, even though we have already met in the past, haven't we?" he asks. I don't respond. I don't like this situation. So many unanswered questions are beginning to ring in my head, but I fight my instincts to raise alarm and continue to play along.

"I know that things seem strange from your point of view, but if you would just give us an opportunity to explain things—"

"What do you really want?" I ask. I've been around Remus long enough to learn the quirks of his people—especially this one.

"Iris—" Cypress begins to speak, but Iriel stops him, his eyes steady on me.

"You're a very clever one, aren't you? I can see why he favored you so heavily," he chuckles, stepping away.

"I'll skip straight to the point then. We need information any and all information you can offer," he says.

I blink in confusion.

"About what?" I ask.

"We need layouts, maps, whatever Remus's plans were up to the celebration. Even if you have information regarding Remus and his sister's power and secrets, that would be helpful," he says .

"You're the Leviathan. Why don't you already know these things?" I ask.

"Iris!" Cypress shouts at me in disappointment, but I don't break my gaze with Iriel. The things he's asking for are things he should already know, not only as a Leviathan but as one of Remus's handpicked generals. But it would seem that Remus was aware of his betrayal and kept him out of the loop, leaving my brother and the rebels vulnerable without their knowledge.

Iriel sucks in a deep breath. I can tell already he doesn't like to be questioned, especially in front of his blind followers. My mind shifts to Margot and all the people like her who suffered because of his selfish desires. There were humans infiltrating their society, and none of them thought to give any of us hope that there was a safe place out there to escape to or even that there was someone fighting for them.

"Unfortunately, Remus kept me in the dark on many things in our recent times together. He even gave me false information at the village."

"And yet, you sent my brother and others out to their deaths?" I ask in disbelief.

"You let him get captured and almost killed him trying to kill Remus with weapons you knew wouldn't work!" I shout. I feel Cypress's hand on my shoulder, but my anger grows by the second.

"I know from your point of view, what I've done to lead these people doesn't seem ideal. But I've been alongside Remus for decades, conquering galaxies. Everything I did was for the greater good. Cypress knows the dangers of battle and knows that if he were to get captured, we would know exactly where he is. He was ready to sacrifice his life for the greater good. And if I had gotten caught during Remus's ambush, then the resistance wouldn't be able to fend for themselves," Iriel says.

"You were sacrificing human lives to try and kill Remus with weapons you knew wouldn't work!" I shout. My chest aches further from the situation, and I feel pain radiating through me. I clutch my chest, stumbling when I feel Cypress holding me gently.

"We may have thrown things too quickly on her."

I hear Cypress and Iriel speaking over me as if I'm not here, but the sounds of their voices grow foggy as my body fights itself.

"I'm fine," I hiss, swatting Cypress's hands away.

"Iris, we appreciate everything that you have done for this resistance. You've done more than I could in the years I've been here. I wish we could take things slow and allow you to adjust, but we just don't have the time. As of right now, Leviathan society is in a state of emergency. We know Remus is gone, but his sister's attack is in the air. We also have their mother to worry about. As a part of our culture, we don't know everything there is to know about the Divine Three, but Remus seemed to have told you things that he's never shared, and it would help us so much if you could open that door for us."

My eyes widen slightly at the situation.

"You don't know if Xion is dead?" I ask, my voice trembling. I recall the smoke off the shore and Remus's reaction to it, so how could she have survived, and Remus did not?

"How are you so sure that Remus is dead?" I ask in a panic.

Now Cypress speaks up.

"Iris... we saw him disintegrate into nothing," he says softly. My head is swimming with all of this information as fear comes to the forefront. What have I done? What have we done? It never occurred to me that the mother is still out there and that Xion could have survived. I was on the high of escaping and fighting back. I look at Iriel, trying to calm my panic.

"What about Ezra?" I ask. Iriel looks shocked for a moment before he covers it up, a smile forming on his lips.

"So, he did tell you everything," he says. His gaze shifts to Sky at the back of the room, and she nods her head, pushing open the door.

"Come, let us show you our facility," Iriel says as he walks past me. I take note that the other humans sitting at the table rise as well, all of us going on an impromptu trip. As we step through the halls, Iriel begins to speak.

"The resistance is only thriving because I offered them our technology, allowing them to turn even the harshest of conditions into a home," he says, gesturing to the wall crystals. He's an arrogant Leviathan in the face of humanity. I've seen him cower in Remus's presence.

"Unlike human energy, which was harmful to your planet and detectable because it needs a source, Leviathan energy is pure, leaving no trace, and can power whole cities for years, especially on this planet," Iriel says smugly.

"It's been a huge help to the weapons and the research here," Cypress adds behind me .

"We knew that taking them down would be difficult. Once word about her children reaches her, we hope to have the planet under our full control and leverage to make her leave your solar system," Iriel says. My chest clenches at the word leverage. My discomfort becomes even heavier as we exit the main building we were in, walking deeper into the cavern until there is a building not made of stone but metal that I recognize from the Leviathan ships.

Sky places her hand on the pad for the door, allowing it to open, and leads everyone inside. The lights are bright, and the walls inside are made to keep something from getting out. It's a sturdy building made for one purpose. Sky casually greets the few humans that work in this building until we reach more doors that she must scan her face, palm, and card to allow the heavy gates to creak open. The trek continues down a flight of stairs, and the dread I felt multiplies as we pass a control room. There are men sitting behind the glass, looking down at monitors as we pass.

Iriel steps forward now, halting Sky.

"Wait out here," he says softly before stepping past her. I see her features morph into that of disappointment before she quickly covers it up, her eyes meeting mine. She seems to notice her folly, offering me a reassuring smile as I make my way past her along with the other men inside the room. I slowly step into the room, my heart coming to a standstill as I take in the Leviathan that I've only seen once before, but he looked nothing like this.

His arms are locked into massive metal tubes with needles pressing into his forearms. My eyes widen when I see the steam coming from the needles. They're pumping something inside of him. He has cuts and bruises and a hideous gash along his forehead, and his once shoulder-length white hair has now been cropped to his head. He tenses as we approach, inhaling lightly before lifting his gaze. His gaze whips past every other person in the room, landing on me without hesitation, revealing those strange eyes: one purple, one blue.

"You're not Remus," he says, eyeing me. He studies me for what feels like an eternity, his confusion morphing into shock before he drops his head, a laugh escaping him.

"What is this?" I whisper. Now, Iriel steps forward, making his way toward Ezra.

"This is our ticket to freedom," he says. Before I can speak, Iriel steps forward, roughly gripping Ezra's face between his fingers.

"Remus and Xion are dead. Thanks to you, our most recent development has led to their downfall," he brags. Ezra isn't at all phased by Iriel's gloating. He laughs softly, narrowing his gaze.

"And you're a brave one now, aren't you, Iriel?" he asks. I take in Ezra's battered and bruised body. If he is like this, the weapons must have worked. Remus really is dead. Ezra's gaze shifts to me again, but Iriel uses the opportunity to strike him across the face. Iriel says something in their language to Ezra, who in turn responds with something snarky enough to make Iriel angry.

"Dose him," he snaps. The machine that holds him captive makes a whirring noise before Ezra tenses. The needles shift deeper, and I watch in horror as they torture him in front of us. Ezra clenches his teeth, his skin turning black as whatever they dosed him with enters his body .

He grunts in pain, and when I look at Iriel, he's smiling.

"Stop it!" I shout after a minute passes. Cypress pulls me back, looking at me in anger.

"Iris. Stop," he growls. Iriel, however, has had his fill. He signals for them to stop their torture. Ezra's body sags as he catches his breath, and we all watch the display with unease.

"We will use him as leverage. To stop his mother and to deter the people. Thanks to you, Iris, our immediate threat is gone, but the real battle has yet to begin." Iriel turns to stand over me, his gaze narrowing as he takes me in. "I do hope that you are ready to join this fight."

He doesn't speak as he leaves the room, the rest of the men silently following. I slowly move my feet, taking one last look at Ezra as I step near the door. The pain in my chest spreads to my neck, and I immediately place my hand over the area to staunch the pain.

Ezra chuckles softly, his gaze focusing on me.

"Enjoy your freedom, Iris."