Page 47 of Pet: Genesis

“I promise you, Iris. I won’t leave you behind. We’ll both find a way out of this. I swear,” he says.

I return his smile. “Thank you.”

I then launch into everything I know about the Leviathan so far, including what I know about Remus and his origin. Jude watches me quietly, listening the whole time. He doesn’t speak as I explain, but he does get looks of disbelief. When I finish, he stares at the ground for a minute before finally speaking. He releases a soft laugh.

“We’re in over our heads, aren’t we?” he asks.

I can’t help but laugh with him.

“Yeah,” I say.

“But we’ll find a way, Jude. We will,” I say, trying to reassure him.

The day passes, and Jude and I discuss everything from plans to comparing our masters until we finally circle back to reading their language.

“Remus leaves plans and maps out all the time. He leaves everything with easy access, and I can’t even read it,” I say bitterly after explaining Remus’s reaction to my wanting to learn. Jude chuckles softly.

“I can’t believe youaskedhim to teach you,” he says. I laugh, looking out over the courtyard.

“It’s like you said, he’s lenient with me. He offered to teach me if...” I trail off, my eyes widening when I realize the solution to our problem. I look at Jude, my cheeks burning as I remember Remus’s constant offerings. All I have to do is earn it. Jude raises a brow at me in confusion.

“What?” he asks.

“He’ll teach me... I just have to earn it,” I whisper. Jude stares at me in shock. If Remus teaches me, and I can read the plans he carelessly leaves around, I can help. I can not only help, but I can end his reign. I can give the resistance plans that haven’t even happened yet. Locations of cities and armadas. Even possibly his weakness. Before I can elaborate, Zaya and Remus emerge from the meeting. Slaves immediately rise to meet their masters, as do Jude and I. As I watch Jude walk away with Zaya, I can’t help but feel pity for him. At the same time, I admire him.

“Iris, you have been staring at the door for a while now,” Remus speaks behind me. I slowly turn to face him and he’s watching me in irritation.

“He won’t be coming back,” he says, turning away from me. I immediately follow, and we make our way back to Remus’s residence in silence.

We return to Remus’s home in record time, but he once again leaves me alone without a word. After a moment of collecting my thoughts, I make my way up the hallway, gathering my nerves. I try to calm myself down, but as the gravity of the situation weighs on me, I’m trembling by the time I reach Remus’s room. I hesitate in the doorway to find him getting dressed. He’s in all white, which means that wherever he’s going must be important. I slowly make my way into the room, and Remus continues to get dressed, not bothering to acknowledge me.

“Where are you going?” I ask. Now, he stops and looks at me. He seems to be thinking about whether or not he wants to share the information with me, but decides to.

“A new waste has been discovered. I’m going to eradicate it,” he says simply.

“Eradicate?” I ask. I don’t know what that word means, but coming from Remus’s lips, I know it can’t be good. He smiles to himself.

“Sometimes I forget you lack the proper education—”

“If your people hadn’t destroyed the world before I could make it through the educational system, I might have been a little smarter,” I growl, letting my anger get the best of me. Remus looks at me so quickly that I flinch. There is a small frown on his lips, and he stops what he’s doing to make his way to where I stand. He towers over me, leaning into me as he strokes my cheek lightly.

“I never said you weren’t smart, Iris,” he says.

I blush furiously, looking away.

“While I wouldn’t make some of the decisions you choose to stand by, it is no indication of your intelligence. Just that you’re too gentle for your own good,” he adds.

“Someone has to fight for us,” I say, avoiding his gaze.

“That is true, but the people that should have, did, and failed. Do you really think that your attempts will save anyone?”

His words are meant to strike me down, but they only increase my drive for tonight. He has no idea what my attempts from this point forward will bring. He doesn’t know that I’ve already gotten proof that my attempt to save those humans had a positive effect.

“It doesn’t have to. As long as they have hope,” I say.

Remus laughs. “That is a nice sentiment, Iris.”

He walks past me to the door of the room. He’s leaving, and I haven’t even put my plan into motion. I reach for his shirt, grabbing the edge of the fabric. My fingers are shaking, my knuckles white from the strength of my grip. But he stops, and when I look up, Remus is watching me with a strange expression. But he doesn’t tell me to let go. Finally, a smile forms on his lips. He’samused. And I find myself blushing furiously at his gaze especially since I know now exactly what he’s thinking and how he sees me.

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