Chapter 1
Chapter One
Iris
The day Remus came to Earth was the last day of my life as I knew it.
And as I looked at the looming ship in the sky, I never imagined I would be on board it years in the future for it to return me to the world from whence it came.
I never imagined the alien who was on board leading the charge would be the one to offer me the option of returning to his home world after subsequently conquering mine.
And as much as I resent myself for the decision I made, there’s still a part of me that is happy I chose this. If I hadn’t, I would never have known something like this existed beyond our planet.
For the past hour, the ship has slowed its progression due to us entering an actual star system: no storm, no asteroid belt, a star system filled with planets.
I’ve prided myself on remaining hidden in Remus’s chambers for the entirety of this trip.
But as the ship finally slowed and the bright blue planet passed by my window, I had to leave my tiny place of refuge to get a better look.
The striking blue planet is far in the distance, but it must be massive.
Because even as we pass, it fills the view of the glass I’m gazing out of.
The large balcony overlooks part of the ship and its crew as they move about below, but it is raised directly in front of a window as if made for viewing.
I blink rapidly as I try to take in every piece of the planet before it disappears from my line of sight.
The entire planet is icy blue, with what looks like clouds lingering in its atmosphere from this distance as we pass.
I see no landmasses and no green, making me wonder if anyone inhabits this planet.
“We’ve reached the edge of Anafalta.” Remus’s sultry voice washes over me in comfort as he approaches. I note that the guard who follows me bows, moving as far as possible in respect to Remus. And now, after witnessing firsthand the power Remus contains, I see why.
I shift my attention back to the planet that has begun to drift out of my line of vision, and I feel a tinge of disappointment.
“Anafalta?” I ask.
Remus nods as he comes to stand next to me, and I note that his presence instantly calms my body.
“It’s the name of our star system.” He gestures to the blue planet in the distance as he continues. “That is Ceruleaus. It’s an ice giant.”
My eyes widen as I look back at it—an entire planet made of ice. I can only imagine what that means for the surface of the world. Does it have glaciers? Are there landmasses or oceans? Rivers, even?
“It’s beautiful,” I say.
“You’re lucky to have seen it. Ceruleaus sits in a sharp orbit. We only ever see it a few months out of the year,” he says absentmindedly.
There are thousands of questions I want to ask him at this moment, but I don’t want him to see that he’s right once again.
I don’t want him to see me as easily impressed when this is the first thing that I’ve seen in his star system.
But Remus, being Remus, sees right through me and continues his explanation without me having to voice my questions.
I don’t miss the ghost of a smile that graces his lips as he speaks.
“We must slow our speed when entering Anafalta, as our star system functions differently from yours. Three of the ten planets are in sharper orbit than the rest, making it dangerous to speed through. We use Ceruleaus for its resources. But don’t fret, there was no intelligent life on it prior to our discovery,” Remus says.
I shake my head, attempting to wrap my mind around everything he just said. But he continues before I can think of anything to say.
“Once we clear the danger of each planet’s orbit, we can resume our original speed and make it to Xyrannis in a few hours,” he says as if it’s the simplest thing in the world.
Just as he speaks, a Leviathan’s voice sounds over the intercom system. I’ve grown accustomed to her voice over the period of our travel. Even though I don’t know what she’s saying, I know she’s giving instructions and information to the Leviathan on what’s occurring.
“We’ve cleared the planet’s gravitational pull safely, so we will be picking up speed,” Remus clarifies, proving my theory.
“Shouldn’t you be with your crew? Giving orders?” I ask in irritation.
Remus laughs, leaning against the balcony as the world outside of the ship blurs.
“My crew can function perfectly fine without me. They know what they’re doing,” he says.
“Besides, I would much rather see that excitement on your face seeing this new world,” he says.
His words pull my attention, and I look at him. His white hair is held away from his face as he studies me with blue flecks within eyes that rival the planet I just saw. But he smiles, his hand coming to caress my jaw as he watches me.
“Choosing life isn’t so bad, is it?” he asks.
His smile drops as he speaks the words, causing unease to form in my stomach as I am suddenly aware of our proximity.
His glare is intense as he tries to understand me once again.
Ever since the day Remus and I bonded, I’ve been highly aware of just how lacking Remus is when it comes to emotional empathy.
When he stares at me like this, it reminds me of the monster lurking beneath, curious about me because I defy his understanding.
I gently place my hand over his, warmth tingling at my fingertips as I pull his touch away from my face, returning my attention to the window.
And he lets me. I don’t give him the satisfaction of a response.
He knows me better than I know myself. Of course, I get excited when I see something that, as a child, I thought was only meant for astronauts. But that doesn’t erase our past.
Remus laughs softly at my silence.
“Still giving me the silent treatment?” he asks.
The natural heat he gives off washes over me as he steps closer, his arms wrapping around me to pull me against him. My skin flushes in excitement to be in such close contact with him, and I feel his lips hovering over my ears as he speaks to me in a low tone.
“Should we put that silence to good use? Maybe play my favorite game?” he practically purrs in my ear.
I tear myself away from him, my heart beating wildly from his innuendo. And as I look at him, the full smile on his lips revealing those sharp canines, and the twinkle in that amethyst gaze as he looks upon me doesn’t help.
My cheeks are on fire, and I’m about to lash out when the ship slows again, silencing me as I immediately notice Remus’s demeanor shift from the playful alien he was seconds ago to someone completely unrecognizable.
I follow his gaze, looking back to the window to see a planet surrounded by an asteroid belt.
My breathing hitches when I realize the rock surrounding it isn’t an asteroid belt or even rings.
It’s what’s left of the planet. It looks like it imploded, half of the planet black with a gaping hole in it.
“What happened here?” I ask.
I turn my attention to Remus, expecting him to be shocked as well at the destruction of a planet in his star system. But shock doesn’t seem to be on his face. Only a blank, emotionless expression.
He chuckles to himself, shifting his attention to me, and I tense when I immediately notice how calm his eyes are, making me rub my arms as chills form.
“Nothing to concern yourself with,” he says, effectively shutting down the conversation.
I shift my attention back to the planet, or rather, what remains of it as we slowly pass by.
Remus once teased me about Earth sitting alone in its star system, with no threats outside of life on our own planet.
I’m curious if this planet was a threat to Xyrannis.
Or worse, Remus.
I release a bitter chuckle, looking at Remus.
“Did the Leviathan do that too? I guess these guys put up a better fight than Earth, huh?” I ask.
Remus’s attention is on the planet, however, and I can’t read him.
“No,” is all he gives me.
As the ship clears the orbit again, it picks up speed, making everything disappear around us. But Remus remains silent, and his eyes stay on the glass. Finally, he moves, his attention falling on me.
“It will be a while until we have to slow again. Come. We should prepare you for Xyrannis,” he says.
He doesn’t wait for me to respond as he turns away from me, expecting me to follow. I silently look back at the window, my stomach becoming a bundle of twisted nerves. We are hours away from Xyrannis. Hours away from my new life at Remus’s mercy. Mercy, which I chose to be on the receiving end of.
As I follow Remus, my mind wanders to the remains of that planet. And I can’t help but wonder if that planet was on the receiving end of what Remus himself deems mercy.
Deja vu assaults me as I sit atop the table in what I assume is a medical bay.
Remus is silent as he labels more tubes filled with my blood and saliva.
For the past hour, Remus has kept me here, gathering samples.
He’s not his usual talkative self in these situations, and I am not in the mood to speak to him either.
But I do feel irritation at his decision to remain silent.
Usually, by now, he would have explained to me why this is necessary.
Remus shifts, turning his attention to a screen as he places another tube filled with my blood in a canister.
He did this on Earth during our first few weeks together.
And at the time, I had no idea what it was for.
I know now that he was testing my blood and using it to see if I had any family in the database of humans under inhibitors.
My problems suddenly feel trivial as I think of my brother.
His entire life was shattered twice by the Leviathan race.
And now, his fate is up to me. But I cannot bring myself to give Remus an answer.
Not now, anyway. My brother killed Jude and gave me up to the enemy.
To call him my brother after all of that is an insult to the man in my memories.
And my emotions are still too raw for me to make a decision that I will be able to stand by in the future.
Remus notices my troubled expression, his temperament shifting accordingly as he speaks.
“Once we arrive on Xyrannis, I’ll send your blood for testing.
There are things in my home world that the human body has never come into contact with.
And I am unsure of your allergies and how you’ll react to them.
For now, you’ll have to remain in my home until we know every possible reaction,” Remus says watching me carefully.
He must think I am troubled by the prospect of my future, not the trauma of my past. I am appreciative that he has stuck to his promise not to invade my emotions using the bond.
I know that once he crosses that line, I will lose even more of myself to him.
And I am not ready for that to happen just yet—not when I am barely able to hold my bitter resolve in these small moments we have together.
I take a deep breath, looking Remus in the eyes as I speak.
“Can I go now?” I ask.
Remus doesn’t react initially. He continues to watch me, his face giving no indication of his thoughts. I fight the urge to clench my fists as he continues to stare at me, his gaze making my chest ache.
“Of course,” he finally says, breaking the silence.
He doesn’t wait for me to respond as he looks back at the screen he was focused on before, going about whatever it was he was doing. He’s eerie as he stands there, his attention elsewhere. He still doesn’t acknowledge me as I slide down from the table, making my way to the door.
It opens upon my approach, and just as I enter the archway does Remus call to me.
“I know you hate me right now. But hating me won’t take you back to your planet. I suggest you look ahead, Iris. Instead of letting the past influence you,” he calls to me.
My eyes remain on the hallway as silence passes between us.
I don’t respond as I make my way out of the lab, breathing a sigh of relief when I hear the door close behind me.
Remus’s patience is running thin, and my lack of control is running me ragged.
We’re both ticking time bombs, waiting to go off on one another.
At this point, it’s only a matter of who will go first.