Page 42 of The Jaguar's Flower

“I made no threat to you, but he makes them to me? You are angry with the care I show the fairies and ignore the words I said in why I had to let you go.” Sarus only nodded as the silence grew between them. “You both will remain here. There is no discussion. If you wish to throw a tantrum, then do it. I am done with this conversation.” He phased out of the room.

“That fucking coward.” Mac almost shifted in search of the primordial. When he felt Violet’s touch on his arm, he froze as turned to face her. The pain in her eyes made him hate the primordial. “We will find a way out of here.”

She slid her arms around Mac. “He didn’t give any answers. Vague bullshit about it being the better path, which sounds more like a cop-out.” When she rested her head against his chest, she closed her eyes. Her heart broke even more as she clung tighter to the jaguar. “We will find a way to leave this place. I can’t stay here if he’s going to be like that. He can’t answer simple questions, so how can I trust him?”

“There is no way to trust him, Violet.” Mac held her closely. “We will find a way. We will not stay here for another day. I promise.”

Chapter twenty-eight

Macpreparedforwar.The soldier held Violet’s hand as they headed back to their room. When they reached it, he opened the door to let her in first. He checked the halls to ensure no one followed them. As soon as he shut the door, the jaguar lost himself in his flower’s eyes. The unshed tears angered him.

“He’s wrong for what he did,” he mentioned. Mac cupped her face to place a kiss on her lips. “I promise we will find a way out, even if I need to find a way to kill him.”

“I don’t want you to kill him.” She turned her head and kissed his palm before she slipped her arms around him. “I love you would do that, but I just don’t want to be here anymore.” As she laid her head against his chest, her emotions swelled. It became difficult to keep the raven from reacting until she stepped back.

“Maybe if I knew about any of this before, it would be easier. My parents never said I was adopted or someone left me on their doorstep.” Her chest ached as she wondered why Sarus didn’t want her. It wasn’t a question Mac could answer for her. They had other priorities that were more important. “Alright, we need to find clothes. I don’t want to wander around a strange place in just a robe, especially if we figure out how to get back.”

Mac followed her to the bathroom. He spotted a few brown bags on the bed and tugged on her hand. When he moved the ropes to open them, the jaguar raised a brow. “I believe someone came in here uninvited.” Carefully, he checked the bags for anything suspicious, but each one held clothes and shoes.

“It’s not exactly uninvited. This is Sarus’ home, not ours. He’s kinda free to do what he wants.” It annoyed her, but she knew they were both on edge. Her eyes grew wider with each item Mac pulled from the bags. “Someone seriously went all out as they tried to figure out what we wore.” Her fingers traced over the military-style gear before she turned to her mate.

“You know you have a choice now. You don’t have to dress like that anymore if you don’t want to. They have t-shirts and other things, too.” Violet cupped the jaguar’s face before she kissed him. “Don’t let the facility dictate what you do anymore. Do what you want to do.”

The jaguar inspected each item of clothing for him. When Violet touched his arm after their kiss, he nodded. The regular clothing felt soft and loose. The fabric also held a warmth he didn’t expect. When he touched the military type, the smooth texture of the fabric felt amazing, as well. “Whoever picked these clothes out preferred softer material. None of them tug on my callouses.” He gripped the simple black t-shirt.

“I won’t let the facility dictate me.” He touched the tactical pants. “But I also can’t deny that I feel more like myself in this type of outfit. I won’t feel naked when I wear clothes.”

She grinned and leaned into him. “I like when you’re naked, though.” When she kissed his cheek, she picked up a pastel blue sundress. “I like dresses. Jeans are good sometimes, but I like feeling pretty.” Her eyes moved over the shoes until she found a pair of comfortable-looking sandals. “We get dressed and find a way out of this place.” Part of her wanted to thank whoever left the clothes for them, but she wanted to leave Creation’s realm more. She didn’t feel welcome in it, and that bothered her more than anything.

“And I love taking dresses off you.” Mac grinned as he kissed her deeply. When they pulled away, he purred low as he dressed. He grabbed a set of boots and socks to finish his outfit.

Once they were done, he offered his hand to Violet. “Do you know where this realm’s exit might be?” He paused at the door to listen to the noises outside. When the soldier believed it was safe, he opened the door and checked the halls before guiding his mate out of the bedroom.

“It’d be too much to hope for a big red exit sign.” She sighed as she gripped his hand. “Mac, we’re safe here.” She didn’t miss the fact that he was on guard. “Sarus is an asshole, but I don’t think he or the fairies would attack you. Plus, are fairies really a threat?” Her head shook as she thought of the various fairy tales she read as a child. “This is still a little surreal.”

She tugged on his hand. “I love that you’re so protective, but I feel like we’re missing something.” Her thumb slid along his warm skin. “How did we get to this place? I only remember the garden when I woke up, and you were in a sleep trance.”

“And he phased us to the bedroom after we woke up,” Mac added. They walked through the hallway as he observed every wall and door. “I’m not exactly sure how we ended up here. I know when I met Sarus. You were still unconscious until he put me to sleep.”

Mac stopped once they reached the end of the hallway. When they looked to their left, they noticed the entrance to the garden further down. To their right, a dark stairwell led below the floor. He remembered her earlier question. “What would we be missing?”

“Stairwell is off the table.” At her mate’s arched brow, she shook her head. “I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that’s how we die.” She tugged him closer to the garden. “I’m not sure. It’s just a feeling I have.” As she tried to work it out in her mind, she rambled. “We appeared in the garden. Our room and the bathroom remind me of a garden. He’s also Creation. Not to mention, I’m a bird, and you’re a jaguar. It’s all based on nature. So, the exit has to be somewhere in his garden.”

“You mentioned he would not harm us. He’s had his chance to kill me. If I were him, I would have killed me.” Mac eyed his mate. The jaguar linked their fingers together as he glanced over her head to spot the garden. “Something tells me to check the stairwell. That could be the way out. He will expect us in the garden to escape.”

“I feel like that’s where the monster under the bed is.” Violet turned to face him. As she watched his eyes, she took a breath. “It can’t be all pretty gardens here. If he really is Creation, that means there’s got to be some scary or creepy things here.” She nodded toward the stairwell. “I’d keep them there since there are fairies running around.” It still annoyed her to think of the fairies. “I feel like the garden is his central point, so the exit has to be there.”

The longer she considered their options, the more she chewed on her bottom lip. “Never thought I’d suggest this, but maybe we should split up? You can check out the stairwell of doom, and I’ll look through the garden. We meet back here before we go through any gateways.” It sounded insane to her ears. “As you said, if you were him, you’d have killed you already. Pretty sure that means you’re safe.”

Separation leads to trouble.For once, Mac agreed with his thoughts. When he turned to check out the stairwell, he couldn’t deny the feeling that the gateway was below. The jaguar brought his eyes back to his mate and cupped her face. “We will meet back here in an hour.”

Violet nodded, but Mac felt his heart tighten. He pressed his lips against hers. “Are you sure we should split?”

“Honestly?” When he nodded, she shook her head. “No, but I’m not going down that stairwell. It gives me the worst feeling.” She cupped his cheek. “I won’t discount your instincts, but if it’s dangerous, I will not be of much use if you have to protect me. If you think about it, a crazed raven will pop out, and it doesn’t exactly go by logic.” She traced his forearm where she scratched him before. “I don’t think I could live with myself if I hurt you while trying to protect you.”

“I can’t fault you there. I would feel the same way.” His thumb caressed her cheek. “I do not trust my animal form, and I am not sure it would be something to trust.” They locked eyes for a while longer. “If you run into danger, set your raven free. Do not hold it back. I will be back to save you, I promise.”

“If you’re not back when I return, I’ll come for you.” She kissed him. “You can’t ignore the stairwell, and I feel drawn to the garden.” The idea of separation upset her, but they needed to listen to their instincts. “Be careful. I’ll see you soon, Mac.” Before they parted ways, she kissed him again. “I promise.”

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