Page 43 of The Jaguar's Flower

“See you soon,” Mac whispered against her lips. When she stepped away from him, he pulled her back to gaze into her eyes. “I love you, Violet.”

“I love you, too.” She walked back into his arms and squeezed him. “One hour, then I’ll be looking for you in the creepy stairwell.”

Chapter twenty-nine

Thejaguarraceddownthe stairwell. Once Mac reached the bottom, he raised a brow when he noticed a dim glow highlighted the hallways.It’s a trap.He ignored the thought. They needed to find a way out of this realm. He was determined to find it, trap or not. If he could escape his fate from the facility with Violet’s help, then he could help her escape this hell.

He chose the right. As his boots echoed against the gold-swirled cerulean marble, he caught another distinct sound behind him. He pretended not to notice as he marched forward. When he reached a corner, the soldier immediately turned and waited for the culprit.

The steps grew louder. Once they were close enough, Mac continued forward and grabbed the stalker before slamming him into the marble. A soft yell broke the jaguar’s focus, followed by a deep groan as the person’s back broke the marble.

“Remind me never to listen to Sar again.” Asmodeus yelped in pain before turning onto his side. “Didn’t you hear me coming, my guy?”

“Why do you think I attacked?” Mac answered. “What are you doing here?”

Asmodeus lay on his stomach for a moment. “First, I live in this realm. Second, I called your name like three times, my dude. Three!”

“Why are you following me?”

“Not even a sorry,” Asmodeus grunted as he finally rose to his feet. “If you must know, I was asked to watch over you guys in case you needed something. Who would have thought the duo was planning to escape.”

Mac growled. His jaguar shifted inside him, but he kept it reined in. “Who told you that? Did you do something to Violet?” He felt his eyes shift colors as the jaguar prepared to attack.

“Gah, no!” Asmodeus blinked. “Trust issues are a major red flag, too, bucko. Calm down, kitty.”

“Mac.” The jaguar growled.

Asmodeus rolled his eyes. “I know.” He sighed. “There are ears everywhere. Some from Sarus, me, the fairies.” The demon explained as he pushed his black hair up into a ponytail. “However, there are others who listen as well. People we don’t want to get on the bad side of. People who make Sarus’ asshole side seem like a cakewalk in a park.”

“Cakewalk? Park? Why would someone want to walk in that mush?” Mac blinked.

“Please tell me you had an actual cake?” When the jaguar shook his head, the demon frowned. “We gotta remedy that, buddy. But for the rest, we need to talk.”

Mac ignored him. “There is nothing to talk about.” He continued down the hallway.

“Well, see.” Asmodeus chuckled. “There is. A major topic, too. One that I think you are dying to hear about.”

When Mac refused him again, the demon changed tactics. “Sarus is talking with Violet.” In the blink of an eye, the demon fell to the ground with a large black jaguar on top of him. A shiver ran down the demon’s spine when the shifter bared his fangs and growled. “I may be a sloth demon, but I do not lie. I find it annoying to keep up with all the lies. Too much work.”

The shifter remained until Asmodeus gave in. “Sarus loves Violet. That’s his only daughter. He won’t say it out loud because he’s afraid Greenie will hear, and he loses his only kid. He doesn’t want that.” When Mac moved off him, the demon dusted himself off. “Sarus will do anything to protect his little girl, you included. So, you guys don’t want to stay here. Big deal, but you gotta, or Greenie wins again. So, can we talk?”

The jaguar’s paws padded against the marble as his silver eyes watched the demon. When Asmodeus moved, Mac growled, and his claws scraped against the floor. It wasn’t until the demon raised both hands did Mac shift back to his human form. “You want to talk, then talk.”

“Can I put on the record that your kitty is exquisite?” When Mac stepped forward, the demon laughed as he raised his hands again. “I’m kidding. Jeez. Help me up. Please?”

Mac offered his hand and pulled the demon up. “Talk.”

“Alright.” Asmodeus sighed. “Let’s talk and walk. There’s a place I gotta show you that might help distract you.” The jaguar nodded as the demon led the way. “So, it all started when there was this darkness in the realm. The shit was wild, and people were scared. Come to find out. This darkness was also responsible for stealing the children of Sarus. Come on, Maccy. I know you got longer legs than I do! Let’s move them legs, buddy!”

Time seemed to drag as they walked together. Mac ran his fingers through his short hair as he focused on ignoring Asmodeus. The moment the demon began to sing, he wanted to strangle the male. Anything to silence him would bring Mac great happiness.

Asmodeus whistled the melody. Everything they spoke about held little information. Mac remained at his heels, and the demon gave whatever information he could. “That’s how Violet was born. She came right from Sarus’ flesh. It’s so bizarre, but the primordials are all bizarre. Like, I get he’s Creation, but does he have to make everything from himself?” They reached a black circular space that emitted an ominous vibration. “Come on. It’s not gonna eat you. We just gotta go in together.”

“And why should I do that?”

“You can see Violet and Sarus’ conversation through here. Come on.” Asmodeus offered his hand.

Mac hesitated. “How do we see that?”

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