Page 17 of The Jaguar's Flower

Even as he debated possible actions to correct her behavior, he considered the footage he watched previously.What could be a suitable way to deal with such insubordination?He made a note to schedule a meeting with her. She needed to be reminded of her place within the facility. With the note made, he sent a note to the doctor to be prepared to share her genetic results with him.

Chapter eleven

Thelastbellwentoff in the hallways of the soldiers’ dormitory. Mac rested in his reclined chair as he focused on the ceiling. “I have another late patrol.” He heard Avel’s voice. “I’ll give my report in the morning.”

“Wait.” Mac sat up as he stared at his brother. “We still need to discuss Dr. Morris and our interactions with her.”

Avel stopped at the door. He reached into his hair to scratch his scalp. “It’s been days since we’ve seen her. Our next interaction with Dr. Morris isn’t until next week.” When Mac seemed confused, the shifter sighed. “I think it will be good to see if she knows who is who? Wouldn’t you?”

“It will be several days until our next meeting. If she can pinpoint the differences, then we report it to Renfield.” Mac grimaced. He didn’t want to report anything to the insane doctor who smelled like rust. “Or we give the report to him at the end of the month? We will have enough data for him to go on.”

“We keep the visits minimal.” Avel shrugged. “I need to go. Patrols are starting in twelve minutes.”

As soon as his brother left the dorm, Mac rose to his feet. He listened at the door until he heard Avel’s boots fade down the hallway.Stay in the dorm.He didn’t listen. He opened the door and checked the hallway. Not a single person appeared.You will risk the mission. Go back inside the dorm.

The door clicked behind him. The jaguar kept most of his clothes from earlier on, except for the full tactical gear that wrapped around his vest and thigh. He needed to be stealthy to find his flower.Dr. Morris.He shook his head as he moved from the stairwell and turned a corner that led to the laboratory.She’s probably not inside. Go back to the dorm.

He ignored his inner thoughts. Every warning bell went off, but he needed to know why he felt drawn to her. Also, a part of him craved touching her soft skin again. She felt fragile beneath his touch. The calmness he felt also kept him wide awake the past few nights. It wasn't meant to be if Violet wasn’t in the laboratory.

Go back to the dorm. She doesn’t want a beast touching her. You are a beast. An animal!Mac shook his head as he came to the laboratory. His hand paused on the doorknob when he heard a faint sound behind the door. As he turned the knob, he noticed the blonde flower at a desk with music playing low. He entered the room and closed the door behind him.

After her confrontation with Renfield, Violet kicked off her sneakers and discarded her lab coat. She was sure the scary doctor would disapprove, but she didn’t care. Since the tour, she barely slept, and her thoughts kept turning to Machiavelli. A soft sigh escaped her lips as her foot tapped along with the music. Personal devices weren’t allowed. She figured out how to put music on the official devices, so she wasn’t stuck in silence all the time.

When she turned, a scream caught in her throat at the sight of a stranger in her lab until she noticed it was Mac.Was it already morning?She didn’t remember the last time she checked the time but was exhausted.

“Hi?” Her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Maybe she dozed off at her computer while she waited on the next round of tests to finish. She wanted to see him, but Draven advised against returning to the soldier’s area too soon. The shifters didn’t welcome the staff.

Mac nodded. He kept to his position as he eyed the woman.Draven will kill you.Not if he returned smelling like her. “I heard the music.” He refused to admit he came to see her. “Do you work through the night as well?”

“Only when Renfield demands results.” When the doctor rose from her chair, she stretched until her back popped and forced a groan past her lips. “He wants answers I can’t give him, even if I wanted to.” She didn’t understand it. Some sort of anomaly should show on the genetic markers, but there was nothing.

“What does he want?” Mac stepped forward. He warred with the voices in his mind. If he desired it, he would stop. Instead, he continued to walk until he stood a few feet from her. “You are the first geneticist that was hired here. Is he researching our genes?” He remembered her description of the job. It fascinated him how she was in charge of something unique in the facility.

“He isn’t researching them; I am. However, I’m afraid of what he wants to do with the coding.” When he looked at her confused, she shook her head. “Think of genetics as a spiderweb. Each is unique in its own way, but you can decipher things based on the webbing. It all comes down to the chromosomes.” She waved him over and pointed at her computer screen. “These four are different soldiers.” Her finger tapped the next screen. “This one is the control. A human sample. Mine, actually.” She shrugged.

“Anyway, when you compare the samples, the baselines are all the same.” The doctor typed in a series of commands that compared the samples. “There are a couple of variations, but it’s not enough to prove any sort of animal genetics. As far as I can tell from my research, Renfield has brainwashed you and the rest of the soldiers into thinking you’re something that doesn’t exist. There’s nothing animal within the guides if you compare it with mine. Nothing out of place.”

“That doesn’t explain why we shift and you do not.” Mac placed his hand on the desk as he analyzed the screens. All the strange codes told him nothing. “How can you be sure the animal is not hidden within these codes?” He stood straight, mindful of not bumping into her as she continued tapping the monitor screens.

“Because this is what I do. It’s why I was approached.” She shrugged as she turned to face him. “Some kids liked dolls or balls. I loved my science kits. The human genome has been partially mapped. Certain things we’re still learning about genetics. Theoretically, you’d need extra chromosomes or some serious anomaly within your current ones to show some sort of animal. I’ve even tried comparing your samples to different animals. Nothing matches, but you match perfectly with a human.”

Mac crossed his arms over his chest.Hope.The shifter pointed to the chair, and she nodded. As he sat down, he tried to find the answers on the screen. Even with her explanations, he struggled with her explanations. If Renfield told them they were animals, they changed into animals. Why were these codes saying he’s human? It almost gave him hope. “If I am matched with a human like yourself.” He turned his gray eyes up at her. “Then why do I shift into a beast?”

“Genetically speaking, I can’t answer that.” She sighed as she leaned against the desk beside him. “It’s why I can’t submit anything to Renfield. Theoretically speaking, with that one sample of DNA, I should be able to replicate you perfectly. However, I don’t know if the clone could shift. Nothing here says it’s even remotely possible.”

The doctor reached for her mug and shook her head. “I can show you what genetic codes give you your hair and eye color, even your height. Nothing here shows any difference between you and a human. Are you positive you have this animal you can shift into?”

“I’m positive.” Mac remembered the first time he shifted. When it came to his brothers, each triplet endured torturous experiments until Renfield grew bored. Violet sighed. “I will not shift for you. The beast will kill you.” He kept his eyes on her until he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. “But I can show you something else.” His eyes flashed for her before returning to their dark gray. “Is that proof enough?”

Without thinking, she cupped his cheek. It should have been impossible, but she witnessed the color of his eyes change. “How?” As she stared into his eyes, all elements of their scientific conversation disintegrated, and she felt herself drawn to him. “You have beautiful eyes.” A blush crept up her cheeks at the realization of what she said and that she touched him. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“Don’t.” He kept her hand on his cheek. “If I felt uncomfortable, I would leave this room.”And kill you.He didn’t want to frighten her. Her touch calmed him. Every nightmarish memory that plagued his mind vanished. Slowly, he reached around to pull her onto his lap as he nuzzled her palm. “My eyes belong to a murderous beast. They are not beautiful.” The jaguar cleared his throat.

The tips of her fingers traced along his hard jaw. “I won’t ask if you’ve killed anyone. How many were provoked? Someone that hurt you or another soldier?” She felt her body melt into his. He soothed her frayed nerves even as her mind screamed that they needed distance.

Everyone she met within the facility took advantage of the shifters and hurt them. She didn’t want to be like them but wanted to stay in his arms. “Self-defense and murder are two different things.”

I don’t blame you for what happened, Mac.Avel’s voice rang inside his mind. The shifter relaxed against the chair as his arm pulled her closer. “There is no such thing as self-defense in the facility, Dr. Morris.”Violet.He stopped himself from rubbing his lips against her palm. “We are beasts, and that needs to be controlled.”

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