Page 18 of The Jaguar's Flower

“No, Machiavelli.” She cupped his cheeks until he met her eyes. “Animal or not, no one has a right to hurt you. If you protect yourself, you shouldn’t be punished.” She swallowed hard as she watched his eyes and thought of everything she witnessed and heard while on the tour. “They’re cruel for no reason other than they believe they have the right to be. When you accept it without reacting, it gives them more power. Their cruelty increases.”

His words died on his tongue as he listened to her. The jaguar heard a low rumble under his chest when her hands caressed his cheeks. The action concerned him. He grabbed her wrists and placed them at her sides.

“Tell me, doctor, how should a beast react?” His tongue swept over his dry lips as he stared into her eyes. The blue color reminded him of the blue petals of a flower. Everything about her was delicate, and the soldier held her on his lap.

“You’re not a beast.” As her eyes watched his tongue, she blushed deeper before she focused on his eyes again. “If your purr was any indication, you’re a cat. Rather, a feline since I can’t think of you as a house cat.”

She leaned into him. “Cats scratch and bite when they’re cornered, threatened. They fight. Here, they expect you to roll over and do as you’re told.” She bit her bottom lip. “My dad used to say, if you can’t fight back, that’s when you need to fight harder. They already think they’ve won.”

His hands rested on her hips. “If that’s the case, then explain another thing to me, doctor.”Violet.The jaguar begged to purr, but the soldier needed to put distance between them. Mac used her hips to pull her closer. “And what would you think if I wanted to bite and scratch you? Would you still see me as a house cat?” His voice lowered. “Or would you see me as the predator with his prey?”

She blinked at his question, and her blush deepened. “If it meant you let me close to you–” She bit the tip of her tongue as she realized where her wandering thoughts took her. It was unprofessional.

Everything about this was unprofessional and crossed a line, but her heart ached at the thought of putting space between them. “I can’t answer that. Not when I’m not sure if you’d feel an obligation. I can’t imagine the things you’ve gone through, but I refuse to compromise you or what you want.”

She’s personnel. Draven’s words replayed in his mind. As Mac watched her, the shifter waited for her to make a move. He wouldn’t tell her no. For anyone else, the experience would be different. However, with Violet, he ached for her to take him.

“Don’t you feel obligated? My life is the facility, but you have the command here, doctor.” When she didn’t say a word and only blushed, Mac rolled her hips against his lap. “Are you obligated to do anything else here? Is it truly a choice for both of us?”

A loud alarm caught his attention. He swallowed hard as he kept a firm grip on her hips. When the alarm sounded a second time, he knew he needed to head back to his dorm. “It’s 0200 hours. I should leave.”

Her hands slid over his on her hips. “That command is exactly why I can’t.” It didn’t help that she did not know what she was doing with a man. “If you don’t want something, others may force you, but I won’t. If it’s not a choice, then it’s not real.” Her heart raced in her chest as she nodded.

“Then you should go. I don’t want you to get into trouble.” She squeezed his hands. “If things were different, I might tell you.” She sighed as she tugged his hands from her hips. “Then again, if things were different, you wouldn’t know I existed.”

As she slid off his lap, the soldier in him said to leave the room. However, he rose to his feet and pinned her between the desk and his body. “If things were different, you wouldn’t give us hope.” He caressed her cheek one last time. “And no doctor, if I wanted anyone’s touch, it’d be yours.” He almost nuzzled her cheek and neck but stepped away. He needed to return to his dorm before anyone suspected he left.

“If it were your choice, I’d give it to you,” the doctor whispered. It hurt when the cold air slipped over her in place of the warmth of his body. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and keep the chill away. The idea of giving that command pained her. She refused to be like the rest of the staff. Instead, she turned away and fought to control the emotions that warred within her.

Chapter twelve

Afterafewdays,Violet fell into a routine. Draven arrived in the morning to bring her to her lab, where she worked with the samples until he escorted her back to her apartment. Then she waited for the guard to deliver her food. It gave her a chance to unwind from the day and let her mind turn back to Mac. She wanted to see him again, but she trusted Draven to stay away from the soldiers for a little while.

As she waited for her dinner, her phone rang. Her stomach dropped at the name on the screen, but she couldn’t ignore the call. “Dr. Morris.” Her right foot tapped against the floor while she listened to the caller over her earbuds.

When no response came after his knock, William called through the door. “Violet.” Still, the geneticist didn’t answer. He knocked again. “Dr. Morris.”

As she opened the door, she hit mute on her call. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. I was on the phone.”

He nodded with a smile on his face. “Popular woman.” The face she made caused him to laugh. “Just wanted to drop off your food without leaving it at the door.” Her head nodded awkwardly, causing him to raise his brow. “You alright, Violet? Personal call got you upset?” He stood there waiting for an answer instead of handing off her food.

“No, it’s not a personal call. My supervisor is on the phone.” Those words prompted him to nod. Because of confidentiality, Violet could not talk about her work in front of anyone not within the facility. They both knew that. It relieved her to have her food handed to her so she could close the door. “Yes, sir. Of course. Let me get changed, and I’ll head over to the lab.” So much for a chance to rest her nerves before her work began in the morning.

The direct nature of her supervisor was nothing new to her, but he was even more stern than normal. It didn’t help he never called her into the labs at night. It actually concerned her they might change their routine. Did Renfield realize she refused to cause unnecessary harm to the shifters?

With the call over, Violet’s heart raced. The more she thought about the context of the call, the more she wondered if they knew she refused to harm the shifters. She was searching for a way out, a way to save all those poor test subjects. She didn’t trust anyone except for Draven and Mac.

Her mind turned over the different reasons she would be called into the lab so late after her contracted work day ended.

Violet rushed around her apartment to change her clothes. She replaced her cute sandals with sensible sneakers. A long, colorful sweater completed the outfit. In college, she learned to dress more colorfully. It made it easier to deal with her chosen field’s seriousness. Back out the door, she expected to see Draven walk toward her, but it was another shifter. They exchanged no words while he escorted her to meet Renfield.

Her hands trembled while her palms sweat. She reached the door she used to enter and exit the facility’s main building. The first time she entered through the door, she thought nothing of the signs on it.The front of the door had stamps that read"Biological hazards" and "authorized personnel only". Those signs were part of the norm while she finished her degrees and doctorate, so they didn’t feel as ominous as they did at that moment. Since this was part of a DOD operation, everything was confidential, but somehow that made it worse for her.

Fighting with her nerves, she wrapped her hand around the handle. She gained access immediately after swiping her badge. Closing her eyes, she stepped through the threshold and held her breath. She forced herself to count to ten before panic overwhelmed her. This was the last place she wanted to be. She was supposed to have the night to herself after everything.

“Violet, we do not have time to dally.”

When she raised her head, she noticed Renfield but never heard him walk toward her. Nodding, she started toward her personal lab. “No problem, let’s get started.” He gripped her arm when she tried to pass him.

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