Page 2 of The Jaguar's Flower
“Sons?” He glanced at her. The fear in her eyes filled him with purpose. “Don’t fear, I will not kill them.” Davorin pulled his finger from the cub and held him at arm’s length to inspect the tiny body. When the blanket fell from his body, the cub fussed again. “As much as they deserve death for killing my mate, I am presented with a conflict. It was her dying wish for me to love and protect them.”
The cub whimpered in his arms, but he didn’t care. “Leave us.” He told the midwife. When she didn’t budge, he only grinned at her effort to stand against him. “Now. Or I will kill them,” he growled the threat.
She rushed from the room. As she shut the door, he contemplated her punishment for disobeying his orders. He laid the naked cub in the bassinet with his other two brothers. “Love and protect.” He scoffed. “I can only offer one, Ginny.” When he leaned against the bassinet, he gripped the edge to glare at his sons.
His heart could not love anymore. The reason behind his warmth and care died tonight. She remained in the bed of blood behind him. Now, nobody stood against him or his law. The fear that radiated off the midwife and doctor fueled him. It replaced the desire to kill his whimpering cubs.
He grabbed the naked cub and swaddled it. Davorin cradled him and ignored the whimpers of protest. “You killed your mother.” He cooed gently before he walked over to the bed. “Look as she lays there for the last time. All thanks to you.” Ice filled his words. When he reached the bed, his son squirmed in protest.
“I cannot love them, Ginny.” He confessed. “I can offer protection, but I will never love them.”
The cub stirred in his arms. “Hush now.” Davorin jostled the cub in his arms. “Boys donotcry, especially ones who killed their mother.” He growled as he walked back to the bassinet. The others curled into each other and barely whimpered. It would be easy to starve or suffocate them to find relief from his hatred. Yet, as he gazed back at his mate, his grief tore at his heart.
When his gaze returned to his sons, the cracks in his heart stopped as one of them opened their eyes. “You have her eyes.” He inspected each cub and swallowed hard as he noticed their uncanny resemblance. “You all have her eyes.”
Davorin gathered them into his arms. Confusion filled him as he cradled them close. He did not question his desire to kill his children in one moment. In the next, he struggled with an overwhelming crash of love for them. Even as he returned to his mate, he held them protectively.
As he sat down, he nuzzled one of their heads as he watched his mate. Her body grew colder, yet he did not care. “They have your eyes, Ginny.” He whispered as the cubs curled against his chest. A troubling conflict remained inside his heart. “I am conflicted.” He swallowed. “I want vengeance. I want you back.” The grief took hold of his heart, and refused to let go. “I cannot do this alone. I won’t.”
He looked down at his sons. “Death would be the best answer for them. They will not know the coldness of their father.” His dark gaze went back to his mate’s lifeless form. “They will not know the loss of you.” Davorin licked his dry, cracked lips. “Yet they hold your eyes, Ginny, and I cannot kill the last part of you.”
Chapter one
Classified Facility, Near New Orleans, Louisiana
Thearomaofflowersfilled the facility's main lobby. Mac discreetly inhaled the fragrance while he waited for Renfield to call him into his office. Since the time the jaguar shifter could remember, Mac hated being in Renfield’s presence. Today was no different since it meant new orders were being given to him.
“007. He’s ready for you now.” One of the staff members called out to Mac. The facility only allowed numbers for the shifters, not names. If the shifters had siblings, a hyphen would appear beside their number. Before Mac graduated to the soldier program, they hyphenated his number with his two brothers.
The jaguar barely nodded at the staff. He headed into Renfield’s office, where the floral scent vanished. An ashen musk filled the office that disgusted Mac, but he retained his composure. If he showed any sign of emotion, it angered the doctor. Then the doctor would order an onslaught of experiments, but they didn't appeal to the shifter in the slightest.
Don’t speak unless spoken to.Renfield’s words from the past rang in Mac’s mind.Do I look like I am joking? Send him to the back.Mac’s eyes focused on the abstract statue on the built-in bookshelf. He raised his chin while the soldier stood at ease.Never look me in the eye again.His mind remained haunted by the doctor’slessons.
“Your training will be tested.” Renfield barely glanced away from his monitor as he addressed the experiment in the room. “You have been trained to act as one. New staff have been acquired. You are to transition with the other 007 seamlessly.” He slid a file across the desk and flipped it open. “You will have little interaction with most of the staff, but if any realize there are two of you.” He raised his eyes and scanned the experiment’s demeanor. “Both of you will enter the rehabilitation center.”
As much as he abhorred the language used, it was a necessary protocol. Each of the experiments knew the different consequences by various names. The worst punishment for the soldier experiments was to enter the rehabilitation program. Rarely was a soldier seen again once they entered that program.
“Yes, sir.” Mac took one step forward to check the file. He scanned the names and departments the new staff would work under.Brief interactions. This is good.The shifter kept note as he stood back at ease. “Is there anything more, sir?”
The idea of returning to the rehabilitation center brought uneasiness to the soldier. He would need to speak with Avel to ensure they did not screw up the mission. The last thing Mac wanted was to lose another brother.
“Inform your counterpart. You know how much I hate to repeat myself.” Renfield’s eyes returned to the screen, which displayed various feeds from within the secure facility. “Prepare for every eventuality. Some of the new researchers will gather their own samples, while others prefer to send medical personnel to gather them. Even the slightest suggestion that you are not one will result in this being a failed assignment. If you pass, you will move to the next rank.”
Kill him. It will be quick and easy.Mac gave a single nod. “Yes, sir.” Killing the doctor would be pointless. It would prove to Mac exactly what the facility taught him over the past decades.
Shifters were mindless beasts. Animals who held no control over their urges. They either needed to be put down or trained to deny the animal.
Mac turned on his heel and headed out of the office. The floral fragrance in the lobby calmed him instantly. The staff called out to him, but the shifter continued toward the door.
“007, it’s urgent,” The staff called out to him again. When Mac paused, the man waddled over to him. “Here is the file. It’s yours.”
“Renfield doesn’t give files. Keep that for yourself.” Mac continued for the door until the man pulled his arm. When he persisted, the shifter growled as he grabbed the file.
“Everything you need to know about the mission to go according to plan.” The man almost smirked.
Mac glared at the man, then glanced at Renfield's office. The shifter dumped the file into the trash bin beside him without a second thought.It’s a trap. It’s always a trap.His mind warned as he pushed the doors open. He heard the man yap about something else in the background, but it became white noise the moment the shifter turned a corner.
The walk to the fighting arena took less than ten minutes. Mac’s booted feet stomped against the steps until they landed on the soft padding that lined the entire arena. The smell of blood and sweat cloaked the area, which always made the jaguar’s stomach turn in disgust. When he eyed the place, he spotted his brother with another soldier.