Page 52 of The Jaguar's Flower

“I’ve seen true evil and heard the justifications for their actions.” Violet cringed as she thought of Renfield. “I prefer the morally gray over the evil. At least them, I can understand.” As she walked beside Sarus, she held Mac’s hand. “Why does darkness blacken the water of the fountain? From the way you explain it, darkness is part of the balance of things. Without dark, we wouldn’t know light and vice versa.”

Sarus reached one of the small pathways that led to the fountain. He sat on one stone surrounded by iridescent roses. “How can I explain this?” The primordial inhaled as he searched for every explanation, but none came to mind. Instead, he let go of his breath as he shrugged. “When my first children withherwere taken, the fountain went dark whenever I drew near. The fountain is hers, and I can’t even get close to it.”

“So it’s a punishment?” Violet glanced at Mac. “That doesn’t sound right.” Her head shook before she slid her hand from her mate’s and kissed him. When she turned back to her father, she smiled. “Alright, tell me how the fountain works. What should I do or look for when I try to use it? I don’t think Abracadabra is going to work in this instance.” A grin split her lips for a moment before she sighed. “We’ll find them, don’t worry.”

“Abracadabra?” Both Sarus and Mac asked curiously.

When Violet laughed and explained, Sarus shared her laughter. “Never tell a witch that. They might be offended.” He shared her smile before the pain in his heart returned. With a soft sigh, the primordial explained how the fountain worked. “When you sit on the edge, you must dip only your fingertips into the water. Once the water moves, it’s accepted you. You can ask two questions. Be careful of your thoughts.”

“This fountain does that? How is it possible?” Mac asked.

“The fountain comes from Fate. Almost like a wishing well, you can’t depend on it for everything or lose the present moments.” Sarus smiled as he rememberedherwords. “Two questions, Violet. An image will appear, and we can go from there.”

“Two questions.” She chewed on her lip because she only had one question. As she watched her father and her mate, she wondered what the second question should be. “Alright.” Before she walked over to the fountain, she hugged Sarus. Then kissed her mate again.

If her father loved Fate, she wondered how that primordial died. As she drew closer to the fountain, she forced the thought from her mind. It wasn’t the question she wanted to know the answer to when it came to the fountain.

She sat on the edge and dipped her fingers into the crystalline water. Ripples formed around her fingers as she spoke. “Where are Sarus’ children?” Rapid-fire images appeared in the waters. A wasteland, a forest, a hospital room, and a lush garden were a few she could pick out from the array.

As she watched the images in silence, her mind went to the pain of the one Sarus didn’t name. An image of bright green eyes appeared in the water. She stared into those eyes as pain threatened to crush her heart.

“Violet?” Sarus called to his daughter.

When she didn’t answer, Mac stepped forward. “Violet? Do you see something?” Worry painted his features as the shifter glanced at the primordial. “Violet?” he called to her again.

“Why do you hurt?” she whispered as she continued to watch the eyes in the water. The weight of his pain grew heavier until a tear slipped down her cheek. “I can feel your pain, but you’ve done so much to my father. You caused him pain, but yours is stronger.”

Before Mac could grab Violet, Sarus snatched her away from the fountain. He noticed the green eyes seconds before the water turned partially black. The primordial held his daughter against him before he sat on the stone floor. Mac rushed beside them as Violet trembled. “I’m sorry, Violet,” he whispered.

“What happened?” Mac kneeled beside them and pushed Violet’s blue hair away from her face. “Violet, talk to me.”

She met Mac’s worried gaze and kissed him. “I saw them, but I also saw.” Her head shook since she didn’t have a name for him. When she raised her head, she met her father’s gaze. “I couldn’t stop thinking about him. He’s in so much pain, Dad.” When she leaned forward, she wrapped her arms around Mac’s neck. She needed the calm he always brought her. “Other children are alive.”

Sarus only nodded. As Mac held Violet in his arms, the jaguar grew more curious why the primordial never said another word. “Do you know where they might be located, Violet?” Mac asked, hoping to help the situation and to keep his mate’s focus off the other topic.

“Nature surrounded most in some form or another.” She laid her head against Mac’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “Gardens and forests. A woman with bright red hair was in the garden, almost identical to the one here. A man was near the mountains.” She took a breath. “Another was in a hospital room, but there was one. It reminded me of a post-apocalyptic world.”

“Your eldest siblings.” Sarus cradled his head as he gazed around his garden. “The one who has a garden almost like mine with red hair is Kori.” He thought of the other two, but the post-apocalyptic world made him more curious. “If it’s Krusos, then it’s no wonder why I couldn’t feel my son.” He sighed.

“Can we save them?” Mac asked. He felt completely out of the loop between the two. Once he sat on the stone, he helped Violet into his lap. The jaguar felt lost without his brothers. He couldn’t imagine if he lost Violet or their children if they had them. “The woman being sent to save my brother and Draven. Could she help us find your children?”

Sarus shook his head. “I will not send her out there in search of them. If they lived this long, it’s becausehehid them for a reason. I hope I’m right.”

“I don’t know, other than he’s in pain. The others. They’re surrounded by a sense of loss.” She curled into Mac’s chest and cupped his cheek. “I know that sense of loss. They know they’re missing something.” Her fingers stroked over his jaw before she kissed him. “I felt it until I met you, then Sarus.” She turned her attention to her father. “What do we do?”

“First, we save your brother and friend.” Sarus nodded at them. “After that, we will figure out a plan to bring your siblings home. I will figure out a plan.” The primordial nodded as his eyes flickered back and forth with ideas.

“Then what do we do right now? Plan or what?” Mac asked.

“What about green eyes?” Violet stared into Sarus’ eyes. “He’s in so much pain. There has to be a way to help him.” She rubbed her chest over her heart. “I can still feel it.” As she reached for her father’s hand, she frowned. “I know you’re in pain, too. But this, him.” She shook her head. “Dad, I can’t leave knowing he’s hurting so much.”

Sarus met her eyes. “I don’t expect you to understand right now, but trust me when I say.” He squeezed her hand. “Knowing that he’s in pain gives me hope. Until I can figure out a way to free him, we cannot trust him, Violet.”

“Let us help you free him.” She glanced at Mac. “He’s a soldier, and I’m a doctor. There has to be something we can do, Dad.” She gasped when she felt another ripple of that pain. “Something’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong?” Mac held her close. “What are you feeling, Violet?”

Before Violet could answer, Sarus pressed his fingertips to her temple to show her a brief history of the primordials. “I’m sorry, daughter. We can’t save him right now,” he whispered.