Page 7 of The Jaguar's Flower
That stopped him in his tracks. “No. It’s too dangerous.”
She bit her bottom lip and wondered if she could trust him. If she couldn’t trust him, she didn’t deserve his. “That was the only area where I felt calm during the tour. I’d rather have that calm, and I promise to treat the soldiers the same as I did you.” She patted her pocket. “I have plenty of candy, too. Renfield uses a lot of negative reinforcement, so I want to show you all something positive.”
As soon as he nodded, she grinned. “Thank you, Draven.” She trailed behind him on the way to the soldier training area.
Chapter four
Unlikeduringthetour,Draven remained at Violet’s side when she entered the soldier training area. Before she sought volunteers for samples, he stopped and spoke to another guard. She observed the soldiers training while the guards held a quiet conversation. As she watched the soldiers, she attempted to discover a way to tell the difference between a shifter and a human.
Her eyes moved over the men from a clinical perspective to decipher the key differences between humans and shifters. With limited experience with men, no differences jumped out at her. She noticed all the soldiers moved with a lethal grace she never wanted to face.
She whipped around and covered her mouth when she felt a presence behind her. Her heart raced. As she met Draven's stoic gaze, nervous laughter threatened to escape her lips. He watched her as though she were a specimen under a microscope.
“Ma’am, are you alright?” His voice was level, but concern shined in his eyes.
Red-faced, she knew she appeared guilty of staring at the soldiers. She wasn’t gawking at the men. The moment reminded her of a child caught with her hand in a cookie jar. As an employee, the soldiers were off-limits. She refused to compromise her ethics or abuse her position. No matter the setting, she never flirted. One glance in the mirror told her she wasn’t desirable.
“Yes. No. I’m fine, 002.” She waved her hand in front of her face to cool her blush-stained. The trust Violet built with Draven was still new, so she explained her actions. “I was wondering if there’s a way to tell a shifter from a human by looking at them.”
His lips barely twitched as he scanned the training area. “No, they trained us to mimic humans to prevent anyone from realizing we are animals.” His head nodded toward a closed door. “You can set up there. Soldiers will come to you. I will station myself at your back. They will understand I protect you.”
She ignored the impulse to reach out to her guard under the gaze of so many. “I know it’s your job to escort me, but I don’t want anyone to feel intimidated.” Her voice dropped into a whisper, afraid of being overheard. “I want the soldiers to understand that they have a choice. I won't if they don’t want me to collect samples from them.”
He wanted to argue, but it was better not to speak against the personnel in view of anyone. Not everyone would welcome her kindness. Too many times, the medical personnel used kindness and compassion as a tool to trick the soldiers. He bore the scars from wrongly believing in the kindness of a human. However, he sensed Violet differed from the others. Never once did she force him to her will or use any sort of violence.
After a moment, he started toward the empty exam room. It didn’t matter to him if she didn’t want the others to feel intimidated. They would feel like they had to agree, no matter how she acted. His job was to ensure her safety, regardless of how he acted toward the other personnel.
Once she was set up, she took a deep breath. The ability to close the door ensured none watched other than Draven. One problem remained, she wasn’t sure how to gain volunteers from the training area.
As she took a deep breath, she knew if she quietly asked, Renfield would hear of it and disapprove. She did not want the soldiers to be punished and aimed to prevent it. Straightening her spine, she realized what she needed to do.
She stepped into the training area but didn’t stray from the open door of the exam room. Her hand rose until her fingers slipped between her lips. A shrill whistle echoed through the building before she addressed those present.
“I am Dr. Morris, geneticist. I need samples from each of you.” The way she phrased it ate at her, but Draven nodded his head in approval. She needed to appear like the rest. Otherwise, she would tip her hand to the fact that she would harm no one on the facility grounds.
Avel’s mind returned to Mac. He wondered how his brother fared for a moment. A soldier grabbed a baton and jutted his jaw toward the jaguar. The potential to die at another soldier’s hand hung in the air during a sparring session. A shrill whistle broke his concentration. He turned to see a petite blonde woman standing beside 002.
This was the target. Every soldier in the training room gave her their attention. Some placed their weapons back on the rack before they formed a line. Avel’s opponent followed the others and took his place in line. Whatever the staff wanted, they received. If they rejected the blonde woman, they faced punishment.
Avel stood at the back of the line. One by one, they gave samples. A twitch formed in his left eye the closer he drew to the door. Something about this moment felt different to him. A soft scent clung to the air. Instead of feeling sick, he grew curious. He blinked a few times to stop the twitch since he was next. He always feared any examinations except for this one.
Tension rolled off of Draven with each new soldier that entered the room. Some treated Violet as though she was nothing more than a filler in the room. However, a few engaged with her beyond the necessity of gathering the samples she requested. None denied her the samples, but she sent several away without touching them.
Their body language screamed their unease, which evaporated to shock after sitting quietly in the room. He knew they would await punishment for being sent away, but he doubted any would come. He planned to ask later in order to discover if Violet was true to her word about her desire to protect them.
She was determined to gain their trust and prove that not everyone wanted to inflict pain upon them. When 009 left the room without giving a sample, she stood from the table and paced for a moment.
Renfield would question if she dismissed them as quickly as they entered. The candy seemed to be the simplest of icebreakers so far, as well as the ease that Draven broadcasted. After a moment, she opened the door again.
“Next.” She waited for the soldier to step forward, then shut the door behind him. “Hello. I would like to introduce myself again.” As she repeated her speech to the shifter, calm washed over her with this soldier. The feeling was odd, but she disregarded it.
“My name is Dr. Violet Morris. You can give a blood sample or a sample from your inner cheek. You should also know that you have the option to refuse to give any samples.” As she placed a wrapped candy on the table, she smiled. “Feel free to ask 002 for his opinion as well.”
It was second nature for Avel to present himself differently. He boxed while he played the part of the soldier. It made it easier for him and Mac to appear the same. He noticed 002 stood close to the doctor and noted his minor change. The shifter seemed protective.
She picked up her clipboard as she mumbled. “I truly hate this number system.” With her pen in hand, she sighed. “What name do I place on the samples, sir?”
“007,” Avel stated firmly. The fragrance in the room almost broke his focus. Something seemed strange about the doctor. Even with Draven in the room, the jaguar felt safe instead of mentally preparing himself for the tortures he associated with examinations. The calmness brought a sensation that unnerved him.Could it be a trap?Somehow, he doubted it. “I’m here to provide the samples needed, Dr. Morris.”