Free Mated to the Jaguars - Paranormal M/F/M Menage by Yamila Abraham Page A

outside of it, so he has to pull you in to hurt you.   I’ll go there.   Hunt him down—and make him suffer.”
    A stitch formed between her brows.   “He’s not trapped down there.   He was in the mortal world too.”
    Several moments of harrowing silence followed.   Michelle’s heart began to race.  
    Votan pulled away from her slowly.   He held her back with large hands on both her shoulders.   His angry face had turned stony.  
    “What?”   The solitary word dropped like a fifty ton boulder.
    “He was…I mean, I saw him in his human form in the mortal world.   Before I found Maximon I was sitting at a café outside his work.   Caquix showed up.   He talked to me.   He was trying to convince me to go with him to his condo.”
    Votan’s lower lip began to tremble.   She could hear his slow breaths.
    “When I refused he tried to drag me with him, but Maximon showed up and chased him away.”
    “How do you know it was him?”
    She pursed her lips.   “Well…I felt him.   And he transformed into a big black bird.”
    Votan turned from her.   “Damn.”  
    He walked out of the bathroom.   Michelle saw a stagger in his step.   She dressed and then followed.  
    Votan sat hunched over on the foot of the bed.   His forehead rested in his hands.
    “This is why you did it,” he said without looking up.   “This is why you spirit bonded to both of us.   You sought to bring both of us together.   It was no game.   You foresaw this.”   He shook his head.   “I should have realized.   I thought so little of you—but you had a reason for what you did.”
    She stood a moment, taking stock.   It should have struck her before that Caquix’s presence in the mortal world was something catastrophic.   Dread from his presence scratched at the back of her mind since the incident at the café.   No…before that.   Hadn’t she always known something big was coming?   Isn’t that why she searched so desperately for her purpose in the texts of the B’alam?   Votan’s reaction horrified her—but it didn’t surprise her.
    “What does it mean, Votan?” she said softly.
    “No.”   His large shoulders rose and fell with a sigh, then he sat up.   “We can’t talk.   His demons are always watching.”   He dragged himself to his feet curled the edge of his lip in revulsion.  
    “We have to go to Maximon.”
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Chapter 13
     
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    Votan led the way to Max’s front door, despite Michelle protesting that she should be the first one to see him.   He stood glaring at Max in the doorway for several moments.   Michelle couldn’t see past him to gauge Max’s expression.   Eventually Max stepped away.
    “Come in,” he said.
    She came around Votan so she could see her other beloved.   Max smiled grimly at her.   She returned this, despite feeling stricken.   She belonged to both of them, but right now it felt as though Votan had sole rights to her.   It was all she could do not to race into Max’s arms for a kiss.
    He offered them seats at the breakfast bar in his kitchen.   Michelle perched on the stool; Votan did not.
    “You want something to drink?”
    “No, thank you,” Michelle said.  
    Votan didn’t answer.   He was still glaring at their host.   Max eyed him before turning to pour himself some orange juice.
    “Look, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this situation.   I’ll be honest—“
    “Shh.”
    Max darted him an angry look.   Votan remained somber.
    “We can’t talk yet.   I need twelve sheets of paper and something to write with.”
    Michelle swallowed.   Max was looking at her for an explanation.   She merely pursed her lips.
    “Okay.”   He set down his drink.   “I’ll get those, uh…”   He stepped out of the kitchen.   “Papers and whatever.”
    Max and Michelle watched as Votan stacked the twelve white sheets of printer paper and uncorked a marker.   On the first sheet