Once the earbud was secured, Oleander reached for one of Jasmine’s hands. They looked at each other and gave a brief nod.
The next moment, the world shifted.
Jasmine found herself standing inside the research room with Oleander. They were halfway up the stepped seating area, looking down at the giant rabbit standing on the wide floor below.
Jasmine released Oleander’s hand.
Her heartbeat quickened as she looked down at the creature below. They were finally close enough for her to get a proper look at it.
If that really was Rabbibi...
Her gaze moved over its gray fur and white streaks, searching for anything familiar.
Below them, the rabbit had cornered the researcher beneath one of its paws. The woman whimpered for help while clutching her injured arm.
The rabbit’s long ears flattened as it lowered its head and sniffed the wound.
It paused.
Then it suddenly roared in the woman’s face.
The researcher screamed.
The rabbit sniffed her injured arm again, then roared once more.
It had been repeating the same strange behaviour ever since it caught her—sniffing the wound, pulling back, then roaring directly at her face as if something about her scent was confusing or infuriating it.
"What is that monster doing?" Oleander asked, irritated. "Is it trying to eat her or what?"
"Don’t worry. He won’t eat her. He’s just hungry, and they’re not giving him what he wants." Jasmine held up her bowl of carrot-and-chicken-liver purée with quiet pride. "He’s naturally a herbivore. But after the mutation gave him that third eye, the monster side of him developed a taste for the scent of blood. Vegetables alone won’t satisfy him anymore." She glanced at the puree. "So this is the combination that works best for his palate."
It had taken her three attempts to figure that out back then. Three different recipes before Rabbibi finally ate something without trying to bite someone.
Oleander still looked skeptical.
A deep growl rolled across the room.
The rabbit suddenly lunged, its teeth clamping around the researcher’s other arm.
"You said he wouldn’t eat her!"
Oleander immediately dropped into a crouch behind a nearby table. Jasmine followed, keeping her eyes on the rabbit.
"He won’t eat her," she said. "He’s just too hungry to stop biting."
She glanced at the researcher trapped on the other side of the room, then back at the rabbit. "I’ll distract him. When he comes after me, you grab the researcher and teleport her out."
"Wait, Jas—"
Jasmine was already moving.
She slipped out from behind the table and headed toward the centre of the room. The rabbit lifted its head, all three eyes locking onto her.
Good.
Jasmine kept walking, slow and steady. She knew the rabbit wasn’t particularly fast, but its saliva could immobilize someone from up to ten meters away—nearly thirty-three feet. She needed to stay outside that range until Oleander had the researcher.
Her gaze dropped briefly to the rabbit’s hind legs.
Damn it. Its fur is too thick. I still can’t see the birthmark.
No time.
She stopped several meters away and set the bowl of puree beside her foot. Then she reached for the keyboard lying on the table and looked at the hump at the back of the rabbit’s neck.
That was the weak point.
She just needed to get its attention.
One.
Two.
Three.
Jasmine swung.
The keyboard flew across the room.
Thuck!
It struck the hump squarely.
The rabbit jerked around, its three eyes snapping toward her.
Jasmine grabbed the bowl.
"Now, Oleander."
She backed away as the rabbit charged.
Jasmine turned and ran.
Behind her, Oleander moved at the same time. He rushed toward the trapped researcher, grabbed her, and activated his teleportation ability.
The moment they disappeared, Jasmine ducked behind a large cabinet.
The rabbit skidded to a stop.
It looked around, searching for her.
"I got her." Oleander’s voice came through her earbud, hard and tense. "And if I see that damn monster hurt you, I won’t hesitate to kill it."
Jasmine peeked around the cabinet.
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Then the lights went off.
The room plunged into darkness.
Only faint afternoon light slipped through the small windows high along the walls. It wasn’t completely dark to human eyes, but visibility was poor.
Jasmine reached into her pocket and pulled out the lighter she’d prepared earlier.
She turned toward the rabbit.
Just as she’d expected, it had stopped searching.
The giant creature sat in the middle of the room, quiet and still.
Waiting.
Jasmine slowly stepped out from her hiding place. It reminded her of the first time she’d tamed Rabbibi. His three eyes had always been sensitive to artificial light, and they didn’t see very well in dim conditions.
But Rabbibi had always been fascinated by fire.
So Jasmine flicked her lighter on.
The tiny flame appeared at the same level as the rabbit’s eyes. For a moment, they simply faced each other.
Jasmine took a slow step forward. A low growl rumbled from the rabbit as its attention fixed on the flame, but Jasmine didn’t stop.
"Hey, buddy... You know me, right?"
The rabbit growled again.
Jasmine moved the lighter slowly from left to right. The giant rabbit’s head followed it, its three eyes tracking the tiny flame.
"Good boy." She smirked and took another step. "I have your favorite treat. Why don’t you try it?"
They were less than ten feet apart now. Jasmine slowly extended the bowl of puree.
The rabbit growled again and sniffed the air. Its eyes remained fixed on the dancing flame, but its nostrils began to flare as the smell of the puree reached it.
Four feet.
Jasmine carefully lowered the bowl onto the floor in front of the rabbit while keeping the lighter moving beside it.
"It’s all yours. Come on. Try it. I’ll make more if you want."
She placed the still-lit lighter beside the bowl and slowly backed away, giving the rabbit room to approach.
The giant rabbit rose onto its feet. All three eyes gleamed as they followed the tiny flame. It started toward the bowl, sniffing as it went, its nose twitching while a low rumble vibrated in its throat. Saliva dripped between its sharp teeth.
"Yeah... there. Come closer."
Jasmine stopped at a safe distance.
The rabbit reached the bowl and paused. Its nose twitched as it sniffed the puree, long whiskers moving with every breath.
Jasmine held her breath as its lips touched the edge of the bowl.
Then the rabbit pulled its head away.
It didn’t even lick the puree.
Instead, it sat back down and returned its full attention to the flame.
"Jasmine... why isn’t it eating?"
Oleander’s worried voice came through her earbud.
Jasmine sighed heavily. "I don’t know."
"What—"
She sighed again.
It had worked with Rabbibi before. Why wasn’t it working now?
She planted her hands on her hips and frowned at the rabbit. But as she watched the giant creature remain completely focused on the tiny flame, its body gradually relaxing as its three eyes followed the dancing light with almost childlike fascination, something in her softened.
Then she remembered.
The reason Rabbibi had eaten the treat when he was in his monster form wasn’t because she’d simply given him the bowl. Back when he was still a normal-sized rabbit, Jasmine had always fed him by hand.
He used to lick her fingers clean.
Jasmine straightened.
"Seems like I need to feed him myself."
"Are you crazy? No. Don’t do it. It looks dangerous!"
Oleander’s voice blasted through the earbud so loudly that Jasmine winced.
"Just trust me."