The Catalyst - By Zoe Winters Page 0,51

he'd never once been caught by a groggy woman with fairy-tale-princess dreams. Until now.

This time, he'd chosen to sleep with a human woman in his own cave - a woman he couldn't just dump, who might not be able to leave without a panic attack. Fuck. Z stared at the steam coming off his coffee cup.

Fiona pulled out the chair he'd indicated and sat. "Now that you've had me, are you going to toss me out?"

He looked up as if he'd been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. "What? No. What kind of monster do you think I am?" Subtle, Z. "You think I'd abandon you?" Keep lying to her. She knows.

"Why not? You were ready to abandon the pup."

He didn't know what the hell he was going to do with her. The more time they spent alone together, and the more attached he became, the more danger he was in of losing his freedom. But actually tossing her out hadn't crossed his mind. It was more the terror of where this might go. If he'd thought just getting rid of her was an option, he wouldn't have a reason to be afraid.

"Nobody abandoned the pup. The pup was taken. Tell me how to find him. Do you have a plan? Do you have a map? Maybe you put some kind of tracking chip on him?" He knew he was goading her.

She looked at her hands as she clasped and unclasped them on the table. "You know I don't know how to find him anymore than you do." Then she started crying. "All this is my fault."

Oh no. Not that again. Z had never met a woman who cried so damn much, and it wasn't some female problem. He'd know if it was that. He knew the exact times to steer clear of a woman to keep away unwanted offspring and to avoid hormone meltdown.

"All what is your fault? Let's try to narrow this down to a single topic."

Fiona shot him a glare. "I'm the one who let my guard down. I should have kept him in his cage while I worked the protection spell. I'm the one who screwed up the spell and left a magic trail that could be found. I'm the one who hesitated about going out after him when I could have kept him from going too far. Should I go on, because I'm sure the list is longer?"

"You sound insane. Did you choose to be involved in any of this in the first place? I lost the pup the first time, landing him on your doorstep and involving you to begin with. I kidnapped you and brought you back here. I left you alone with him. I knew your fears when I left you here. It's not your fault. All right? Please, please stop crying."

He got up and paced the floor, watching her agitation grow. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and settled down. Kidnapping her to help him understand the pup had seemed smart at the time. But who was he going to kidnap to help him figure Fiona out?

"Come here." He was struck by the notion that he was uncomfortable with how close they were in the small space of his cave. But he was equally uncomfortable by how far away they were, and the fact that he wasn't touching her.

She looked unsure, but got out of the chair and crossed the kitchen to meet him. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. After a second of shock at the unexpected gesture, she laid her head on his shoulder and he stroked her hair.

Well weren't they just domestic? If his panther buddies could see him now. They'd never stop laughing.

Z kissed the top of her head. "Everything is going to be okay. We just need some sleep. In the morning when we're fresh, we'll figure something out. But no matter what happens, it's not your fault. The pup wasn't your responsibility. I don't blame you for any of this, and you shouldn't blame yourself."

She nodded against his shoulder, and some of the tension started to drift out of her. He led her back to the bedroom and pulled back the covers for her to get in. He joined her and tried not to think too much about why he pulled her flush against him to spoon with her until she fell asleep, or why he wrapped one arm around her waist and left