cage, then turned back to Z. "You should also maybe do something about the sharp edges."
He smiled, a brilliant, milk-commercial smile. "See? I knew you were going to be beneficial."
Her lips curved downward at his justification for kidnapping, but she was intrigued by the fact that Z was playing the role of surrogate father. If he'd take a child not of his species in and care for it, he couldn't be too bad a guy. Could he?
"I need to go back out, though. Into town. I'm sure they'll have something at the hardware store I can use to secure him. Can you watch him while I'm gone?" He pulled the black T-shirt over his head.
"Are you going to drug me again when you get back?"
Z rolled his eyes. "Don't be goofy. I know you aren't going anywhere." He gestured toward the door. "That's the big bad outside out there. I don't need a lock to keep you in."
Fiona shot him a glare. What he said was true, but it still pissed her off that he was so smug about it. There were legitimate things to fear out there, especially with her gift. Inside was safer. The panther could think she was crazy all he wanted, but he didn't have to live her life or avoid the dangers that she did. And since he could defend himself without spell books and fifteen minutes of prep time, he had no right to judge her.
"So, now that you're here, will you help me?" he asked.
Despite his semi-evil behavior, his warm brown eyes sort of made her brain go all fuzzy. He could ask her for almost anything, and it would be hard to say no - especially given that she was already here, and it was easier just to stay at this point.
"Okay."
He smiled and patted her arm. "Okay. I'll be back in a bit. Is there anything you need from town?"
Fiona shook her head, not being able to think of anything at the moment. She watched him slip through the opening in the cave and out into the big bad outside.
She followed his path as he disappeared from view. He'd obviously done work on the stone, as the opening wasn't a natural one. From the main den, there was a narrow hallway that opened to the outside. The opening was covered by some large, natural plant life that grew in the hard earth next to it. Climbing down looked treacherous, but it was no more than a couple of stories to the ground. She imagined someone walking by would never guess there was a cave in the rock. Well, except for the fireplace, but Fiona guessed the chimney had been made to blend as well.
She watched Z maneuver himself down to the ground and shuddered to think how he'd gotten her up there while she was unconscious. Perhaps he'd had help from the doctor. Once he reached the ground, he pushed back a large stone to reveal another hewn-out piece of rock large enough to house his motorcycle. He replaced the stone and pushed the bike through the trees.
The pup's cold, wet nose pressed under her elbow. He looked in the direction Z had gone, his tail flapping fifty times a second.
"Oh, no you don't. You get out the door, and I can't chase you." Saying it out loud sounded and felt ridiculous, and once again she was reminded of what a silly and debilitating phobia she had. Would she leave the pup to get hurt or be taken because she couldn't face going out into the forest? She hoped she never had to find out.
***
Once Z cleared the trees, he put on speed. He wanted to get Fiona out of his mind, and there was nothing like the wind in his hair from a fast ride to clear his head. If he were being really honest, and he'd need to get pretty drunk to get that honest, he'd admit that kidnapping her was twenty-five percent about needing help with the pup. The other seventy-five percent was his raging hormones and the desperation to mount something.
But why had he brought her to his home, knowing she might be there for awhile? He was not a domesticated breed. Panthers didn't settle down. They liked their privacy, their tucked-away caves. They weren't a breed that mated for life or cared for young. The females of his kind often raised young alone without the assistance of a male.
Their jaded nature made it easier to walk