The Catalyst - By Zoe Winters Page 0,3

to drink human formula until he could start eating meat, but now instead of getting easier to raise him, it was getting harder. Every day Z was more aware of how difficult it would be for the pup when he shifted to his human form and couldn't speak the language of his own kind. When did the ones born in their fur first shift? Age five? Six?

The bathroom the woman had pointed out was the most organized he'd ever encountered. Her perfectly folded towels were arranged by color. Her medicine cabinet looked like a pharmacy - preparation for every potential contingency. Her first aid supply left something to be desired, though. He didn't imagine she had a lot of accidents as cautious as she was. He could patch her up okay with what she had. At least until she could see a doctor or something. She might need some stitches.

He felt a twinge of guilt at that. She'd been at least five kinds of terrified when he'd busted in the house. Z shut his eyes against the image of her pressed against the wall, her lower lip trembling. In truth, it was her smell that had startled him out of the mindless clawing. She smelled so good. He'd looked up and seen those golden curls cascading down her back, those light green eyes, and the dusting of freckles on her nose.

He'd switched from violence to growls, not expecting her to understand a word of it. But she had. Now the wheels in his head were turning. If he ever wanted his bachelor cave back, he needed her. Though he felt guilty about her injuries - and her window - he had no intention of negotiating with the woman. Z operated on the law of the jungle, and she'd stumbled into his jungle. Sort of.

The pup was cute, but the kid cramped his style. He was losing sleep, not getting laid. It was making him grumpy and unhinged. He wasn't cut out for this parenting gig, and he was willing to do anything to fix the situation, up to and including felony.

Basket of first aid supplies in tow, Z sauntered back into the kitchen to find the woman sitting at the table, cradling her arm, so quiet he feared she'd fallen into some kind of fugue state.

"So I've decided you're coming with me," he said without preamble.

"W-what?"

He chuckled when she averted her gaze from his nakedness. She should be glad he was a gentleman - more or less - because she sure was a sweet little thing. It had been a few weeks since he'd scratched that particular itch. Having the pup around all the time made prowling for women low on the priority list. He wondered for a moment if he could convince this one to have some down and dirty, no-strings-attached sex. Maybe after he found the pup's family. Before that would be too much complication with them in such close quarters - since she was coming with him.

Z cocked his head toward the pup who sat on the table with his nose pressed into the crook of her elbow. This was perfect. The pup even liked her. It was like a nanny had fallen out of the sky. A multilingual nanny. Praise the gods.

"You understand what he needs. I need you to help me care for him. And I need you to stay with him at my place while I find his family. It's more secure there. We'll take you to a doctor first about your injuries."

He knew she probably had a life of some sort. Maybe a job. Probably a boyfriend. But he didn't care. He was desperate to get this kid out of his hair. The only way it was happening was if he got some help, and he couldn't bring himself to ask another panther. They'd laugh at him for his foolishness in taking the pup in the first place.

She sat frozen for a moment as if she were processing all of that. When she spoke, her voice came out calm and even. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't know you. And I don't need a doctor. I just need my magic books and tools. I can heal myself."

Z had been surprised when she hadn't started shouting spells at him and throwing balls of energy. Some witches were kind of intense. Different magic users had different skills and gifts, and he was thankful that didn't seem to be part of her repertoire. Aside