The Catalyst (a paranormal romance: Preternaturals Book 3)

by Zoe Winters

  Abandoning her with the pup with no idea of when he’d be back.

  Being hot.

  Fiona sat on the ground nearby, but not so close the pup would feel his meal was threatened. Cute or not, there was no telling how he’d react if he thought she was competing for his food, especially out here in the middle of nature where the animal side of his instincts would be stronger.

  “Was breakfast not enough for you?”

  He watched her suspiciously, growling as he continued eviscerating the poor rabbit that had crossed his path. When he was finished, he chewed and played with the bones for a bit before stretching out and rolling in the grass. He closed his eyes, basking in the sunlight. It was nap time.

  “We need to go home. It’s going to be dark in a few hours and you’ve wandered pretty far.” Why was she reasoning with a wolf pup? He couldn’t communicate clear ideas to her, just images and basic needs. Right now he was communicating the desire to take a nap in the sun and his appreciation of the warmth and brightness. Though anyone could have puzzled that one out. It didn’t take a magical animal communication ability.

  Fiona sighed, unsure how she was supposed to convince him to come home with her or how she could make him do so if he couldn’t be reasoned with. He was small but squirmy and solid muscle. If he didn’t want to go, she wouldn’t be able to make him.

  A shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see a woman in jeans and a gray T-shirt. “Found him,” she called out. “I knew I sensed some magic out this way. Weak magic, but still.”

  What a bitch, Fiona thought.

  Another woman and three men stepped out from the forest from different sides, like they’d been canvassing the place. They circled and closed in on Fiona and the pup. The pup, sensing danger, opened his eyes and moved in front of her, growling at the interlopers.

  “Oh, that’s so cute!” the other woman said. “It’s like he’s defending her!”

  “Shut up, Sonya. I don’t know why we brought you. You’re a liability,” the woman in the gray T-shirt said.

  “The boss’s orders were to bring the whole coven, and that includes me,” Sonya said.

  “The boss can screw himself,” Gray T-shirt said. “I don’t know why we’re doing a vampire’s dirty work anyway.”

  “Girls! Would both of you kindly shut up so we can concentrate over here?” the largest of the men said. He looked like he might be the one in charge.

  Fiona knew the women were witches. Even if her own powers had atrophied from lack of regular use and training, she at least could sense their power. The men were magic users as well. Fiona hadn’t moved to stand because there was nowhere to go and she didn’t want to make any sudden, threatening moves.

  If she’d had any doubts before, she knew now that her protection spell had fizzled out, leaving nothing but a weak magic trail for others to find. The opposite of protection. This was why she’d been afraid to start learning more magic. Aside from house wards and a few basic healing spells, she’d avoided the craft to stay off the radar of those with bad intentions.

  One of the men pointed at the pup and began to chant in Latin. A second man joined him in the chant, pointing at the wolf as well. The leader stood to the side, doing nothing. It seemed he was there in a supervisory capacity. A glowing bubble surrounded the pup and caused him to rise in the air. He whimpered and clawed at the bubble of magic, trying to free himself.

  Fiona was torn between horror over the situation, fear for the pup and herself, and anger that she hadn’t been a responsible witch. Her grandmother had always told her she was a steward of great powers and that she should take care to nurture and grow her gifts. Whisking the pup home in a magic bubble the second she’d seen him in the clearing would have kept them alive. Being able to do a protection spell would have kept them alive. There were a lot of things she could have bothered to learn along the way that would have kept them alive.

  “What are we doing with the weak witch?” Gray T-shirt asked.

  “He only wants the pup. She’s useless. Kill her.”

  “W-wait!” Fiona said. If she couldn’t ensure her survival with magic, she’d try to talk her way out of it. “I can understand him. I can talk to animals. You might need me.”

  The man sized her up. “Interesting and potent skill for a witch who probably can’t pull a rabbit out of a hat.”

  “I bet she’s lying,” Gray T-shirt said.

  “This is so exciting!” Sonya said, like it was reality TV and not somebody’s actual life on the line.

  Fiona’s eyes widened as Z crept up behind the leader. He was naked, which let Fiona know he’d been in panther form, tracking her. She had no idea what had made him come back. Part of her was grateful, and another part was scared for him. And then a third part was thinking inappropriate thoughts for the situation. She needed to learn to look at a man naked without having a psychotic break.

  He’d gone straight for the leader, intent on taking out the strongest link.

  Before the man noticed him, Z’s hands were on either side of his head, then a twist and a sharp crack. The magic user fell to the ground. Z shifted to panther form and moved to stand in front of Fiona, growling at the others.

  Sonya screamed and ran off into the woods, leaving Gray T-shirt and the other two men. Gray T-shirt produced a ball of electricity in her hand, bouncing it in her palm like it was a softball she was about to pitch.

  The two men who were chanting started to retreat, keeping the chant up as they went.

  “Go after the pup!” Fiona shouted, unable to believe Z wasn’t budging.

  They won’t kill him now, but they’ll kill you. I’m not having that. Z growled in reply.

  With the witch poised with the electricity ball, and already doubting Fiona’s gift, Z was stuck shielding her while the other two got away with the pup.

  “How heroic,” Gray T-shirt said. “I can just kill you first, then the witch.”

  No she can’t. Z said. She’ll only wound me and then I’ll pounce before she can conjure another one. She can’t kill me with just one of those fancy firecrackers.

  As he’d predicted, Gray T-shirt flung the ball of electricity. He caught it in the shoulder, whimpered, stumbled a bit, and then took a running leap at the remaining witch while she tried to regroup to produce another one. He landed on her chest, his heavy paws knocking the wind out of her, then he ripped out her throat in one swipe.

  He turned to Fiona, blood dripping, and she jumped up and started backing away. He shifted and shouted at her. “Stop! You know I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not wounding anything that’s just going to rise up stronger and come back for us. Haven’t you ever watched a horror movie?”

  Fiona shook her head. “They scare me. I live out in the middle of the woods trapped in my house. How is a horror movie a good idea?”

  “Well, trust me on this one. It’s kill or be killed here.”

  With the human side of him seeming to be back in control, she stopped her retreat and looked around the clearing. The airhead witch and the two men who had taken the pup were nowhere to be found. Z was sporting a pretty serious bruise and burn combination on his shoulder that looked like it hurt like hell.

  He went through the pockets of both the woman and the man he’d killed. The woman’s pockets were empty, but the man had a wallet.

  “Nothing of interest in here,” Z said. “Whoever they’re working for, they aren’t carrying his calling card around. I didn’t expect them to, but it never hurts to check.”

  “You killed them,” Fiona said, unnecessarily.

  It was easier to take him twisting the guy’s neck, but the witch… it seemed excessive and brutal.

  “I don’t negotiate with terrorists,” Z said, without apology. “Wild animal, here, remember?”

  “Yeah, but… you ripped her throat out.”

  “I’m sorry, is there an approved list of killing methods I was supposed to run by you before I saved your life? Did you not hear his order to k
ill you?”

  “Thank you,” Fiona mumbled.

  Z only nodded.

  She hadn’t realized he’d been lurking that long, waiting for his moment, no doubt. He’d probably planned to kill all of them, given half a chance.

  He took long strides to reach her. She tried not to react to him being so naked and hot and dangerous mere inches from her.

  “I’d kiss you right now in some grand sweeping gesture, except I’m covered in blood and I’m guessing humans don’t find that sexy.”

  “Good guess.”

  “Your loss.”

  Fiona rolled her eyes.

  Chapter Eight

  Z couldn’t get his heart to calm down. From the second he’d seen Fiona surrounded by those magic users, he’d known true terror.

  He’d had the wolf for months, but it was a temporary inconvenience. Having him around was half annoyance and half entertainment. It didn’t stir any longings in Z for young of his own. That was a Chinese finger trap he didn’t want to stick his fingers into.

  Fiona, on the other hand… she had an absurd level of sweetness he shouldn’t be so damned attracted to. He’d only damage her. She’d end up hexing him for it. And he’d deserve it when she did.

  She triggered a bizarre combination of predatory and protective instincts. Half of him wanted to lock her away in a convent with bars on the doors and magic spells everywhere, the other half wanted to throw her down on the shag rug in front of the fireplace in his cave and have his wicked way with her.

  He had a tight hold on her hand as he led her through the forest, finding his way back to the cave by scent. She’d stayed quiet since they’d started back, not complaining of the distance, though she couldn’t be used to this much tramping through the woods. He admired a woman who didn’t bitch and moan about hiking.

  But it wasn’t the peaceful kind of silence that happened while observing the natural world in awe. Tension sparked off her like bolts of agitated current from a live wire.

  Z’s silence was for a different reason. He knew there might still be a witch out here somewhere. Ditzy or not, she was still a witch who was aligned with the enemy.

  “We have to find the pup,” Fiona said.

  Here it was.

  “Where do you propose I look? A couple of magic users magicked him away. I have no way of finding them. I don’t even know who they are.”

  “Can’t you follow their trail?”

  “You think they wouldn’t mask it? You think they’re so stupid and underprepared knowing he’s with someone like me who can track? These people are organized. They’ve been after him for months!” He should blame Fiona for letting the pup out of the cave, but the biggest emotion Z felt with regards to the lack of a small wolf was relief. The situation was out of his hands now, and he was free.

  He pushed down the guilt before it could grow. He should have left the pup in the middle of the woods that day to fend for himself, but he’d been bored, and the pup had been entertaining.

  “Don’t yell at me,” Fiona said, tears in her voice.

  “I’m not yelling. I’m just saying. Unless you have some magic way to find him, we can’t find him.”

  Her silence was all he needed.

  Z sighed. “It’s over. He’s gone. I don’t know where his pack is. I don’t know how to find them. I don’t know who these people are that took him.” And he’d stupidly tossed the card with the phone number on it in the fire. He could have called that priest vampire. Not that the guy would have given him any information, anyway. And if Fiona couldn’t use a spell to locate the pup, a business card wouldn’t help her find the vampire, either.

  “We’ll try to figure something out tomorrow,” he said. Part of him just wanted to forget about the pup. It wasn’t his problem now. Shit happened. But saying that out loud to Fiona would guarantee she’d hate him forever, and he couldn’t have that—not with the weird thing she’d done to his heart. He wasn’t sure what would happen if she hated him, and he wasn’t worried about magic. No, this was all standard human emotion stuff. He made a face like he’d eaten something sour, thankful he was walking in front of the witch so she couldn’t see it.

  “But anything could happen,” she said. She’d given up the fight against her tears.

  He could feel her guilt over letting the pup get away from her.

  “It’s not your fault, okay? I just need rest. I don’t have a plan. I just… Tomorrow. We’ll figure something out tomorrow.” Maybe a meteor would fall on the cave… or an apocalypse would happen… or she’d hit her head and get amnesia. Any of those outcomes would work.

  “Do you promise?” The catch in her voice made his skin feel too tight, like he wanted to crawl out of it.

  “Yes.” Anything to get you to stop crying.

  Another half hour passed before they arrived at the cave. Fiona had managed to stop the tears and was back to silence. Z gave her a boost at the cave entrance.

  She looked back. “Seriously? You’re not going to check inside to make sure it’s safe, first?”

  Z growled. “How many times do I have to explain the wild animal thing to you? I can smell the whole cave. Nobody has been here but us. Now get your cute butt in there.”

  Even in the growing darkness, and despite losing the pup, he could see the blush creeping over her face, but she scurried up the side of the rock and into the cave. Z followed.

  “I-I could do some magic—a healing spell, I mean—on your shoulder.”

  Z glanced down. The injury was minor by his standards, though probably not by hers. “It’s fine. It’ll be healed up by the time I go to bed. There’s no sense in you wasting your magic on me.” He stalked closer and she took an unconscious step back.

  “It wouldn’t be a waste—”

  “Shhh.” He offered his hand. “I need a shower and so do you, after being out all day in the heat.”

  Her eyes widened comically. “I b-beg your pardon?”

  There he went with the one-step-too-far thing. He couldn’t be sure if she was offended that he’d implied she didn’t smell great—hey neither did he, it wasn’t a judgment—or that he’d just suggested they shower together to fix the situation. He figured he’d skip over the lesser issue and make his case for the latter.

  “Oh, come on. We had a big adrenaline-filled moment in the clearing back there. I know you felt it, too. If I hadn’t had blood all over me, I would have taken you right there. You know we’re going to do this. You’ve drooled over me every opportunity you’ve gotten in the short time we’ve been in each other’s company—”

  “I have not!” Her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive posture, as if he was the last sentient being she’d sleep with even if her species faced extinction. But he wasn’t buying it. Underneath the smell of sweat and fear for the pup and the woods was the smell that made him brave, because he knew just how much she wanted him.

  And he was still naked, having left his clothing miles and miles away when he’d first shifted to track her faster. It was obvious he wanted her. So what were they waiting for? She needed a distraction from the pup crisis, and he needed to be inside her.

  “No point denying what I can smell. My nose doesn’t lie, darlin’.” He smirked as her skin flushed a darker red.

  He knew she wanted to take him up on his offer, could see the internal struggle like subtitles going across her face. But she was too conflicted to make a move toward him.

  “Fiona, look. You want to. I want to. I know your first time should be with some guy you’ve been mooning over for months, who has bought you flowers and candy and pretends to like the same movies you like. There should be candles and fancy sheets. But I’m not a romantic candlelight sex kind of guy. I’m a fuck-in-the-shower kind of guy.”

  “N-no thank you.”

  He knew he was getting to her.

  Z threw up his hands in surrender. “All right. But I can’t be in this close proximity to you much longer like this. Fair warning. I’m running out of ge
ntlemanly scruples. And it’s not safe to take you back home now. You know where I am if you change your mind.”

  ***

  Fiona collapsed on the couch as soon as he was down the hallway. She was surprised her legs had held her up this long, especially after he’d propositioned her. Everything about Z was inappropriate and non-romantic and just plain… like some uncivilized caveman.

  But he was right.

  She wanted him in the worst way. She’d had this background ache for him almost from the moment he’d shifted for the first time in her kitchen. Although she needed someone to be gentle with her the first time, every fantasy that starred Z was rough and exciting. Everything about him was too overpowering. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to be swept up in it because being around him made her forget all her stupid fears—maybe because he replaced those fears with new, more immediate fears, but still. Why question what worked?

  She’d ventured outside the cave to protect the pup. She couldn’t have done that without Z coming into her life. Of course, she’d almost gotten killed in the process… and they’d lost the wolf…

  Her mind flashed to muscled tan flesh stalking the leader of the witches. Z was a killer. He may or may not kill human beings regularly, but he didn’t have a guilt complex about it. He showed no signs of having any moral trouble with what he’d done out there. No remorse. Wild animal was right. He did whatever he had to do.

  Why was she so attracted to that? Because no matter what the birds said, Z is big enough and bad enough to protect what’s his. He won’t hesitate.

  Where had that come from? As if being his were an option. She could tell he didn’t care one way or the other about the pup. Even after having him for so long. He was relieved to be rid of the responsibility. What was she going to say to him: “So, Z… since you kidnapped me for babysitting help and since you just got free of adult responsibility again, maybe I could interest you in being my personal bodyguard.”

  Who was she kidding? He’d minced no words explaining his notched-bedpost philosophy of life. He wasn’t boyfriend material. He wasn’t true love material. He wasn’t anything but a quick road to heartbreak. On the other hand, shouldn’t she have more than one sexual partner in life? Was that what was normal now?