Protector Panther (Protection, Inc 3)

Chapter Twelve

Catalina

To Catalina’s annoyance, Shane was escorted out once a medical technician fetched him some clothes. At least she got to watch him get dressed. She hadn’t been able to appreciate it properly when he’d rushed in mostly naked, given that she’d been dying at the time.

Catalina spent the day recovering and getting medical tests done in the lab, and then Dr. Elihu grudgingly agreed to release her back to her room. Before he let her leave, he told her all about the agonizing way she’d die if she ran away now. As the doctor described the precise symptoms, Catalina’s heart lurched at the realization of just how much Shane had understated when he’d told her his story.

Dr. Elihu, who had been closely watching her face, looked satisfied. He’d obviously mistaken her expression of horror at what Shane had suffered for one of terror at what might befall herself.

Oh, well, Catalina thought. It’s for the best. Now he thinks I won’t try to escape. Maybe he’ll let down his guard.

“How often do I need the treatment?” she asked.

“We’ll do it once a week to be safe,” Dr. Elihu replied. “But it varies from person to person. The range seems to be seven to twelve days. But you don’t want to find out the hard way what your maximum is.”

Catalina eyed him thoughtfully. It had been terrible and dangerous, but Shane had survived with no treatments at all.

Apparently her thought appeared on another neon sign, because the doctor said, “Garrity would have died the first time he ran away if we hadn’t found him in time. I believe that his body slowly adjusted to the process over time, enabling him to live without the treatments by the time he ran again. Even so, he almost died, didn’t he?”

Before she could stop herself, Catalina nodded.

“I thought so.” The doctor practically glowed with smugness. His nose was still swollen and red. Catalina wanted to punch him again. “So if you run away now, you certainly won’t survive. If you waited a year, you might have a chance. But I doubt it. I suspect that Garrity was a special case.”

Catalina tried very hard to keep “We’ll see about that” from lighting up over her head.

“And he knows it,” Dr. Elihu went on, staring hard at her. “Ask him how long he thinks you’d last away from Apex. If he cares about you at all, he won’t help you run away again.”

He snapped his fingers at the guards, and they escorted her back to her room. Catalina kept her gaze fixed on the floor so her face wouldn’t betray her. She had no intention of staying on the base one second longer than she had to— not when she could turn into a leopard!

She suppressed a grin at the memory of her body expanding, her senses sharpening, and the luxurious sense of stretching as she’d first extended her claws.

I’m a ferocious big cat, she thought. Wonder what my kitties will think?

The guards opened the door barely wide enough for her to squeeze in, shoved her through, and slammed it behind her.

Catalina stumbled. She started to fling out her arms to catch herself. But as her weight shifted forward, she suddenly knew that she had alternatives beyond regaining her balance or falling down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shane jumping up to grab for her shoulder. He was as fast as always. If she’d continued to fall, he’d have caught her with time to spare.

But she was already moving, even faster than him, sliding beneath his outstretched hand in a controlled dive. She twisted in mid-air and landed lightly in a crouch at the other end of the room.

It was a leap worthy of an Olympic gymnast. And it had been easy. Instinctive, even. She was already standing upright before Shane even had time to turn around.

Catalina flexed her hands, then rotated her shoulders, ankles, and hips. Her entire body felt different: stronger, lighter, more flexible, more aware of her position in space. Her senses were different as well, subtly sharper and more perceptive. Light was brighter. Colors were more distinct. Sounds were more clear.

Shane stood across the room from her, a boyish grin she’d never seen before brightening his face. She could feel the radiant heat coming off his body. As usual, he had his shirt off, but now she could perceive the difference in temperature between his exposed torso and his jeans-clad lower body. She could scent him, too, an intoxicating aroma of clean sweat and masculine musk and a faint trace of something green and herbal, like fresh-cut grass.

Her leopard spoke within her, in a strong yet distinctly feminine purr. My mate.

Catalina had loved and desired Shane before. But before she’d become a shifter herself, she’d had doubts. He loved her, that she knew. But she hadn’t been sure if it would work out between them. She’d seen lots of love affairs flare up between people working together in disaster zones, and she’d seen most of them burn out once they both returned to their normal lives. Catalina had hoped that what she and Shane had together was based on more than their circumstances and would last after they returned home, but she hadn’t had any way to know for sure.

Now she knew that he would never leave her. With all her heart and soul, with the pure instinct of the leopard that now lived inside her, Catalina knew that Shane wasn’t just her lover, but her mate. They were meant to be together. Theirs was a bond that would live as long as they did.

Desire broke over her like a tidal wave. She was instantly wet, h

ot and slippery between the thighs, her clit throbbing like a heartbeat. Catalina squirmed, and just the little friction from her thighs rubbing together was enough to make her gasp. Her pulse hummed in her ears, too fast to feel individual beats. She couldn’t catch her breath. Her whole body burned for Shane. She was dying of thirst, and he was a tall, cool glass of water. If she didn’t have him this instant, she’d die of longing.

She knew, she knew that Shane felt the same way— she could see it in the heat of his eyes, in the set of his jaw, in every line of his body— but he took a step away from her, not toward her. Catalina couldn’t believe it. As she watched, incredulous, he took another step backward. Then another, until he stood with his back to the wall, relaxed and casual as if he had nothing better to do than simply lean.

A growl of impatience rumbled through her chest and throat. “What are you doing? Are you playing with me?”