Memories of the Guild came rushing back. James was planning a new raid. She needed to warn the Palace. Kyra shifted, and pain once again shot through her abdomen. She looked down to see her entire midsection wrapped in bandages. She moaned. There was a flicker of movement to her right, and a woman’s face appeared above her.

It was the same woman who had transformed into a beast. Or had Kyra just dreamed it? Kyra lay still and watched her warily. If the woman wished her harm, Kyra would not have the strength to resist.

The stranger spoke, but the words didn’t make sense. Only when she repeated herself did Kyra realize the woman was speaking the common tongue, just with a heavy accent.

“Which clan sired you?” she was asking.

“What?”

“What clan sired you?”

“What are you talking about?”

The woman stared at her. “You really don’t know? We assumed you were confused from your blood loss.” Kyra didn’t have a chance to ponder the woman’s words before she spoke again. “We can talk, but after I tend your wounds.”

Kyra couldn’t hold back a groan as the Demon Rider lifted Kyra’s torso and propped up her head and shoulders. She unraveled Kyra’s bandages with an expert touch. When the soiled cloths were piled to the side, the woman fixed her with a stern gaze.

“You’ll stay down this time? There’s no one to hold you for me.”

With one last glance at Kyra, she stepped back and untied her belt. She wore a strange tunic that wrapped around in front. The woman opened the tunic and shrugged her arms out of the sleeves. Before her clothes hit the ground, she was blurring again in the same way Kyra remembered. The woman’s body seemed to lose form like a candle in the heat before remolding itself into a new shape. A few heartbeats later, Kyra knew for certain that her nightmares had been real.

Up close, the creature was fearsome, with long, sinewy muscles that moved under dense yellow fur. Its long tail swished languidly behind it. Kyra held back a scream as the demon cat advanced. If it wanted to eat her, it would have done so already. Still, it was all she could do to stay still as one paw once again pressed down on her hip. The cat ran its tongue firmly but gently over her midsection. Kyra flinched at the sandpaper touch and the sting of saliva on her cuts.

The cat wasn’t eating her. It was cleaning her wounds.

The realization knocked any last bit of energy from Kyra. She let her head fall back and concentrated on not passing out. The beast’s tongue was forceful and rocked Kyra’s body back and forth with each stroke. Eventually, the demon cat stepped back and blurred into human form.