Chapters (46)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
An arm reached out from behind her and thrust her aside. Pashla—in human form—pushed herself in front of Kyra.
“Leave her be. You’ll honor the Challenge.”
The striped cat bared its fangs and moved to step around the clanswoman. Pashla narrowed her eyes and hissed—as if she were still in her fur. The beast was twice her size and could have gutted her with a swipe of its paw, but Pashla exuded an authority that somehow evened the scales. Other demon cats moved in, forming a protective wall between the two of them. For a long, tense moment, nobody moved. Kyra held her breath, not daring to do anything lest she push the fragile standoff in the wrong direction. Finally, the striped cat turned and disappeared into the trees. Pashla’s shoulders relaxed, and the other cats directed their attention to what was left of the deer carcass. The clanswoman put an arm around Kyra and guided her back to the shelter.
“That was Brona’s widow,” Pashla said. “She blames you for his death.” The clanswoman might as well have been telling her that it would be a warm day. Kyra found that she was shaking.
“You’d be wise to stay away from the others when they are in cat form,” said Pashla as Kyra lowered herself to the ground. “At least until those who mourn Brona have a chance to get over their grief.”
“Only when they’re in cat form?”
“Leyus wants you alive, and the clan will obey. But it’s hard to control our impulses when we’re in our fur. Instincts and emotions take over. That’s why some of us take human form during the raids, to keep the others from going too far. I don’t think Brona’s widow, as much as she hates you, would attack you if she were in her skin.”
Hard to control our impulses. Just like the felbeasts of legend. This was the blood that ran through Kyra’s veins? “Mayhap I’ll avoid her completely, just to be safe.”
Pashla gave a small smile, and Kyra suddenly noticed the stiffness with which the clanswoman held herself. Fresh scars crisscrossed the Demon Rider’s arms and neck, angry lines in the moonlight.
“You’ve defended me twice now, at risk to yourself.” Kyra was unable to keep the question out of her voice.
Pashla waved away her words. “You became my ward when I saved you. I wouldn’t nurse you to life just to hand you over to die. And you should not feel responsible for what happened. The question of your fate was important, but it only went to Challenge because Brona wanted to get rid of me.”
“What do you mean?”