Hunting Kat by P.J. Schnyder Page A

from girl to panther—the pain concentrated into undiluted hell.
    She panted.
    In this form, thought processes tended to be simpler, more focused as she let the cat instincts move to the fore.
    Time jumped forward again. Her opponent came leaping through smoke, over the dresser and Rygard. She met him head-on. Midair, she planted her forelegs against the inside of his shoulders. The jaguar was bigger than her. He had broader shoulders with a heavier head and stronger jaws. She had speed and a combat knife clenched in her teeth. When they parted from the first clash, she left the jaguar’s shoulder laid open to the bone.
    The big cat hesitated.
    Kaitlyn didn’t.
    She slashed the jaguar again then dropped the knife as she slammed into him shoulder to shoulder. Twisting to avoid his slashing hind paws, she went for the hold. She had him, a kill grip directly behind the skull.
    Her favorite hold. She could crush a man’s skull from that angle with her jaws. She might not be able to crush the jaguar’s, but he’d still be dead.
    “Arteq, ganna kei al !”
    Kaitlyn guessed the shout included a name. Rygard turned his back on them, pointing his gun at the entryway and the speaker. To give the man credit, he hadn’t frozen at seeing the woman he recently bedded turn into a big black cat. She’d have been inclined to give him credit for his combat reactions, but he’d been an ass earlier and they weren’t out of this yet.
    Forget it. His cred was in the red. He’d brought the damn predators to her door.
    “Who are you?” Okay. She’d give Rygard points for making the question very, very intimidating.
    “We come on Blood Hunt.” The voice spoke Standard, but didn’t sound human. She twitched an ear, the taste of the jaguar’s blood in her mouth. Blood tasted good.
    “Explain.” Rygard still managed scary just fine.
    A feline growl and a tail lashed into view again. “Murderer. You and your men came into our pride lands, shot our kindred, stole their young. You will all pay.”
    Shit.
    Blood on her tongue and skin under her teeth, she slid closer to cat.
    They came here for a reason. She wasn’t a part of it. Her opponent no longer a danger. Not dead, but not conscious. She would give him back. They should go away.
    Dragging the jaguar between her forelegs, she moved past Rygard, around the dresser and into the open. Dropping her burden short of the entryway, she backed away cautiously.
    Rygard knelt at her back.
    “Arteq!” A humanoid crouched over the jaguar. The musk identified it as male. Feline, but not. Snarling, the strange male pointed a weapon at her.
    She bared her teeth and hissed.
    “Don’t!” Rygard snapped. He issued a warning shot from his gun, short of jaguar and humanoid.
    An answering shot came from the entryway, hitting the dresser directly between Kaitlyn and Rygard.
    Kaitlyn streaked around the dresser for cover, curling next to Rygard. Growling, she forced her shift back.
    “Hold.” A new voice spoke, with a quality Kaitlyn recognized even as she panted through the changes. So dominant, every word held power.
    Alpha.
    She gritted her teeth, every muscle ripping and tearing, melding back into the human her. It took effort to finish her change instead of halting midshift in response to the command.
    “ L’akesha, ah shu deya. We bear no ill toward the female.”
    Wasn’t that just dandy?
    “They might let you go,” Rygard murmured, his weapon trained on the intruders.
    She wouldn’t leave Rygard. Outnumbered, to the man and to the species, he didn’t have a chance. Besides, how slow could station security be? No way a hotel like this didn’t have alarms.
    God damn it! The jammer.
    And her fault the cavalry wasn’t going to arrive in time to save either of them.
    “The female, have her come to us. We will question her and let her pass unharmed.”
    “Why question her?” Rygard called out.
    “She is not what she seems.”
    She snagged her uniform, struggling into it as they