Bad Kitty Read Free

dangerous predator and moved on. At this point she didn't care if
they found her. She'd gladly choose death if it meant the end of
this agony.
    Never in her life had she traveled this far
by foot. Glancing around all she saw were the same trees and dirt
that covered the region, but there were no obvious signs of where
she'd ended up. With the moon about to rise, she'd been running so
long she had to have left the neutral zone hours ago. There were
only two possible locations, one of which put her in more danger
than the people chasing her.
    Curious about the
whereabouts of the women who wanted her dead, she peered from
behind her hiding spot. To her surprise , there was no one around. Either
they'd given up at some point or they were lying in wait for her to
shift. Speaking of... Kitty noticed her paw and front legs shaking
from the effort of holding this form. With her energy this depleted
she had no choice, she couldn't hold the magic another second. A
wave of energy flashed over her and her cougar body disappeared to
be replaced by her now bruised and battered human form.
    Unlike the other shifters
in her clan, her feline form was not an equal state. Without the
energy to maintain the cat, she automatically shifted back to her
human form. She had no idea what it meant , but instinct cautioned her to keep
her anomaly a secret. Not even her father knew about this strange
quirk. He'd had a long list of reasons why she failed him as his
offspring, he didn't need another.
    It was quickly growing
dark and she desperately needed shelter, and a doctor.
Unfortunately she had nothing left , energy wise , to move. The chill in the night air raised goose
bumps on her arms and legs. Maybe a few hours more of this and
she'd die of exposure and whatever poison they'd forced on her.
Exposure sure as hell beat getting ripped to pieces by a group of
she cats out for revenge. Sensitive bitches. Nothing she'd ever
done to them warranted a death sentence.
    Without a stitch of clothing left to cover
with, she'd never make it through the night. She needed the cat to
get her through this. Kitty focused inward and reached for the
elusive animal and the magic that made her who she was. A slight
twinge in her legs and arms made her hold her breath. Maybe...
    She focused and concentrated, dug deep and
willed the change. Nothing happened. Shit out of luck.
    Her only hope of survival at this point
would be human medical attention. She was quite certain a few of
her ribs were cracked and she would be surprised if she didn't need
some stitches to sew her back together again. Hell, even a hot bath
might coax the cat to heal her.
    However, the constant burn under her skin
really worried her. What the hell had those women used on her? So
much for the quiet and boring exile Kane offered her. Bitterness
burned almost as much as the vile poison.
    She laughed out loud, a twisted and dark
sound that should have frightened her. If she had enough energy
left for fear.
    "Well, well. What do we have here?"
    Kitty jerked at the sound
of the voice behind her. The automatic instinct to move and hide
left her writhing in more agony. Fuck! She wasn't going
anywhere.
    A man—no—she sniffed the air—several men
moved closer, forming a tight circle around her resting place. Not
human. Kitty bared her teeth and snarled.
    "I thought you said you smelled a dead cat,
Bobby. She don't look dead to me." He paused, looking her over from
head to toe. "She does look a bit like a used up chew toy
though."
    "That's okay. Either way she don't belong on
our land. Her trespassing gives us the right to do whatever we want
with her."
    Kitty shivered and forced her body to turn
and face all of the newcomers who stunk to high heaven. God, didn't
they know how to bathe? That slight movement forced a new eruption
under her skin. Her mouth opened to tell them exactly what she
thought of that idea and instead a scream erupted.
    "Jesus Christ. Shut her up. What the hell
kind of noise is