Apparently, the thing understood him, because it hesitated, then turned and sprinted through the brush so fast, it seemed to disappear.

Lyka lunged after it, but Joseph held her back. “Not yet. Let it think it’s free, or it will never return to its queen.”

“I need to go. Need to follow it.”

That damn vow was riding her hard, making it impossible for her to think about anything else. He could feel her frantic sense of panic flowing through their link.

He took her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. “Look at me. We’re going after it. It can’t get away. We can track it, remember?”

She either didn’t hear him or didn’t believe him, because that sense of panic grew until she was shaking with it.

He couldn’t wait any longer. It was too much to ask of her to suffer like this.

Before he could let go, he felt a huge draw on his power. As he watched, her eyes changed, becoming those narrow, feline pupils. Bone and tissue surged beneath his hands as her body began to shift. It took less than three seconds for the change to be complete.

She fell to the ground in the form of a fully grown tiger, wearing the tattered remains of his shirt.

“Lyka.” Her name was a plea. “Don’t do this.”

Of course she said nothing. Instead, she gave him one last golden stare, then turned and leapt into the forest on the heels of the demon.

*   *   *

Lyka had never felt so free in her life. Her body was strong, moving easily over the rough ground. Her senses were running hot, picking up even the slightest traces of the demon where it had passed.

She had no idea how long she ran—time meant nothing in this form. All she knew was she felt like she could keep going for days like this.

The demon slowed as it dipped down into a ravine. She held back, staying hidden in the thick undergrowth of the surrounding forest. There were hundreds of scents here—both demon and Slayer.

Eric had come this way. So had several young.

She was close.

Moving silently on four paws, Lyka eased down toward the origin of all those scents. Whatever magic had blocked them before was missing here, giving their presence away.

The demon stood next to a narrow opening in the rock, waiting for her. It looked at her with its dead black eyes and pointed.

Apparently, the connection she’d made with the thing had lasted. It knew she’d vowed to help it claim its queen, and, even from this distance, she could feel that it wanted the woman more than it wanted to drink Lyka’s blood and eat her flesh.

She went where it pointed, slipping into the low mouth of a cave.

It was brighter inside than it should have been. She’d been in plenty of caves in her life, and there was no darkness that was quite so deep and impenetrable as that of the belly of a cave.

Still, the light flowing down the tunnel here told her that this was no ordinary cave.

The demon eased up beside her, keeping a safe distance. It knew not to trust her any more than she trusted it. Still, they had reached some odd kind of agreement that stemmed from her promise to help it get what it wanted.

It went to all fours, moving easily along the low tunnel. She followed it, pausing only when she saw what lay ahead.

There were more demons like it milling about—dozens of them. Some of them were piled in sleep, while others were tearing raw meat from cow bones.

At least it was cow and not people.

As they neared the gathering, the demons began noticing her presence one at a time. There was a moment of confusion—she doubted any of them had ever seen a tiger before—but it passed as they realized that whatever she was, she was still made of meat.

They closed in.

The demon escorting her hissed at the others, warning them away. It made a strange clicking sound for a few seconds, then a series of short hums. After that, the horde began going back about its business.

Miraculously, she’d been labeled as not food. And it stuck. Hopefully, it would stick long enough for her to gather her kin and get out of here, because there was no way she was going to be able to fight this many demons and survive.

The system of caverns and tunnels wound around in a wide spiral. As they neared the center, Lyka could smell Slayer young. They were hungry, afraid. She could smell their tears.

A rough growl rumbled in her chest.

The demon stopped and looked at her, baring its teeth in warning.

She held perfectly still, waiting for the thing to make up its mind whether to attack or keep moving. Finally, it turned around, giving her a view of the leather Nicholas had glued to its back as it moved deeper into the spiral.

The ceiling of the cave shot up high in this area. The tunnels curved so tightly that she could see only a few yards before her vision was obscured by more rock wall.

The demon pushed open a pair of solid wooden doors, stirring the air.

Eric’s scent hit her with such force, she felt her eyes tear up. He was here. Alive. But something was off. He smelled wrong. Broken.

The demon pointed, indicating she should go through the doors. She did, and stepped into a lavishly decorated room fit for any queen. There were thick, ornate rugs; elaborately carved furniture; and a line of wooden wardrobes, one of which stood open to reveal several velvet gowns.

Lying in the center of a giant bed, bound hand and foot, was her brother Eric. He was naked, covered in ragged bite marks like nothing she’d ever seen. Infection burned red around his wounds, especially at his groin. It looked like animals had been gnawing on his genitals.

His body was lean, almost gaunt—proof that he’d burned a lot of his reserves trying to heal himself. Sickness hovered about him, and a heavy layer of that wrongness she’d sensed earlier.

She raced to his side, shifting back into her human form as she did. The second she reached the bed, his eyes popped open.

He blinked several times as if to clear his vision.

She went to work loosening the ropes binding his wrists over his head. “I’m getting you out of here. Just hang on.”

“Lyka?” His tone was heavy with confusion, so she took a couple of seconds to ease his mind.

“It’s okay now, Eric,” she said. “Everything is going to be okay.”

The smell of his fear was so strong, it gagged her, but his gaze wasn’t fixed on her. He was looking past her to something behind her.

“She’s here.” His voice cracked with terror. “Run.”

Chapter 38