The return of villainess

Lisa didn't know what to think. It was still raining, the cold seeped into her skin, and the monster was still scratching the bark of the tree beneath her, desperate to climb up and eat his snack. With all that going on, the man standing a little above her was too new and unexpected for her to process quickly enough.

The man — there weren't men here, only males — was beautiful, and even with the low visibility of night, her recent feline form allowed Lisa to see him perfectly. His body was large and muscular, even crouching on the tree. He had pale skin and long black hair that fell all the way down his back to his waist. Most surprising of all: he didn't seem to have irises or pupils, and only a white void stared back at her.

"Well?" the man suddenly commented, narrowing his eyes, and his entire body went still "You're a female."

He looked surprised. Maybe it wasn't every day he found a wounded, rain-soaked female in the form of a cat. Lisa would rather not be the said cat. Her skin burned, probably from scratches as she ran, and she was too tired for more surprises.

The monster hissed below them, frantic for his prey that was so close and yet unreachable. That caught the attention of the male above her, who turned his unsettling gaze away from her to look at the creature.

He twisted his lip in a grimace of disgust

"So that's the rotting smell I picked up around here..."

Lisa crouched, ready to jump and flee at the slightest sign of danger from this new male. The movement made the male turn his attention back to her.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

Lisa hissed, baring her teeth at him, trying to be threatening in this new feline body.

The next lightning bolt lit up the two of them enough for her to see the male's smile in response.

"What are you doing out here alone in a storm like this?"

Lisa backed away, trying to distance herself from this new possible threat. She didn't know what this male wanted, and she wasn't willing to risk being in danger again. Unfortunately for her, Lisa was on a branch, and this simple movement of pulling back was enough for her to nearly fall. She felt her foot step into nothing, but before the empty air could take her down, a hand pulled her back.

Lisa scratched and hissed at the hand holding her.

It was the male. He held her, and even though Lisa knew she had to be bigger and heavier than a normal cat, he didn't let go. Angry, she scratched, trying to bite the hand that held her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" the male said.

The monster hissed below her, then clacked its teeth again in that now familiar and terrible sound. If the male let go and she fell from the tree, it was clear what would happen to her. Lisa could still remember the horrible way the males at the camp were killed. She didn't want to be the monster's next meal. That was enough to make her stay still.

Looking more closely, the male wasn't simple. Lisa didn't need to be in the beast world to know he wasn't normal, and it wasn't just the white empty eyes that told her that. There were four stripes on him, two on each shoulder.

He's powerful, she thought.

Beast men strong enough to have four stripes were no longer normal. They were rare and dangerous. Lisa remembered that in the book when the protagonist Eleanor got her first four-stripe mate, it was the moment her life stopped being constantly threatened. A four-stripe male wasn't someone you wanted to mess with.

The monster made more noise below her, and Lisa trembled.

"How annoying" she heard the male holding her say.

For a moment, Lisa thought the words were meant for her, but the male turned again to the creature below them.

With a smooth motion he took her back to the branch she had been on before, and Lisa held onto it with all her strength, digging her claws into the wood until her paws ached.

It was cold, very cold. The wind that came with the rain was freezing, and soaked as she was, Lisa felt like blades of ice were scraping down her back. She didn't even feel the pain of her wounds anymore.

The male was illuminated by another lightning bolt. He was crouched beside her on the tree branch, naked as the day he was born, watching the creature scratch the tree with a cold expression.

In a smooth and almost casual motion, he jumped. Lisa barely had time to scream from the shock when, mid-air between the branch and the ground, the male transformed, and for a moment Lisa thought there were now two monsters instead of just one.

When safe in her own world, watching bats through screens, and far away from her, Lisa used to think they were cute. Seeing it now, she realized there was nothing cute about such a creature.

The man transformed into a giant bat, bigger than a regular man, leaping onto the terrifying creature that had been scratching the tree. The two collided with a crack, and soon they were fighting on the ground, rolling and clawing in the mud.

In a tangle of limbs and claws, the two beasts battled on the ground. The huge monster that had chased Lisa to this point thrashed, scratching and kicking at the bat. Black as oil, the night creature flapped its wings while biting the monster below it. He was bigger than the creature, Lisa realized. From atop the tree, she had a privileged view of the fight happening below her.

Everything happened very fast. Who was this man? Lisa had no idea. But this was the beast world, where females were rare. If he was making an effort to save her, Lisa doubted it was for free.

She watched, stunned, as the bat wrapped around the monster from behind and sank its teeth into its shoulder. The creature hissed, teeth clacking against each other in a fast rhythm as it raised its head and tried to bite the bat on top of it.

Who would win, and what would that mean for her? With a start, Lisa realized she didn't have to wait to find out. Twisting on the branch where she was perched, she looked around.

The rain still fell heavily. And the sudden light of a lightning bolt was soon followed by the crack of thunder, making it clear that the rain wouldn't stop anytime soon. Which way should she go?

Lisa looked around quickly, considering going back the way she had come. Maybe she'd find Alec again. Lisa looked at the place she'd come from, she didn't know if she could climb the same slope she had fallen from, she had run without a clear direction in mind while fleeing the monster, and in this feline form, Lisa had just run in any direction. She wasn't sure how to get back. That's without even considering there might be more monsters out there.

No, Lisa would go the other way, then she'd think about what to do and where she was. Having made her decision, she slowly climbed down the tree, digging her claws into the thick bark as she slid toward the ground. It felt unnatural to her. Lisa was sure she had never climbed or descended such a large tree before, but the idea of being left behind and caught by one of the monsters gave her the courage she needed to try.

Soon she reached the ground, steadier on her four paws now than before. Screeches and growls echoed loudly just to her right, where the monsters were fighting. Neither of them noticed her presence, too focused on killing each other. Not daring to waste this chance, Lisa turned and ran, determined to leave both behind.

The rain still poured heavily, and as she ran, Lisa left the sounds of the battle behind. Running on four paws was never something she imagined doing, but she was grateful. Without it, she'd be monster food by now.

The rain left her completely soaked, many trees grew in all directions, and the sound of thunder disoriented her. Her new ears and hearing seemed sharper, and the noise of the storm felt deafening. Even with all that, Lisa didn't stop, time passed and her muscles felt like they were burning, but still she kept going.

Her paws were burning, her muscles already numb, and the rain had turned into a drizzle by the time she finally stopped. Panting, she leaned against a tree, finally daring to relax.

Was that it? Had she managed to escape?

That was her last thought before a heavy shape dropped behind her.

"Got you" Lisa heard a voice say in her mind, before a pair of leathery hands that extended into wings grabbed her from behind.

She hissed, biting and scratching, when she heard a laugh.

"Don't run, kitty, I already dealt with the monster."

It was the bat man.

Far from calming her, what he said only made her more nervous. He had killed the monster. But who would deal with him?

Lisa hoped to findout before she became an unfortunate victim.