The return of villainess

Lisa woke up dazed, trying to orient herself. Once she managed to, she wished she had remained unconscious.

She was in the air, gripped tightly by something that held her body.

It wasn't raining anymore, but the air was cold, and below her the ground moved rapidly, still showing some puddles formed by the rain. She squirmed, agitated and restless, trying to understand how any of that was possible. Then she looked up and saw.

Him.

The bat beast-man who had saved her the night before. The terrifying creature that had killed the monster chasing her.

Then it all came back.

Lisa had been captured.

After fleeing the fight between the two monsters, she had run, only to be caught by him. All her struggle after that had been in vain. He had grabbed her like she weighed nothing. Her claws, speed, and reflexes in her new feline form hadn't helped at all in the end.

As if that weren't enough, the male had flown. With one beat of his wings, he was in the sky. And Lisa, who had never realized until that moment her fear of heights, fainted.

Being kidnapped by a giant bat was too much for her.

Now awake, Lisa looked down at the ground, nauseated, still trapped in the claws of the giant bat. This time she didn't scratch or bite. If for some reason he let her go, there was no doubt she'd die from the fall.

The bat's speed suddenly increased, and he angled downward toward the ground. Lisa let out a terrified hiss as she braced for impact, but at the last moment, the beast-man, plummeting downward, entered what seemed to be a cave.

Lisa flinched instinctively, frightened. Even with her feline vision, she hadn't seen the entrance.

The cave seemed endless. The bat flew forward and swerved several times through what looked like tunnels until the darkness grew so deep Lisa couldn't see anything anymore. Saying she was afraid was an understatement, by now, she was desperate.

When he finally stopped, Lisa used all her strength to break free. Once she did, she ran, only to crash into a stone wall in front of her.

In her mind, she heard a male laugh.

Don't run like that, female, you'll hurt yourself.

Lisa ran in another direction, only to crash into another wall.

What was this place?

You're going to seriously injure yourself that way, the male scolded, more serious now.

The next thing Lisa knew, familiar claws were trying to grab her.

Oh no. Lisa bit, scratched, and growled, breaking free.

No way was she going to be carried around like a doll again.

She spun in place, agitated, trying to figure out which direction led to an exit.

Then she realized.

The man was speaking to her. Not with lips, tongue, and mouth like a human, but still in his bat form. He was speaking in her mind!

How had she not realized that before? It wasn't even the first time. He had spoken to her when he captured her, saying he had killed the monster. In the midst of her fear, Lisa had somehow ignored that.

But how could she forget? When transformed, beast-men could communicate mentally. It was a skill that allowed them to speak without having to switch to human form.

She had always intended to use that ability. If she couldn't, there was only one other way to communicate: through the bond with her mates. The protagonist Eleanor could communicate with her males regardless of distance, but of course, that only worked with lovers, so she wouldn't be able to talk to anyone else that way.

Of course, there was always the option of learning sign language. Did that even exist in the beast world? It didn't matter anymore. Before, Lisa hadn't been able to communicate as she wanted because she couldn't shift, but now she could. As long as she stayed in her beast form and the other party did too, she could speak.

So she tested her new ability immediately:

IT'S DARK! she screamed in her mind, wondering if the male in front of her could understand.

She heard a pained groan.

Yes, female, it's dark. No need to shout, he gently scolded, I suppose your species can't navigate in the dark.

Lisa was glad she could talk and wasn't offended on behalf of her feline side. She could see better at night in this form, was faster, and had sharper hearing. Even if she wasn't a big lion or a wolf, she was still quick and agile. She didn't regret not being able to orient herself in pitch blackness. That wasn't her feline form's fault, it was this male's, for bringing her here.

Don't worry, I have light here for you, said the male.

I want to leave, Lisa replied.

He laughed, and the next thing she noticed was light illuminating the dark cave.

They were in a house. That was her first impression. The bat male had his claws wrapped around a kind of red crystal, from which a reddish glow lit up chairs, tables, and curtains. Though they weren't like the things she had in her own world, they weren't rudimentary.

Unlike the village she had been in, the rabbit camp, or the frightening jungle, this place seemed more normal, it reminded her more of home.

It reminded Lisa of the tiger city, where the protagonist Eleanor had spent time with the villain before they had their falling-out. That place had manufacturing, agriculture, and even writing. This cave resembled that. Not all beast-men lived the same way, some areas were more technologically advanced than others.

There's light, female, is that better for you? the male asked.

Lisa shuddered. The red light made his bat-like features even more terrifying. It wasn't normal to see a creature that should be small become larger than an adult man.

I want to leave! she hissed, tail flicking, still on high alert. If her feline form had any fur, Lisa was sure it would all be standing on end.

No matter what this place was like, she was still trapped.

With a flex of muscles, the bat-man transformed. In front of her now stood not the terrifying creature, but the handsome and mysterious man she had seen in the forest. He was huge, muscular, and beautiful like a Greek statue, with long dark hair that reached his waist, and most unsettling of all, eyes that were completely blank, no irises or pupils.

He was also naked.

Lisa fought the urge to look away. Being modest wouldn't help her in this world. More importantly, all this male's beauty meant nothing compared to one other detail.

On each of his shoulders, two stripes stood out. He had four stripes.

He was the most powerful beast-man she had seen since arriving in this world. Just her luck, even the book's protagonist didn't meet her first four-stripe male until halfway through the story.

If this man didn't want to let her go, she'd never escape from here.

And now that he was no longer in his beast form, Lisa couldn't speak to him. She growled in pure frustration. Of course, the male in front of her was oblivious to the reason for her frustration.

"Shift, female" he said, turning and searching for something on a counter behind him.

He didn't seem worried about her escaping. With four stripes, Lisa guessed he didn't need to worry. She couldn't help but notice that he had no mating marks either.

Just my luck, she thought sarcastically. What are the odds a single male kidnapped me just to have a chat?

He turned to her, holding a ceramic jar with something inside. He looked surprised to see her still in feline form.

"Why haven't you shifted?" he tilted his head, looking confused.

She hissed at him, ready to bolt.

He narrowed his eyes.

"You're hurt. I smell blood."

She backed away. Everything outside the glow of the red crystal was pitch black. Where could she go?

The male approached her, crouching in front of her. He showed her the ceramic jar he held.

"It's an ointment. I just want to put it on your wounds."

Lisa bared her teeth. The male paused, analyzing her expression. What he could see in her feline face, she didn't know, nor how he could see with those strange blank eyes.

He reached out, quick and precise. Not even her feline reflexes allowed her to dodge the hand coming at her. The male grabbed her.

With a fresh wave of rage even she didn't know she had, Lisa twisted and sank her teeth into the hand holding her as hard as she could.

He didn't let go. A line of blood ran down his arm.

"I'd like to talk with you" he murmured, voice far too calm for someone who was bleeding. "If you shift, we can do that. I can explain things."

And stay in human form with a stranger? No, thank you. Lisa bit down harder.

"Alright" he sighed, and Lisa was shocked to feel herself being lifted. The male held her to his chest and moved into another room. The red light didn't reach far enough to brighten the space, but she saw a kind of bed covered in furs and pillows.

The man placed her there, still holding her with one hand.

Lisa growled, trying to crush that hand with her bite.

To her surprise, with his other hand, the man, who had brought the ceramic jar, scooped out the ointment with a finger and began applying it to her skin.

Lisa thrashed, chewing on his hand. Of course, the male didn't let go, he didn't seem to feel pain.

"You know, if you let me go, I could take much better care of you with both hands."

Lisa didn't let go.

"I swear, I just want to take care of you" the male continued, voice still low and calm. "If you let me do this, I'll take you away, that's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Lisa froze. The male noticed and kept applying the ointment to her wounds.

"It's almost morning" he went on. "You must be really scared after running from that monster. Let me take care of you."

Lisa considered it. Even if she bit him, what difference would it make? He didn't seem affected at all, and she wouldn't escape a four-stripe beast-man unless he allowed it.

She released him.

The man smiled, stroking her head with the hand she had released. He didn't seem bothered by the blood or the pain.

"My name is Cyrion" he said. "I feel we're going to be close from now on."

Lisa hoped not.