chapter thirty-four

my head erupted with a pain so great i fell to the floor on my hands and knees, writhing as the agony continued. i tried to call for murphy, but the only sound i made was a feeble, animal-like whimper that was drowned out by the distant bong of a clock striking midnight.

i couldn't catch my breath; every inch of me was on fire. i wanted to press my cheek against the cool tile of the bathroom floor, but when i did it was as if something lay between my skin and the smooth surface, preventing me from touching it.

another wave of pain hit, and mercifully i passed out.

i awoke in an alley. every voice on the street echoed in my head; every scent made my nostrils flare. i stared at the full moon framed by an ebony sky. the shiny silver disk seemed to ebb and flow, both sound and light; i heard its song in the pulse of my blood.

and speaking of blood...

i breathed in deeply. somewhere nearby, there was a lot of it.

slowly i rose and saw the dead man only a few feet away. something had torn out his throat. my stomach rolled, making a gurgling growl of hunger. why did i suddenly smell meat?

i felt so strange, both dizzy and uncertain but at the same time stronger and ultra-aware. my limbs didn't want to obey my mind's commands. i could do nothing but crawl on all fours.

i tried to remember how i had gotten here, and the pain flared. i hung my head, shut out the bright moonlight until the agony receded and i could open my eyes.

only to stare at the bloody paws on the ground in front of me.

i glanced up, expecting to come face-to-face with a leopard. but i was alone in the alley.

once again i looked down. the paws were facing in the wrong direction to belong to anyone else but me.

i tried to laugh-i was dreaming again-but the sound that came out of my mouth was the furious call of a wild cat.

i backed away from the man-tempted to smell him, taste him, and that just wouldn't do. for all i knew, one little taste could make this dream real.

but wasn't that what i wanted?

i forced myself forward. the thought of what i was about to do excited and disgusted me. i was both leopard and woman. priestess and j