BLOOD PRICE by Martin White

Blood Price prowls the alleys . . .

The cat hissed, its attention focused on something approaching her from behind. Blood Price spun around fast enough to take the hit from the front, but her attacker still knocked her flat. It reminded her of pictures she’d seen of black jaguars, but its body was smaller, its snout was blunter, and there were patches in its coat through which she could see muscle and bone.
At the moment, however, both her mind and her hands were occupied as she grasped it by the neck, keeping its teeth away from her throat . .