Mist and Magic — Lindsay Buroker

As a freelance assassin, Val Thorvald leads a dangerous life.

She's learned not to stay in the same place for long and not to get too attached to anything. For example, she would never consider adopting a pet. But when she's searching for a missing friend, she finds an abandoned silver tiger cub. The magical feline is clearly from another realm, but Val has no idea which one or how to send it back. All she knows is that it's the only witness to her friend's kidnapping. Val can kick the butts of ogres, trolls, and wizards, but she has no experience taking care of pets-certainly not magical tigers. And as she quickly learns, the cub has teeth like a chainsaw. Soon, everything from her apartment to her seat belts to the hair on her head is in danger. But if Val can't forge a bond with the cub, figure out what it knows, and find her missing friend, more than her belongings-and her hair-may be at risk.

Mist and Magic is a prequel to the Death Before Dragons series and can be read as a complete stand-alone adventure.