I backed away.
Lexi grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. “I had to put down my gun. I almost shot Ben. Everything’s moving so fast! My wolf wants to shift, and I don’t think I can stop her.”
“You can’t shift,” I said firmly. “Not yet. Let Austin give the signal.”
Her body shook as if racked with chills, and in a swift movement, Lexi shifted into a silver wolf with a white face and black-tipped ears. I’d been told her coloring was darker than my wolf’s—less pure. Still, she was a beautiful specimen to behold. She charged out of sight and then I heard a guttural scream.
One of the nearby tables still had dirty dishes on it, so I gripped a steak knife and turned around.
I couldn’t breathe when I caught sight of Lorenzo at the back of the room. It was as if my legs became anchors and nothing else existed.
Lorenzo fought with grace and agility, executing moves and spins I’d never imagined him capable of. My heart leapt with admiration as I watched him in action. His Asian opponent was equally skilled, each of them striking with calculated precision. Something briefly distracted Lorenzo and I turned in the direction that he was looking and saw Fox.
I palmed the knife, tightening my grip and moving toward them. Then I realized something crucial that changed the game: I’d never killed anyone while they were in human form. My spirited wolf had always been the warrior between the two of us, and after I’d brought life into the world, my human side had grown more compassionate. I couldn’t sneak up behind a man and cut his throat. It wouldn’t be an honorable death, and his spirit would haunt me. So I backed away and allowed Lorenzo to fight his own battle. Before I turned, he nodded at me once, showing his appreciation. Interfering would have meant taking away his dignity. But suddenly the thought of him dying because of that choice terrified me to the core.
I turned just in time to see Wheeler on his back with a large man pinning him. Wheeler spat out a curse, and the man shifted into an enormous panther. The muscles along his back tightened, and he roared, exposing all his sharp teeth. Wheeler’s eyes didn’t widen with fright, but they narrowed with intent. He gripped the panther by the throat and punched him in the face.
Wheeler’s wolf stood little chance of defeating an animal of this caliber. While most men would cower and run, Wheeler eyed him as if it wasn’t the first time he’d come face to face with a panther.
“You like that, kitty cat?” he asked, throwing another punch. A sharp canine broke off and fell against the black carpet.
I came up behind them, but not quietly. The panther turned his head and vaulted in the air, his powerful body sailing toward me like a dark shadow.
“Sonofabitch!” Wheeler lurched forward to grab his tail, but it was too late.
The panther’s body, rippling with solid muscle, collapsed heavily on top of me. A sharp breath of air escaped my lungs when my back slammed against the hard floor. His crushing weight was suffocating me.
“Ivy!” Wheeler shouted.
“I’m okay,” I croaked. “Get him off me!”
He grabbed the haunches of the animal and dragged him away. I scooted back and saw that a dark streak of blood stained my dress. The knife I’d been holding was buried in the panther’s chest to the hilt, straight through his heart. His eyes had gone murky; the Shifter had crossed over to the spirit world.
“You really know how to shake things up, don’t you?” Wheeler said. “Let me know if you want some earrings and I’ll snatch a couple of his claws.”
“Why didn’t you use the knife you carry around?”
He winked. “I’m saving that for a special occasion.”
Wheeler dropped the animal’s tail and turned his attention toward Ben. Two Shifters were closing in on him as he guarded the hall to our private room. Bystanders stood against the outer walls, trying not to get involved. Wheeler ran across a booth and leapt over a half wall, diving into action.
With my heart still beating wildly, I limped halfway across the room before a husky voice yelled out, “Hey, bitch!”
I whirled around. A Shifter plucked the knife from the panther’s chest and hurled it at me. The blade rotated toward me like a propeller slicing the air.
A split second before it struck me in the chest, a man appeared out of nowhere and rushed in front of me. I trembled, touching my bloody dress in disbelief.
“You’ll pay for that,” the stranger shouted.
When he turned around, I recognized the bright-haired Vampire.
“I don’t believe we’ve had introductions. I’m Atticus,” he said coolly, the handle of the blade still protruding from his chest. “With your permission, I’d like to ask for a dance. Not right this moment of course, but perhaps later?”