I stood aghast, bemused by his politeness amid the chaos. “All right,” I heard myself saying. Did I just agree to dance with a Vampire in the middle of a Shifter war?
The knife made a terrible sound when he pulled it from his chest and grimaced. “Splendid.” Atticus crumpled into a chair, his face pale. Vampires could heal, but the consumption of blood made the process quicker.
I stepped forward and met his gaze without looking away. For Vampires, that was a show of trust. “What if I give you a drink instead of a dance?” I would have never offered my blood to a Vampire, but Atticus had saved my life.
His black eyes were cold and bottomless. “Not a chance. Just catching my breath before I crush the idiot who threw the knife—the one I can hear walking toward us.”
Atticus spun out of his chair and gripped the man by the neck, pulling him close and sinking his fangs into the Shifter’s throat. I turned away, my stomach twisting in disgust.
Lexi and Trevor had teamed up against a Shifter—her wolf intimidating and biting him while Trevor assailed him with a series of punches. Denver was lying semiconscious on the floor. He had a broken nose, a gash on his arm, and blood matted his blond hair from a laceration on his head.
“Denny!”
To my horror, a burly Shifter strolled into the room, dragging Maizy by the hand. Her eyes widened at the sight of Denver’s unconscious body not twenty feet ahead.
“Denny!” she cried out.
“Let the little one go!” I shouted, approaching him unarmed.
The man lifted her onto the bar with a violent motion and she hit her knee on the edge. Maizy lay on her side, holding her leg and crying.
He bared his teeth. “Everyone back off or I’ll—”
Before he could finish the thought, a Chitah tackled him at lightning speed. The man made a gurgling sound as the Chitah tore at his throat with sharp canines.
Austin rushed to Denver, making him shift to his animal and then back. Denver sat up, holding his head where a small bump had formed. Then he shoved Austin away when he heard Maizy’s cry. Knowing his nudity would startle a human child, he put on his jeans and went to her.
“I got you,” he said, scooping her into his arms. She turned into him to avoid seeing the mayhem around her, and Denver disappeared with her into the kitchen behind the bar.
I stumbled when a loud shotgun blasted. Lynn centered herself in the hall like the angel of death, aiming her gun at anyone who crossed her path. “Where’s my daughter!”
“Lynn, she’s safe,” I called out. “Denver has her.”
When a man attacked her from the side, knocking the gun out of her hands, I unleashed my wolf.
***
Lorenzo circled the Shifter, keeping his reflexes quick and his eyes sharp. While the man was a worthy opponent, Lorenzo decided the guy’s ego would lead to impulsive decisions.
Of course, Lorenzo had a weakness of his own: impatience. He wanted to wrap his fingers tightly around Fox’s windpipe. Despite how quickly this fight needed to end so he could accomplish that task, he’d been relieved when Ivy hadn’t intervened. She understood the true Shifter ways and how to fight with honor.
“You move like a rabbit.” His opponent swept out his leg.
Lorenzo jumped out of the way and delivered a forceful kick to the man’s chest. “And you fight like a giraffe.”
The man staggered back and then flipped over a table to make more room. “This is a good boost for my ego to fight an alpha. The fact I’ve lasted this long gives me a little hope.”
“Hope for what?” Lorenzo dodged a punch and threw a hard right.
The man spun away, his black hair rippling around like a wave. “Taking out Fox when the time’s right.”
Lorenzo knocked him in the jaw. “You’re two men down.”
“Two weak men.” He spat out a mouthful of blood. “Panthers are strong, but they’re fucking crazy and everyone knows it. Fox was an idiot for bringing them in.”
“There is more honor in following an alpha Packmaster than a rogue pretender.” Lorenzo arched back and weaved around another punch.
“Some of us would rather lead than follow. Fuck alphas. You guys think you’re invincible, but half of you aren’t even fit to lead a pack. I’ve seen better men in lower ranks more capable of being a Packmaster. What the hell makes you so goddamn special?”