Page 6 of Stripped

“Just a few vamps. We had some trouble with them last year and we want to make sure it's done.”

“Which vamps?”

Cold hands gripped my hips from behind. “Your favorite vamp, baby.”

On instinct, I twisted my way out of the vamp's grip and turned to face him. Leopold Vandermeer stood in all his douchey glory, wearing ripped jeans, a mesh shirt, and a sideways ball cap. He was thin and stood with an elegant command of the room despite his vulgar outfit, his eyes were a brilliant green, his nose aquiline. I'd offer him fashion advice if he wasn't capable of breaking my neck with one hand. Behind him were two tall, lithe, cold women I could only guess were also vampires. They hung on him like they were there for his pleasure and not the business about to be discussed. “Leopold,” I said, plastering on a fake smile. “It's lovely to see you. Please let me know if I can get you anything.”

Leopold licked his lips in a gesture that was pure lasciviousness. “Oh, baby, when I want something, I will most definitely come to you first.”

I clenched my jaw not to shudder at his words and the innuendo behind them. I held my smile, nodded at everyone, and hurried back to my office. I texted the bartenders and the bouncers to watch out for trouble and tried to focus on paperwork.

***

There'd been enough fights in my club that I recognized what was happening as soon as I heard the angry shouts and the crash of wood against linoleum. Crapola. I knew vamps and wolves meeting in my club was a bad idea. If I was smart, I would've stayed in my office. I wasn't a fighter and had no chance of subduing wolves or vamps, but I wasn't going to hide while my club was destroyed. Most of my staff was human and had no idea what they were up against. I needed to get everyone out before someone got seriously hurt.

I ran to the locker rooms first. I got Alice, Zara, and Roxy to dress and get the hell out. They were pissed about missing a night's worth of money, but I'd likely have no choice but to close after the fight was ended. Judging from the roars and growls from the club, more than one of Axel's friends had shifted to wolf.

I ran into the club and almost broke down in sobs at the sight. Tables and chairs were broken, curtains were ripped, glasses and bottles were broken. The only saving grace was that the patrons weren't stupid and were making their way to the exits quickly. Zed was helping people get out, and Lizzie waved from the stage as she hurried toward the back. Carly, our bartender for the night, was already little more than a shadow racing down the back hallway.

I turned back to the club to see one idiot human wading toward the brawl in the center of the room. An idiot human I recognized as Rex, a fishing guide, who worked as a handyman in the winter. One of Axel's friends had shifted to wolf, Axel and Paulie were still human, and they were fighting ten guys, all of whom I had to guess were vampires. Wolves were strong, but vampires were… I winced as one of the wolves pounced on a vampire and ripped his head off. I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat.

I turned to get the heck out of there, but Rex was still trying to get in there and... Break up the fight or join in? Either was suicide. What the hell was wrong with him? Did he think his muscular physique would protect him from full-on angry wolves?

He raised a pistol toward one of the fur balls and I knew, if he fired, everything was going to get even uglier and Rex, a decent guy with a younger sister he helped support, would be dead. Not to mention that Axel or one of his pack might be injured or killed. I wove through the last of the fleeing humans toward him. “Rex, get out of here,” I shouted. He wasn't listening. He was aiming, his finger hovering over the trigger.

“Gun,” I shouted at the top of my lungs. I wanted to help Rex, but if he pulled that trigger, he was dead anyway. “Get down! He's got a gun!”

Before I could see what happened to Rex, something rammed hard into my side and knocked me to the ground. My head bounced against the hard floor and stars exploded in my vision. I blinked to clear my sight, only to see Leopold's face over mine, a smug grin on his lips. “Looks like I just saved your life. I guess that means you'll owe me one.”

I blinked again. Leopold was speaking in a soft voice, but there was no doubt his intent was less than kind. His words dripped with wicked promise and there was hatred in his glare. The loud bang of a gunshot startled Leopold and he looked away. I pushed up against him, trying to get free, but he just laughed.

“I am so much stronger than you,” he said. “You are at my mercy. And you will be for a very, very long time.”

He bent toward me, rolling his hips, and licking his lips. Aw, shit. He was either going to bite me or kiss me. I wasn't sure which was worse. I screamed my head off and struggled against him. I might not know exactly what happened when a vamp bit a human, but I knew I would die before I became a blood groupie.

Just as his mouth lowered to my neck and I was sure it was all over for me, Leopold flew off me and a large, fluffy, sharp-toothed predator landed on me. The air was knocked from my lungs and I panicked, fighting for air. Damn this wolf was huge.

Still on top of me, he shifted to a very large, very naked man I recognized as Zane from Axel's table. “Get the hell out of here,” he rasped, seemingly furious with me. He was probably still amped up and pissed off from the fight. He had no reason to be angry at me.

“I can't move,” I said, barely able to get the words out. He was lighter as a human, but still a lot heavier than Leopold.

He flinched. “Right. Shit.” He rolled off me and I got to my feet, shaky and miserable.

I looked around for Rex, but Zane gripped my shoulder and shoved me toward the back hall and my office. “Move,” he said.

I glared at him, but I wasn't stupid, so I hurried back to my office. Zane followed me in and shoved me up against the door, his naked body holding me in place. He was about a foot taller than me and, with his bare chest pressed against mine and his hands on my waist, my feet were dangling at least a foot off the ground. My vision was fuzzy and I couldn't catch my breath. He was looking at me like he either wanted to eat me or kiss me. I missed the good old days when I could appreciate a naked man without wondering if I was going to be a meal, and not in the sexy way. My head spun and my stomach roiled. “Let me go,” I said. Now that we were away from the chaos outside, I was fully aware of the warmth of his body and the way it electrified mine, making me want to lean into him and taste him. Oddly, I also wanted to fall into his arms and cry.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he asked, his voice a growl that vibrated along my whole body.

His eyes were brown, but they had flecks of golden amber in them that sparkled and shimmered in the light of my office. His nose was narrow and long and I had a sudden flash of wonder at how it would feel against me as his tongue worked my most sensitive areas.

He gave me a little shake and the room spun. “Stop that,” he said.

“I'm not doing anything.”

“You're using that voodoo magic on me.”

He looked truly angry, and I couldn't help but laugh. Though it was more of a croak than an actual laugh. Bile rose higher as my stomach rumbled more fiercely. It was all too much and I wasn't at all sure I was safe, though I would definitely choose death by werewolf over vampire.

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