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Damn territorial werewolves. When they traveled in a pack, even out-of-towners acted like they owned the place.
I ignored her and walked toward the bar.
She was in front of me before I got halfway across the room. Her nostrils flared as she sized me up in a few sniffs. She bared her teeth—not a very impressive gesture in her human form—and growled. “I said it’s a private party. ”
“Do I look like I’m here to crash your party?” I gestured at my ruined dress.
She didn’t look at my outfit. She stared at the sword in my hand, the one I’d taken from the Old Ones.
Oh, that. Well, yeah, I could see how that might be interpreted as a threat.
I didn’t have a sheath for it, so I stuck it under my arm, where I hoped it seemed less dangerous. I stepped to the left, intent on getting around her. “I need to talk to Axel. ”
She growled again and dropped into a fighting crouch. Jesus, the full moon was still three weeks away and she was going into feral overdrive.
“You want to challenge me? Fine. ” I dropped my purse on the floor and shifted the sword to my right hand, ready to use it. I wouldn’t have minded two blades in a fight with a werewolf, but I wanted to teach her some manners, not kill her. Besides, it’s bad form to rummage through your purse for a dagger at the start of a fight.
We circled each other. Someone cut the music. All I could hear was my heart thumping in my ears and the raspy breathing of my opponent—until Axel stomped over and got between us.
Axel isn’t a guy you can easily ignore. Especially when he’s wearing his pissed-off expression.
“No fighting. ” The werewolf tried to dodge around him, but his massive arm blocked her. “You fight, you’re out. No refunds. ”
She pushed against his arm with both hands, snarling at me. Axel turned fully toward her, clamping his hands on her shoulders. A low, threatening sound issued from his throat. All at once, the werewolf relaxed. She dropped her arms, looked at the ground, and backed away.
Axel’s not a werewolf, and he may not say much, but no one can beat him in a display of dominance.
The room remained silent for a few seconds. Then someone called out, “A toast to Kiana!” Other voices joined in: “To Kiana!” “To Kiana!” “To the bride!”
The werewolf who’d challenged me stood in the center of the room as everyone raised glasses to her. She lifted her gaze from the floor, broke into a wide grin, and grabbed a glass. “Let’s have some music!” she shouted, adjusting her tiara. Something started up, loud, with a heavy bass line I could feel through the floor. The male dancers gyrated, the female werewolves howled, and everyone went back to having a good time.
I’d almost gotten into a bar brawl with a werewolf bride on the eve of her wedding. Another day in the life.
Axel was back behind the bar, filling a row of plastic flutes with champagne.
“Axel, I need to talk to you. It’s important. ” I had to shout to be heard over the music.
He kept pouring but nodded.
“Juliet—”
A redheaded werewolf in a green halter dress glared at me as she grabbed a glass of champagne from the bar. I didn’t want to shout. Wolves have sharp hearing. Even with the music blasting, I’d be broadcasting a bulletin about Juliet’s escape to everyone in the room. They might be out-of-towners, but they didn’t need to know Juliet’s business.
I climbed onto the bar and, kneeling there, cupped both hands around Axel’s ear. He popped another champagne cork and poured as I spoke. I tried to sum up the situation as quickly and clearly as possible.
“Juliet’s in trouble. The Goon Squad had her in custody in connection with that murder in D. C. A couple of powerful super-vampires killed some cops trying to kidnap her. She was chained to her cell with a silver shackle, and they almost cut off her leg trying to grab her. She’s hurt, and she’s not healing like she should. She needs a place to hide. ”
Axel stopped pouring. “Here?”
“I couldn’t think of anywhere safer. ”
Axel pursed his lips behind his beard. He poured champagne into a flute, waited for the foam to die down, then topped it off. He filled three more flutes that way before he nodded.
“Okay. ”
Relief flooded me. “She’s in the alley behind a pile of boxes, by your back door. ”
“Bartender! We need more champagne. ” The redheaded werewolf was back, waving two glasses and looking impatient.
He looked at the werewolf, then at me. At her, and then back at me.
“You want me to tend bar. ” A nod. “But Axel, I don’t know anything about bartending. ” My taste ran to club soda and lite beer—the kind that comes in a bottle. They both taste about the same.
He opened a fridge stocked with green bottles topped with gold foil. “Champagne. ” He pointed at a cardboard box stashed under the bar. “Flutes. ” He grinned. Apparently he’d just taught me the secrets of his trade.
Axel patted me on the shoulder. He went to the back of the room and pushed a button on the portable stereo, cutting off the music. A few howls of protest went up but faded when they caught the look on Axel’s face. Thirty female werewolves cringed under his gaze. “Going out. She’s in charge,” he said, gesturing toward me. “No fighting. ” He stalked down the back hallway, toward the storeroom.
Thirty glittering pairs of eyes turned toward me, and thirty werewolves straightened. You could almost hear the hackles rising.
The last thing you want to do when staring down a pack of werewolves is act intimidated. Even the norms know that. The best approach would be to emulate Axel’s nonchalance. Just pour. It’d be nice if I could also emulate his height and muscle mass, but I’d work with what I had. Besides, I’d stashed the short sword within easy reach on a shelf below the counter.
Intimated? Not me.
I wished they’d turn the music back on, so they could ogle their beefcake dancers instead of stare at me.
I picked up a champagne bottle and peeled off the foil. The hairs on the backs of my arms stood up, making me all too conscious of my audience’s intense gaze as I fumbled with the wire cage around the cork.
Why the hell didn’t this stuff come with screw tops?
“I’m thirsty. Hurry up. ”
The bride-to-be stood at the bar, her tiara crooked again, her lips pulled back in an expression halfway between a sneer and a snarl. Oh, goody. More dominance games.
The wire came off. I grabbed the cork and yanked. It exploded from the bottle and flew from my fingers, missing the bride’s head by a quarter-inch. Champagne sprayed out—and the champagne didn’t miss. It hit the bride squarely in the face, soaking her hair, dripping from her nose and chin.
I righted the bottle and set it on the bar, foam flowing like lava over my fingers. In any other situation, I’d apologize. But you just don’t say sorry to a soaking wet, angry werewolf. I gave her a hard stare and groped for my sword under the bar.
She grabbed the bottle, shook it hard, and blasted me with cold, wet spray. Sputtering, I snatched the bottle and emptied it over her head.
A roar went up. Werewolves rushed at me from all sides—running, vaulting over the bar. I went down. What a ridiculous way to die, I thought. Stomped to death by two dozen tipsy werewolves in stilettos.
A French-manicured hand reached toward me. I looked up. The bride, still dripping, smiled at me. What the hell? I grabbed her hand, and she pulled me to my feet. She offered me an open bottle of champagne.
The werewolves had raided the fridge behind the bar. Throughout the room, they sprayed each other with champagne. The poor dancers seemed to be getting more than their share. The wet look suited them, I had to say.
I shook the bottle and sprayed the bride, who laughed with delight.
Someone started the music, and the dancers resumed their gyrations. Drops of champagne flew from t
heir bodies, catching the light. The werewolves started dancing, too, pushing aside tables to clear the floor.
The fridge stood open, empty. I shut the door. Then I found a recycling bin and started picking up the champagne bottles that littered the room.
“Don’t do that. ” The bride put a hand on my arm, but her touch was tentative, not aggressive. “Please. My girls will take care of it. ” She cupped her hands and shouted over the music. “Listen up, ladies! Everyone pick up two bottles and put them in the bin. ” She sat me down in her former seat, telling me to relax, and went behind the bar to find more recycling bins.
“Thanks. ” A werewolf with chin-length black hair sat down across from me. “You saved the party. ”
“You’re welcome. ” I tried to look as though I knew exactly what I’d done, then gave up. “Um, how?”
“Ever since her engagement, Kiana has been a total bridezilla. Her mother stopped speaking to her weeks ago. She reduced her dressmaker to tears. She actually bit the caterer—the poor guy needed stitches. ” She shook her head. “The trouble is, she’s not really all that dominant. Not by nature. It was stressing her out to be such a bitch. ”
Ah. The picture was becoming clearer.
“Somebody needed to challenge her. But you just don’t do that to a mating female. She’s like . . . like a temporary queen. Everyone defers to her. But everyone also saves up their grudges and takes them out on the bride’s hide as soon as the honeymoon’s over. Kiana knew how much trouble she was headed for, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. ”
“So a challenge from me released the tension. ”
“Exactly. ” She grinned, showing white, even teeth. “And you did it without spilling a drop of blood. Brilliant. ”
“Yeah, it always kinda sucks when a bachelorette party turns into a bloodbath. ”
The werewolf grinned again. “Now Kiana can relax and be herself. She’ll still have some fights to face a couple of full moons down the road, but a lot of us will let our grudges slide. We’ve got our friend back. ” She got up and danced her way into the middle of the room.