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.My stomach sank in warning, and I feared the worst.Was this the next stage of a vampire mass hysteria?I gave Dreadlocks a shot to the neck that cut off some oxygen and put him out on the floor.Unfortunately, by the time I made it to my feet again, a dozen more vamps had succumbed to whatever ailed them.Furious fists and insults were hurled around, the vamps pounding at one another as if their lives—and not a cheap glass of cheaper alcohol—were on the line.The irritation spread like a virus.Each vamp that lashed out and inadvertently bumped another started a second round, and the violence rippled through the crowd accordingly.With no better option than to jump into the fray, I looked at Lindsey, shared a nod of agreement with her, and made my move.My goal wasn’t to win the fight, but to separate the fighters.I began by jumping between the two closest to me.I took a punch in the shoulder for my trouble, but managed to rip the two vamps away from each other.I tossed them in opposite directions and headed for the next pair.Lindsey did the same, hopping over the bar—spilling the rainbow drinks in the process—and pulling vamps apart.Unfortunately, they weren’t willing to go.Whatever had possessed them took them over, kept them raking their nails at one another, eager to continue a fight over nothing substantial.Fortunately, the ones who weren’t affected—a handful of men and women that I’d seen around the House—helped us separate the contenders.We became a team.Fighting against our own, unfortunately, but still fighting for the good of the cause.I appreciated the effort, even if it wasn’t enough.With each pair I separated, another seemed to pop up, until the swell of fighting vampires crashed through the door to the bar.Over the background roar of brawling, I could hear the nearing wail of sirens.Someone had called the cops about the fight.This was about to get even uglier; it was time for a new plan.I glanced around, looking for Lindsey, and found her at my left, dragging a squalling vampire by the ankle.“Lindsey, I’m going to get the humans out of the bar!” I yelled, pushing one vamp off me and turning to avoid another’s boot stomp.Cops wouldn’t be thrilled if vamps were fighting other vamps, but they’d be downright pissed if humans got caught in the cross fire.With Tate already on the warpath, I’m not sure we could make it through that kind of scandal with the House intact, much less without a receiver.“I’m on my way,” she replied, dumping her vamp a few tables away.Another Cadogan vamp took over for her, holding that vamp back while she rushed back to me and yanked back the vamp who’d tried to kick me into submission.“You’re a doll,” I told her, hurdling a knot of wrestling vampires as I ran for the door.I started by building a vamp chute by grabbing the nearest table and sliding it toward the door.Three more made a faux retaining wall between the exit and the rest of the bar, which kept the fighting vamps corralled and gave the humans a clear path.I looked back at the crowd, and first spied a couple squeezed back into a booth, eyes wide.I ran to them, hustled them to their feet, and pointed them toward the now partially secured exit.“Out that way,” I said, and as they headed for the door, I rounded up the rest of them.The humans were pretty easy to spot.The few vamps who hadn’t been affected by the violence were trying to help; the humans mostly cowered, probably shocked by the violence and trying to stay out of the way.I located as many as I could and sent them toward the door, police sirens getting louder as they ran outside.When I’d cleared out the last of the humans, I moved to the door and found the street awash in blue and red lights as humans ran from the bar like hostages released from a bank robbery.Cops began to emerge from their vehicles, and I began to fear the worst—that we’d all be arrested for inciting public mayhem.Of course, that would make Tate’s arrest-warrant threat moot.I moved slowly toward the sidewalk, not eager to be shot by cops who thought I was an emerging perp.Adrenaline began to pulse again as I prepared to face round two—the aftermath.But when a familiar Oldsmobile rolled to the curb, I breathed a sigh of relief [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]