Green - a werewolf story

43. Bar Fight

Vanessa watched in horror as more people joined in, seemingly on the guise of trying to break them apart. One of the waiters moved too slowly to avoid the group on the floor and was brought down, canapés flying through the air.

"Stop it!" Letitia called from the other end of the room, noticing the fight. "You all promised not to fight here!"

No one was paying attention to her. It seemed they had all been waiting for an excuse to tear each other to shreds. Vanessa wasn't surprised. Emotions always rode high in the New Orleans supernatural community, best demonstrated by the wind and water elementals who whipped up storms and hurricanes whenever they felt slighted.

"I said stop it!" Letitia screamed with a sweeping gesture.

Vanessa could feel the hum of magic in the air and for a moment the fighting seemed to slow down. Then someone accidentally smacked into Letitia and broke her concentration. The next second the fight picked up in intensity again.

"Cease this immediately!" a vampire standing on top of the bar counter roared. "You're ruining my club!"

So this was the famed owner of the Bloodbath. Vanessa couldn't remember meeting her before and she felt the petite, black haired vampire was someone she'd recall. Especially when she pulled a sword from her back and, with a war cry that gave Vanessa chills, joined the fight.

"Nom de dieu," Thrall muttered and shrugged out of his coat. He handed it to Vanessa. "Get my wife into the back room and keep her safe while I clear this up, will you?"

"Of course," Vanessa said. "Don't you think I should try and..."

"I think you've done enough," he said and waded into the fight.

That was so blatantly unfair that for a moment Vanessa just stood there. Then she wanted to wander into the fight after him and punch him.

"Vanessa? What happened?"

She looked up and found Abby standing by her elbow. Protect the pregnant woman or beat up her odious husband? Choices, choices, Vanessa thought, but opted for taking care of Abby. She could beat up Thrall later.

"Let's get you somewhere safe," she said and put her arm around Abby.

"Why? This is awesome! I haven't seen a fight like this in ages," Abby said, munching on her stack of canapés resting on top of her large stomach. "What set them off?"

"We... er... ran into my ex," Vanessa said. "Let's move somewhere a bit more..."

"Your ex?" Abby said, finally looking away from the snarling, hissing jumble of people on the floor. "Your ex is from New Orleans?"

"He is. But we..."

"What's his name?"

"I don't see how that's relevant. Let's move into the backroom."

Abby took another canapé. "Tell me his name and I'll go with you. Otherwise I'll sit down and I wish you luck in trying to move me even an inch."

Vanessa glared at her, but she just glared back and Vanessa thought that it would be easier to tell her and leave than have her sit down. The fight was intensifying and if Theodore Thrall's wife was harmed on her watch she'd be dead no matter whose mate she was.

"Fine. It's Jeremy St. John. Can we go now?"

Abby gaped and she was so shocked that Vanessa actually managed to drag her a few feet away from the fight.

"The vampire?"

"That's the one," Vanessa said, still pulling on her.

"The vampire who leads the biggest vampire conglomeration in the South?"