Free Finding Fire: Paranormal Romance (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 1) by Mallory Crowe Page B

pinned to the table was also in a heap on the floor. One of his wrists was bent at a strange angle, and he was trying to crawl away with his one good arm. Why didn’t he get up to walk?
    A commotion behind her drew her attention. Nicolas punched the man who had just pinned Anna down. Even though he appeared half unconscious, Nicolas kept on hitting.
    Anna tried to yell and stop him from killing the man, but it only came out as a whisper. Even so, Nicolas stopped and looked at her. Anna tried to drag herself up with as much dignity as possible under the circumstances. Nicolas was suddenly there beside her and pulled her up.
    He let her lean against a table as he walked past the wreckage of their booth to grab her bag. When he came back, he braced one arm around her back to help her walk.
    Anna allowed him to assist her out of the bar. She noticed that all of the other patrons now stood behind the cash register.
    When they reached the cool night air, she pushed herself away from Nicolas’s warm body. “I’m fine,” she said.
    He shot her a disbelieving look. “I could take you to a hospital if you’d like.”
    “It’s really nothing. I fell, that’s it.” He raised an eyebrow at her downplaying of the incident and she continued, “A forceful fall, but a fall nonetheless.”
    He didn’t comment, and they walked for a couple of moments in silence. Once she got tired of the silence, Anna asked, “Were the two meatheads friends of yours?”
    He shook his head. “I’ve never seen them before tonight.”
    “Really? You didn’t do anything to piss them off? I find that hard to believe.”
    “They seemed young. They weren’t skilled fighters.”
    “They seemed skilled from my point of view. Did you see how big their arms were?”
    “Our strength is so great, muscle mass will not affect it much. It’s skill that decides the victor in a fight. I’m good, but it was two against one. They never landed a blow on me.”
    He studied her, and she tried not to show the aches that were becoming more and more apparent.
    “I wasn’t skilled enough to help you. I’m sorry for that,” he said softly.
    Anna tried to read his expression. He seemed genuinely sorry. “Don’t feel that bad. I’m the one who jumped in front of him.”
    He stopped in his tracks. “You what?”
    “He was coming at your back. Kind of cowardly, if you ask me.”
    “Annabelle, you can’t get in between vampires fighting. It’s dangerous. Just one wrong blow could kill you.”
    All she’d done was try to protect him. Stupid man. If she’d stood back, and he died, she had a feeling she’d have had more than a few bruises.
    Shaking her head, Anna started to walk again. He eventually followed. When he was at her side once more, she said, “They might have started it, but you sure had no problem finishing it.”
    “They were disrespecting the both of us in the middle of a public establishment. I had to let them know it wasn’t acceptable.”
    “Not acceptable? I’m nobody. In their eyes, I’m just a weak little human. Them disrespecting me is perfectly reasonable if I have to choose between that and a fight.”
    “They treated me as if I had no right to be in there, even though Aleksander’s ban on me was lifted decades ago.”
    “Some fights you walk away from. He hurt your pride, and you wanted to hurt him back. You don’t work for a king anymore. You can’t go off fighting for your honor whenever it’s offended,” she said.
    He said nothing to defend himself. Was it because he was unused to being accused of acting rashly?
    “How long will it take to find Aleksander?” she asked once they’d turned a corner.
    “I’m not sure. I’m thinking it will be three nights of driving. I have to double-check on his current lair, to make sure he hasn’t moved recently.”
    “If we’re going to be together for more than three nights, you can’t get into pointless fights.” He looked as if he was about to reply, but she continued