Free Fighting for her Mate: Shape Shifter Paranormal Romance (Sassy Mates Book 5) by Milly Taiden Page A

fangs, taking a swipe with claws at Aria. She dropped into a crouch, easily avoiding his swing, then launched forward into Filip’s mid-section, taking him down along with tables and chairs.
    Julian, Penelope, and Zane spread out, keeping Filip’s group contained with the back wall corralling them. Several of Aria’s vampires came to the dancefloor as well as Trevan, the Wolfe brothers following.
    Aria and Filip were well-matched fighters. Her natural power was that of Filip’s through age. Still, Trevan didn’t look happy. He appeared to be waiting for a reason to step in and tear out the bastard’s heart. It brought a slight grin to her face. Silly mutt. He really thought she couldn’t take care of herself?
    Conversation between the two groups of vamps, those in front of the three old vampires and those behind, turned into yelling, then both groups exploded onto each other. There were more vamp fighters on their side than the enemy’s, so Trevan and the wolves were to watch and wait until needed.
    Tables and chairs were smashed into splinters and stakes, which would come in handy for taking out a blood sucker who got too close. Half-filled glasses remaining on the tables from clubbers found their way into hands that beaned them into the fighting group.
    For a second, Aria thought she smelled smoke. Her quick look around was enough for Filip to get his hands on her and throw her into the DJ stand on stage. Machines and piles of CDs flew into the air, crashing into the stage curtains. Aria rolled to the back wall. Filip was there before she got to her feet.
    He kicked her ribs repeatedly. His knee grinded into her backbone, pinning her to the concrete. Fuck, that hurt! Fingers wrapped in her hair and her head slammed into the cement, over and over. She should have been more vigilant toward the bastard. Between Filip’s weight and the wall, Aria had no way of getting out of the situation. She flailed, trying to buck him off, but he was too balanced to tumble.
    The wolves stood in awe at the back of the room gazing over the dance floor. The powerful three vampires tore through the others like decimation machines set on high. Smoke began to gather above the floor like an inverted fog machine.
    Caleb hollered to the brothers and took off for the kitchen behind the bar. He hurried through the swinging door into a blaze that had climbed the walls and burned into the ceiling. On the grill sat an engulfed apron, probably tossed when everyone evacuated. It was useless to look for the fire extinguisher; it was doubtful the fire department could save the building by the time they got out here.
    Screams came from the lounge.

 
     
    TWELVE
     
    Caleb and the four brothers ran from the burning kitchen at the Embraced nightclub into the lounge area. They arrived to see the ceiling falling through with burning timbers. Caleb quickly analyzed the situation. The group fight had dwindled to Aria’s three and a handful of others. Caleb and the brothers urged all non-essential fighters to get the hell out, if they hadn’t already.
    Mangled bodies lying on the dance floor had caught fire from the collapsing roof. Broken furniture and booths quickly went up in flames. Within a minute, the front half of the building burned around them.
    Emma dashed through the door to the middle of the lounge. She took a deep breath and coughed. “Aria! Aria!” She caught a scent toward the stage. She stepped forward then was lifted off her feet.
    “Emma,” she barely heard Mason over the noise, “what the hell are you doing?” He held her to his body, arm around her waist, feet off the floor.
    “I have to find Aria. She’s not outside, Mason. I can’t let her die in here.”
    “Where is she?” He squinted from acid smoke in his eyes and looked around.
    Emma pointed toward the stage. “I think back there.” Back there being behind a wall of blazing curtains and stage equipment.
    A hot breeze brushed by them smelling like Trevan. He leapt