by R. E. Butler
“There are a dozen suites on the floor, and I’m the only one with a permanent residence. Use your card to check out the rooms and pick your favorite. You can have the bellhops help move your things from your current room.”
Gretchen was thrilled. The suites on Aubrey’s floor were amazing. They had three bedrooms, a full kitchen, and great views.
“Wait, sweetheart,” Alaric said as Aubrey made the motion to push her chair back. “We need to talk about the fights.”
Slade’s hold on Gretchen tightened. “I’m not fighting anymore.”
“Neither am I,” Alaric said, “but first we need to break our contract with Jonathon and figure out employment. My mate is not supporting our family.”
“I’m still fighting,” Galen said. “Until I find a mate, I don’t have any problem being part of the NWFA.”
“Fine,” Alaric said. “After I take the girls shopping, I’ll pick you guys up, and we’ll go see Jonathon.”
“How hard will it be to break your contract?” Gretchen asked.
“Not hard. It’s not a real contract with any kind of ramifications for us leaving. It’s more of an oath to fight in the NWFA until we find our mates. He got a year’s worth of fighting out of us,” Slade said.
“For employment, why don’t you work at the hotel? We’re always looking for security guards,” Aubrey said. “I’ve got openings for guards on every shift. And I’ve got a hostess opening at the restaurant here, and I could use another concierge, Lia.”
“Oh, fun! Maybe I’ll meet my mate and shift in public the way Slade did, scaring the crap out of everyone.”
Slade growled and Lia laughed.
“Be nice to your sister,” Gretchen said.
“I’m your sister, too,” Lia pointed out.
“That’s so cool. I’ve got two sisters and two brothers now,” Gretchen said.
“Our family is growing fast,” Lia said wistfully. “I hope I don’t have to wait a long time to meet my mate. How about you go take a nap, Galen?”
He rolled his eyes and stood. “I’m going to hit the gym and train. Call me when you’re ready to head to Jonathon’s.”
“Is he okay?” Gretchen asked as they all stood and left the restaurant.
“It’s stressful to have mating dreams and not know how to find your mate. If he’s dreaming about colors, it probably has to do with something concerning his mate, but who knows what the hell it means. If he keeps having vague dreams, then he’ll want to leave to try to find her. He’s probably stressed about that, too,” Alaric said.
“Are you glad you skipped the mating dreams?” Gretchen asked Slade as they parted ways from his family and headed out to the parking lot to drive to her parents’ home.
“Yes and no. I’m thankful I found you so quickly, but Alaric said the dreams were very sexy, so maybe it would have been nice to have one or two dreams.” He held open the door to the SUV he shared with his family, and she got into the passenger seat.
“Reality’s better than any dream,” she said.
Kissing her with a soft growl, he said, “You’re better than everything.”
* * * * *
Her parents’ home was a modest three-bedroom ranch in pack territory. When Slade stopped in the driveway, she saw her grandma’s maroon four-door sedan and was thrilled she’d been able to come to meet her mate.
As Slade came around to open her door, he growled loudly and his fangs elongated as he stared behind his vehicle.
She looked behind her and saw four males from her former pack. Frowning, she rolled down the window. “What’s wrong?”
“They said they’re making sure that we don’t overstay our welcome,” he said.
She blinked in surprise. “Oh, the alpha must have sent them. We’re in pack territory, and I’m not part of the pack anymore, and you’re definitely not a pack member. Just ignore them.”
“You’re allowed to visit your parents,” he said, not taking his eyes off the males behind them.
“We are, Slade,” she said, reaching to comfort him. “Next time, my parents can come to the hotel.”
He glanced at her, his eyes pale gold. “Fine.”
“My touch calms you?”
“It’s our truemate connection,” he said, opening the door. “You settle my cat.”
“I’ll remember that if I ever piss you off.”
“It’s not a magic button,” he said, shooting a glare at the males in the driveway.
“I have one of those.”
“What?” He turned to look at her, his brows drawn in confusion.
“A magic button. It makes cream appear.” She wiggled her brows, and he groaned, wrapping his arm around her and drawing her close.
“It’s not nice to tease the cat, baby.”
“It’s called anticipation. We’ll meet with my parents, and you’ll try to hide your massive erection from them while I do my best to wiggle my butt provocatively in front of you.”
He growled in exasperation. She slipped from his arms and laughed, winking at him as she darted up the sidewalk, shaking her butt as much as she could without looking like she was having a fit.
When Slade caught up to her, he grabbed her roughly and pulled her back against his chest. “I’m going to punish you when we get home.”
“With your tongue? I like that kind of punishment.”
He bit her neck gently, and the inside of her body turned to liquid. “My tongue, my fingers, my dick.”
Shivering at his sexy threat, she wiggled her butt against him for good measure. The front door swung open, and she shoved her sexy thoughts aside as her mom grinned broadly and said, “Come in!”
Hugging her mom, then her dad and grandma, she introduced Slade as her mom shut the front door. “Sorry about the assholes at the end of the drive,” her dad, Joffrey, said. “The alpha is making a point. I guess he doesn’t want you to think that you can leave the pack and then come and go as you please in our territory.”
“I hadn’t planned to,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Of course not. Next time, we’ll come to the hotel,” her mom, Beth, said.
“Sure! Just let me know when, and I’ll make the arrangements.”
Her parents led them into the family room, and she sat next to Slade, who put his arm around her and kissed her temple. Her mom served snacks and drinks, and then her dad said, “Gretchen said that you fight in the NWFA.”
“I did until Gretchen and I met. My brother, Alaric, and I are quitting. We only took an oath to the owner until we found our mates. My youngest brother, Galen, will continue to fight.”
“She mentioned something about mating dreams?” Beth said.
“Our kind are led by mating dreams, but I didn’t get them because I met Gretchen right after Alaric found his mate, and the dreams appear in age order. If I hadn’t physically met her, I believe I would have dreamed about her that same night. The closer we are to our truemates, the more vivid the dreams become.”
“That’s neat,” Beth said. “I think mating dreams sound like a really interesting way to find your truemate.”
Her grandma, Anna, said, “How do you plan to support my granddaughter if you’re not fighting anymore?”
“Grandma!” Gretchen said.
“What?” she said, indignantly. “You deserve to have a male who takes care of you. That’s what truemates are supposed to do.”
“Alaric and I are taking security jobs at the hotel. I’ll be able to provide for Gretchen.”
Her grandma nodded. “Good. Now about grand-pups.”
“Grandma!” Gretchen’s cheeks flamed with mortification.
Slade chuckled. “It’s fine, baby. Caleb is graciously letting us move onto the private suite floor of the hotel. It’s plenty big enough for a few pups and cubs.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” her grandma said, grinning broadly. “It’s customary to name the first girl after the favorite great-grandma.”
“Since when?” Gretche
n said, laughing. “I’m not named after your mom.”
“Well, her name is awful. It’s Brunhilda. You should be thankful it’s a new custom,” Beth said.
“I’m glad I dodged that bullet,” Gretchen said.
Slade nuzzled her throat. “You’d still be beautiful, Brunhilda.”
“Don’t you dare call me that!” she said, growling.
He wiggled his brows, and she rolled her eyes as her parents and grandma laughed. She would happily name their first daughter after her grandma, and she told her so. “Anna is a beautiful name for our first little girl.”
Her grandma beamed. “I think you should get working on that right away.”
Slade purred softly, and she gritted her teeth, trying to think of things that weren’t at all sexy so she didn’t get turned on in front of her family. Being wolves meant they had extra-strong senses and would be able to tell how easily Slade affected her. And she so did not want that.
Elbowing Slade and making his purr stutter and then stop, she encouraged Slade to tell them about his family. After a little while, her mom and grandma took her into the kitchen for some girl talk and left her dad and Slade to get better acquainted.
“You look so happy,” her mom said, tucking a lock of hair behind Gretchen’s ear.
“I am. I didn’t know finding my truemate would feel like this. We’re still getting to know each other, but part of me feels like we’re old souls.”
“I felt that way with your grandpa. We used to call it getting struck by love lightning.”
Gretchen chuckled. “That sounds like something Grandpa would have said.”
Her mother’s smile slid away. “What will you do on the full moon?”
“Aubrey just texted me and said that Caleb agreed to let us use some neutral territory on the full moons. Slade is going to hunt with me, of course. Aubrey also said that Alaric wanted to hunt as well, and so did his brother and sister, but not on the full moon. They don’t want to intrude on our first time hunting together.”
“They’re the last sabers, right?” her mom asked.
Nodding, Gretchen said, “He said at one time there were other kinds of sabers – wolves, lions, bears – but that they’re all gone now. I wonder if there are others out there in small family groups like Slade, just under the radar and not known.”
“It’s possible. I didn’t know sabers even existed anymore. It’s no wonder their kind were dying out since they have to wait for mating dreams in age-order. I’m thankful our wolves just know each other on sight and naturally gravitate toward one another,” her grandma said.
On the way home, Slade took her hand and rested it on his thigh. “Your family’s great.”
“Thanks. I’m glad we were able to meet with them, even if the alpha did act like a bit of a jackass about it.”
“I think we got off easy. One of the packs that fight with the NWFA had a former alpha who made wolves intent on leaving the pack fight their way out.”
She grimaced. “I’m glad my pack wasn’t that way.”
“Former pack. Your new pack is never letting you leave, period.”
Leaning against his shoulder, she said, “I have no intention of going anywhere, except to bed.”
“Are you tired, baby?” His voice sounded low and soft, the way it did when he switched from sexy, teasing mode to taking care of her.
“Not remotely.”
He purred. She loved how they always seemed to be on the same wavelength. It was just one of the things she loved about him. She was head over heels for him. Their lives together were getting off to an amazing start.
Chapter 6
Slade stood in the fourteenth floor hallway and watched as his mate pulled a plastic keycard from her purse.
“Why can’t you use your thumb?” he asked as she swiped the card over the first keycard panel next to the door. Each room had a rectangular panel for the keycard and a smaller thumbprint ID panel next to it.
“Thumbprints are only for permanent residents. Guests and staff are given keycards,” she said as she pushed open the door.
The room was quite large, with a full kitchen and living room, one door on the right side of the living room that led to the master bedroom and bathroom, and a short hallway on the left that led to two more bedrooms and bathrooms.
“The rooms on this floor are pretty much identical. They all have three bedrooms, three bathrooms, full kitchen, and living room. The difference is how they’re decorated. They’re all decorated a little differently.”
“I don’t want to be so close to the elevator. In an emergency, it would be shut down, and it would be better to be close to the emergency stairs.”
“Are you expecting to have an emergency?” she asked, arching a brow.
“Of course not, but I want to keep you safe, and I’m mentally planning for any issues.”
“Like locked elevators?”
He nodded.
She hummed thoughtfully and said, “Aubrey’s room is the last one by the emergency door. Let’s check out the one next to hers. The rooms on the right side of the hallway face the city, which is a nice view from the balcony, but I like looking at the river at the back of the hotel, which would be visible from any rooms on the left side.”
He snagged her around the waist and pulled her close. “I think the best view is right here.”
Her cheeks pinked. “You say the sweetest things.”
He leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. “I’m trying to get your pants off.”
She giggled and slapped his shoulder. “Let’s pick a room so we can move in. Quickly.”
“I like how you think, baby.”
They checked out the rooms closest to the emergency door, picked the one next to Alaric and Aubrey’s, and then christened each room in the suite. Twice.
Bellhops moved Gretchen’s belonging into their new home. Slade left his sweetheart with Aubrey and Lia in Aubrey’s room to discuss going to Caleb’s club later that night so he could meet up with his brothers.
Alaric drove their SUV to a hotel near the arena where Jonathon was staying. The fighters always stayed in RVs wherever the fights were being held. He and his family had been living in tight quarters for more than a year. It was nice to have their own space now.
“There isn’t a head of security right now. Aubrey has been handling the schedule and issues with the guards. She wants me to take over the guards, but she has to clear it with her brother, which we can apparently do tonight at the club,” Alaric said.
“The brother goes to the club a lot I take it?” Galen asked from the second row.
“I guess he feeds there a few times a week. It’s a big deal to human females to let the master vampire feed on them, so, according to Gretchen, the females wear next to nothing and wait around at the club every night, hoping he’ll show up and pick them.”
Slade didn’t know much about vampires. He’d met a few through the years, but hadn’t ever had a sit-down conversation with any. “Maybe you’ll meet a girl at the club tonight, and she’ll be wearing purple and gold,” Slade said, joking with Galen.
“It’s pink and gold,” he said, “and I don’t think it’s something she wears, I think it’s part of her.”
“Like her hair?” Alaric asked.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve only had one dream.”
“You’ll find her when the time is right,” Alaric said.
Galen didn’t answer. Slade turned to look at him, and he was staring out the window with his jaw clenched. He was thankful that he’d found Gretchen so quickly. The wonder and waiting of the mating dreams had been hell on Alaric, and if Galen didn’t find his pink and gold mate soon, he’d be facing a future of wondering when he’d meet her.
Slade pulled his cell from his pocket and texted Gretchen.
I’m so glad I found you.
After a minute, she texted back.
Not as glad as I am that I found YOU.
He chuckled, texted her a few
hearts and smiley faces, and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Being mated was fucking awesome. Knowing she was waiting for him and that she’d let him see her naked made his cat anxious to return to the hotel.
Krel was waiting in the lobby of the human-run hotel, and they followed him up to Jonathon’s room. “Why didn’t you stay at the supernatural hotel?” Slade asked.
“If we stayed within Belle Terra, the vampire master could enforce his rules on us. We weren’t sure if he’d want us there, and we didn’t want to chance him making us leave.”
“What made you invite Aubrey?” Alaric asked.
“I always send invitations to the family members of important people in the towns we visit, as well as to the important people themselves. For whatever reason, Master Night didn’t accept our invitation but let his sister attend.”
“I don’t recall her saying that he was invited, too,” Alaric said.
“Whoever handles his correspondence may have ignored it,” Jonathon said, shrugging. “He probably gets invited to a hundred events a month. At any rate, you found your truemate. I’m happy for you, Alaric.”
“Thank you. Slade found his as well.”
Jonathon’s brows rose. “Did you? My, my. Belle Terra is turning out to be a very fortuitous city. And you’re still single, Galen?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, hopefully your dreams will lead you where you need to go. We’re here for a few months.”
Galen glanced at his brothers. “If things haven’t changed with my mating-dreams, I’ll continue to travel. It’s the only way to ensure that the dreams will get better. I think I’m not very close to my truemate, or I would have had a very vivid dream right away.”
“It’s only been one night,” Slade pointed out.
“I know,” Galen said. “I like fighting, and we all took an oath to Jonathon and the NWFA until we found our truemates. I’m still unmated.”
“And your sister?” Jonathon asked, one brow rising slightly. Slade had known that Jonathon was interested in their sister since the moment they met him, but she had always politely turned him down.
“She was never part of the oath. She wants to stay in Belle Terra,” Alaric said.
