Slade's Feisty Mate (Saber Chronicles Book Two) by R.E. Butler Page A

to
hide in the trees and try to scare her when she went hunting as a
young wolf, but he was, at heart, a male who cared about his family
and the people who had taken an oath to him. “I’ll make sure she
checks in.”
    “Thanks, Gretchen. She’s being a good boss to
you, right?”
    “Of course.”
    He ended the call, and she looked up as
Farley, a security guard and member of her pack, came up to the
front desk. “Hey. Boss called and wants you to check in when your
shift is over.”
    “I just talked to him.”
    Farley’s eyes narrowed and he said, “Your
real boss.”
    “Oh, yeah sure. Is something going on?” By boss , Farley meant her alpha, Terrance Johner.
    “Full moon is in a week.”
    “And?”
    He made a face. “Just call him.”
    Farley was a male of few words. And an
asshole. Worry slithered over her as she wondered why her alpha
wanted her to contact him. She hadn’t lived on pack lands since she
took the job at the hotel. She lived on the twelfth floor with
several other staff members, including a she-fairy who had pink and
gold wings and a warlock covered in tattoos.
    For the remainder of her shift, she thought
of nothing but calling her alpha. She was pretty sure she hadn’t
done anything wrong, but the request to call him was like getting
called to the principal’s office in school – even if you hadn’t
done anything wrong, you still felt as though you had.
    Chewing her thumbnail as she waited for
Craig, her replacement, she paced behind the counter. The lobby of
the hotel was beautiful – all gold and white marble with sturdy but
elegant furniture. She knew she was lucky to live in a city run by
a master vampire who cared about the shifter population. Caleb was
unique in the vampire world, she suspected. She’d met other master
vampires when they came to visit Caleb and see his city, and most
of them had looked down on her as if she weren’t fit to clean their
shoes. Just because they were immortal didn’t mean they were better
than any other supernatural creatures, in her opinion.
    Craig walked through the front door of the
hotel. He was human with a flair for telling funny stories. “Hi,
Craig.”
    “Hey, yourself. Anything exciting happen
during your shift?”
    “Nope, it’s been quiet.”
    “All right, I’ll see you tomorrow night. Have
a good one.”
    He took his place behind the tall, cherry and
marble desk, and she took her phone from the small drawer next to
her chair. “Master Caleb would like Aubrey to call him when she
gets back from the NWFA fights tonight. I sent her a text, but her
phone isn’t turned on.”
    “Will do.”
    She walked swiftly to the elevator bay and
pressed the up button. Her phone felt like lead in her hand. She
knew she was being ridiculous and overly panicky, but she couldn’t
help it. Her alpha was a fierce male.
    When the door opened on her floor, she found
herself looking at a frowning, pacing fairy. “Hi, Serena, are you
okay?” Gretchen asked as she stepped out of the elevator.
    “Yes. No.” Serena shook her head, causing her
translucent pink and gold wings to flutter as she moved. “I fell
asleep watching TV and had a bad dream.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you want to talk?”
    “No, I need to fly and sort out my thoughts.
Master Caleb asked me to stop flying off my balcony because it
freaks out the humans when they think someone is falling from the
twelfth floor.”
    “Humans are so silly,” Gretchen said. “You
can knock on my door if you want to talk after your flight.”
    “Thanks,” Serena said and smiled, her
brilliant blue eyes shining brightly. “You’re a sweetheart.”
    The door slid shut, and Gretchen turned and
walked down the hall. Stopping in front of her door, she used the
thumb pad to unlock her room and walked inside. Unlike her best
friend’s opulent suite on the fourteenth floor, her own was a
modest two-room suite, with a bedroom, full bath, and sitting room.
She had a kitchenette with a mini fridge and