Page 18 of Slade's Feisty Mate

“Good.”

He grinned. “You being possessive is sexy as fuck.”

Her wolf preened at the praise. A pretty brunette wearing what could only be described as a bikini top with a handkerchief as a skirt, smiled and greeted them. “Master Night is upstairs. He asked me to bring you up.”

Aubrey snorted delicately. “It always cracks me up to hear them call him Master.”

“Why?” Slade asked.

“Because he was such a shit when he was younger, and now he’s a powerful master vampire. When we look at him, we see the guy who used to throw us into the pool and jump out from closets to scare us when we were kids,” Gretchen said.

The brunette smiled politely and turned, the tiny skirt fluffing up and showing half her butt. Gretchen glanced at Slade, but he was scanning the area, and she knew he was making sure that they were safe. She loved how protective he was of her.

They walked behind the brunette, even though Gretchen and Aubrey knew their way, and entered the dance floor. Bodies writhed and moved to the music that was so loud Gretchen could feel it in her bones. Strobe lights and lasers painted the people—vampires, humans, shifters, and other supernatural creatures—as they danced to the beat.

Slade moved her between himself and the wall, his arm a tight band around her. A human woman Gretchen had seen with Caleb from time to time, strode toward them, her hips swaying exaggeratedly as she moved on sky-high heels. There was blood on her neck, and although she wore no marks, Gretchen knew that Caleb had fed from her recently. Being a regular snack for the master vampire was a badge of honor for the people who liked that sort of thing. Gretchen never wanted anyone’s teeth in her neck but her mate’s.

Lia snarled angrily, and Slade pushed Gretchen behind him, pressing her against the wall. Gretchen peeked around him and saw that Lia had grabbed the woman by the throat and was sniffing her.

“Where is he?” Lia growled the words.

The woman shrieked, clawing at Lia. “Get off me, you crazy bitch!”

Lia roared, making the woman’s eyes roll back in her head. Lia released her hold on the woman and let her drop to the floor. Grabbing her head, Lia screamed in anguish and went to her knees. Galen knelt next to her, but Lia pushed him away. She shifted more quickly than Gretchen had ever seen anyone shift. One moment she was a woman, and the next she was a huge tigress with long, curved fangs. With a warning growl, Lia raced toward the circular staircase that led up to Caleb’s private floor.

“Well, shit.” Alaric said from where he had pressed Aubrey against the wall to protect her, too.

“Tell me that didn’t just fucking happen,” Galen said as he roused the brunette and helped her to her feet.

“What happened?” Gretchen asked. Slade relaxed and let her away from the wall.

“She just found her truemate,” Slade said.

“But she didn’t pass out like you did,” Gretchen pointed out. She looked to the stairs where a beautiful saber-tooth tiger shifter stalked upward. Some of the patrons on the stairs lurched away, screaming, but others seemed unfazed. Gretchen figured the ones who didn’t care were supes, not at all surprised to see a shifter. Even a nearly extinct one.

“Maybe it’s different for females,” Alaric said. “Or she’s better at controlling her beast and not passing out than Slade.”

Slade flipped his brother off.

“What the hell!” Galen said, throwing his hands into the air. “I have a dream about pink and gold, and she finds her fucking mate in a club before I do. In what universe is that fair?”

“Who do you think her mate is?” Gretchen asked.

“Someone she scented on that woman,” Aubrey said. “Let’s go find out.”

Lia had disappeared onto the private floor, causing a rush of panicked people to flood the stairs. Gretchen snorted inwardly at how easily humans were scared. If they knew anything about shifters, they’d know the beautiful tigress was on the prowl for her mate and not interested in making a snack out of anyone.

“That was interesting,” she whispered to Slade.

“She’ll be fine. I’m glad she found her mate.”

“Un-fucking-believable,” Galen groused. “I need a drink. Or ten.”

The second floor of the club, where Caleb hung out, was a wide-open space with a private bar, guards at the top of the stairs, and plenty of comfortable seating. As the guards let them through to the floor, Gretchen chuckled as she saw Lia weaving her way in and out of the crowd of mostly shifters, who ignored her as they danced and drank.

“I see a private area over there,” Slade said. He tugged her away from his family. “We’ll see you later.”

“Don’t you want to meet Caleb and see what Lia is up to?” Alaric asked.