A Twitch of Tail by R. E. Butler Page B

if it was still there, I would imagine that the woman was you and the boys were ours.”
    “Oh, Melo,” she sniffled.   She hugged her arms around him tighter, resting her head against his chest where she could hear his heart beating steadily.
    He smoothed her hair with his hand and pressed a kiss to the top of her hand.  “You are everything I ever wanted in a mate, and someday, you’ll be the mother of our children.”
    Lifting her head, she met his bright blue eyes.  “I love you, Melo.”
    His eyes widened, and then he smiled before saying, “Oh, sweetheart, I love, you, too.”
     
    * * * * *
     
    Saturday passed quickly.  They ate breakfast out, since there was no more food in the house, and brought back sandwiches for lunch.  Tera and Melo helped Tahlon pack up the remainder of the house, which they were leaving furnished.  By two p.m., the SUV was stuffed full of boxes and bags.
    Tahlon had been quiet most of the day, working silently beside her and Melo as they folded clothes and sorted books and CDs.  The training arena was close enough to walk to, so they left a few minutes before three.  The phrase “training arena” had conjured images in Tera’s mind of something from the gladiator days, with a dirt and sand floor, high walls, and rows of seats where the ambush would watch the training.  In reality, it was a large, wooden barn with roping that created squares like boxing rings.  Weight lifting and boxing equipment was scattered around the perimeter of the four rings.
    They stopped inside the large double doors of the barn and looked around.  Both Tahlon and Melo tensed on either side of Tera, and she looked up at them in surprise.
    “What’s wrong?” she asked, worry skating through her.
    “The king has changed his mind,” Melo spoke low, and Tera looked where both of them were staring.  One of the rings had a wooden contraption inside it.  Made of thick beams, the wooden square had chains hanging from the top beam as well as wrapped around the bottom of the side beams.  Thick leather cuffs were attached to the chains.
    Confusion skated through her.  “I thought you were supposed to fight?”
    Across the barn, another set of doors opened.  Men walked into the barn and circled the ring containing the wooden contraption.  The king and queen, and one very tall man, were last to enter the barn.  The male wore black leather pants and military-style boots and no shirt.  His dark brown hair was caught back at his nape in a tail.
    The trio stopped in front of them, and Tahlon looked at the male.  Tera noticed a whip attached to his hip, and suddenly everything clicked in her mind.
    “No!”  She jerked in her horror, knowing that they meant to use the whip on Tahlon.
    Tahlon shushed her, pressing his fingertip to her lips.
    The queen sighed loudly.  “Let’s get on with this, please.  It’s stifling in here.”
    Regret passed over the king’s face.  “None of the males would fight with you for the leaving .  I had no choice but to rend your promise with the whip.  I would not have wished it so.”
    “It’s your pleasure to do what you will with the ambush,” Tahlon said with a voice that was so void of emotion that it chilled Tera to the bone.
    The king and queen turned and walked to the ring that was surrounded with more than twenty males.  Tahlon looked at the man standing in front of them and said, “Jorah.”
    Jorah said, “Without the king’s knowledge, the queen threatened the males able to fight you with expulsion from the ambush if they agreed to go against you.”  He glanced over his shoulder and said resignedly, “She’s got him by the balls, and he’s not got a clue of what she does behind his back.”
    Anger surged through Tera, and she snarled, “Why don’t you fucking tell him?”
    Jorah chuckled.  “Such a temper, little mouse.  Only a male with a death wish would tell a tale to the king about his beloved mate.”  He narrowed his eyes at