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

hand.  He didn’t want her to be nervous, but he understood it.  They were inside the stately home of the king and queen of the ambush, waiting for the house servant to tell them if they were going to be received for dinner.
    The ambush in Florida was very old fashioned, holding to a strict monarchy.  The king’s word was law, as was the queen’s, and all in the ambush treated them with respect or were punished.  Tahlon hadn’t known anything but this life.  Seeing how the ambush in Ohio behaved, like one big family with Midas as the father figure, he realized how stifling the old-school way of the Florida ambush had been.
    The servant came back and escorted them into the sitting room, where the king and queen and several warriors were waiting.
    Although Melo was oldest, since he was no longer part of the ambush, introductions fell to Tahlon.
    “King Tiduaron and Queen Genevieve, I present to you my brother, Melo and our shared mate, Tera.”  He ducked his head in a slight bow and saw Melo do the same.  Tera gripped his hand tighter, and he squeezed it reassuringly.
    Tiduaron, leaning against the mantel of the elaborate marble fireplace, swirled ice in a tumbler filled with amber liquid.  “Welcome to our home.  I trust your journey was easy?”
    “It was, thank you,” Tahlon answered.
    Genevieve stood from the fainting couch, her long gown slithering down her body and pooling around her feet.  He looked down at Tera, and she grimaced at him.  Tahlon knew immediately that Tera was going to give him an earful later, because he’d promised that she didn’t need to bring any dressy clothes.
    Genevieve stalked forward, her heels making loud clicking noises on the marble floor.  She stopped just a foot from them and stared down her long nose at Tera, who was at least a half foot shorter than her.  Genevieve’s voice was icy when she spoke, “I’m certain that you’ll want to freshen up before our meal.  You may use one of the upstairs rooms so you can change into something more presentable.”
    Tahlon growled internally as Tera’s cheeks pinkened in embarrassment.  Tera cleared her throat.  “That won’t be necessary.”
    “Excuse me?” Genevieve said.
    “I don’t have anything nicer to change into, so I won’t be needing one of your rooms to change.  Thank you for the offer, though.”
    Genevieve sniffed.  “I guess in Ohio it’s acceptable to dress for dinner as if one were going for a hike.”
    Tera’s hand clenched Tahlon’s but she said nothing.
    The queen turned her attention to Tahlon.  Giving him a wounded look, she purred, “I can’t believe you’re really leaving the ambush, Tahlon.  And after everything we shared.  The harem won’t be the same without you.”  She moved forward, cutting her hip to the side and pushing Tera away.  Tera stumbled into Melo as Genevieve kissed Tahlon on the lips before he realized her intent.
    Before he could voice his displeasure at her overly familiar gesture, she turned her head and sniffed at Tera.  Genevieve’s eyes flashed, with anger Tahlon thought, and then she screwed up her face and sneezed loudly.
    Stepping backwards quickly as if she’d smelled something horrible, she sneezed twice more and said, “Oh, your perfume smells terrible!  I’ll have to remember to hold my breath when I’m near you.”  Turning to Tiduaron, she made a pathetic sound and said, “I simply won’t eat dinner if she joins us.”
    Tiduaron glanced at them and then the queen, before shrugging.  “As you wish, my darling.  See yourselves out.  The leaving starts promptly at three p.m. tomorrow afternoon in the training arena.”
     They exited quickly, leaving the three of them alone.
    Tera looked up at him in confusion.  “I’m not wearing perfume.”
    Melo picked up her hand and pressed it to his cheek.  “You smell amazing, sweetheart.  Like brown sugar.”
    She smiled, some of her confusion easing away.  Then she looked at Tahlon and