A Twitch of Tail
by R. E. Butler
Copyright 2013 R. E. Butler
A Twitch of Tail (Wiccan-Were-Bear)
by R. E. Butler
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
**Cover Artist: Ramona Lockwood**
This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations is coincidental.
Disclaimer: The material in this book is for mature audiences only and contains graphic sexual content and is intended for those over the age of 18 only.
* * * * *
I’d like to thank Jennifer Moorman for editing this book, and Jackie G and Jacq McNeill for beta-reading for me.
To Aunt BL and my husband BB, I love you both.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
From the Author
Other Works
Chapter 1
Melo Thorne sat in the backyard of his modest home in the tiger ambush’s territory, south of the city of Cleveland, in the small town of Whispering Creek. He’d been with the tiger ambush, led by the king tiger Midas, for three years and had always found solace sitting on the back porch and staring up at the stars.
But peace hadn’t come to him for the last few days. His bones were itching. Something important was about to happen; he just knew it. The shitty thing was that he didn’t know if it would be something good or something bad.
His brother, Tahlon, opened the back door and stepped out, handing Melo a beer. Sitting in the chair next to him, Tahlon twisted the cap off his beer and took a long drink. Tahlon had shown up at Melo’s home three days earlier, with only a duffel of clothes and a wound healing on his back. Tahlon, like Melo, was a were-tiger. They had both been part of an ambush in Florida. Melo had been the tiger king’s personal guard, and Tahlon had been the tiger queen’s guard. Melo was older than his brother by only two years, and they were both gifted with the slow aging of supernatural creatures. For every twelve years that passed, their bodies aged only one. Melo was technically fifty-two, and Tahlon would be fifty in December. It always amused Melo when people considered him a young man because he looked twenty.
Melo had come to Ohio when he had grown disillusioned with the tiger queen of his former ambush, who insisted that every unmated male in the ambush attend to her sexual needs during her annual heat cycle. Melo had been ready to find his own mate and settle down, but the queen wouldn’t allow it, so Melo left. Leaving the ambush hadn’t been pretty, and he’d hated leaving Tahlon behind, but Tahlon was loyal to a fault and said he wasn’t ready to leave. Something had happened to change that, and Melo didn’t know what it was yet, but it had to do with the wound on Tahlon’s back and the look of dread that came into his eyes whenever Melo talked about the Florida ambush.
“How long before you have to go back?” Melo asked.
“I can probably push it off a few weeks. It’ll take a few days to sort things out down there, so the middle of October, in and out, should work. You sure you want to come with me?”
“Of course. It’s hell getting out of the ambush, and you’ll need support. Besides, you said you’d come with me Saturday night to guard the Wiccans for their fall equinox ceremony, so I’ll owe you one anyway.”
Tahlon raised a brow and took a swig. “You really like guarding those old witches?”
Melo chuckled. “I haven’t done it for a while. A couple of years ago, I hooked up with one of them, and she ditched me for twin were-bears. I stepped down from guarding on the solstice ceremonies because it made me uncomfortable even though she left the coven. But one of the tigers who used to do the guarding on the solstice got mated, and his mate doesn’t want him ogling naked women all night, so Midas told me to step up, and if I have to go, so do you.”
“Naked? How old are they anyway?” Tahlon made a face.
“Are you picturing a bunch of wrinkled old ladies dancing around a fire?”
“Something like that.” Tahlon slumped down in the chair and crossed his legs at the ankles.
“A few of them enjoy the early bird specials, but most of them are young, in their twenties or thirties.”
“Yeah?” Tahlon’s curiosity was obviously piqued.
“Well, don’t get any ideas. Only a few of the women have our long life. The rest are mortal.”
“I’m not looking to settle down, Mel, but I wouldn’t mind a roll in the hay.”
Melo snorted. Who wouldn’t mind that? Ever since Elizabeth had moved on, Melo had tried to do the same, but no one he’d met had really spoken to him or to his cat, and he was beginning to lose hope. He’d never thought that Elizabeth was meant to be his mate, but he had enjoyed being with her. Sharing her with a half-dozen other men hadn’t been ideal, but he did like her as a person. It had stung when she pulled away so completely and left everyone, including him, behind.
His whole adult life had been dedicated to serving the king and queen of his former ambush. Although he was Midas’ personal guard, the job was much less time-consuming than it had been in Florida, and Melo was finally able to live the way he wanted, date who he wanted, do what he wanted. Even with the freedom he now enjoyed, he still found himself longing for a relationship, and the bonds of love that would come with finding his truemate.
Maybe going to the solstice ceremony was part of what had been bugging him lately. Maybe Tahlon had the right idea, and Melo would meet someone there who would change his world.
Oh, sure. Because he always had luck like that. He snorted inwardly, took another drink, and stared up at the stars.
Chapter 2
Tera rolled over in bed with an annoyed grunt and stared at the clock. She hadn’t slept well for the last few days, and even though she was exhausted all the way to the center of her body, she couldn’t seem to rest. When her eyes closed, she would drift away into a dream world punctuated with cries of pleasure, hot hands, and writhing bodies. She’d abruptly awaken, her body tense and her emotions strung out. She’d never had dreams like these before, clouded and mysterious.
Punching the pillow with annoyance, she wrenched the sheet over her shoulder and tried to get comfortable. Almost immediately, she slipped into sleep, and the dream came back in a rush.
Hands brushing down her body. A tongue lashing her ear. Teeth nipping at her neck.
She snapped out of the dream with a moan as her body twisted on the bed, tangling in the sheet.
“Damn it,” she groaned, rubbing at her eyes. She smacked her hand on the night stand and fumbled across the surface until she found her cell. It was just after four a.m., and she knew that she’d be waking up her boss, but she was out of options.
With a quick scroll through the contact list, she dialed the head of the coven. The call was answered on the second ring, and Tera said, “Lorene? It’s Tera. I need help.”
An hour and a half later, Tera sat at the large, oval table in one of the meeting rooms at the back of The Cleveland Mother Earth Store, which h
eld not only a Wiccan supply store, but also the coven’s offices. Tera had an office in the store but rarely used it. Although many Wiccans in the coven worked at the store, Tera’s day job was as a receptionist at the newly erected Cleveland Supernatural Hospital.
Seated around the table were the four Corners of the coven. Lorene was the North Corner and most powerful natural witch in the coven. Idurre, the South Corner, was also a natural witch. Bitty and Gwen were unnatural but powerful witches. Natural witches, like Tera and two of the four Corners, had at least one parent who was a full Wiccan. Unnatural witches were usually entirely human with a sensitivity to supernatural occurrences, although in the case of the two Corners, deep in their family line were natural witches, but they had turned from their powers and taken on the mantle of humanity, giving up their power and long lives. If the past power was strong enough and a witch trained hard for many years, she could reclaim some of that power.
“Tell us about the dreams child,” Lorene said, steepling her fingers in front of her mouth.
Tera took a deep breath and told them what she could about the dreams that had robbed her of sleep for the last week.
“There’s always a veil around everything, shadows and mist, but I know there are two men with me.” Tera’s cheeks heated slightly at having a conversation like this with women she considered mentors.
Gwen leaned back in her chair and lit a clove cigarette with an antique lighter. After inhaling and puffing smoke up towards the ceiling, she said, “We could do a calling, ask the goddess of future to reveal who the men in the dreams are.”
Lorene shook her head. “A calling might alter the future. I think that you’re having mating-dreams, Tera, and that the men in your dreams are shifters. Some were-groups have them. It’s possible that because you have two mates and you’re a powerful, natural witch, you’re drawing on their power and it’s giving you a glimpse of the future.”
Two mates? Tera shivered at the thought. “Do all were-groups have mating dreams?”
Idurre looked thoughtful. “Not all of them.”
Tera chewed on her bottom lip. She’d been in a ménage before, but it had been a one-time thing suggested by the guy she’d been dating at the time. He thought inviting his friend into their sex life would liven up the cold sheets, but all it had done in the end was make the boyfriend jealous and the friend treat Tera as if she were a toy he could play with at any time. Which she most certainly was not.
Tera cleared her throat. “I didn’t know that were-animals shared their mates.”
“The bears do,” Lorene said. “My granddaughter, Elizabeth, has twin were-bears as her mates.”
Bitty nodded. “I believe that mate-sharing isn’t entirely common within the were-community, but when it does happen, it’s for a reason.”
“What reason?” Tera asked.
Bitty shrugged and hugged her shawl tighter around her thin shoulders. “I don’t know, dear. You’re a supernatural creature, and you know that there are often strange happenings that just can’t be explained. The universe has decided you’re going to have two mates. For whatever reason, that’s the path your life is taking. Embrace it. Don’t fear it.”
Idurre stood and came around to Tera’s chair. Putting her hand on Tera’s shoulder, Idurre said, “When it’s the right time to meet them, you will.”
Tera nodded and watched them leave after wishing her peace and blessings. The room was filled with floor to ceiling bookcases, stuffed with books and Wiccan-related objects. She’d been in many rooms like this over the years and could spend hours just thumbing through the volumes of ancient spells. Her mind wandered to the men from her dream. Desire spiked through her at the thought of meeting them.
By the time she left the store, after checking her messages and returning emails, she decided it was late enough in the morning to stop by the hospital and visit her favorite patient. The supernatural hospital was a desperately needed service in a community that was home to a vast number of supernatural groups. Human hospitals were wary of supernatural creatures, afraid that a werewolf who was injured might kill them all in a fit of pain, the way a dog might attack if it were hurt. Bullshit, of course, because even in their animal forms, they were still very much human inside. Although there were exceptions to every rule, most were-animals wouldn’t hurt a human, no matter which form they were in.
When Tera turned eighteen, she was part of her mother’s coven in Greenwich, Massachusetts. The coven was totally old-school, shutting out the unnatural witches and only accepting natural witches. Tera came from a long line of natural witches. She hadn’t minded the exclusivity at first, proud to be included in the small but tight group of witches. But after awhile, when those same witches — her mother included — tried to dictate other areas of her life, including disapproving of her desire to help other supernatural beings, she decided it was time to look for greener pastures. When she heard that the Cleveland, Ohio coven was recruiting natural witches, and that they were also helping to raise funds for the new supernatural hospital, she knew she’d found the right place.
As a supernatural creature herself, she had what was referred to as “long life,” which meant that she aged one body year for every twelve that passed. Even though she had been alive for thirty years, she had just had her technical nineteenth birthday. It was cool in the I’ll live a lot longer than a human sort of way, but it wasn’t cool when she wanted a beer and the bartender thought she had a fake ID.
On the way to the hospital, she mused over the dreams. Two mates? She snorted as she pictured her mother’s face going white with shock. She’d probably disown Tera for taking two mates, especially if they were were-animals. But Tera didn’t care about that. She’d long outgrown the desire to please her mother. It didn’t matter to Tera what her future mates were when they shifted. She just cared that they were good men and would treat her with respect.
The Wiccan store was in downtown Cleveland, less than a mile from the new hospital. Cleveland was a hot-spot gathering place for supernatural creatures. Not only was the Wiccan coven the most powerful in the Midwest, but there was a large vampire coven, a werewolf pack, a were-serpent nest, a were-bear den, a were-tiger ambush, and a were-falcon nest. All the groups were loosely allied to each other, each promising to handle their own business and keep their noses out of everyone else’s.
“Hey, Doc,” Tera said and smiled at Dr. Conner when she walked through the pristine waiting room and saw the head of the pediatric department looking over a chart at the front desk.
“Tera! I wasn’t expecting you.” Dr. Connor smiled at Tera, her eyes crinkling at the Corners. Dr. Brenda Conner was a werewolf, and one of the nicest, sweetest women Tera had ever met.
“I was at the office and thought I’d stop by and bring Charlie a treat.”
“Oh, he’ll like that. He sure has taken a shine to you.”
“I’ve taken a shine to him, too.”
Tera smiled and walked past the desk, taking the elevator to the fourth floor and finding room 438. Charlie, a seven-year-old werewolf, was playing a game on an iPad Tera had bought for him. His mother, Claire, was curled up in a ball in a chair next to the bed, asleep. A week ago, Claire’s mate had gone on a bender and drank his weight in cheap whiskey. When he’d run out of money, he’d gone home spoiling for a fight. This time, little Charlie got in the way of his father’s rage as he tried to protect his mother, and his collarbone was broken as a result. Such a strong, brave young man.
“Tera!” he whispered loudly, putting down the iPad and giving her a big smile.
Tera bent down and hugged him, kissing the top of his tawny head. Charlie and his mom were going home in two days. The good news was that the pack stepped in and his father was long gone, with a few broken bones of his own to think about. Claire and Charlie were going to live with her sister who was married to the beta of the pack. The Corners had been by earlier in the week as well, casting a protection spell over both of them.
“Wha
t did you bring me?” he demanded.
“Who me? I wouldn’t do that. It’s against hospital rules.”
“Come on, Tera,” he pleaded, casting his hazel eyes up to her forlornly.
“Hades, kiddo, you’re going to be such a heartbreaker when you grow up.” She pulled a packet of bubble gum from her front pocket and dropped it in his lap. He looked up again, expectantly. Her other front pocket revealed a bag of M&Ms, his favorite. After his lower lip jutted out in a pout, she gave up the contents of her back pockets — Crazy Eights and two Matchbox cars. After discovering that her pockets were now empty, he thanked her with a kiss to her cheek and tore open his gifts.
While he chewed noisily on the gum and opened the playing cards, Tera checked the amount on the iPad’s gift card balance and made a mental note to add more money to the account. She kept it filled so he could download games and movies and music as he pleased.
She and Charlie played three games of Crazy Eights before his mother woke up. Claire had the look of a long-abused woman who wasn’t sure she was really free yet. She was being strong for Charlie, though, and Tera applauded that.
“Go get something to eat from the commissary, Claire, while Charlie the card shark kicks my butt.”
Claire smiled and walked away after kissing Charlie on the top of the head.
“What’s a card shark?” he asked, asking if she had any fours.
She handed him two cards. “Someone who is very, very good at cards.”
His eyes glinted happily. “Maybe you should change it to card wolf instead, since I’m a wolf and not a shark.”
Tera chuckled and asked him if he had any threes.
When Claire returned an hour later, Tera ruffled the hair on top of his head and told him she’d see him soon. She said goodbye to his mom and then headed home.
She stopped at a pub near her condo and grabbed lunch, reading some articles about equinox ceremonies that Irene had forwarded to her. Tera didn’t mind eating alone. She hadn’t been in a serious relationship in the last six months. But she was lonely. Her thoughts drifted again to the men from her dreams. She bet she’d never feel lonely with two mates.
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