Page 101 of Moon Tamed

“Is this going into your binder, Calden?”

“Probably,” he replied. “Let’s hear the deal so I know how much work to put into this. Coraline, the tall one is Freddy. He loves kidnapping people within our faction. The short one with an attitude is Marko. He also loves kidnapping people within our faction. That other one is Rondel. Rondel is Rondel, and I can’t say much more than that.”

The tall one waved at me, and it amused me how hard of a time I’d have describing him to the police if needed. From his brown hair, his brown eyes, and his generally plain features, he could be anyone on the street, without any truly defining characteristic. When I regarded the other two, I realized they all shared the same traits. “Brothers?”

“They are, indeed, brothers,” Calden confirmed. “What’s the game today, folks?”

“We were asked, by a mutual not-quite-friend, to make you disappear under mysterious circumstances to test your old man again.”

“During election time?” Calden sighed.

“Yes.”

“I hate elections. Who is behind it this time?”

“Several faction leaders,” Marko admitted with a shrug. “They want to see if your father will crack.”

“He’s not going to crack. Dad sent us off to get Coraline shifting.”

“Even better. You’ll both get paid properly, then.”

The Hunters of Moonriver were insane. Amazed over the duplicity, the fact the three Hunters cooperated with the other factions, and Calden’s amusement, I decided I would play along.

It wasn’t playing with horses, but I foresaw entertainment on the horizon. “I’m not getting left behind, am I?”

“Oh, no. You can come for the ride, Coraline. Calden tends to excuse himself from these kidnappings once he gets bored, so if you’re around, he won’t get bored as quickly.”

I regarded Calden with a raised brow.

“It’s true,” he confirmed. “We need to get work laptops from my father in a few hours, and Coraline needs to put together her preliminary assessment report. If you want to get away with this, I recommend you do it after my father drops the laptops off. Then you can force us to maintain communications.”

“Are you trying to get your father reelected?” Markos asked in a curious tone.

“Not particularly, but having seen parts of Coraline’s report, I’m not going to waste my energy worrying about it. She’s including recommendations on how to make sure Dad has a healthier work schedule without leadership being compromised. That was all I wanted in the first place, so I’m fine with it.”

“That explains a lot.” Marko regarded me with interest, prowling around me with his paintball gun held at the ready. “And what about you, Coraline?”

“What about me? I’m just the frustrated woman who has wasted many hours trying to find dirt on his father without any luck. The most I have is petty cash abuses, but then the accountants showed me that he contributes to the petty cash fund out of his personal pay. He’s using his personal money to prank people, usually his son. If you have any faults to share, let me know so I can have something negative in my report beyond the breaking of my heart and expression of general frustration over the ridiculous levels of red tape surely driving Mr. Stephans insane.”

The three Hunters laughed.

“Okay,” Marko replied. “Why are you two here, of all places?”

“I’m dressing her up and running away with her for a week or two. I’m trying to goad her into sprouting fur.”

“Just nip at her until you annoy her enough,” Marko replied. “That’s easy enough if she’s that close to shifting for the first time. You can also just run around with your shirt off. That’s what my wife suggested when she was close to her first shift. Just don’t offer the goods and make her stare at your chest for a while. That should work. Flexing every now and then helps.”

I hated to admit it, but I suspected Marko was right. Given that sort of treatment, I’d probably snap within a day or two, especially if cuddling on a couch entered off-limits territory.

“I could just state we can’t read any books before she shifts for the first time, too,” Calden replied.

I gasped at the ruthlessness of his suggestion. “No!”

“She’s not going to be a difficult nut to crack, Calden. Go finish your shopping and head back home. We will wait for your father to leave. Pack a bag for a least a week, two if your father already approved your leave.”

“He has.”

“We’ll drop a hint or two to your old man to make sure he knows the other faction leaders are up to their usual tricks. View this as a nice vacation on someone else’s dime.”

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