Page 20 of Moon Tamed

My poor father, tormenting himself with shopping. “Mom will kill you if you don’t save her some,” I reminded him.

“I got her two bars. Wise men always get extra chocolate.” Dad hustled to his SUV and unlocked it. “Are you going to catch another nap before you head to work?”

In some ways, I loved our long days, as I could cram in several good naps before and after work while having time to do everything else I needed to accomplish. “You better believe it. I’ll have breakfast before I go, too. I’ve learned I need to be cautious, else I might be subjected to broccoli brownies.”

We both made faces at the mere mention of broccoli and chocolate being forced to engage in an illicit relationship.

“Good call, especially now that Allasandro knows you have a sense of humor lurking under your shield of pure professionalism. You impressed him, and he doesn’t impress easily. Don’t be surprised if he renews your contract with your firm. He has a hard time finding reliable temp help. He’ll end up paying for you to be available.”

While I appreciated the warning, I worried for my future. “This sounds like a disaster in the making, Dad.”

“Well, I’ll certainly be entertained. Good luck, Coraline. Will the wolves or the woman win?”

“Nobody wins, Dad. This isn’t a game.”

“Says the woman who filled my sunroom with doves and got away with it. Life is supposed to be fun. Try having fun with those wolves. Good things might happen if you let them.”

Why would my father do something as evil as suggest I might found an entire faction? Long after he left my apartment, I pondered the idea. While I enjoyed trying new things, the scale of the potential challenges staggered me.

To complicate matters, and make them more feasible, I discovered it took little for someone to create a faction. The faction needed a name, a founding member, a mission statement, an address, and someone willing to spend fifty dollars a year to maintain its active status.

Someone could even belong to several factions if they truly wanted, although few did. Most factions required that their members work a set number of hours per week to maintain their standing.

I couldn’t imagine trying to work the equivalent of two jobs, which was what those who worked for one faction but belonged to another typically endured. If I lost sixteen to eighteen hours of my day to work, I’d lose my mind within a month.

Pondering the issue of factions cost me precious sleep. The win went to my father, as he understood I would research his suggestion and test it for merit. Operating through coffee would get me through my first real day working for the Hunters.

I hoped.

Instead of being greeted by hummingbirds, an entire flock of peacocks took over the seventh floor lobby. Some showed off their iridescent blue-green tails. Others investigated the plants in search of breakfast.

One carried a dead mouse in his beak, holding his prize aloft with pride. Upon noticing me, he came over, dropped the dead animal on my shoe, and screamed at me as though swearing he would usher in the apocalypse. While I had zero intention of stealing his mouse, he posed and fanned his feathers for me.

I’d read just enough about birds to understand he either threatened to disembowel me or wished to engage in unholy human-to-avian matrimony. With wide eyes, I stared at the receptionist. “Did a mouse-murdering peacock just ask me to marry him?”

It amazed me that she handled the swarm of feathered death gods with grace.

Leita laughed. “Basically. I’ve been proposed to six times so far this morning. The entire flock tried to woo Calden. Mr. Stephans managed to escape with only one proposal. They’re temporary guests. One of the factions had put in a request for Earth peacocks a few years ago, forgot, and got quite the surprise this morning. The hens are on another floor, and don’t ask me what sort of charms they used to keep them all from fighting. Want a peacock? The faction requested five breeding pairs. These are the extras.”

I counted peacocks, giving up after twenty. I pointed at the herald of the apocalypse, who continued to fan his feathers and posture for me. “Is he taken?”

“No, he’s not.”

“I’ll take him and his favorite hen if he has one. I know the perfect home for them.” My parents would hate me for the rest of my life, but how could I refuse such an enthusiastic proposal? I couldn’t keep him in my apartment, but my parents had plenty of space for a peacock and his hen in their yard.

“Wonderful. I’ll put a necklace on him with your details so everyone knows he has a home. When can he be delivered?”

I grinned, aware I would be earning the worst daughter award for the rest of my life. “I can take him and his hen tonight if someone can drive me.”

“Easily arranged.” Dodging peacocks and hummingbirds, who wanted the receptionist’s love to go along with their breakfast, Leita picked up her phone. “Mr. Stephans, I need papers and transportation for a pair of the peacocks for tonight. Yes, of course.” After hanging up, she said, “He will be here in a moment.”

My new peacock grabbed his mouse, strutted in a circle around me while showing off his tail, and halted in front of me, stared up at me, and once again placed his mouse on my shoe.

I would be visiting my parents a lot more often just to see the peacock, and I accepted my fate with a grin. “I love you, Doom Bird.”

The peacock decided I was his human and rubbed his head against my legs.

Allasandro Stephans entered the reception through one of the hidden doors, caught sight of me and my avian suitor, and laughed. “I see new feathered revenge is under way. You’ll deliver the birds to your parents tonight?”

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