Page 27 of Moon Tamed

My father’s grin reminded me of a hungry shark after easy prey. “You’re being transported to your new home tonight after dinner. I’ll take you to your apartment so you can grab some books and pack your suitcase. I’ve lost ten packing and moving trips so far.”

Wow. I hadn’t been in the kitchen for that long. “You’re even worse at knuckle slap than Peter. I hadn’t thought it to be possible.”

“I may have lost on purpose a few times,” he admitted.

“Am I the only member of this family who plays to win?”

“Yes,” my family replied.

That left me with the other instigators, and the two men reminded me of our feline charges after being fed, licking their lips in general satisfaction. “Which one of you am I moving in with?”

Calden’s father raised his hand. “I need help feeding the kittens.”

How tragic for me, having to work as a live-in kitten sitter. “Okay. I’m happy to help care for the kittens. Have you lost any games, Calden?”

“My father beat me five times,” he confessed.

“Of how many games?”

“Five.”

I decided if I didn’t ask for any details, my sanity would remain intact. “Is everyone happy with the current arrangement?”

“Yes,” they replied.

I’d wanted something new. They’d delivered. Would the new be good or bad? I couldn’t even guess.

“I’m going to take a nap. Wake me when the timer goes off. Try not to mangle your hands—or pick a different game.”

My brother challenged Calden for a week of my time, and I left before they infected me with their crazy ways.

My mother adored being able to show up for dinner and eat. As I wanted to devour my feast, I put everything on the table in a steady stream and claimed my seat without making any offers to fetch anything else. After a moment of consideration, I said, “The kitchen is that way if I forgot anything. This is my formal application to live where I don’t have to pay rent. I cook and clean, but that is the limit of my domestication.” As the turkey had been left untouched, I claimed a drumstick for myself and plunked it onto my plate before scooping out enough roasted roots to appease my hunger. “I don’t mind moving, but I need a month’s notice prior to eviction to find a new home.”

“You’ll have a proper lease tomorrow morning,” Calden’s father promised. “I’ll bring it to your office before lunch. It’ll make your work easier, as I live close to our headquarters. I have a lease template, as I invite faction members to stay if they’re involved with a critical project. Your work counts, especially considering the current situation.”

My work would be hectic, that much I could tell. “That’s reasonable. Thank you. Not having to go far to get to work will let me better manage my time. Is the camping trip still on?”

If my family had won back weeks, I would put a lot of thought into crying the instant I had some privacy.

He nodded. “For one week of the trip, your family won you Calden as your personal servant. He is an excellent foot warmer, and I volunteered him for this purpose. Calden became quite upset, as he would have won another week of camping. I’ve determined my son really wants to take some time off work.”

I had guessed as much from Calden’s interest in having someone else rule Moonriver. I turned my attention to my father. “Did you beat Calden at that game of knuckle slap?”

“Absolutely.”

“Thank you for the present of warm, fluffy wolf, Dad.”

“I thought you’d appreciate that. We had to limit the number of weeks camping to one out of every eight weeks, else the wolves would never bring you home,” he replied with a crooked grin.

“We do like to camp,” Calden’s father confirmed.

I chuckled over the necessity of restricting how often they stole me away so we could go camping. “When is our first trip?”

Calden wrinkled his nose. “Not until after the current crisis is over and we can hire proper caretakers for the kittens. We’ll have to see, but I’m betting it’ll be a month before we can go. It depends on how many animals we receive tomorrow. If we’re lucky, it’ll be bad, because that means we’re saving a lot of lives.”

“What time does tomorrow start?”

“Six AM Earth Pacific.” Calden checked his watch. “Fourteen hours from now.”

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