Page 39 of Moon Tamed

While I had recovered enough to fend for myself, Calden showed up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My appreciation of his company led me to encouraging him to stay, by staging a fake yawn or two here and there to give him the impression I lacked the energy to handle everything life had to offer with grace.

My mother’s visit the next day put an end to the ruse, as she called me out as a trickster, earning a good laugh from Calden and a scowl from me. After ruining my fun, she left, although Calden promised he’d keep coming over to make sure I was ready to go back to work. To prevent us from discussing business, I showed him the books I’d read since his last visit. Of them, my favorites taught about the geography of Korsania Minor’s major continents, most of which were habitable. Two of the landmasses, both located near the northern pole, lacked sufficient conditions for human survival. The southern pole lacked land altogether, instead featuring a collection of icebergs, which shifted with the ocean’s currents, expanding and contracting with the seasons. In the winter, it froze together, and in the summer, they tended to break apart, turning the area into a treacherous prospect at best.

The day before I was scheduled to return to work, Calden visited with the two cheetahs in tow, which had grown worse than weeds over the past few weeks. “While we have found handlers for them, you get them until you go to work. They’re now old enough they want to play a lot. You get to play with them. I’ve brought a rope, some balls for them to chase, and some other toys. Given half a chance, they will sleep with you. My father got busted for sleeping with the lions. Lions are not nearly as safe to nap with as cheetahs. He has had his lions confiscated and put into the care of more cautious and reasonable adults.”

I detected a certain amount of irritation from our leader’s son. “But it’s okay to nap with cheetahs?”

“Apparently. I’ve been informed the cheetahs will be socialized and trained to coexist with humans. Don’t ask me. I just agreed to bring them over after listening to my father get his ass verbally handed to him by the new lion caretaker. I was complemented for my ability to care for my predatory felines, although mine were also confiscated, as my father is not to be trusted with anything cute and furry. I protested out of principle, but I handed over my collection of felines. Are you ready to go back to work tomorrow?”

Faking a sad sigh, I stared at my pile of unfinished books. “Do you think I should take one to work with me to read over lunch?”

“As we encourage people to do fun things over lunch, yes. I have some time tonight. Which library do the ones you’ve read go to? I’ll take them back.”

“Really?” I asked with wide eyes.

“Really. If you have a list and give me your card, I’ll check more out for you.”

Some women wanted chocolate and roses. Me? A man willing to go to the library for me came second only to man willing to go to the library with me. “Take me with you?”

“When was the last time you had a fever?”

“Three days ago.”

“All right. You can come, too. I expect you to sit at a table while I look for books for you. You can read while you wait for me to find you new books.”

After weeks of being stuck at my new home, excitement surged through me at the thought of escape. “Will your father watch the cheetahs while we’re out?”

“Absolutely.” Calden handed me the toys before setting the kittens loose. “The faster we tire them out, the sooner we can go to the library.”

I needed no other encouragement. If I needed to play with kittens before going to the library, so be it.

Returning a hundred and thirty-two books at one time amused the librarians. While the idea of spraying books with disinfectant bothered me, the mist they used didn’t seem to harm the covers or the pages. Due to the quarantine and the heightened demand for books, I could only check out a total of twenty physical titles. Digital titles were limited to two at a time to make certain everyone could have something to read.

“As it’s limited per card, you can come visit my books whenever you want,” Calden promised.

“Is it wise to invite a book dragon into your home? You might be conquered,” I warned.

“Having enjoyed your cooking before, I can accept the risk of being conquered,” he replied, heading in the direction of the fiction section. “If we have trouble limiting our selections to forty books, I’ll call Dad for help.”

“I have a digireader. I can survive with even one book at a time.”

“My fireplace comes with an endless supply of tea, hot chocolate, or coffee, served on request.”

I followed him, unashamed of my current status as a human-shaped puppy. “I don’t mind moving. I can transfer a box a day easily. I cook and clean in exchange for hot beverage service.”

“While I’ll accept help with the cooking and cleaning, you don’t have to.” Calden grinned at me. “If you move a box a day, how long do you think it’ll take for my father to figure out you’ve abandoned the place?”

“He’s smart, so no longer than a week. Then again, who knows? Now that I’m feeling better, will he be over that often?”

Calden grinned and shrugged. “I feel we should make a friendly wager.”

“What wager?”

“If my father figures out I’m luring you to my domain using my fireplace within two weeks, I win. You’ll have to cook and clean for me for a week. If he doesn’t figure it out within two weeks, I will cook and clean for you for a week.”

“This sounds like a reasonable wager. We should set a time limit. If he doesn’t realize I’ve fallen prey to your hot beverages and fireplace within a month, he needs to be reminded about why wise parents keep a closer eye on their children.”

“We’re adults, Coraline. Do they really need to keep a close eye on us?”

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