Page 42 of Moon Tamed

Sighing, I asked, “Why was I on the news?”

“Well, it started with your cheetahs. A segment covered the Hunters, and someone had gotten an adorable picture of you with the babies.” Sila giggled. “It’s no surprise there was interest after that. You’re gorgeous, especially when you’re happy. People wanted to know who you are. By then, a clip of you helping refugees went out, as well as a notice you were ill, along with most who’d helped out with the evacuation. I called your mom in accordance with our emergency protocols.”

Right. When in doubt, we contacted a parent. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Don’t be. Your mom told me you moved to be closer to your temp work. How is it going? Is it true you initially named their peacock Doom Bird?”

I joined Sila in giggling. “It’s true. He’s now Lucky the Doom Bird, Herald of the Armageddon. We’re possibly terrible people.”

“Your mom invited me over after I recovered. He’s such a nice bird. Loud, though. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Me, too—and I’m glad you weren’t sick long. I had a thought,” I announced.

“Now I’m worried. You, with a thought? That’s the definition of dangerous.”

“Funny, Sila. I’m being serious.”

“When aren’t you being serious?”

While I tended to act like a professional at work, I liked to believe I had a work-appropriate sense of humor. “At home. Ask my mother. When I’m not at work, I’m pure evil.”

“Oh, I know you are. I’ll limit my teasing a little, but only out of fear I’ll be your next target. What’s your idea?”

“You should found a faction for those who prefer the temp lifestyle. I’ll help you plan it and file the paperwork. You’ll run it and get all the glory. You can get a faction and the fiscal benefits you want with the bonus of being able to continue to do your temp work. We should all get better bonuses if there’s a faction dedicated to temps, even for those of us who decide to remain unaffiliated. I’ll plan the faction so it’s easy for people to come and go, and it’ll give temp workers the equivalent of a union. I’ll review the other factions and figure out which ones have the best workers’ rights, model ours after theirs, and go from there. I don’t expect much of a pay increase, as we are temp workers, but we might be able to squeeze out a few extra dollars an hour overall.”

“And for our lot, a few extra dollars may as well be the Holy Grail.”

“Precisely.” I sighed. “I haven’t had the time to do all the research into it I need to, but it doesn’t seem to be too difficult to set up. After it’s set up, you can change the rules to better align with reality.”

Sila stayed quiet for a while, and while I waited for her to think, I began sorting through my emails and prioritizing what needed to be accomplished before lunch.

“Why don’t you want to head this project?”

I considered my unusual office companions, my close proximity to work, and all the things I liked about my life. “I’m thinking about joining the Hunters after I’m released from this project. It’s not what I expected.”

“I could have told you that,” my friend chided.

“I know, I know. I’m just stubborn. Once I get an idea into my head, sometimes that stubbornness equates to stupidity. I try to work on it, but…”

“But you’re stubborn.”

“Exactly.”

Sila huffed at me. “You’re condemning me to a mountain of paperwork, and you’re planning on staying unaffiliated unless you happen to be charmed by the Hunters.”

As she’d call me out as a liar if I even skirted the truth, I said, “That sounds about right.”

“If I ever land on the news because of this, I’m calling your ass out as the mastermind of this, and I’m going to praise you so everyone knows just how marvelous you are.”

I spent several minutes debating if the ploy was worth the price I’d pay. “And that will be my cue to run away to a new city-state, never to be seen again.”

“As if your family would actually let you run off to some other city-state. They’ll grab you by your hair and drag you back, kicking and screaming. They’ll bring Lucky along for the ride so he can also scream and add to the general noise.” My friend snickered. “Word on the wire claims you have one hell of a hot neighbor right now.”

Neighbor was one way to put it. Calden could probably manage to roast a turkey without any help from an oven. “I’ll grant you that. My new living accommodations are definitely something else, that’s for sure.”

If anyone found out I’d claimed Calden in my sleep and he hadn’t minded, I wouldn’t live it down. As it was, I could only hope nobody would figure out a boring unaffiliated had managed to sneak into the home of Moonriver’s most eligible bachelor.

The Stephans men might do me in. The father would hover and chaperone me to death, and the son would finish me off just from existing. If Calden kept acting like a good guy, I’d end up with more heartache than I could handle.

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