Page 69 of Moon Tamed

It’s a suit. You’re dressed just fine.

It took at least half an hour of scrubbing to rid myself of the scent of overindulgence, and by the time I emerged from the shower, wearing one of my slinkier black dresses, my headache eased to a nuisance I could work through. I questioned the dress, although when I thought about it, I realized the dresses were the easiest to locate in my bedroom.

Most of my wardrobe lived in boxes while I moved into Calden’s home to enjoy hot chocolate service, his fireplace, and copious amounts of reading time. I placed the blame on myself, hoped the outfit stayed on the correct side of the decency line, and double checked I wasn’t showing off anything inappropriate.

While slinky, the dress covered the important bits, which would have to do.

When I came downstairs, Calden’s brows shot up towards his hair line. “I figured my father had done something nefarious, but I hadn’t thought he’d dress you in formal attire.” He regarded his suit with a frown. “I’m underdressed now, Dad.”

“It’s a suit. You’re dressed just fine,” Calden’s father replied. “It was the first dress I could find with a pair of matching shoes in your closet, Coraline.”

Ah. Mystery solved. Calden’s father had some understanding of how women’s clothing worked. “Thank you for bringing it over. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. The initial DNA results are completed. You’re negative for the gene mutation, which is good. He spotted some genetic flags he wants to look into, but nothing serious.”

“What sort of not serious are we talking about? Predisposed for cancer but lacking cancer not serious or I’m slowly decaying to a husk due to some genetic curse not serious?”

Allasandro Stephans stared at me as though I’d lost my mind. “Checking up on your progress on your general shapeshifter genes and exposure levels to shapeshifters not serious. You are not decaying away to some husk due to a genetic curse. Although if you were, I’m sure he’d tell you. He wants to compare your genetics against your parents and brother to see if he can identify any differences in terms of shapeshifting progression.”

Interesting. “Because I’m joining the faction, he wants to see if he can catch the progression of my genetics as the shapeshifting virus alters my DNA?”

“It’s not really a virus, but that’s close enough. You can’t become a shapeshifter solely from being exposed to a shapeshifter’s blood, for example. Calden could give you several pints of his blood, and that would not influence whether or not you become a shifter. Infection occurs due to magical interferences. Legacy is attempting to crack the genes that allow for this process to happen. So far, they’re not having much luck, as the magic part of the equation is heavily screwing with the science.”

I laughed. “How dare that pesky magic interfere with the science, Mr. Stephans. Nothing is wrong with me beyond this hangover, then?”

“Not that he could tell with his base kit. Of course, he’s going to be doing a thorough analysis in his lab, but if he does discover anything, he will take care of notifying you directly. We have the information we need to formalize your entry into the Hunters.” My new boss eyed his son. “Don’t you even think about changing your suit. You’re both fine. I have papers I need you both to sign, so get a move on. Just be grateful I’m driving you in, as it’d be rude to ask Coraline to try to walk that far in those shoes and that dress.”

The shoes in question, black kitten heels I could walk for miles in, waited by the door. Rather than tell him I’d locked the torture devices in a box around the same time I’d stopped dressing to find a date, I thanked him.

Calden continued to grumble about being underdressed, but he didn’t flee to change his clothes. Instead, he checked on his bunnies, showered them with love, and made certain they wouldn’t be escaping their play pen while we weren’t home. “I’m getting a monitoring system so I can watch them from work.”

I couldn’t blame him. Since bringing them home, Latte had worked her furry butt off to charm her new owner, and Espresso had warmed up, approaching to get her share of attention. I gave it two weeks before she needed love else she would run a high risk of perishing from sadness.

One ridiculously short car ride later, Calden’s father herded us to his office, where we received a minor scolding for our truant ways. Calden took the brunt of his father’s displeasure, which boiled down to an accusation of him attempting to steal me, his new and prized executive secretary.

Mrs. Gemma Ericks, the ruler over Human Resources, took a turn scolding Mr. Stephans for forgetting people typically celebrated and that the transition time between work generally took two weeks. She went on to request that if he could stop being impatient, she would appreciate it.

“I think Mrs. Ericks won,” I whispered to Calden.

“I think my father would go mad within two weeks of having no one dedicated to conquering his chaos. I don’t know how he lasted this long.”

“My report is going to boil down to hire extra help, some serious concerns over his workaholic tendencies, and some questionable decisions regarding chocolate and broccoli. I think the deepest scandal I’ve seen here so far is my lack of tea today.”

Calden snorted. “You’re not going to find much scandal, but please do try, and when you find some, report it to my father so he can handle it. We have strict rules about conduct in the Hunters.”

“Mrs. Ericks, may I please have a copy of the employee conduct rules when you have a moment?”

My question interrupted the squabble between the ruler of Moonriver and the woman determined to put him back in his lowly place, and Mrs. Ericks grinned at me. “Of course. It’s part of your packet. Had he been following our unofficial rules, you would have been given three days to read over everything, sign your papers, and otherwise prepare to transition. I’ll admit he does need the help, and delaying would create some issues, but you do get the next two days to read through the paperwork before signing your soul away.”

“It’s true,” Calden’s father added. “Please don’t abandon me to the other wolves, Coraline. You conquered the mountain the accounting department fears.”

“I’m going to need my computer, papers, and a place to work. That mountain isn’t fully conquered yet, and I don’t want those invoices to somehow breed. I’ll read the rules and regulations instead of babysitting the printers as often, though.” I’d also be taking the papers home, as I wanted to be able to handle my investigation sensibly. “Are you sure hiring me as your secretary isn’t going to cause a problem with the report?”

“I already notified the other faction leaders, and all of them gave approval for the report to remain in your care. No one has any reason to question your ethics or integrity.”

I had worked hard to maintain my reputation, so I nodded. “I only work overtime when it’s critical, and I will be checking to make certain what you’re doing is actually critical if you want to stay late,” I warned him.

“It’s a miracle,” Mrs. Ericks muttered. “Give her a raise, Allasandro. She’s already earned it.”

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