Page 78 of Moon Tamed

Calden juggled how he held everything and showed me two packs of different pencils. “I have a sketching kit at home, but I don’t want Dad hitchhiking with me this time. I need ten minutes without him hovering.”

“More like two days, but I can understand. He does hover. He means well, though.”

“That is the only reason I haven’t tried throwing him out a window this week.”

Poor Calden. After the results of my DNA test had come in, he had relaxed. His father had done the exact opposite of relax.

I understood why now, thanks to Sarai.

My boss needed time to accept the reality of me having taken over his wife’s office. “I’m sure he’ll relax in a few weeks. Does he participate in the hunts?”

“The hunts are his favorite. He enjoys crushing us ruthlessly with his prowess, reminding us he’s leading the Hunters for more than his pretty face and sparkling personality.”

The disgust in Calden’s tone made me laugh. “He’s a peacock!”

“He really is. Let’s get this checked out and to the SUV, and then I’ll take you to heaven, where we’ll procure everything we need for a weekend of pure escape, including your Earth-styled lantern. Once we have our gear, we’ll go to the clothing store. As I will be dressing you, it seems fair that you get to pick what I wear.”

I foresaw a great deal of frustration in my near future, yet the lure proved too much for me to resist. “I’ll pay for what I force you to wear, and you pay for what you force me to wear. This seems fair.”

“That is perfectly fair. You were paid today, right?”

I pulled out my old, cheap phone and pulled up my bank account, revealing I’d been paid a substantial amount for dealing with the Hunters and their insanity. “The number makes me very confident in my ability to pay my rent, except I no longer have rent to pay, so I have to learn to cope with this situation. I’m going to be irresponsible and buy you clothes for this camping trip. Please get me out of this store before I buy the entire thing. I might be able to afford at least a hundred books. At least. I am not prepared for this level of adult responsibility.”

Calden laughed and he herded me to the counter. “We can come back to the bookstore another day. We can do this every time we go camping.”

“Will we make it to the camping part of the day if we end up doing all this shopping?”

“I already know what I want to dress you in, so it’s just a matter of making sure it’s the right size. After twenty minutes, you’ll have several outfits. I expect you’ll take a little longer, as I have been planning this all day, where you have been surprised.”

“Really?”

“I decided that around noon, I would attempt to lure you into a camping trip. That was when my father decided to come into my office as a wolf and bite my leg. I had not sent him a report on time.” After dumping the entire haul onto the counter, he lifted up his pant leg to show off a rather fresh bite, although his father hadn’t done much damage beyond breaking the skin in three spots. “As far as rebukes go, he took it easy on me. But after that? I had decided I was going camping, and that I would do my best to take you with me.”

“Which explains the ruckus in the lobby earlier.”

“I never thought they’d leave me alone. Thank you for rescuing me.”

I’d rescued him? I’d about murdered him during an ambush. “You’re welcome.”

The cashier rang up everything, and Calden paid before we hauled everything to his SUV and went to the camping store, which as promised, had Earth-styled lamps and everything we needed to escape for a while. Calden must have called the store in advance, as a lot of the basics were ready and waiting for him at the counter. We spent thirty minutes selecting a bow for me, and Calden got everything I needed to learn how to hunt with a more traditional weapon.

With everything we needed purchased, we tackled the last challenge before we could head outside of the city for some peace and quiet: the clothing store.

“Since I already know what I want to get you, let’s start in the men’s section, unless you’re going to be throwing me into a dress?” Calden struck a pose and stared down at his slack-covered leg. “I haven’t shaved.”

I giggled at the thought of him shaving his legs. “You’re getting jeans and a casual button up, some t-shirts, and a sweater or other long-sleeve shirt so you don’t freeze. Then we’re going to put you in onesie pajamas unless you opt to sleep as a wolf or you beg me to let you wear flannel.”

His eyes widened. “I’m a very warm and fluffy wolf. I will cuddle close and keep you warm, just please don’t force me to wear a onesie outdoors. Flannel would be nice, though.”

“I will take pity on you once, but only once.” Once in the men’s section, I stated, “I demand two pairs of well-fitting jeans. They should hug you, but they need to be comfortable.” I spied the type of casual button up shirt I liked, and after a few moments of deliberation, I decided I wanted him to play the role of tall, dark, and handsome for my enjoyment. I grabbed a blue and a black one, handing them over. Then, as it would be cruel to force him to change how he wore his underwear, I said, “I don’t know if you’re a boxers, briefs, or other kind of man, but you can pick those on your own, as I’m a considerate dictator.”

He checked the sizes, chuckled, and exchanged them for same colors but a size larger. “It’s the muscles. I’d bust out of those buttons with a single flex.

Oh. I stared at the shirts he’d put back, and I picked the black one up and added it to the pile. “I require a demonstration of this on my dime.”

He laughed but let me have my way. “And how shall I be covering my feet?”

I stared at his dress shoes. “What size do you wear?”

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