Page 81 of Moon Tamed

I would be keeping the wolf, and it would be a bonus if I got to keep the man as well. After I got my fill of rubbing my face in his fur, I pulled away, zippered the tent closed, and made a comfortable nest with the pads, sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows Calden had acquired. “Tomorrow night, we use the fancy Earth-style lantern. Tonight? I could use at least twelve hours of sleep.”

Calden bobbed his head, made himself comfortable next to me, and rested his head on his paws.

I took that as my cue to turn off the battery-operated light, make myself comfortable, and snuggle close to the heat-generating wolf for some rest and relaxation.

I woke alone in the tent, and the scent of wood smoke and cooking rabbit drove me out of the nest I’d made for myself. Both stuffed tigers occupied the pillow beside my head. With an amused smile, I poked my head out of the tent to discover Calden at work at a campfire he’d built a safe distance from the tent. “Did you hunt as a wolf or a man?”

“A wolf, as I didn’t want to go out with a bow until you were ready to have your first lesson. I was able to wiggle out of your grip to go hunt without waking you, although you put up quite the fight to keep me around.”

“It should be obvious that I enjoy warm, furry creatures by now.”

He grinned at me while keeping an eye on the pair of rabbits he turned on a spit. “There are potatoes roasting in foil around the fire. You’ll want plenty of energy for the day. We’ll hunt and explore. About a mile away, we can reach the fence for my dad’s ranch. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to see the Earth herd. He has our regular animals at a different stable. There aren’t a whole lot of Earth-bred horses left, so he wants to keep as many of them safe and well as possible. We have enough to start a breeding program. Barely. We have two different breeds. Some different horse breeds made it to other worlds, too.”

“How many breeds were lost?”

“The current estimate is ten breeds from Earth escaped, and they’re foundation breeds. We have the program they used to create other lines. We might be able to recreate some of the other breeds. Our breeds came from the Middle East.”

I frowned, considering what I knew of the Earth’s Middle East, which consisted of a collection of arid nations that struggled for survival. “Was the portal in the Middle East?”

“No. The breeds were just popular where the portal was located, and the vets gathered as many horses as they could to preserve them. The problem is we have the paperwork but we don’t know which horse is which. We can’t tell if they’re chipped or tattooed or anything, so we’re making a lot of guesses. And the DNA tests show a lot of the animals were already interbred to preserve the species, so Dad’s pushing to have genetic therapy done on the animals. We might get the allowance because they’re now critically endangered.”

“We’ve become a sanctuary planet. So, what am I wearing today, Mr. Stephans?” I grinned, as he’d put on one of his casual button ups and a pair of tight jeans. “I have excellent taste in your clothes, I must admit.”

“I took the liberty of setting everything out for you. If the pants I’d snagged while you were in the dressing room don’t fit, wear whichever pants you want. I decided to gamble, as I was feeling rather selfish at the time. You only have to wear those shoes while we’re having breakfast or lounging around today, but I’m going to have to insist we do some lounging so I can see you in them.”

I giggled, retreated back into the tent, and zippered it closed. Calden made a disappointed noise, and I snickered at his reaction. The shirt he’d picked hadn’t been in the collection I’d tried on, and it consisted of what might have started its life as a halter top, ended just beneath my breasts, and involved a collection of straps meant to draw attention to my stomach and shoulders. Upon investigating the label, I discovered the item had been sized with a mixture of general sizing and bra sizing to help make certain shoppers could find the appropriate fit.

I tested the fabric to discover it was almost leather-like in texture, substantial enough to handle a day out in the woods, and lined with something soft and cozy to keep it comfortable. Upon further investigation, I discovered Calden had spent a fortune on lingerie, including a bra with a matching strap to the shirt to disguise its presence without forcing me to run around with zero support.

I wondered who had taught him to be considerate about women’s apparel. Had his father learned from his mother? Had someone stepped in to teach him after his mother’s death?

Had his mother started him on the basics of women’s clothing from an early age?

Amusement fought a fierce battle with my curiosity, but I ultimately decided to leave Calden with his secrets and appreciate the effort he’d invested in dressing me. I took my time with the bra and shirt, pleased when I managed to get everything on and situated without much of a fight.

I had to give him credit; he’d nailed the color and style, as I never would have picked something that balanced sexy and modest so well. Sure, the outfit exposed my stomach, but the shirt had a great deal more substance than the socially acceptable bikini top.

His choice of underwear would make me laugh for a long time.

He’d found a similar style to the kind I preferred, but instead of kittens, it had bunnies.

The pants proved a formidable foe, made of leather and designed to come down to just below my knees. I did manage to wiggle into them, grateful they had laces instead of buttons, as I suspected a button would have popped the instant I tried to move in them. As they were leather, they’d soften and break in from use, although I expected the rest of the day would be an interesting peril.

Running would be off the schedule, and I hoped I’d be able to walk.

Last but not least, he’d picked a pair of strappy heels, and I shook my head, while grinning like some fool over his general taste. I could only assume he liked legs and wanted to showcase them in an unobstructed way.

If he liked calves, between the pants and the heels, he’d get quite the show—and I would go out of my way to make certain he got a good bang for his buck.

I crawled out of the tent, made certain the heels wouldn’t punch through the dirt, and joined him at the fire. “Your ability to navigate through the perilous waters of women’s clothing is impressive.”

He looked me over, and his brows rose. “I am thinking I should take a picture of that on you, send it to the clothing company, and suggest you model that for them, because that is positively stunning on you, especially with your hair.”

I eyed my hair, which had started out pure white as a child and had darkened, if I could call it that, to a silvery blonde during childhood. Dark roots sometimes made an appearance, but they faded out the instant they were exposed to sunlight. “I wonder if the doctors can figure out what gene abnormality gives me my hair color.”

“It’s the shifter genetics,” he informed me. “That’s actually a sign of something we look for nowadays in those looking to join the Hunters. As your parents and brother have darker hair but you have pale hair, you would have been flagged to be checked for robust shifter genes. According to your mother, your brother was born with very pale hair, too, but his darkened at age five. Yours remained pale with dark roots, which is generally a sign you have strong shifter genetics. Your tendency to prank people with animals is also a signal you have those genes. Shifters tend to have an interest in all animal species. I was obsessed with horses growing up.”

“Are you still obsessed with horses?”

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