Page 84 of Moon Tamed

While Calden hunted, which translated roughly to catching fish out of an overstocked barrel, I handled the preliminary work. When he brought in his first kill, which he’d managed without damaging any of the skin, I repeated the process.

I ran out of salt after the fifth kill, and I informed him we needed to go back to our camp to finish preparing them, get them safely stored so no opportunists would ruin my hard work, and begin making lunch.

Back at the camp site, Calden eased into the tent while I finished preparing the pelts to be taken back to town. When he emerged as a human, he did so wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. “The bow isn’t magical, but I suspected you’d have good hand-eye coordination because of using a sling. That range is pretty easy, so you only got a little lucky. You had plenty of time to line up the shot, you followed directions, and you stayed calm. With weekly practice, you’ll probably be good at archery.”

If skinning rabbits earned me Calden prancing around half naked, I’d fill an entire bank account with book money in record time. “Since you helped catch them, it’s only fair we get to equally split the book money.”

“You live for book money, don’t you?”

“I have a few other things I particularly enjoy.” Him without his shirt gained a great deal of traction on my list. “But book money is magical. Your fireplace and hot chocolate delivery service is also magical.”

He smiled. “I brought everything needed to serve you hot chocolate tonight, although you’ll have to cope with reading by lantern light near a campfire instead of at the fireplace.”

“I think I’ll survive.”

The sun marched across the sky, and near dark, Calden turned on his phone. To my amusement, he had at least a bar of reception, as the device pinged. According to his expression, his phone had betrayed him.

“Wasn’t supposed to have reception?”

“It really wasn’t. My father is onto me, has identified I have gone camping without him, and has rightfully accused me of kidnapping.”

“It’s not kidnapping if I cooperated. I’m pretty sure you told me exactly what I was getting into, and I gleefully got into the vehicle with you. I didn’t just get into the vehicle, I did so gleefully. As such, your father can make all the accusations he wants, and I’d just inform the judge the alternative was to stay home, be bored, and read books. I had the option to go eat rabbit, read books, pet a wolf, and not be bored.”

“You’re going to want me to sleep as a wolf again, aren’t you?”

“I can probably survive with my tiger, but wolves are soft and warm. We might have to test if you’re equally warm while a human.”

He raised a brow. “Not soft?”

There was only one way for me to answer that question, and I did so through leveling my smuggest smirk in his general direction.

“And I walked right into that. I am prepared to hear the terms for my surrender.”

“I’m going to have to insist on continued hot chocolate service in front of your fireplace, with private dinners for two at frequent intervals. We may possibly have to replace the locks on your home to prevent your father from showing up at his convenience.”

“You would like frequent date nights, then?”

“With books, hot chocolate, a nice fireplace, and good food, which need not always be rabbit, but rabbit we caught ourselves does taste the best for some reason.”

“I accept these terms. What should I tell my father?”

“You were kidnapped by a tyrant queen who insists on enjoying your warm, soft, and furry self at her demand. And that he needs to go away until Monday morning. He has lost rights to your person until then.”

Laughing, Calden did as ordered. “Anything else?”

“A notification if he dare interrupt the tyrant queen’s conquest, he won’t get you back for an extra week. I’ll just keep you on a short leash. While you’re in your wolf form.”

Calden considered me through narrowed eyes. “Can we do that anyway? I could use a week off during the hunt, and Dad would probably pay me if I’m teaming up with you as a wolf during the hunt week.”

I held out my hand. “May I use your phone to inform your father of my terms?”

He handed the device over. “You absolutely may.”

I confirmed he’d passed on my initial message dutifully, chuckled at his addition he would participate in an act of patricide if we were interrupted, and I added to the chaos with a request that the father of my new captive entertain the parents of the tyrant queen. Then I turned the phone off and returned it to its owner. “I assigned him to watching over my parents. Perhaps they can all feel sorry for themselves that way.”

“That is definitely adding fuel to the fire.”

“I’m sure they’ll keep themselves busy with their various speculations. Now, what were we doing, Mr. Stephans?”

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