Page 107 of A Light in the Dark
“He wanted to purge anyone who hadn’t been born in Stonecreek, Valerie. I’m honestly worried about how deep this hole goes and how many bodies we’re going to find at the bottom of it.”
THIRTY-THREE
I have teeth, too. I’m definitely willing to use them.
Joel protested havingto return to human form in squeaks, although he did eventually cooperate. Once in the SUV, he passed out, leaving me to buckle him in. “Please tell me this is normal.”
“For his situation, it’s normal enough. They usually manage to get their seat belts on before sleeping it off, though. The first time one of the injured Hunters pulled that after a shift, I almost had a heart attack. Calden laughed at me. You have his travel documents?”
As I had a purse, I’d offered to carry Joel’s stuff, which he’d accepted without complaint. “I have everything.”
“Good. We shouldn’t have to wake him up at the border. Honestly, they’ll see you, match your name with your identification, welcome you home, and we’ll end up in the damned immigration center while you get brought up to date on any important mayoral business. With luck, the mayoral business will be carting a box of documents fromtheir guard station to the city. That’s usually what Calden’s father has to do whenever he crosses the border. I’m pretty sure they do it just to tweak his nose. In your case, I fear they might not have had anyone come fetch their records for a while.”
I sighed at yet another reminder the former mayor had been an irredeemable asshole. “I’m going to be guilted into keeping this job, aren’t I?”
“Assuming you do a good job and resist corruption, that’s how it goes. Calden’s father has been trying to get kicked out for years, and the people keep telling him to shut up and go back to work. Calden tried to get his father out, too—he got elected the heir properly, because he’s just as ethical as his daddy. Everyone knows it.”
“I remember seeing those election results and having a good laugh over the animals.”
“I highly recommend that you steal that element of the elections from us and that you work on having the election rules changed so tyrants can be more easily removed. Since you don’twantthe position, it’ll be much easier for you to set things up so there can’t be another mayor like your predecessor.” Coraline sighed. “Honestly, I’ll be surprised if we get to go hunting. They’re probably freaking out that their new mayor is running around unattended.”
“We are going hunting, and they’re going to discover they have welcomed a dictator into their leadership if they think I’m going to hurry home. I want fresh rabbit on my dinner table, rabbit I hunted! If we have to wander the wilderness for three days because I suck at hunting, so be it.”
The woman laughed. “You’re going to turn their entire city-state upside down on them.”
“And that’s their fault for thinking it was a good idea to elect me to be the mayor.”
“All the other possibilities did was talk. You acted. Actions always speak louder than words, and you put your life on the line for Gabriella—and for the other refugees. And you treated them like people rather than inconveniences out to take jobs. And honestly, without corruption getting in the way, it’s probable you’ll be able to fix Stonecreek’s unemployment problem nicely.” Coraline grinned at me, twisted in her seat to check on Joel, and shook her head before putting the vehicle into gear. “Before Calden, I refused to learn how to drive or fly because of the expense. Now I do it all the time. Calden insists I need more practice without his handsome hovering distracting me.”
“I mean, he’s very handsome. I could see being distracted if he were mine and I was trying to drive.”
“Joel’s not bad.”
“Joel’s also quite handsome, and I’m sure he’d be a distraction were I to be driving.” I glanced in the direction of the back, wondering if the poor man was awake enough to enjoy our commentary. “Am I going to be able to get away with keeping my hostage if I have to pretend I’m the mayor?”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to keep your hostage. It helps that your hostage is a willing participant. Calden’s father keeps freaking out because he has to go on a lot of dates. The women are all nice, and he’s actually becoming friends with a few of them, and what will hedoif he actuallylikesone?”
“Date her?” I suggested.
“That’s what I said, and he threw a fit. Calden had to excuse himself so he wouldn’t laugh in his father’s face.”
“I’m impressed that they forced you to drive all the way to Stonecreek and back alone,” I admitted.
“They’re up to something. What? That I don’t know. But Calden usually begins to whine if we’re separated for more than a few hours. Normally, I’d become a beast, too, but I am capable of handling some separation. It helps we’re doing things I like. I’m also being bribed with a camping trip.”
“Since Joel’s asleep, we can hunt at the grocery store. Then I can force you to come visit me so we can go on a proper hunting trip,” I suggested.
“We’ll still go shopping for your kit and getting your licenses, and if Joel’s that sleepy, we’ll hunt for a few minutes for dinner. The rabbit population is out of control in some areas, and thinning the numbers a little will be good. I’ll just ask the hunt shop where would be best to hunt. When we go to the abundant places, we can fill our freezer in twenty minutes. And the abundant areas really need to be thinned.”
“That sounds like a plan. I suspect my boss is getting edgy because the last time he let us out of his sight, I was kidnapped and Joel had his head smacked with a bat.”
“I can’t say I wouldn’t be edgy in his shoes. In good news, only an idiot would hit either one of you right now—and should they try, I transform into a wolf. I have teeth and I’m willing to use them.”
“I have teeth, too. I’m definitely willing to use them.”
“But they’re teeny tiny teeth, and you’re more cute than dangerous.” Coraline grinned at me. “Well, you’re a serious threat to the fruit supply. Calden and his father were horrified over the amount of food you two can pack away when moths. Wolves can be bad, but you weredestroyingyour supper. Then there’s the silk issue.”
“We explode into silk. They had even tried to warn me, but we literally just explode into silk when we transform. We’re worth a fortune as silk producers. I exploded into hundreds upon hundreds of pounds of silk.”
