The Turtle and the Hare (Furry United Coalition) Read online

  “If only we made the rules.”

  “Yeah, yeah. We merely follow them. I understand,” Harriet said with a sigh before continuing. “God, I wish these old farts would learn how to take care of their tech. I mean it is the twenty-first century!”

  “It may be the twenty-first century, but some of these field agents turned professors have been working longer than you’ve been alive. They have skills and qualifications we can only dream of having. So, if they’re clumsy with the tech, oh well. We can be thankful we have a job supporting them.”

  “Doesn’t mean I can’t wish for it to change, though.” As Carol left, Harriet let out a long breath and willed her body to a standing position.

  She headed over to the stack of returned staff laptops, opening up the first one and quickly identifying that its only issue was the need to run the latest security update. She sighed again, readying herself for the next hour of tedium.

  After about an hour of updating each laptop and running a virus scan, Harriet was ready to call it a day. She wanted to head to the staff lounge, even though she knew she’d just wind up in a corner wishing she was sitting with the cool kids—the FUC agents.

  It was sometimes sheer torture watching them all and listening to their stories. What she wouldn’t give to be with them on one of the missions to bust one of the many underground labs. Ever since she’d first heard her parents talking about Mastermind’s experiments, Harriet knew she wanted to get in on the action.

  Silly her, she’d thought that having agent parents might give her a leg up, but it turned out the opposite. Stan always seemed to pass her over for assignments in the field. Harriet let out a sigh, and her shoulders slumped.

  Some things will never change.

  She looked over at the clock. It was officially five p.m., time to head for the hills. She knew she should forgo the torture for the day and skip the bar, but she needed to get out and blow off a little steam before she headed home and drowned her sorrows in her soaker tub. Water and bubbles seemed to be the few things that made her happy in her monotonous world. Well, those and chocolate.

  She left her office, making the short trek to the bar, and once inside ordered her favorite, a Guinness draft, and settled into a seat. Her eyes wandered up to the TV screen, where they were replaying a baseball game from the night before—the Yankees versus the Red Sox. She was a quarter of the way through her beer when Carol showed up and sat beside her on one of the few empty stools.

  “This game sucked ass last night.”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t watch it last night, so I wouldn’t know. At least it’s mildly entertaining.”

  “Harriet, you’ve got to get out more if you think this game is entertaining. It was a complete shutout.” Carol had completely shed her supervisor’s skin and was in full friend mode.

  “It’s definitely more entertaining than updating computers for four hours. Actually, watching paint dry is also more entertaining.”

  “You need to get laid. Plain and simple.”

  “You did not just say that out loud!” Harriet looked around, hoping no FUC agents had heard.

  “It’s the truth! And since when have you ever known me to beat around the bush? You’ve hung out with me long enough to get that I don’t mince words.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t need everyone here knowing about my sex life, or lack thereof, thank you very much!”

  “Well, I’m sorry, but you have to admit that I’m right,” Carol said as she looked around the bar. “You should strike up a conversation with one of the guys here.”

  “Um, no.”

  “It’s not like you work with them.” Carol seemed to catch herself and quickly added, “I mean, not yet, anyway.”

  “No. Not gonna happen. Besides, none of them are my type, anyway.”

  “Really? Do tell, what’s your type, then?”

  Harriet shrugged and feigned interest in the TV before finally answering. “I want a guy who is easy to talk to. Someone who knows what he likes and isn’t looking to test-drive me until he finds something better.”

  “Sure, that’s not so unreasonable.”

  Harriet hesitated. “I also want him to take his time to commit before wanting a roll in the hay. Those agent types, they just want to let off steam. I’d rather have a guy take his time and be sure that he likes me before anything gets that physical.”

  Carol shook her head slowly. “Look, that sounds more like a fairy tale, if you ask me. We’re basically in the middle of nowhere here, and if you’re waiting for someone to wine and dine you, you might be waiting a long time. No one has time to think about that when they have important missions on their mind.”

  She was right, but Harriet didn’t care. “I’m just sick of that kind of thing.”

  “Sick of the dating here, sick of the work here… you’re just being difficult. Embrace your true nature. You’re a hare. Your kind loves to get down, fast and dirty-like. So why does romance matter?” Carol asked with a chuckle.

  “Oh my God, Carol. Stop! Just stop it! You can be such an ass sometimes.”

  “Hey—you know me! Speaking of appendages though, how about that guy there? They say bear shifters are big, and I bet his six-pack makes him a stellar match in the bedroom to your get-up-and-go. You’d definitely get some great pumping action out of that one, I tell you.”

  Harriet choked on some of the beer she was sipping. “Good God, Carol, our boss? What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Carol was full-on laughing at her own joke. “Dude, I just wanted to get you to choke on your beer. That was priceless!”

  3

  Lear should have been sleeping. Instead, he found himself wearing out a section of the floor, pacing back and forth while his father talked with a contact from the Furry United Coalition.

  What’s taking so long? Shouldn’t this be an effortless thing to set up?

  He found it was going slower than even his inner turtle was comfortable with. Yes, he’d always been methodical, all leatherback shifters were, but his father seemed to be drawing this conversation out for much longer than what Lear thought it needed to be.

  Patience was something that both his mother and father had taught him. The king and queen both had taken great responsibility with decision-making. They knew their choices weighed heavily on all the people of Skyros, and they’d wanted to prepare Lear to do the same for when he became king.

  And their training had worked. Lear never liked to rush things. He gave every issue due thought. And whether his shifter side or his human one had the helm, he never recalled a time where his actions weren’t careful, methodical decisions.

  This was different, though. It was almost as if all of his animal instincts were running on super-speed mode. As if he’d not realized how badly he wanted a mate, and now his inner turtle foresaw him falling for someone when he landed in BC.

  The impatient feeling that his turtle was giving him at the moment proved foreign to him. It came from the pit of his stomach and filled every fiber of his being.

  But his stomach wasn’t the only source of excitement. His loins had never moved for the sisters of Skyros the way they now moved in anticipation of his travels. His member, which rarely thickened for anyone, was ready to burst through the zipper of his Dockers, seeming to take on a life of its own, as if it were ready to lead the charge to the Rockies all on its own.

  When he heard his father ending the call, he rushed over to his desk. “Is it all settled?”

  “Yes. I will fly out with you tomorrow to see that you are taken care of. I’m going to attend to some business while I’m there, so this will turn out to be a great trip for us to take together. It’s been so long since you and I made time to connect on a more personal level. We’ve always had the affairs of the kingdom to deal with. And who knows? This might even be our last hurrah before you wed and eventually take on the kingdom as the new king.”

  Again with his father’s talk about abdication. It made Lear uneasy. “You really wa
nt to go through with it and retire? You’re not that old, Father.”

  “I’m old enough to want to take a break. And in all honesty? Perhaps I may even find some joy in companionship with another lady while we are in British Columbia. I’m sure there are a few good FUCs that would be willing to show an old man a good time. Plenty of sights to see while we are there.” He gave Lear a wink before he continued. “No one will ever replace your mother in my eyes, but I would like a chance to enjoy someone’s company. I get lonely. You understand—don’t you?”

  “Yes, of course, Father! It isn’t fair that you aren’t growing old together with Mother.”

  “If she hadn’t been on that plane, we’d still have her here.” King Gregor sighed.

  “If she hadn’t been on that plane, you would have been in her place.” It was customary for one of the royals to be in attendance at the Shifter Hellenic Island Talks. SHIT pulled shifters together in the Northern Sporades.

  “I just wish she hadn’t died in that plane crash on the way home. Dimitra was the light of my life. I miss her dearly and still grieve for the loss.” Gregor looked off into the distance, a sadness settling in his face.

  “I’m sure she would want you to live a happy and full life in her absence.”

  “I am certain she would,” the king said as he stood and patted his son’s shoulder. “I guess the reason I’ve been pushing you so hard with finding a mate is that I’ve been just as unhappy myself.”

  “Then this trip will be good for us both. I want nothing more than to see you happy, Father.”

  “And I you, son.”

  4

  “Hand me your COC, please,” Harriet said, for what seemed to be the millionth time in the past hour. The spring semester had begun, and while she’d expected the influx of computer issues, she really didn’t have much desire to deal with a new freshman cadet every few minutes.

  “My what?” the young blonde girl squeaked.

  Seeing the girl was empty-handed, Harriet stood to pick up the laptops and tablets that had begun to pile up on the counter. “Your COC. Complaint on Campus form.” Harriet nodded toward the stack of clipboards holding empty forms.

  “I’m sorry, I’m new, and I don’t have the slightest idea what you mean,” she said, words slow and measured, making Harriet wonder if this girl was one of the few turtle shifters they took in through the exchange program. Normally FUCN’A cadets had to meet the “furry” part of eligibility, but for various reasons, they took birds, amphibians, and other furless shifters.

  Harriet rolled her eyes and blew out a sigh. “FUCN’A.”

  “Yes! I’m a FUCN’A cadet who doesn’t know what a COC is.”

  Harriet set the pile down in the back and then rubbed her forehead. Her patience had already worn thin, but she had to do her best to help the clueless turtle. She couldn’t afford to get another complaint lodged against her. Stan was already on her case, and as trivial as she found her job, she knew she had to do it right if she was to ever move up in FUC.

  She plastered a smile onto her face before returning to the counter and passing the girl a clipboard. “This is a COC form. Fill the top portion for me, and I’ll bang that out after I’ve handled all the other COCs for the day.”

  “Thanks so much! Miss...?”

  “Hopper. Harriet Hopper. But please just call me Harriet. I’ll be looking for my mother if you call me Ms. Hopper.”

  “Sounds good, Harriet. I’m Treasure Garner. I just transferred in as a new recruit.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Treasure,” Harriet said, extending out her hand.

  “It’s nice to meet you, too!” the turtle said as she slowly nodded her head.

  Loud footsteps sounded on the tiled floor, announcing Stan before he barreled out of his office.

  “Look alive, Hopper. We’ve got a dignitary on their way. I want you on your best behavior—no sass. Am I clear?”

  “Crystal.” Harriet rolled her eyes behind Stan’s back as he flew out the door.

  The turtle narrowed her brows as Stan went past them. “Was that your boss? He seems a little grumpy.”

  “Yeah. He’s been in some high-profile meetings all day, which means he’s missed his naps,” Harriet said, shrugging her shoulders. “Bear shifter—what can I say?”

  Treasure rolled her eyes and smiled. “Good luck,” she said before taking a seat to read the COC form.

  Stan returned with a group of shifters in tow. “This here is my little part of WANC, the Working and Administration Networking Core. Here we do all the tech assignment and support.”

  Stan motioned for the group to follow him to his office and grunted at Harriet as he passed her. She knew it was his way of letting her know he would like her to look busy and not stand around gawking. Little did it matter that she’d just been helping a cadet needing a COC.

  Harriet barely noticed Stan, though, because she was captivated by Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome in the group. A man who instantly made her weak in the knees, who—

  “Treasure? Is that you?” The handsome man spoke to the turtle cadet.

  “Lear? Oh, my God!” Treasure stood from her seat and practically threw herself into the handsome man’s arms. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

  Stan stepped into Harriet’s view. “Harriet, could you run to the café? They should have everything ready, coffee and snacks for the meeting.”

  Harriet nodded as she went around her desk and grabbed her purse.

  Seeing his cousin Treasure made Lear’s heart soar. It was like having a little piece of home there with him at the academy, even though Treasure was from a sister island, Milos.

  “How’s Skyros? I haven’t had much of a chance to visit as of late. Your uncle, my father, keeps me busy with the royal matters on Milos.”

  “Everyone on Skyros is well. What brings you to Canada? I figured Uncle Ambrose would have you chained to some books at home. You were studying law the last time we saw each other.”

  “No, I’m no longer chained to books,” Treasure said with a chuckle. “Father has cleared me to get hands-on training now, and where better than with top-notch FUC agents? The new academy seemed too perfect an opportunity to pass up. Of course, right now, I feel like a first-class private, but I’m looking forward to nailing this FUCN’A hard and making Father proud.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll fit right in over here. From what little I’ve seen so far, the place seems to run like a tight ship.”

  “I’m sure I’ll fit in, too, once I meet some more people. Speaking of meeting new people, Lear, I want you to know whatever you’re doing in this department, Harriet will take good care of you. She’s been so sweet.” Treasure gestured to the counter, where the bear shifter Stan stood, arms crossed. “That’s funny. She was just here a few seconds ago.”

  “Harriet?” The bear seemed caught off-guard. “Oh, I sent her off to grab some coffee and pastries for everyone. I didn’t realize she was in the middle of providing you with assistance.”

  “Oh, I came in to get help with my tablet. I can’t get it to register the WiFi password for some reason, and I had no idea how to go about getting it fixed. Harriet was walking me through completing a COC.”

  Lear nearly choked, hearing his cousin say that word. The acronyms the academy used were going to take some getting used to. Recovering, he invited Treasure to join them. “I don’t want to cut this reunion short, so how about you come with us? Then when the COC girl gets back, she can finish helping you.”

  “Harriet. Her name is Harriet, Lear.” Treasure giggled. “But I’d love to.”

  “Uncle Gregor will be thrilled to see you, Treasure. He’s on his way,” Lear said.

  The two, along with Lear’s entourage, followed Stan into his office.

  5

  Most of the time, Harriet enjoyed the chance to run errands. It allowed her the escape she needed from the four walls of the office, which seemed to close in on her spirit.

  But today she just wante
d to get back and get a better glimpse of the gorgeous man in the Dockers that came in with Stan. And more importantly, she didn’t want the man to get the idea that she was just some low-level lackey. She was twenty-eight, old enough to have a more impressive career, and it wasn’t her fault she was fighting an uphill battle.

  Harriet should have been born with pure hareitage. She had two hare parents who had mastered the art of being FUC agents. Their child should have been golden, one of a new generation of super-agents.

  Instead, Harriet’s mother had been attacked while she was pregnant. It was long before FUC was aware that there were mad scientists out there, concocting serums and testing them out on unknowing—and unwilling—subjects.

  They’d thought Ms. Hopper was fine, and no one knew there had been any side effects of the serum used on her until their darling leveret came out…wrong.

  Harriet was a dud.

  She could shift; it wasn’t that she’d had that taken away. It was just what she shifted into, which was… confusing.

  She wasn’t a true hare. They didn’t know what she was, really. Just a cute little lump of brown fluff with long ears, giant eyes, and twitchy whiskers…

  Until she transformed into her larger, more ferocious form that looked a bit more like a grizzly bear with very long floppy ears.

  Under usual circumstances it would be a form that was considered an asset for a FUC agent.

  Just not for Harriet.

  According to her file, the experiments had caused her to be born with a dangerous temperament: an unnatural compulsion to run toward danger.

  According to the results of her agent trials, she didn’t stop to think about the risks to herself. In her shifted form, Harriet would do anything to keep others out of harm’s way, inconvenient details like “supervisor orders” be dammed.

  Personally, Harriet didn’t think any other agent would really sit outside a burning building and not try to save the people inside, but she couldn’t prove she was being sabotaged.