Chapter 3
Shan had thought he’d taken every precaution.
He’d scrutinized the staff schedule so he could pick an arrival time when all the counselors would be safely occupied with training activities.
He’d circled the camp three times, observing the entire site from the air.
He hadn’t landed and shifted to human form until he was completely sure there was no risk of encountering his true mate.
He was not prepared for her to charge out of nowhere and tackle him like a linebacker.
She was barely half his mass, yet she nearly knocked him clean off his feet. He staggered, instinctively grasping her shoulders to steady them both.
His mate didn’t give him so much as a second to regain his balance. Grabbing his tie, she marched off with rapid, angry strides. Helpless to resist, Shan found himself stumbling at her heels, hauled along like a disgraced dog on a lead.
She pulled him into a storeroom, the walls lined with rows of shelves and neatly labeled boxes. The door shut behind them with an ominous click. Releasing his tie at last, she turned to face him, hands on her hips.
“You idiot,” she snarled up at him. “What were you thinking?”
At that precise moment, he wasn’t thinking anything. A kind of bright, ringing blankness filled his mind.
He’d resigned himself to never seeing her again. He’d tried to forget her warm amber eyes, the dimple in her cheek, the way the sunlight caught in her hair.
Now she was here, right in front of him, every perfect inch. Pure need gripped him. She was so close. So close to being able to taste, to claim, to have—
His mate did not seem afflicted with the same all-consuming desire. She clicked her tongue, looking him up and down as if he were a used car she was already regretting buying.
“Not what I would have ordered,” she muttered. She went to the only window, peering out past a faded blind. “But we’ll have to make the best of things. I just hope no-one saw you. Honestly, turning up in a suit and sunglasses? You might as well walk around with your badge glued to your forehead.”
Wait.
His hand flew to his face. His sunglasses were still there, strapped securely to his head.
She hadn’t seen his eyes. She couldn’t have looked into his soul, and recognized him as her doom. So how did she know?
Unless… she didn’t.
“I think there may be a misunderstanding,” he said cautiously, not yet daring to allow himself more than the faintest glimmer of hope. “I am Special Agent Shan Zhao, Federal Bureau of—”
“Shifter Affairs,” she finished for him. She adjusted the blind, making sure the window was fully covered. “I know. I’m Leonie MacCormick, the camp’s head counselor. We met when you were here a couple of weeks ago, though I don’t expect you remember me.”
Every nanosecond of that encounter was burned into his memory. He restrained himself to a noncommittal nod. “You know why I am here?”
“Yes, and I’m not happy about it,” Leonie said bluntly.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing personal.
I appreciate everything Shifter Affairs does to keep the rest of us safe.
I’d just rather you weren’t here. My job is hard enough already.
The last thing I need is a hulking secret agent stomping about camp, distracting my counselors and riling up the kids. ”
Honey and cream. Truth.
Only long habit let him prevent any flicker of reaction from showing on his face. Inside, he sagged with relief.
She didn’t know. She’d accosted him in righteous fury, but not for the reason he’d feared. She didn’t know he was her mate.
“So,” Leonie added in the same brisk, no-nonsense tone, “take off your clothes.”
Shan, who had just been starting to relax, froze again.
“What?” he managed to get out.
“You heard me.” Leonie turned, bending over to present him with generous, mouth-watering curves, perfectly displayed by tight khaki shorts. “Clothes off. Now.”
His monster was very keen on this proposal. So were other parts of him.
He was so rattled, he actually found himself reaching for his belt buckle. He balled his hands into fists, fighting for control.
When he spoke, it took every ounce of discipline to keep the snarling hunger from showing in his voice. “Why?”
Leonie shot him an exasperated look over her shoulder.
“Weren’t you listening? I’m not letting you walk around camp looking like a Presidential security detail.
” She went back to rummaging through the lower shelves, hunting through boxes.
“Oh, where did I put them? I know we still had a few pairs squirreled away from when Buck kept crash-landing on the roof…aha! Here, try this on.”
She tossed a bundle of cloth at him. Shan caught it, and found himself holding a pair of men’s jeans.
“You…want me to go undercover?” he asked.
“Since the alternative is having the entire camp ablaze with gossip at the worst possible time, yes.” Leonie shook out a T-shirt, revealing a Camp Thunderbird logo emblazoned across the front.
She held it up against his chest with the impersonal air of a tailor taking measurements.
“Ugh. Far too small. Has anyone ever told you that you have unreasonable shoulders?”
This conversation was starting to feel like being strapped to the roof of a runaway train. “No.”
“Well, you do,” Leonie informed him. Without waiting for a reply, she dug through a pile of T-shirts, extracting one from the very bottom.
“This is still going to be skintight on you, I’m afraid.
But short of borrowing something from Ragvald, it’s the best I can do.
Quick, get changed. If anyone catches sight of you in that suit, I’ll be squashing wild rumors all summer. ”
Since the last thing he wanted to do was make her life any more difficult, Shan took the clothes. He stood there, waiting for her to leave.
She didn’t.
He cleared his throat. “I will need privacy.”
Leonie started, as if only just realizing she’d been staring at him expectantly. “Oh, right. Sorry.”
She turned her back on him, facing the wall.
Shan squeezed his eyes shut for a moment behind his sunglasses. She had no idea that it was hard enough just being in the same room with her, breathing her scent. She wasn’t trying to torment him.
“A little more privacy,” he grated out. “Please.”
He couldn’t see her face, yet he had the distinct impression that she’d rolled her eyes.
“Agent Zhao, I’m the head counselor. At any given moment, there’s at least six people with urgent problems only I can solve.
The moment I step out that door, I’m going to get swarmed.
That won’t make it any easier to smuggle you out without anyone asking awkward questions.
So stop being a prude and get changed. I promise I won’t peek. ”
She was clearly not about to leave unless he picked her up and bodily moved her. Tempting as that prospect was, it was not an option. Shan had no choice but to retreat as much as he was able in the limited space, taking cover behind a rack of cleaning supplies.
Dealing with his clothes was hard even at the best of times. He stripped off as fast as he could, fumbling at the buttons with gloved hands.
Even with his back to her, he was acutely aware of Leonie’s presence.
When he pulled off his shirt, the brush of air on his back felt like her breath whispering against his bare skin.
His stomach clenched with a hunger so intense, a wave of dizziness swept over him.
He doubled over, hands fisting in cloth.
Behind him, Leonie shifted position. “Did you say something?”
Shan couldn’t reply, biting his tongue. Every word she spoke was sweet and honest, creamy on his tongue. How much better would it be to taste her...
“Agent Zhao?” A hint of concern entered her voice, adding the warm spiciness of gingerbread to the delicious flavors filling his mouth. “Are you okay back there?”
“Fine,” he got out through gritted teeth, praying she wouldn’t turn around. “One moment.”
The jeans were about three inches too short in the leg, and far too tight around his hips—especially right now.
He brutally stuffed himself into them anyway, welcoming the distracting twinge of discomfort.
Getting the shirt over his head without removing his sunglasses was a challenge, but he managed.
While he was at Camp Thunderbird, he wasn’t going to risk taking them off for even a single second.
He adjusted the strap around his head, making sure it was still securely fastened. “Done.”
Leonie turned to inspect him. She frowned. “Do you have to wear the gloves?”
“Yes.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Is that some kind of Shifter Affairs regulation?”
“No.” He added, with total honesty, “I have a medical condition.”
“Oh,” Leonie said, sounding a little taken aback. “Is that the reason for the sunglasses, too?”
Shan hesitated. While he could lie—he couldn’t taste his own words, after all—he always tried to avoid doing so. His control over his monster was tenuous enough as it was. The last thing he needed was to be any more like his father.
“I prefer to keep my eyes covered,” he said instead, which was true enough. “I hope that is not a problem.”
“No, of course not.” Leonie’s gaze dropped to the logo stretched across his chest, and her lips quirked. “In that shirt, not many people are going to be looking at your face, anyway. So, what’s the plan?”
He adjusted his gloves. “I will need to speak with the children. The ones who claim to have seen this ghost.”
Leonie’s eyes narrowed. “They’re just kids, Agent Zhao. I don’t know how you normally approach your work, but I won’t allow you to treat them like suspects.”
“I will not. You have my word. I will only ask them to describe what they saw.”
She gave him a skeptical look. “You think you’ll be able to determine the truth, just from that?”
“Yes,” he said, simply.
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because that is what I do.” She was going to have to find out sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. “I am able to detect whether people are lying. Due to my…nature.”
He waited in resignation for the inevitable reaction; the sudden wariness, the brief pause as she mentally reviewed their conversation so far, trying to work out if she’d let any of her secrets slip out. Everyone always drew back from him when they learned about his ability.
Yet instead, Leonie’s belligerent stance softened. When she spoke, there was no fear in her voice; only odd understanding. “That must be very hard for you.”
“I—” He couldn’t have been more blindsided if she’d tackled him around the waist again. In his stunned confusion, the truth slipped out: “Yes.”
Leonie nodded, her amber eyes warm with sympathy. “My father can tell when people are lying, too. So can my nephew. I think it’s hard for them as well. I’m certainly grateful I can’t tell when people are just being polite to avoid hurting my feelings.”
His mission dossier had included brief bios on all the camp staff, but he deliberately hadn’t read hers. Not because he hadn’t wanted to—but because he had. When it came to her, it was best to avoid all temptation, no matter how small.
But he was still too confused to control his curiosity. “You do not have the same ability?”
“Me? Oh, no.” Leonie shrugged, smiling. “They’re griffin shifters. My inner animal is just an ordinary lion. No special talents here.”
Leonie had spoken sunnily, without a trace of hesitation. Yet under the rich creaminess of simple truth, he tasted the barest hint of something…off.
But that made no sense. Leonie was clearly no fool, and she was familiar with other shifters who had similar talents to himself. Now that she was aware of his ability, she must know better than to attempt to conceal the truth. Besides, what reason could she have to lie about any talent of her own?
Hunt. At the back of his mind, drool dripped down hungry fangs. Stalk. Feast.
Shan repressed the surge of predatory interest. Whatever Leonie’s secrets, they were none of his business. Best to return to the safer topic of his mission.
“My own talent means I need only ask the children to describe what they saw,” he said. “I will know if they are exaggerating.”
Leonie bit her lip. “And if they’re not?”
“You believe they are telling the truth?”
Leonie made a face. “Well, I certainly don’t think there’s a soul-sucking ghost haunting the camp. But I know those kids, Agent Zhao. It’s not like them to make things up. Especially not a crazy story like this.”
Privately, Shan hoped the children were not quite as honest as Leonie believed. “With the right questions, I should soon be able to determine if there is any genuine cause for concern.”
“And if there isn’t, you’ll go?” Leonie said hopefully. “Uh, don’t take that the wrong way. It’s just that the longer you hang around, the bigger the risk that someone will start asking awkward questions about why you’re here.”
She was more right than she knew. “Ms. MacCormick, if it were my choice, I would not be here at all. All I want is to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”
“That makes two of us,” she muttered. Stuffing his suit in a box, she headed for the door.
“Let’s put your things in the office, so no one can stumble across them by accident.
Then I’ll take you to see the kids. I hope you’re right about being able to uncover the truth quickly. The sooner you leave, the better.”
“Truth,” Shan said under his breath, and followed.