Chapter 9
“Z ephyr’s not here.” Conleth didn’t so much as glance up from his computer as Buck walked into the office. “And before you ask, no, he’s not in my range right now, so I have no idea where he might be. Go find him yourself.”
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you.” Buck shut the office door behind him—though not before double-checking that there were no eavesdroppers this time. “We have a problem.”
“I currently have fifty-seven problems.” Conleth continued typing at his customary unnerving speed. “Ranging from an IRS query on our quarterly business expenses down to a literal tiger mom who will not stop texting me about her precious cub’s nut allergy. You’re going to have to be more specific.”
Buck dropped into a chair opposite Conleth’s desk. “What happens if one of the counselors has to quit without warning?”
Conleth’s fingers paused. “Is this a hypothetical question, or do I now have fifty-eight problems?”
“Let’s just say that I’m exploring options.”
“Oh, well, in that case, it would be an utter disaster.” Conleth went back to his spreadsheet, keyboard clicking cheerfully.
“Small children weeping as they’re bodily dragged away.
Big, teary eyes turned on you with expressions of tragic betrayal.
Zephyr might even look disappointed. I trust that stiffens your resolve.
Goodbye. Close the door on your way out. ”
Buck stayed put. “And how much of that stays true if it isn’t me going?”
Conleth did look up at that. He even took his hands off his keyboard. Clearly, shit had just got real.
“Ah.” Conleth leaned back in his chair, idly swiveling it from side to side. “You’re talking about Honey.”
“Not necessarily,” Buck said, unwilling to give away too much.
Conleth was the sort of person who could put two and two together and come up with four hundred and eighteen, plus an unexpected pineapple.
“Look, we both know Zeph pulled that guilt trip bullcrap on me because he thinks my tormented soul will be healed by toasting s’mores over a campfire.
What’s the actual situation? You can’t tell me you don’t have a plan to cover a random counselor breaking their leg. ”
“In that specific situation, the plan would be ‘call the friendly unicorn healer who lives up the mountain,’” Conleth said dryly. He toyed with a pen on his desk. “But I take it we’re not talking about that kind of problem.”
“Not even remotely. Do you have a substitute up your sleeve?”
Conleth blew out his breath. “Normally, I’d have a couple of backups on standby, just in case.
But I wasn’t exaggerating the lack of applicants this year, Buck.
Believe me, if I’d had other options, you wouldn’t be sitting opposite my desk right now.
I would rather have put a lukewarm turnip in a camp t-shirt than you. ”
“Gee, thanks. I’m touched.”
“Not by me, thank you very much. You’re not my mate, for which I’m sure we both give heartfelt and fervent thanks.” Conleth flipped the pen up, making it dance across his knuckles. “Let me make this very simple, Buck. Do whatever it takes to keep Honey here. We can’t afford to lose her.”
Buck spent a few moments picking his next words carefully. “And what if you found out something that meant you couldn’t afford to keep her?”
Conleth finally went still. His sharp green eyes met Buck’s.
“I would say,” he said at last, equally slowly, “that it would be a good idea if I didn’t find that out.”
Buck held the pegasus shifter’s gaze. “Then you’d better find a replacement counselor, Conleth. Fast.”
For a second, Conleth just looked at him. Then his chin dipped in a slight nod.
“I’ll move it to the top of my to do list.” Conleth settled his fingers onto his keyboard again.
“The instant I find a woman who is both a shifter and unlikely to actually eat a child, you’ll be the first to know.
And Buck, do not let anyone get so much as a breath of all this.
Especially not Zephyr. As director, he cannot be seen to tolerate any infractions.
If he became aware of an issue among the staff, certain investors would expect him to act swiftly and decisively. ”
And we both know he’s a motherloving awful liar, hung unspoken in the air.
Buck didn’t need Conleth to spell things out for him.
If Zephyr found out that Honey was human, his only chance of staying in Lord Golden’s good graces would be to fire her immediately.
Probably Buck too, for keeping the secret.
“I know what Zeph would have to do.” Buck rose. “But in that kind of situation, you’d be able to smooth things over with these certain investors, right? Hypothetically speaking.”
Conleth gave him a look. “I once saved a seven billion dollar deal from falling through when one of the CEOs involved caught his wife performing a very personal merger with the other party. On top of his own desk. I don’t spend my summers here through lack of better options, Buck.
But there are limits to even my powers of persuasion.
Kindly do not set me up for more of a challenge than necessary. ”
“Understood.” As he headed for the door, he couldn’t help asking, “You really wouldn’t take over as counselor? Not even in an emergency?”
Conleth was already typing. “Assuming we’re still talking about Honey, I couldn’t. I lack a certain essential qualification. Namely, being female. Camp rules mean I can’t supervise the girls’ dorm, thankfully.”
“And if I’d come here to tell you I was leaving? Would you have stepped in then?”
Conleth shot him a tight, thin-lipped smile, fingers never pausing. “Let’s all hope we never find that out.”
* * *
Honey wasn’t in his cabin. Buck looked round the empty space and swore out loud. If she’d lost her nerve, his plan had just gone up in smoke.
Maybe he could still intercept her. Throwing the door open, he strode toward the parking lot. He got all of three steps before a jolt of pain seared through his scar, so fierce and sudden that he lurched sideways.
“Motherlover!” Buck breathed through his teeth, one hand clapped over the burning scar. “All right. All right . I get the message. No need to yank me around like a damn chew toy.”
The pain eased a little, though it still felt like fangs were set in his skin.
He let them drag him along, following the insistent tug.
It didn’t take long for him to realize where it was leading him, but the pressure still didn’t let up until he’d actually set foot in Honey’s cabin.
Apparently, the damn mutt wasn’t going to trust him an inch.
“The feeling is mutual,” he muttered. He strode into Honey’s room without knocking. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Packing.” Honey pulled photos off her pin board. Her suitcase lay open on her bed, overflowing with unfolded clothes. “I’ve changed my mind. Buck, this is insane.”
“I’m not arguing. But it’s the only solution.” He barred her way as she tried to head for the suitcase. “Look, you can do this. No one’s figured out you aren’t a shifter so far, right?”
“Yes, but I’ve been here less than a day!” Honey attempted to duck around him first one way, then the other. “It’s only sheer blind luck I didn’t give myself away the first time I opened my mouth.”
“Well, you didn’t.” He kept moving to block her, as though they were doing a dance. “So just keep doing what you’ve been doing. You’ll be fine.”
“But I don’t know anything about shifters!”
“I’ll coach you.” He plucked the photos from her hands, holding them out of her reach. “Don’t worry, it’s easy. Just periodically stare into space like you’re talking to yourself, and remember to act like you have slightly fewer brain cells than the average lemon.”
“ You have the brain of a lemon.” Giving up on trying to get the photos off him, Honey started ripping down strings of fairy lights tacked up around her bed.
For someone who had indeed been at camp for less than a day, she sure had settled in fast. “Buck, this will never work. I can’t pretend to be a shifter. ”
“It won’t be for long. I lit a fire under Conleth’s ass. The man may be made of snark and sarcasm, but he gets crap done. Knowing him, he’ll come up with a replacement counselor in a matter of days.”
Honey made a choked, somewhat hysterical sound. “Oh good. You only need me to pretend to be a shifter for a few days. Buck, the kids arrive tomorrow!”
“So?”
“So?” Honey whirled on him, her hands full of tangled fairy lights. “How am I supposed to deal with a bunch of kids who can turn into animals?”
“All kids are animals. Look, you wanted to be a counselor. You work in a damn school, for that matter. You know how to handle hyperactive brats. I don’t see that it makes any difference if they sometimes happen to be bears.”
Honey shoved past him, dropping the fairy lights into the already overflowing suitcase. “But they’ll be expecting a counselor who can, can turn into a wolf!”
“You won’t have to shift. Trust me on that one. I wouldn’t be standing here if it was a requirement.”
She blinked at him. “But you do turn into a wolf.”
“Not voluntarily.” Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, he tipped the suitcase over, unceremoniously dumping all the contents onto the floor. “You’re staying. End of discussion.”
Whatever response she might have made was forestalled by a rap on the cabin door. They both froze, staring at each other in mutual horror.
“Honey?” Leonie called from outside. Buck heard the creak of the external door opening, followed by footsteps approaching Honey’s room. “Are you in here?”
Honey looked paralyzed. Buck cast a swift, wild glance around at her jumbled possessions, and made an executive decision. He opened the door the tiniest of cracks.
“Oh!” Leonie had clearly been about to knock. She dropped her hand, her eyebrows shooting up. “I wasn’t expecting to find you here, Buck. Is Honey with you?”
“Yeah, she’s here.” Buck kept his body angled to block Leonie’s view of the room. “But she’s, uh… resting.”
Leonie’s gaze traversed down his body. Too late, Buck realized how he looked—out of breath, hair still windswept from his inadvertent shift, clothes all-too-obviously thrown on in a hurry.
“I… see,” Leonie said slowly. The corner of her mouth twitched as though she was fighting very hard not to grin. “Well, I came by to ask if she was ready for me to give her a tour of the facilities. If she’s not too, ah… tired.”
“She’s had a rough morning. Long journey and everything, you know.” Inspiration struck. “How about I show her around myself? I can give her the crash course in Camp 101. I’ve listened to Zeph bang on about the place over enough family dinners to know how everything works around here.”
“I suppose you are familiar with the camp,” Leonie conceded.
She was making a heroic effort to keep a straight face, but her eyes sparkled.
“And with Honey’s experience, she hardly needs to sit through basic training.
Under the circumstances, I think I can give you both a pass.
As long as you promise to listen to her advice on how to handle the kids, okay?
I need you both ready to take charge of your pack when the campers arrive. ”
“Deal,” Buck said in relief. “Thanks, Leonie. And don’t worry. We’ll be there.”
Leonie was a seasoned professional. She almost managed to get out of earshot before bursting into laughter. Buck had a sinking feeling he was about to find out how fast gossip spread through camp.
“Oh my God.” Honey collapsed onto the bed, putting her head in her hands. “I thought it was all over. My heart is going a mile a minute.”
“At least now you don’t have to walk out there and fool dozens of full-grown shifters.” Buck slumped against the back of the door, his own pulse still thundering with adrenaline. “The further away from the other counselors we can keep you, the better.”
“I’m not going to be able to keep away from the campers, though.” Honey pushed both hands through her hair. “Buck, this isn’t going to work. I can’t do it.”
“Please.” He kneeled in front of her, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Please, Honey. For the kids.”
Her brown eyes searched his face, and her expression softened. “You really would do anything for those kids, wouldn’t you?”
“I’ve known those four since before they were born. Worked with their parents for over a decade, and they were the best damn crew I ever led. You spend that long literally walking through fire together, you start to feel like family.”
Honey looked like she’d just figured something out. “Finley said his folks were firefighters. You were too?”
“Thunder Mountain Hotshots, crew superintendent. Over twenty years. Recently retired.” And not of his own volition, but that wasn’t a story he was eager to share. “Look, all that matters is that I owe my old crew more than I can ever repay. Least I can do is look out for their kids now.”
She worried at her lower lip. “But what if I’m found out?”
“You won’t be found out. I’ll make sure of that.” Without thinking, he took her hand, holding it between both of his. “ Please , Honey. I’m literally down on my knees here. The kids need you. I need you.”
Her eyes were locked on his as though hypnotized. At these last few words, she flushed. Buck was abruptly aware of how close her face was to his. Her lips parted a little, and his whole body yearned for that soft, inviting gap. Need gripped him like pain, like closing jaws—
And it wasn’t real.
It hit him like a bucket of ice water. She was human, as human as he had once been. That was why she hadn’t reacted to him earlier. She wasn’t a shifter.
And that meant that the burning desire coursing through him, this all-consuming urge to hold her and never let go—it was just dumb animal instinct. The bestial urges of the monster squatting in his skin. Not his own at all.
Something must have changed in his face, because Honey’s lips pinched shut. She drew her hand free from his, the color in her cheeks deepening from soft pink to a heated, embarrassed red.
“I am such an idiot,” she muttered. She cleared her throat. “You’re sure Conleth will be able to find a replacement for me? I only have to pull this off for a few days, then I can go home?”
The scar on his arm burned all the way to the bone.
“I swear,” he said, ignoring the pain. “Just a few days.”