Chapter 21
A rchie returned to the boys’ dorm at bedtime. Buck was waiting for him on the porch, arms folded.
“Well?” he said. “Have you learned your lesson?”
The look Archie turned on him was haunted.
“I will never,” the boy said with fervent, heartfelt sincerity, “ever be bad again in my whole entire life. ”
“See that you don’t,” Conleth said, escorting Archie like a prison warden. He shot Buck an aggrieved glare as he deposited the boy on the porch. “Next time you need to punish someone, invest in a pair of thumbscrews. Leave me out of it.”
Conleth, Buck noted, was not looking quite so sharp as usual.
His red hair was distinctly rumpled, while his tie hung askew.
A slash of highlighter pen marred the front of his shirt, and there were tufts of what looked suspiciously like bear fur plastered across his suit.
Buck had a fleeting regret that he didn’t have his phone on him, and thus couldn’t capture a picture and send it to everyone he knew.
“I can see you both had a wonderful time,” he said, not bothering to fight down his smirk. “I’m sure we won’t have to repeat this in future. Will we, Archie?”
“He made me do spreadsheets.” Archie had the thousand-yard stare of someone who had journeyed to terrible places and seen too much. “With numbers. ”
“And for the record, ‘butts’ is not a number,” Conleth told him. “Neither is ‘wiener.’ It’s a good thing I keep backups. And, as it turns out, backups of backups. Offsite. You are henceforth forbidden from coming within a hundred feet of the office.”
“It wasn’t my fault!” Archie protested, some of his usual spirit returning. “How was I supposed to know that button did that?”
“That button was not supposed to do that,” Conleth replied. “I have no idea how you made that button do that. It should not have been physically possible to make that button do anything even remotely like that. Two hundred feet. Minimum.”
“Into the dorm, kid,” Buck said to Archie. “It’s bedtime. Conleth, hold up a sec. I need a word.”
“If you have another misbehaving child, I have just remembered that I have an extremely urgent appointment,” Conleth retorted. “In Beijing.”
“Not that.” Buck hesitated a moment, checking that Archie had disappeared into the cabin. “Any progress on the other matter?”
“Ah.” Conleth tilted his head, eyes narrowing a little. “I assume you mean your previous request.”
A flicker of movement caught Buck’s eye.
He held up a hand, motioning Conleth to silence—but it was only Honey, emerging from the girls’ cabin across the way.
She cast him an inquiring glance, but he shook his head to indicate that there was no need for her to come over.
With a smile of understanding, she settled into a chair on the porch to wait.
“Things seem to be going well,” Conleth said from behind him, dryly. “Given that the two of you just had an entire conversation at a distance of thirty feet using nothing but your eyebrows.”
Buck grunted, feeling vaguely like he’d just been caught elbow-deep in a cookie jar. “I was asking for an update. Not a motherloving commentary.”
“Sadly, few of us ever get what we want.” Conleth straightened his cuffs, taking his time over it, like a cat ostentatiously grooming its fur. “And I’m beginning to wonder if you truly want me to find a replacement counselor.”
“I’m beginning to want to punch you in the face, if that helps motivate you to get to the point.”
“How I will miss these delightful conversations when you are no longer on the staff.” Conleth smoothed a hand over his hair, setting it back in order. “I have news. Though I’m not sure whether you’ll consider it good or bad.”
“Just give it to me straight, Conleth. Have you found someone or not?”
“Very well.” For all Conleth’s casual air, Buck noticed that his sharp green eyes were watching him intently. “I have some promising leads, but nothing immediate. You’ll have to hang on a while longer. Is that bad news?”
It was definitely bad news. Especially given Honey’s recent conversation with Ignatius.
If the boy’s suspicions had been raised, he’d be keeping a close eye on her from now on.
And if he did, it could only be a matter of time before he figured out that she never shifted.
And then he’d start wondering why, and the whole house of cards would come crashing down.
And yet he couldn’t help the kick in his chest, like his heart was some idiot bird smacking straight into a closed window. There was a tingle at the base of his spine, and not in the place thoughts of Honey usually stirred.
“You have got to be kidding me,” he snarled under his breath.
Conleth’s eyebrows lifted. “Much as I am renowned for my wit, on this occasion, I’m afraid I am not.”
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
He could feel it, the phantom echo of the tail he currently didn’t have, swishing from side to side. Wagging. Motherfucking wagging.
Buck growled, forcing the damn beast out of his mind. The tingling sensation ebbed, but the warm glow in his chest remained.
“Idiot,” he muttered.
Conleth idly inspected his fingernails, as though waiting for Buck to finish blowing his nose. “Just a thought, but have you ever considered the possibility that perhaps your relationship with your animal would be more amicable if you didn’t constantly insult it?”
He hadn’t been talking to the beast, but he’d rather swallow glass than admit that to anyone. Let alone Conleth.
“When I want advice, I’ll ask for it,” he snapped. “Are you sure you can’t get anyone here any faster?”
“Believe it or not, most sane people are not willing to drop all their plans and rush to the middle of nowhere to look after a pack of squalling savages at a moment’s notice. Certainly not at the wages that we can offer.”
“I did.”
“Note my use of the word ‘sane.’”
Buck couldn’t really argue with that one. “How much time are we talking about here?”
“Hard to say. A few weeks, I expect. Is that likely to be a problem?”
He looked across at Honey, reading a book on the porch of the girls’ cabin. As if sensing his eyes on her, she glanced his way. Even at this distance, he could feel her smile like sunlight on his skin.
A few more weeks. Honey will have to stay a few more weeks. She’s not leaving. Not yet.
“No,” he said. “That’s not a problem.”
* * *
“Hey!” Estelle protested as Finley grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the line for breakfast. “Finley! We were right at the front, and you know they never make enough waffles!”
“This is more important than waffles,” Finley said grimly. “Flora, Beth, Claire, you’d better come too.”
“Is this about Archie and Ignatius?” Beth asked as they all followed him outside. “If they’re fighting again, I’m going straight to Zephyr. They’ve already gotten the pack in enough trouble.”
Finley shook his head. “It’s not them. Well, not directly. Just come on. You need to hear this in private.”
He led them round the corner of the dining hall. Archie and Rufus were already there, looking tense.
“We’ve only got a few minutes before the counselors spot we’re gone,” Finley said. “Archie, tell the girls what you told us.”
Archie had been crouching in the shadows on all fours, rocking a little like an agitated bear, even though he was in human form. Now he stood up. For once, there was no trace of mischief in his face.
“I heard Buck talking to Conleth last night.” Archie stopped, swallowing. “About a replacement counselor. Buck is planning to leave.”