Chapter 42
T here was an impromptu camp-wide celebration that night. Most of the kids and staff had absolutely no idea what was being celebrated, but that didn’t matter. Everyone was always up for a party.
Honey found Ignatius down by the dock, well away from the music and laughter. She sat next to him on the pebbly shoreline. He didn’t look at her.
“That was a very brave thing you did today,” she said quietly.
“All I did was get my uncle here,” he muttered. He picked up a pebble, tossing it into the lake. “And tell him I didn’t want you to go.”
She watched the last rays of sunlight dip below the edge of the lake, turning the waters to gold. “You were about to do a lot more than that.”
Ignatius looked at her at last. His expression was a miniature copy of his uncle—haughty, indifferent—but his eyes were those of a scared little boy.
“Please don’t tell anyone,” he whispered.
“I won’t. How long have you known?”
He sent another pebble winging into the water. “I dunno. Forever, I guess. My uncle’s always encouraged me to listen to my dragon. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t. There just… wasn’t anything there.”
“Have you talked to anyone about it? Your mom?”
Ignatius shook his head. “I think she might suspect, though. She’s never tried to push me to shift. No matter how much my uncle yells at her for being too soft on me.”
“I’m glad you didn’t tell him today.” Honey could only imagine how Golden would have reacted to that bombshell. “Promise me you’ll only do that when you’re ready, okay?”
Ignatius pitched a pebble into the lake, with force. “In that case, I’ll never tell him.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” She took his hand, squeezing it. “If you do, it should be because you want to tell him. Not any other reason. Ignatius, I know you’re not ready to talk about this with your uncle. But maybe you could talk to someone else.”
“Not my mom,” Ignatius said instantly. “My uncle is clan alpha. He could use his dominance power to force her to tell him everything.”
“What about some of the kids here? They aren’t in your clan, and they’re unlikely to ever meet your uncle. You could talk to them.”
Ignatius stiffened, pulling away. “They’re shifters.”
“They’re your friends,” Honey said gently. She got to her feet, dusting herself off. “And they care about you. Think about it, okay?”
Just as she started to walk away, Ignatius spoke again. “Honey?”
She paused, turning.
“Thanks,” he said softly. “For making sure I could stay.”
“You belong here,” she told him. “As much as anyone. Whether you’re a shifter or not.”
* * *
Buck intercepted her on her way back to the party. He pulled her away from the circle of firelight, into the privacy of the dark, capturing her lips for a long kiss.
“Kid okay?” he murmured against her mouth.
“I think so. We had a talk.” With reluctance, Honey broke away. “It’s getting late. We should get everyone into their cabins.”
“No need.” Buck’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight. “Already sorted it out with Leonie. Ragvald volunteered to oversee the boys tonight, and the new counselor’s handling the girls.”
“Mmm.” Honey let him pull her back into his arms. “I could get used to having a backup counselor around.”
His hands curved over her hips. “It has its advantages.”
Honey caught her breath as his hard heat pressed against her. “I think we’d better take this to your cabin, Buck.”
He drew back, one eyebrow quirking. “Actually, I had something else in mind.”
* * *
Buck had faced wildfires—and worse—without feeling so much as a flutter of nerves. Now, as he led Honey toward the woods, his stomach knotted into a pretzel.
If this doesn’t work, I’m going to look like a motherloving idiot.
“Buck.” Honey tugged at his arm, forcing him to stop. “Not that I wouldn’t appreciate going somewhere a bit more private than your cabin, but I’m not wearing the right shoes for a midnight hike. Plus, I can think of better uses of our time.”
“Don’t worry. We’re not hiking.”
I hope.
Forcing down a wave of apprehension, he slid his rucksack off his shoulder. “You’d better take this. And stand back a bit. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to keep a lid on the light show.”
Honey’s eyes went wide as she caught his meaning. Taking the rucksack, she retreated a few steps. He waved her back further, until he was sure she’d be out of range of any stray lightning. Then, taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes.
He hadn’t the faintest idea where to start. When he’d done this before, it had always been in the heat of the moment, driven by instinct and need. He didn’t even know if he could do it on command.
Feeling like an utter dickmuffin, he turned his attention inward. He tried to visualize that other part of him, lurking in the ancient darkness beneath his conscious mind.
All right , he told himself. Come out.
He’d expected a feeling of displacement, something surging out of his soul to take control. Instead, it was just like… he wasn’t sure what it was like. Waking up, maybe. Or letting go.
He didn’t even really feel all that different. One moment, he was standing there, bracing himself as though for a prostate exam. And then, he was standing there, the breeze ruffling his fur, wondering what the fuck he’d been so damn worried about.
“Oh,” Honey breathed. Letting the rucksack fall, she came forward, face alight with wonder. “You’re still there?”
“Of course I’m still here, woman,” he said—or at least, he tried to. It came out as an undignified string of yaps and barks. He snapped his mouth shut, nearly biting off his own tongue.
Honey giggled, reaching out to scratch behind his ear.
He tried to glare at her, but got distracted by the sensation of her fingers rubbing through his fur.
It felt… good. Not at all in the same way it felt in his own skin—not that she’d ever scratched his ears when they were in bed—but still damn good.
He couldn’t help leaning into her fingers, eyes half-closing in contentment.
Honey giggled again. “You’re wagging your tail!”
God damn it.
Part of him really wanted to flop over for a belly rub, but there were limits to how much dignity he was prepared to abandon. At least right now.
Spreading his wings, he nudged her with his nose. Honey didn’t need more of a hint than that. Scooping up the rucksack, she scrambled onto his back.
Buck took a moment to adjust to the peculiar sensation of having her straddling his spine. Then he gathered himself, unfamiliar muscles bunching across his chest and shoulders.
Here goes nothing.
He sprang into the air. He’d been half-expecting to come straight back down again, like an absolute asshat, but instinct took over.
He didn’t have to think about how to flex his wings, any more than he had to pay attention to his toes when hiking.
He just knew , as if he had been flying all his life.
As if some part of him had always known.
Honey whooped, clinging onto his fur. At first, he flew cautiously, worried that she might slip off, but the concern soon faded. She leaned into every motion he made, as though they were a single body. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to shake her off if he’d tried .
Probably not. He found his tongue was lolling out, in a way that felt like a smile. Honey had always stuck with him, even when he’d been trying to push her away. A little thing like gravity wasn’t going to tear them apart.
He risked a more daring swoop, sweeping low over the trees before soaring up again.
Honey laughed out loud in open delight. Succumbing to some primal urge, he let himself show off for her, twisting and leaping across the sky.
Honey encouraged him with wordless cries of glee, snuggled so close against his back he could feel every beat of her heart.
But he had more than frolicking on his mind. He circled, getting his bearings. Finding his target, he spiraled down.
Honey slid off his back. She hugged his neck, burying her face in his fur.
“That was amazing,” she whispered.
He wanted to hold her, so he did. Shifting back to human form was as easy as shrugging.
“So are you.” He kissed the side of her neck. “And don’t go praising me yet, woman. I’m just getting started.”
She gasped as his teeth grazed her throat. “Where are we?”
“Can’t you guess?” He put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around. “Look.”
He heard her breath catch as she gazed at the view—the mountains on the horizon, and the vast sweep of the sky, bright with stars. The whole camp spread out before them, far below.
“This is where we brought the kids.” Her hand found his. “On that first hike.”
“It seemed appropriate.” He was far too busy drinking in the sight of Honey to bother glancing at the view. “And it’s private. Pass me that rucksack.”
Honey trailed behind as he searched for a good spot. “What did you pack?”
“Spare pants, because I still don’t trust my motherloving animal’s sense of humor.” Finding a place not too covered in rocks, he opened the rucksack. “And also a camping mat.”
“You’ve come prepared,” Honey said as he unrolled the mat, her voice teasing. “And here I thought you’d just swept me into the wilderness in a fit of wild passion, you savage shifter.”
“Woman, I will fuck you against the nearest tree if you want.” He caught her wrist, pulling her down to the mat. “But I intend to mate you thoroughly . And I don’t want you to be picking gravel out of your back for the next week.”
She rolled to straddle him, a smirk curving her lips. “Who says I’m going to be the one on my back?”
Fuck, she was gorgeous. Like some wild goddess, fierce and triumphant; hair windswept, crowned with stars. His Honey. His mate.
“Honey,” he breathed, already so hard that it was all he could do not to flip her over and take her in a single thrust. “You can have me any way you want.”
She didn’t have to tell him what she needed. He knew, as instinctively as flying. Desire gripped him, but there was sweet pleasure in the agony of waiting; of undressing her slowly, lingering over every inch.
He knew her intimately by now, in every way. Knew when and where to touch gently, with feather-light strokes of tongue and fingers; when to be rougher, taking charge.
She knew him, too. How to play him like an instrument, teasing and tormenting, until he was at the very limits of his control. Still, he held back, drawing out the moment.
He knew when she was ready. When she was crying out, all words lost, slick with desperate need, he couldn’t wait any longer. With a gasp of relief, he slid into her at last.
And even knowing her as well as he did, it still felt like a motherloving miracle. She always would.
“Honey.” He drove into her, again and again, all thought abandoned. Aware only of her ; her heat, her strength, her glory. “My Honey. Mine .”
“Yes.” She opened to him, gripped him, welcomed him. “Yes, Buck!”
No more hesitation. No doubt. He fisted his hand in her hair, drawing her head back. She arced up to him, willingly giving him her throat. As she gave a final cry, as he spilled into her, his teeth sank into her skin.
And at last, everything was right.