Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

“ U ncle Conleth,” Beth said in a low, urgent whisper as she joined him on the dock. “What’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Conleth flipped his towel off his shoulder, tossing it over a nearby post. “The plan is to go swimming, Beth.”

“I mean, what’s the real plan?” Beth glanced around furtively, or at least as furtively as it was possible to be while wrapped in a giant beach towel printed with turtles. “You must have one. If you tell me what it is, I can help.”

“That’s very sweet of you.” Conleth gave her an affectionate smile, while inwardly screaming Oh God, no . “But you don’t need to worry. I have the situation under control.”

Beth did not look reassured.

“Hey, Conleth!” Estelle bounced over, all eagerness and incipient disaster. “What’s the plan?”

Not you too. “Why would I have a plan?”

“Because you always do,” Estelle said, matter-of-factly. “We’re not actually swimming, are we?”

“We’re dressed in swimsuits and standing next to a lake, Estelle. What do you think we’re going to do? Engage in a cut-throat game of chess?”

Estelle rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but we’re not just swimming, obviously. This is all part of some genius scheme to impress Paige and make her fall madly in love with you. What do you need us to do? Pretend to drown?”

“Estelle!” Beth yelped.

“What?” Estelle shrugged. “It’s a great idea. Conleth can leap in to save us. That’s bound to make Paige fall in love with him.”

Conleth sighed. “Please do not pretend to drown, Estelle. Or, anticipating your next suggestion, actually drown. Or attempt to drown anyone else.”

“Yeah, I suppose that wouldn’t work,” Estelle conceded. “Moira would ban our pack from swimming for the whole summer. So what is your plan, Conleth? You must have one. Come on, spill the beans.”

“There are no beans,” Conleth said, with the sinking feeling that this was a futile argument. “I am entirely bean-less. And if I had beans, I would be keeping them safely to myself, not scattering them about with reckless abandon. Look, we really are just going swimming.”

Beth bit her lip. “But Uncle Conleth, you know Archie is going to try to cause trouble.”

“I have no doubt,” Conleth replied. “But that’s my concern, not yours. Remember the pack contract? All you kids have to do is have fun and enjoy yourselves.”

“Ohhhhhhhh,” Estelle said in tones of dawning enlightenment. “So you need us to have fun and enjoy ourselves.”

“Yes,” Conleth said. “Only when you say it, it somehow sounds much more ominous.”

“So that’s your plan.” Estelle winked at him, like the world’s worst secret agent. “ I got it now.”

Conleth’s sense of impending doom deepened. “I really don’t think you have.”

“Don’t worry,” Estelle said, which had precisely the opposite effect to the one she’d intended. “I’ll let the others know. We’ve got your back, Conleth.”

“I don’t need you to—” Conleth started, but she was already darting back to the boathouse, where the other kids were finishing getting into their swimsuits. “Beth, can you go after her? Stop her from doing whatever she’s planning to do.”

“I’ll try,” Beth said, not sounding at all confident. She hesitated. “Uncle Conleth? You do have a plan, right?”

“Of course I have a plan.” He leaned over, lowering his voice. “And a secret weapon.”

Beth looked him up and down, as though trying to figure out what he could be concealing. “You do? What?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older.” He straightened, adjusting his sunglasses. “Trust me. Everything is under control.”

Beth still looked a little dubious, but she trotted off. Other kids and counselors were starting to emerge from the boathouse now. He caught sight of Paige among them, a towel wrapped tightly around her body.

Showtime.

“Paige,” he called. He rested an elbow on a nearby post, angling his body in a carefully calculated show of relaxed ease. “Over here.”

Paige’s head turned. Her mouth dropped open.

Excellent . Conleth congratulated himself. Now this was a good plan.

After his conversation with Archie, he was convinced Paige was hiding the real reason she was so concerned about his shifting. If she was going to trust him with her secret—let alone with her heart—he had to show her that she could trust him. That he could be a mate worthy of her, the sort of person she could love. Capable of handling any problem with cool efficiency. Reliable. In control.

And that wasn’t all he planned to show her.

His inner stallion snorted in agreement. It arched its neck, preening. Our mate is looking at us!

‘Looking’ was not quite the word. ‘Ogling’ might have been more accurate. Conleth was under no illusions about himself, which meant he also saw no point in false modesty. He knew exactly how he looked. He’d spent considerable effort honing his natural assets, simply as a matter of good business. Charm and attractiveness were useful tools for closing deals.

And when it came to closing this deal, he was not above using every weapon at his disposal.

Paige was definitely appreciating the view. He oh-so-casually tightened his abs, and she walked straight into Ragvald’s back.

“Shield-sister?” The big man turned, giving Paige a quizzical look. “Are you quite well?”

“Guh,” Paige said, eyes still glued to the low-slung waistband of Conleth’s swimming shorts. “I. Uh. What?”

“Only you seem rather flushed.” Ragvald frowned down at her in concern. “In training, noble Leonie warned us not to underestimate the strength of the sun in this land, nor how it can quickly rob the body of all water. Are you thirsty?”

“All right, campers,” Moira called. The sea dragon princess was dressed in a camp t-shirt and running shorts rather than a swimsuit. As the head lifeguard, she rarely went in the water herself. “Find somewhere to put your towel, then everyone gather around. We need to go over some safety rules.”

Paige started, as though only just remembering that the rest of the world existed. She fumbled with her towel, letting it drop to the ground—and Conleth abruptly discovered a significant flaw in his plan.

His pegasus pranced in delight. Now we can look at her too!

Paige’s swimsuit was technically modest, but it still clung to every curve of her body. Her honeyed skin glowed in the sunlight, warm and inviting.

He wasn’t using his power, yet time seemed to slow. He could see the strong swells of her shoulders, the arcing wings of her collarbones, the delicious softness of her thighs.

The effect on him was immediate, overwhelming, and—given that he was dressed in swimwear and surrounded by children— absolutely disastrous.

Sheer panic made his speed power kick in. This was, if anything, actively unhelpful. Having the leisure to appreciate every detail of Paige’s spectacular body did absolutely nothing to quell his rising predicament.

There was only one possible course of action.

He jumped in the lake.

“Conleth!” He resurfaced to find Moira glaring down at him from the dock. “What in the Sea are you doing?”

“Just…checking the water temperature.” He stayed slightly crouched, keeping himself strategically submerged from the waist down. “Don’t mind me. Carry on.”

Moira folded her arms. “No one swims until I give permission. That applies to counselors as well as campers. Get out of the water at once.”

“Believe me,” Conleth grated out through clenched teeth. “That is not a good idea right now.”

Moira’s turquoise eyes narrowed. Conleth felt currents curl about him, and for one horrific moment he thought the sea dragon was about to use her water magic to forcibly eject him.

Then the water in the immediate vicinity of his groin went cold.

Ice cold.

“Does the water temperature meet with your satisfaction?” Moira asked sweetly.

“Very much so,” Conleth managed to wheeze. His balls seemed to have retreated all the way into his ribcage. “Thanks.”

“Then perhaps you would be so good as to join us for the safety briefing.” Moira stalked back to the waiting campers. “And this time, keep your attention where it belongs.”

Conleth hoisted himself back onto the dock, rather less gracefully than he would usually have managed. He’d lost his sunglasses in his abrupt dive, along with his dignity. Pushing his sodden hair back from his face, he sloshed to the back of the crowd, leaving a dripping trail of lake water in his wake.

Moira started her usual safety lecture, but she wasn’t exactly commanding the attention of the audience. Most of the campers were snickering behind their hands, casting speculative glances at him. Archie, he noted, had the biggest grin of all.

The kids might not be able to guess the real reason for his abrupt dive, but Paige certainly could. She was hardly going to believe he could help her with her problems if he couldn’t even keep control over his own damn body.

“Was that part of the plan, Uncle Conleth?” Beth whispered.

“No, Beth,” he said under his breath. “No, it was not.”

Paige was finding it hard to concentrate on Moira’s safety briefing.

Don’t stare at people’s butts, Archie had instructed her on the way to camp. At the time, it had not seemed like a rule that would be difficult to follow.

With an effort, Paige dragged her eyes upward. Again.

She tried to focus on righteous irritation rather than the way Conleths’s wet swim shorts clung to his skin. So this was what he’d been planning. He’d jumped into the lake on purpose, so she’d be forced to try to ignore his dripping wet body— no, don’t look —all through Moira’s interminable lecture.

Well, if he thought she could be swayed that easily, he’d soon learn otherwise. There was too much at stake to let herself be tempted by a flash of eye candy.

No matter how taut.

Or wet.

…damn it.

Moira’s list of rules seemed to go on forever. By the time the lifeguard finally ran out of dire warnings about the dangers of swimming, Paige was about ready to jump in the lake herself.

“Counselors, please ensure that one of you stays on dry land at all times, to better keep an eye on your pack,” Moira concluded at last. She gestured at the lake. “Even water that appears still and placid can be deadly. Never forget that. Now, everyone, go have fun.”

The campers—who’d all gone glassy-eyed with boredom a good ten minutes ago—didn’t need telling twice. Most of them jumped straight off the dock with yells and shrieks.

“One at a time!” Paige called through the mayhem. “No pushing!”

Paige looked around for Conleth, just as he turned as well. She’d expected him to smirk and flex, but he seemed oddly self-conscious. His gaze briefly met hers before shifting to the lake.

He cleared his throat, eyes on the water. “Did you want to watch or swim?”

“Conleth!” Estelle yelled from the lake before Paige had a chance to respond. She waved both arms above her head, splashing Rufus and Beth. “Over here, Conleth! Come swim with us!”

“Estelle!” Beth hissed to her friend. “Uncle Conleth told us to act normal!”

“I am being normal,” Estelle said, still mugging with all the subtlety of a car insurance commercial. She jabbed Beth in the ribs. “But we all agreed to have fun, right? And it won’t be any fun if Conleth doesn’t swim too. So he has to dive into the water and show us proper technique and exactly how we should be flexing our arms while Paige watches, doesn’t he. ”

“Ohhhh,” Beth said in sudden understanding. She adopted a wide smile too, waving with even greater enthusiasm than Estelle. “Yes, you’re contractually obligated to swim with us, Uncle Conleth!”

Conleth put his head in his hands. “I swear I did not put them up to this.”

“That’s pretty clear,” Paige said, amused by his mortification. “Well, I guess that sorts out which one of us is staying on the dock.”

Given the way he’d arranged to jump in the lake earlier, she hadn’t thought he’d need any encouragement to show off in the water. To her surprise, though, he hesitated. He gave her a sidelong look, brows furrowing.

“No, it doesn’t,” he said. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“What question?”

“What you want to do. Would you prefer to stay on the dock, or swim?”

“CON-LETH! CON-LETH! CON-LETH!”

“I don’t think my preferences come into it,” Paige said, having to raise her voice to carry over the increasingly loud chant coming from the water. “The girls clearly want you to swim.”

“I am aware of the girls’ true motivations. I can confidently state they have very little to do with an innate desire for my company.” He tilted his head, as though he’d just realized something. “You’re very good at putting other people first. But you shouldn’t always put yourself last.”

“I don’t,” she protested, feeling obscurely defensive. “Look, it’ll make the girls happy if you swim, so you should swim. Why are you making this into such a big deal?”

“Why are you?” he countered, maddeningly. “It’s a simple question, Paige. Which would you prefer to do?”

In truth, she would far rather swim than have to try not to watch his long, lean body cut through the water. Yet with the girls still calling enthusiastic—if somewhat fictitious—demands from the lake, it seemed wrong to admit it.

But she had a feeling he wasn’t going to settle for anything less than the truth. “I…I’d rather swim, actually.”

“Then I’ll watch,” he said simply. His gaze flickered down her body for the briefest instant before fixing somewhere just above her left shoulder. “Though in that case, I’ll need to get dressed.”

She blinked at him. “It’s not cold out.”

He snagged a nearby towel, wrapping it around his waist. “That’s the problem.”

Weird . Well, since he’d made such a fuss about her swimming, it was too late for him to change his mind now.

Since it didn’t seem right for a counselor to cannonball off the dock like one of the kids, she sat on the edge, letting her toes dangle into the water. She’d been braced for it to be cold, but instead it was just pleasantly cool. Small waves lapped around her calves, sparkling in the sunlight. Drawn by that inviting glimmer, she let herself slide into the lake.

Water enfolded her. It was nothing like getting into a swimming pool. No sting of chlorine in her eyes; no artificial drone of pumps and filters. She sank in a swirl of cool bubbles, some part of her mind expecting to jar her feet against a hard floor at any moment—yet her toes touched nothing.

She hadn’t expected swimming in the lake to be so different . It was like finally being served a steak after a lifetime of burgers. For a moment, she let herself hang there, arms outstretched, feeling the vastness of it; the wildness.

She broke the surface laughing, breathless with amazement. Pushing back her hair, she looked up to find Conleth still on the dock, staring down at her with eyes gone dark.

There was no mistaking that look. Despite the cool caress of the water, heat rushed through her. Maybe he hadn’t planned that dip earlier after all.

Conleth cleared his throat again, his hand tightening on his towel. “Moira! I’ll be back in a minute.”

Moira came over, casting Conleth a curious look as he hurried past her. “Where’s he going?”

Paige watched Conleth stride toward the boat-house, still maintaining a death-grip on his towel. “I think he has an urgent need to be wearing pants.”

“Ah.” Moira’s sea-blue eyes gleamed with amusement. “I see. I suspect Conleth may not be doing much swimming this summer.”

“I guess I should get out until he comes back.” Somewhat reluctantly, Paige clambered back onto the dock, feeling heavy and clumsy after the cool freedom of the water. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on the campers.”

“I wanted to have a quiet word with you, actually.” Moira scanned the lake, checking the kids were too distracted to eavesdrop. “Conleth tells me your brother is having some issues controlling his animal?”

She supposed it was hardly a secret by now. “He shifts a lot without meaning to, when he’s upset or excited. Now that I’ve spent more time with other shifter kids, it’s clear it’s not normal. I was hoping he’d be able to learn better control from his counselors this year, but obviously that’s not going to happen. I’m worried about him, Moira.”

The sea dragon nodded sympathetically. “Although I’ve never had an issue with unwanted shifting myself, I do know something of what it’s like to struggle with a strong, uncontrollable power. My people have a number of techniques to master such issues. If you like, I could teach your brother some calming meditations.”

“I’d really appreciate that,” Paige said gratefully. “Thanks, Moira.”

“Let’s find a time in Archie’s schedule where I can work with him one on one.” Moira stiffened, eyes narrowing. “Though not right now. Barny, Esme! What did I say about ambushing other children in your shift forms?”

Blowing a short blast on her whistle, Moira hurried off to scold a pair of sheepish-looking hippos. Which reminded Paige that she was supposed to be monitoring the swimmers too. Shading her eyes, she searched the laughing, splashing mob for her own campers.

Estelle and Beth floated a little way off from the other kids, conferring in low voices. From the surreptitious looks they kept throwing her way, the topic of their discussion was no mystery.

The rest of her campers seemed to be having fun, at least. Archie and Nancy shrieked with laughter as they floundered around in some complicated water game. Rufus and Ignatius were playing too, though not without constant exasperated (and, she suspected, wholly fictitious) complaints from the latter. Finley glided through the water as if he’d been born in it, effortlessly evading any attempts to splash him.

Hetta, however, was still on the dock.

Paige went over to her, leaving a trail of wet footprints on the warm wooden boards. “Hetta? Aren’t you going to swim?”

Hetta shook her head firmly. “The water looks cold.”

“It’s not cold. I was just in there myself. It’s nice and refreshing, I promise.” Something occurred to her. “You do know how to swim, right?”

“Yeeeeeees,” Hetta said, drawing out the word dubiously. “But only in a pool. It’s not the same.”

“That’s true, but this is better. Trust me, you’ll love it.” She certainly had. “Look at how much fun everyone is having. Don’t you want to join in?”

Hetta eyed the raucous game without enthusiasm. “I don’t want to get splashed.”

“Then why don’t you swim with Beth and Estelle? They aren’t playing either.” Paige raised her voice to carry to the pair. “Girls, can you come give Hetta some encouragement? She’s feeling a bit unsure about swimming.”

“Of course, ma’am.” Beth swam over, followed by Estelle. “Don’t be afraid, Hetta. Moira’s a sea dragon. She can control the whole lake with her magic. Nobody can come to harm while she’s watching.”

Hetta made no move to join the two girls. “But the water’s all brown and dirty.”

“Don’t be such a baby.” Estelle flicked a spray of water at Hetta, making her flinch. “See? It’s fine.”

“That’s not helping, Estelle,” Paige said firmly. “Though she’s right, Hetta. The water really is fine. It just looks brown because of the mud at the bottom.”

Hetta drew back even further. “I don’t want to get muddy!”

“You won’t get muddy,” Paige said. “The silt stays at the bottom. Think of it like a giant pool filter. I promise you, the water is perfectly clean.”

“Well, at least until the campers get in,” Estelle said under her breath.

“Moira wouldn’t let us swim if it wasn’t hygienic,” Paige said hurriedly. “If you’re not sure about jumping from the dock, you could wade in from the shore. That way you can get used to the water at your own speed.”

“But what if there are fish?” Hetta was clearly not going to be swayed. “I don’t want a big, cold, slimy fish nibbling my toes.”

With an effort, Paige held onto her patient smile. “Fish don’t like a lot of noise and splashing, Hetta. They won’t go anywhere near you, I promise. They’re probably all hiding in the deepest parts of the lake, waiting for us all to go away. Look, why don’t you try going in just a little? Nothing is going to be able to swim up to you in two inches of water.”

“An alligator could,” Hetta said stubbornly. “What if there are alligators? Or crocodiles?”

“Oh, come on ,” Estelle said.

Paige was starting to feel a lot of sympathy for Estelle. “This is Montana, Hetta. Not Florida. I can say with absolute certainty that there are no alligators in this lake. Or crocodiles.”

“We’ve got sharks, though,” Estelle said, a wicked gleam lighting her mismatched eyes. “You gotta watch out for those.”

Hetta let out a squeak of alarm. “There are sharks here?”

Paige was somewhat regretting enlisting Estelle’s aid. “She’s just teasing you, Hetta. There are no sharks in the lake.”

“There are too,” Estelle insisted. “This entire lake is full of sharks. Absolutely packed with ‘em.”

“Hey!” Finley surfaced nearby. “ One shark!”

Estelle shrugged. “You take up a lot of space.”

Hetta recoiled from the water like a scandalized cat. “I’m not going in any lake with a shark in it!”

“I could get out if you like,” Finley offered.

Paige suppressed a sigh. “She really is just teasing you, Hetta. I promise, there’s nothing dangerous in the lake.”

“You’ve never seen Finley in his shift form,” Estelle said. “I wish I was twenty feet long with three rows of razor-sharp teeth.”

“Beth,” Paige said as Hetta’s eyes widened. “Perhaps you and Estelle would like to go and join the other kids.”

Beth, thankfully, took the hint. Throwing Paige an apologetic look, she herded Estelle away before she could do any more damage.

Paige turned back to Hetta, who was now eying the lake as though Jaws himself might erupt from the placid surface at any moment. “There really isn’t anything to worry about, Hetta. Look, at least try sitting on the dock with your feet in the water, okay? For me?”

“Nuh-uh.” Hetta folded her arms. “I’m not getting in that lake. And we all signed the pack contract, so you can’t make me. I’m staying on dry land where it’s safe.”

With an air of finality, Hetta marched away, heading for shore. Paige stared after her, torn. She didn’t want to just give up, but she didn’t know what else she could say to change Hetta’s mind.

Conleth returned, now fully dressed. Paige tried to ignore the small pang of disappointment.

He joined her on the dock, casting a curious look back at Hetta. “Problem?”

Paige blew out her breath. “Hetta’s coming up with all sorts of tenuous reasons why she doesn’t want to swim. She can’t really be afraid of crocodiles, can she?”

“Ah. I think I know what’s going on.” He lowered his voice, turning a little so that his back was to the other campers. “Did you realize she can shift?”

“What?” Paige stared at him, startled. “How do you know that?”

Conleth’s gaze rested thoughtfully on Hetta, now sitting on the steps of the boathouse with her chin on her knees. “Rufus.”

“Rufus?” Paige looked for the griffin shifter, and found he was also staring in Hetta’s direction, brow furrowed. “Did he tell you?”

Conleth shook his head. “Rufus doesn’t reveal other people’s secrets. But I was watching him at the campfire on the first night. He’s extremely perceptive, even for a griffin shifter. From the way he reacted when Hetta said she couldn’t shift, I’m certain she was lying.”

Paige watched Rufus splash his way out of the lake, heading for Hetta. “But the whole point of Camp Thunderbird is so that young shifters can be free to be themselves. Why would she lie about not being able to shift?”

“Not all shifters are apex predators or impressive mythical beasts. Perhaps she feels self-conscious about her shift form. That would explain why she doesn’t want to go swimming. Young shifters often have trouble controlling their transformations in moments of stress or excitement, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“Only too well,” Paige muttered. Something else occurred to her, and she sucked in her breath. “Conleth, there must be something more going on. I talked to Leonie. From what she said, I don’t think Hetta’s dad knows she can shift.”

From the way Conleth’s brow furrowed, this was news to him. “Interesting. I wonder if Hetta’s truly as homesick as she makes out. If she’s terrified someone will discover her secret, she might be hoping we’ll eventually relent and let her go home.”

“We have to find a way to help her.” Paige wracked her brain, but shifter kids who didn’t want to shift were way outside her wheelhouse. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but do you have a plan?”

Conleth’s fingers tapped absently against his thigh. “For now, let’s act as if we don’t know. At the moment we’re just two strange adults who’ve been foisted on her. It’ll take time to win her trust.”

“She seems to have one friend, at least,” Paige said, as Rufus joined Hetta on the stairs. “Maybe she’ll confide in Rufus. But how are we going to persuade her to join in the activities? She’s not going to have any fun at camp if she’s too scared she might shift to try anything new.”

Conleth rubbed his chin. “Let me see what I can do. I should be able to coax her into a few things at?—”

“CONLETH!”

Adrenaline spiked through her at the yell. She whirled, but Conleth was far faster. She’d hadn’t even had time to draw breath before he was back on the dock—now dripping wet, with Archie in his arms.

“What is it?” Paige snatched her brother away from Conleth, anxiously searching him for any sign of injury. “Are you hurt? What’s wrong?”

“I’m thirsty,” her brother informed her.

“ Archie!” Noticing Moira hurrying toward them, Paige waved the head lifeguard away, mouthing False alarm . “You shrieked like you were dying!”

Archie shrugged. “It’s important to stay hydrated. That what you always say.”

“Go get a drink, then. And don’t shout like that again!” Thrusting her brother toward the boathouse, she turned back to Conleth, who was bent over with his hands on his knees. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He straightened, looking ruefully at his dripping clothes. “Though it seems I need to get changed again.”

Paige was not sure she agreed. Conleth in a wet t-shirt was, if anything, even more arresting than Conleth in swimwear.

“Uh, yeah,” she said faintly. “You’d…better go do that. Right away.”

At least Conleth didn’t seem to have noticed the way her brain had short-circuited. He plucked at his sodden t-shirt with a small grimace of discomfort. “I’ll have to fetch fresh clothes from the cabin. I’d say I’ll be as quick as I can, but I’d rather not exhaust myself this early in the day.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Until now, she hadn’t really appreciated the full extent of his power. She hadn’t even seen him move . “I can look after the pack if you need to rest.”

“It was only a brief burst of speed. I’d have to be going that fast for much longer to exhaust my strength.” Indeed, his breathing had already returned to normal, as though he’d done nothing more strenuous than a brief jog. He flashed her a quick grin. “I’ll be back shortly. And don’t worry about Hetta. I think you’ll find I can be very persuasive.”

And for once, Paige hoped he was right.