Chapter 37

CHAPTER 37

“ C ompletely unacceptable,” Lord Golden announced, pacing back and forth across the office. “An utter outrage.”

“Indeed,” Conleth murmured, only half-listening. It had seemed prudent to let the irate dragon shifter berate him in private, but it was hard to keep up a constant stream of soothing bullshit while simultaneously keeping track of everyone else with his pegasus sense. “We appreciate your candid feedback, Lord Golden. I assure you, we will treat it with all due consideration.”

“I should hope so!” Lord Golden banged a fist against Zephyr’s desk in emphasis. “It is a scandal! An absolute indignity! A humiliation not to be tolerated!”

“Uncle.” Ignatius looked like he would welcome a direct meteor strike with open arms. Conleth shared the sentiment. “I think he gets it. Please stop going through the thesaurus.”

“I will not!” Lord Golden declared. He’d been going on in this vein ever since the ill-fated tug-of-war tournament, and was clearly only warming to his theme. “I expect everyone here to treat you with the consideration and respect due your status, Ignatius. To force you to demean yourself in such a way is an insult to our very bloodline! From now on, you are not to take part in any of these ridiculous camp games!”

“But,” Ignatius began, and then shut his mouth.

“Of course we understand your concerns, Lord Golden,” Conleth said smoothly, to save Ignatius from having to admit he liked the camp games. “But you said you wanted us to do everything we could to help your nephew connect with his inner dragon.”

Lord Golden looked down his nose at him—which involved some neck strain, as Conleth topped the dragon shifter by at least four inches. “And how, pray tell, is playing childish games supposed to assist my heir?”

Pray tell? Next the pretentious jackass would be going full Shakespeare and breaking out into iambic pentameter. And where the hell was Paige? She should have been back with Hetta by now. His awareness skipped across camp, searching for either of them amongst the crowds.

“Well?” Lord Golden snapped, making him start. “If you do not want me to remove my heir from this shambolic excuse for a camp this very afternoon, I suggest you explain yourself at once.”

Ignatius went pale. “Uncle!”

Focus, idiot. Conleth forced his attention back to his immediate surroundings. “As I’m sure you’re aware, Lord Golden, it’s common for youngsters to undergo their first shift in moments of high stress. While the camp games may seem juvenile, such competitions are a safe way of inducing that sort of emotional state. If Ignatius sincerely wants to win—no matter how trivial the stakes—his dragon may emerge in response.”

Lord Golden considered this.

“The argument has some merit,” he grudgingly conceded. “Very well. Ignatius, you have my permission to continue to participate in these activities. Though you must promise to do your utmost to uphold the honor of our clan.”

Behind Golden’s back, Ignatius shot Conleth a look of heartfelt gratitude. “Yes, Uncle.”

“I’m sure Ignatius will continue to make us all proud,” Conleth said distractedly. His hands twitched. “If you are satisfied, Lord Golden, then perhaps we could return?—”

“Indeed I am not!” Golden interrupted. “It is one thing to allow my nephew to take part in competitions that, while undignified, may help him to unleash his full draconic potential. It is quite another to let him roll around in dirt with uncouth peasants . While, of course, he has no true equals here, I demand that you provide him with companions closer to his own social status.”

Conleth wondered whether to point out that one of the ‘peasants’ was directly in line for the sea dragon Pearl Throne, and thus outranked the self-styled ‘Lord’ Golden by a considerable margin. It was getting harder and harder to concentrate on the conversation. He should have had hours left before his meds ran out, yet a strange agitation filled him.

Then he realized it wasn’t his agitation squeezing his heart.

“Excuse me,” he managed to get out, past the sudden pounding in his ears. “An important matter requires my immediate attention.”

Lord Golden opened his mouth—no doubt to say something along the lines of More important than me?!—but Conleth was already bolting out the door. He didn’t need his pegasus to tell him which way to go. Paige’s need was a siren song in his blood, pulling him across the camp.

“Paige!” He caught her shoulders, having to swinging her around in a circle to halt his own momentum. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

She didn’t respond, motionless as a doll in his arms. Realizing that he was still speeding, he reined in his pegasus, forcing himself to slow.

“Conleth!” She came to life, clutching at his shirt. “Archie—my mom—I couldn’t keep up with him, he’s gone!”

“It’s all right. I’m here now. I’ll find him.” He pulled her against his chest, holding her tight. “Tell me what happened.”

“I found my mom hiding in the laundry room, on the verge of a breakdown.” Her voice cracked in anguish. “Conleth, she isn’t anxious about Archie’s inability to control his bear. She can’t stand to be around shifters. Any shifters.”

The implications hit him like a freight train. “What?”

“That’s even not the worst part.” Paige pulled away. “Conleth, Archie was listening. He heard the whole thing.”

His whole body went cold. The truth crystallized into a single, inescapable thought, filling his mind like ice:

This is all my fault .

Paige was still talking, gesturing toward the woods. “He ran off before I could stop him. I tried to follow, but he disappeared into the forest, and I had to give up. My mom’s melting down, I can’t leave her alone for too long.”

Her words shattered his frozen paralysis. Guilt could wait. Right now, she needed action, not useless remorse.

“You stay with your mom.” He was already reaching out with his mind, searching the area. “Archie can’t have gone far. I’ll find him and bring him back.”

“And what then?” Paige raked her fingers through her hair. “What am I supposed to say to him? To my mom? Oh God, I should never have brought her to camp. How am I supposed to fix this?”

“We will fix this,” he said firmly. “It’s going to be all right, Paige.”

“How?” The agonized look she turned on him clove his heart in two. “How will it be all right, Conleth? How can this ever be right?”

And to that, he had no answer.