Chapter 41

CHAPTER 41

“ O kay,” Estelle said, much later. Lit by the flickering light of the campfire, she looked around at the rest of the pack. “Did anyone suspect that Paige was a bear shifter?”

As everyone shook their heads, Archie’s bear huffed in bafflement. Wasn’t it obvious?

“My bear knew,” Archie said around a mouthful of buttery, flaky pastry. He passed the Tupperware container on to Beth. “It’s always talked about her as if she was another bear. Only I thought that was just because, you know, it’s a bear. I didn’t realize it meant it literally.”

“But how could Paige not know?” Nancy asked. “I mean, everyone just knows whether they’re a shifter, right?”

“Right,” Estelle agreed. “Even though I can’t shift yet, I can still hear my unicorn.”

“Not everyone’s like that,” Ignatius muttered into his slice of lemon meringue pie. “I’ve only got Rufus’s word for it that my dragon even exists.”

Rufus gave Ignatius a gentle push.

Ignatius rolled his eyes at the griffin shifter’s telepathic comment. “Yes, yes, I know. I just wish it would say something. It would be nice not to be second-guessing every stray thought, wondering if it’s actually my own.”

“Maybe Paige’s bear did talk to her,” Finley suggested. “Only she never realized it was her animal. Perhaps she assumed any sudden impulse or inexplicable emotion was just her subconscious.”

Archie picked a fresh box of treats out of the now much-diminished pile, peeling back the lid. “Yeah, I reckon Paige’s bear must have recognized Conleth when they first met. That explains why she was so weird about him right from the start.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Beth said, somewhat defensively. “It’s only natural she was attracted to Uncle Conleth from the moment she first saw him. He is very handsome.”

Estelle elbowed her. “You just say that because he’s literally identical to your dad. You’ve got to admit, Archie has a point.”

“Oh, all right.” Letting out a huff, Beth took another pastry. “I suppose it does explain a few things. Though I still can’t believe she was a shifter all along.”

“A repressed shifter,” Finley corrected. “It happens, sometimes. I’ve read about it in books. Sometimes people don’t discover their animal until late in life, around times of heightened stress or change. Perhaps meeting her mate is what brought Paige’s bear out of hibernation.”

Estelle shuddered, icing sugar drifting onto her t-shirt. “I hope I don’t have to wait until I meet my mate before I can shift. I’d probably be old by then. Like, twenty . At least.”

Archie was starting to get kind of achy in the middle, but it seemed a shame to stop now, when he’d tasted almost everything Nancy’s mom had left behind. This Tupperware box turned out to be filled with chocolate-butterscotch-bar-things, which probably had some fancy name, but smelled good anyway. He bit into one, chewing thoughtfully.

“Y’know,” he said, rather stickily. He swallowed before continuing, “what I don’t get is how Paige can be a bear shifter.”

“What do you mean?” Hetta asked.

“Well, to be a shifter, you gotta have a shifter parent, right?” He licked melted chocolate off his fingers. “I’m a bear ‘cause of my dad. Only, Paige was born, like, way earlier, so he wasn’t her dad. Which means Mom must have dated two different bear shifters without even knowing it. That seems an awful big coincidence.”

The other kids exchanged glances.

“Archie,” Beth said slowly. “I don’t think you got your bear from your dad.”

Mom shook her head in vehement denial. “No. That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” Paige held her mom’s gaze, not backing down. “You said yourself that you don’t remember what happened that night with Archie’s dad. Are you sure he was the one who turned into a bear?”

Mom looked away first, watching the figures gathered around the bonfire. This late in the evening, most of the parents had already set off for home, but a few guests still lingered behind, eking out a last few moments with their kids. She let out a long sigh, shoulders dropping.

“When I was little, my foster parents said I had a demon inside me,” Mom said softly. Firelight caught in her eyes, shining in the dark. “They tried to drive it out of me. By the time I met your father, I’d learned to repress so much, I barely knew who I was as a person. I thought that was what love meant. Making yourself small enough to fit someone else’s idea of who you should be.”

Paige reached out, taking her mom’s hand. “You’ve never really talked about what happened with my father. Why he left.”

“I couldn’t tell you the full truth when you were little. And as you grew up, you stopped asking. I was grateful, because I didn’t want to relive that time of my life.” Her mom smiled a little; thin and ironic. “I seem to have a pattern of trying not to remember things.”

“I know my father wasn’t a good person. But you found the strength to leave him.”

“You gave me the strength, Paige.” Mom’s fingers tightened on hers. “I was used to him getting angry with me. I’d learned to appease him. But you were just a baby. One day, you were crying and crying, and I could see him getting angrier and angrier, but no matter what I tried, I couldn’t get you to be quiet. First, he shouted at me, and I accepted that because it was normal. But then he turned around to shout at you —and I saw red.”

“So for the first time, you stood up to him?”

“I think I did more than that,” her mom admitted. “I literally saw red. And then black. When I came back to myself, you were giggling in your crib, but the rest of the furniture was in pieces. And he was cowering in a corner, screaming that I was a monster. I knew I’d done something terrible, but I didn’t know what. I just grabbed you and my purse, and ran.”

No wonder Mom had tried to repress her animal side. “As I understand it, shifters often transform for the first time due to stress. And even later, they can instinctively shift in moments of fear or anger.”

It was hard to tell in the twilight, but she thought a faint pink flush crept over her mom’s cheeks. “The last time I saw Archie’s dad, I…wasn’t angry, though.”

“Other emotions can trigger a shift too,” Paige said. “You really loved him, didn’t you?”

Her mom closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded. “I ran because I didn’t want to hurt him. And I couldn’t bear the thought of him calling me a monster, too. So I ghosted him before he could reject me. Even though it felt like ripping out my own heart.”

Paige suspected there was a reason for that, but it wasn’t something to raise now. Her mother had already had enough shocks for one day.

“You aren’t a monster, Mom,” she said gently. “No more than Archie is. Or me.”

“I know.” Her mom let out a rather wry breath. “But it’s hard to convince my heart of that. It may take a bit more than a game of tug-of-war.”

Paige smiled at her mom. “It seems we’ve both got a lot to learn about ourselves.”

“Maybe we can learn together.” With a final squeeze, her mom released her hand, pulling away. “I should get moving. The taxi will be here any moment.”

“It won’t go without you. And don’t worry about your motel, I’ve already arranged to extend your stay.”

Well, technically Conleth had sorted that out, after she’d talked him down from booking her mom an entire house complete with a private chef and limo service. Paige was just glad she’d managed to convince her mom to stay the rest of the summer, rather than heading back home as planned.

“I’ve still got to work, but I’ll make time to see you as much as I can,” she continued. “And I want to introduce you to some friends of mine, Buck and Honey. Their situation isn’t quite the same as yours, but they know what it’s like to suddenly have an animal in your head. You should talk to Zephyr, too. He isn’t exactly a typical shifter either. I think he could help you get back in touch with your bear.”

“Hmm,” her mom said, which wasn’t precisely agreement, but at least wasn’t a flat-out refusal, either. She glanced across the square. “That man of yours seems to be heading this way. My cue to leave, I think.”

Paige’s heart sank a little. “Mom, I know it’s going to take you time to process your feelings about shifters. But Conleth’s my mate, and?—”

“Oh, not because he’s a shifter,” her mom interrupted, getting to her feet. She winked at her. “But I suspect you two are going to be processing your feelings rather extensively in the near future. Just try to get some sleep tonight, all right?”

Paige was certainly looking forward to some private time with her mate, but it seemed she wasn’t going to get it just yet. As her mom headed off, Conleth strolled up—alas, not alone.

“Ah, Paige, there you are,” Conleth said. His manner was business-like, but he had a wicked gleam in his eye. “Lord Golden, allow me to present Ignatius’s other counselor, Paige Brown. I don’t believe you’ve had the chance to meet her before now.”

Paige repressed the urge to shoot her mate a dirty look. From everything she’d heard about Lord Golden, a handshake seemed unlikely to go down well, so she dipped her head in a kind of awkward bow instead.

“Lord Golden.” She stalled for an instant, trying to figure out a polite pleasantry that wouldn’t be a downright lie. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

The dragon shifter sniffed, as though naturally everyone on the entire planet should recognize him on sight. “I, on the other hand, haven’t heard anything about you. My nephew never mentioned another counselor in his letters to me. What sort of shifter are you?”

Apparently, Lord Golden didn’t care about being ‘super rude,’ as Archie had put it. Caught off-guard, Paige hesitated. “Uh…”

“Paige is a grizzly bear shifter,” Conleth supplied smoothly. He had a near-perfect poker-face, but she could tell he was enjoying himself immensely. “From a very powerful family. In fact, her brother is one of the most impressive alphas I’ve ever met.”

“Grizzly, you say?” Lord Golden looked her up and down. He sniffed again, rather more thoughtfully. “Acceptable.”

The moment the dragon shifter had left to say farewell to his nephew, Paige elbowed her mate. “You are terrible. ”

He laughed, snaking an arm around her waist. “Can you blame me for wanting to show off my mate to everyone?”

She poked him in the ribs again, even as she pulled him down for a kiss. “When it’s Lord Golden, yes.”

He made a wholly unapologetic noise against her lips, pushing her back against the wall of the office. Any lingering exasperation fled.

All too soon, however, he pulled away. “I sensed your mom leaving. Did you tell her our theory?”

“About Archie’s dad being her mate?” Paige sighed, leaning against his chest. “No, not yet. It didn’t seem to be the right moment. And I don’t know how she’ll feel about trying to find him again.”

“I know an excellent private investigator. If anyone can find him, she will.” He brushed her hair back from her face, tipping her chin up. “But only when your mom is ready.”

She grinned at him, letting her hips press a little harder against his. “Speaking of being ready for things…”

His answering smile had a feral edge that made her pulse quicken. “We’re not on cabin duty tonight. What did you have in mind?”

With a quick glance to check no kids were around, Paige let her hand slide down. Conleth let out a muffled curse, muscles clenching.

“I want you,” she whispered, “to fly me home, Conleth.”

His eyes gleamed in answer. Without a word, he stepped back, moving off the office porch. His form rippled, shifting.

Paige went to him, pressing her face against the pegasus’s sleek neck. She breathed in his clean, wild scent, and something seemed to rumble in her chest, deep and satisfied.

Mine .

Strength flooded through her. No need to ask him to lower himself to her level; it was easy, now, to leap lightly onto that broad back.

She’d barely settled herself before he was leaping into the air. Matching his rolling rhythm felt as natural as if his wings sprouted from her own shoulders. Laughing, she leaned into the wind, hair streaming behind her like a banner.

Conleth could have covered the distance in moments, but neither of them was in any rush. He turned in a graceful arc, dipping low over the lake before rising to skim the roofs of the camp buildings. As he rose again, Paige saw small figures break away from the campfire, charging after them. One raced ahead of the others, jumping and waving madly.

Paige waved back at her brother before turning to crouch low over Conleth’s neck. Reading her unspoken signal, he sped up, shooting into the sky. In a breath, they’d left the camp behind, arcing over the forest.

Mine . That fierce sense of possessive rightness grew, expanding out to the horizon. Her forest, her mountain. Her home, her family, her mate. All hers, to love and cherish and protect.

This time, Conleth landed on the rooftop garden rather than the lawn. She slid off his back, feeling the rush of air as he shifted back to human form. Taking her hand, he started to lead her inside, but something in her balked.

She tugged at his hand. “Can we stay out here? It feels…more right, somehow.”

He smiled, bending to capture her mouth. “You can have whatever you want.”

And she did.

Except…it wasn’t enough.

Even when he set every nerve of her body singing, when she arched up to meet him, when she felt she might swirl up into the stars—it still wasn’t enough. Physical release swept through her, once, twice, yet she still had a sense of mounting anticipation.

“Conleth,” she gasped, legs locked around his hips. She pulled his head down, arcing back to expose her neck. “ Now. ”

With a deep groan, he bit down. The bright flash of pain vanished, swept away by pure bliss as he pulsed within her. She felt him not just in her body but in her mind, her soul , reaching out to touch her very essence. She stretched back eagerly, reaching for him in return, trying to complete that tenuous connection?—

Except she couldn’t . She teetered on the very edge of climax, yet that sense of missed connection held her back from release. No matter how she strained, he was just out of reach, like brushing fingertips in the dark.

“Conleth,” she panted, body clenching around him in agonized frustration. “I want this, I want you, but it’s still not working! I’m doing something wrong!”

To her utter bewilderment, he actually laughed, mouth still pressed to her shoulder. With a parting kiss, he pushed himself up on his arms, grinning down at her.

“Paige,” he murmured, still deep within her. He turned his head a little, offering her his own throat. “ You need to claim me. ”

YES.

She didn’t hesitate. Gripped by pure instinct, she bit deep, marking him as hers forever.

And finally, everything was right.

Afterward, they lay curled together, slowly getting their breath back. Paige traced the crescent mark she’d left on his neck, already healing.

“I should have been more careful about where I bit you,” she said. “That scar’s going to be visible above your t-shirt.”

He brushed his thumb over her own mate mark, which he’d managed to place rather more discreetly. “Good.”

She rolled on top of him, pillowing her arms on his chest. “Since you’re so pleased, you get to explain it to the kids.”

He winced, a slight look of consternation crossing his face. “As much as I hate to say this, we might want to get back to camp early tomorrow. Otherwise we’re likely to find ourselves assaulted by another surprise party.”

“Mmm.” She nestled comfortably against him. “I’m willing to take that risk.”

His deep chuckle vibrated through her bones. “So am I.”

Paige closed her eyes, listening to his slowing pulse. When she concentrated, she could feel the same steady, reassuring rhythm deep in her chest, like his heart beat next to her own. His love shone through the mate bond, as solid and undeniable as his arms around her.

“Not long now until the end of summer,” she murmured sleepily. “We should start making plans for the future.”

She felt him nod, his muscles flexing under her ear. “I’ll send a preliminary list of shifter pediatricians over to your mother tomorrow. And I’ll start researching potential?—”

“Not just for my family,” she interrupted. She pushed herself up on her elbows, propping her chin in her hands so she could look down at him. “I meant for us. As much as I love that you want to fulfill my every desire, I know there are things you want, too.”

“Ah.” A slightly wistful look flitted across his face, but he shook his head. “Long-term plans. We need to get your family settled first. It can wait.”

Paige had a peculiar sense of something shifting in her head; a large, warm presence, stirring grumpily out of hibernation. A thought pushed into her awareness, emotion taking shape into something that wasn’t quite words:

Not too long.

“Paige?” Conleth looked up at her quizzically. “What is it?”

She came back to herself, blinking in astonishment. “I think my bear just spoke to me.”

Conleth’s eyebrows rose. “What did she say?”

Hiding a smile, she bent to claim her mate again. “I’ll tell you later.”