Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

O ne look at Paige’s face, and Conleth knew he was too late.

“Uncle Conleth!” Beth flushed a guilty scarlet. “We were just, uh…”

“Saying hello to Paige,” Estelle supplied, the very picture of innocence. “She’s Archie’s sister. Have you met her yet?”

“There’s no need to try to conceal the truth, Estelle.” Paige sounded calm, but her eyes were icy. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Um.” Estelle looked from Paige to Conleth, some of her usual boldness faltering. “I kinda feel that we have, actually.”

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Paige said to the girls. “Now, perhaps you could go and find something to do elsewhere. Conleth and I need to talk.”

Estelle needed no further excuse. She bolted out the door, not waiting to see if either of the other kids would follow.

Beth hesitated, clearly torn between a deep desire to make an equally speedy exit, and a need to try to fix things. “Please, Miss Paige, ma’am. Don’t blame Uncle Conleth. I’m sure he was going to tell you.”

“It’s all right, Beth,” Conleth forced a reassuring smile, putting a hand on his niece’s shoulder. “You go with Estelle. I can take it from here.”

Beth looked less than confident about that, but allowed him to steer her out of the room. Conleth followed her with his pegasus senses, checking that she was actually heading after Estelle rather than doubling back to eavesdrop.

That left Archie. The bear glared at Conleth, setting his paws in a way that suggested the only way he was going to be cleared from the room was with the assistance of a bulldozer.

Or, as it turned out, a sister.

“You too, Archie.” Paige’s tone brooked no argument. “Go with the girls. I need to talk to Conleth alone.”

The bear faltered, ears flattening. With clear reluctance, he slunk after Estelle and Beth.

“I can explain,” Conleth said the instant all three kids were out of earshot. He knew he should approach this carefully, yet he couldn’t help words spilling out of him in a torrent of desperation. “I was going to tell you, I swear by all that’s holy. I just couldn’t risk explaining everything straight away. You couldn’t feel the same instant sense of connection, and then there was Archie?—”

“Yes,” Paige interrupted, still in that level, dangerous voice. “Then there was Archie. Who said we were mates. Correctly, as it turns out.”

“I never said we weren’t mates,” Conleth pointed out, and instantly wished he hadn’t.

“You let me think we weren’t! You—” Paige cut herself off, taking a deep breath. “I don’t want to discuss this here. The kids could be eavesdropping again. Let’s find somewhere more private.”

That suited Conleth just fine. He trailed behind her as she strode from the cabin, grateful for the excuse to step outside. It was easier to think under the open sky, away from the constraining pressure of walls.

Everything seemed both too fast and too slow. He was still drained from his earlier exertions, his body heavy and sluggish. His mind chased itself in futile circles, desperately scrabbling for some way to undo this disaster.

Focus. He dug his fingernails into his palms, trying to ground himself. Stay in control. Don’t do anything stupid.

Paige picked a path heading away from the camp, toward the woods. She set a brisk pace, her spine a rigid line, until they’d reached the shadowed edge of the forest. Then she turned, scanning the meadow behind them.

“That should be far enough,” she said. “I don’t think any of the kids followed us.”

“They didn’t,” Conleth confirmed, not needing to glance around himself. “I’d know if they did. We can speak without fear of being overheard. I’ll warn you if anyone approaches.”

“So you can sense people, like Beth.” Paige folded her arms. “Is it true you can move fast as well?”

“Yes.” Now that they’d stopped, restless energy thrummed through him. “I take it the kids figured out what really happened.”

Paige’s expression was still stony. “The kids seem to have figured out a lot of stuff.”

“They are, on occasion, inconveniently observant.” He wished she would start walking again. He put his hands in his pockets, balling them into fists to stop himself from fidgeting. “What did they tell you?”

“Things you should have told me. Starting with the fact that I’m your so-called mate!”

“There’s no so-called about it. As I said, we shifters know, beyond a doubt, when we meet the right person. You are my fated mate. And I’m yours. I’m aware that at the moment, this may not come as welcome news.”

Her glare should have reduced him to bare bones. “It might have been more welcome if I hadn’t had to learn it from a bunch of kids.”

“Really?” He met her eyes, not backing down. “Paige, I realized you weren’t a shifter within minutes of our first meeting. I had no idea you were unaware of the very concept of true mates, but knew you couldn’t experience the strength of that instinct yourself. Can you blame me for not leading with ‘hi, the magic horse in my head informs me that you’re my fated soulmate, let’s get married?’”

“That part I can understand.” Paige’s frosty gaze didn’t waver. “But Archie knew, Conleth. He knew the truth. The one time in his life he was actually right about something, and you did your best to convince him he was wrong.”

He’d been prepared to defend the merits of his hasty plan, but all his half-formed excuses died. He had a sudden, gut-wrenching memory of himself at ten years old, staring at a report card with a single, miraculous A buried between all the usual F s. He’d carried that increasingly tatty piece of paper around in his pocket for months, like a lucky charm; a tiny scrap of hope that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t a complete idiot after all.

“You’re right,” he said, shamed. “I didn’t think of that, and I should have. I’m sorry.”

Whatever Paige had been expecting from him, it hadn’t been meek agreement. She opened her mouth, then shut it again.

“Okay,” she said, with rather less hostility. “But you need to apologize to him, not me.”

“I will.” He was losing the battle to keep still, the restlessness so sharp it felt like someone poking pins into his nerves. “Look, do you mind if we keep walking? Stretching my speed power to the limit leaves me in something of an odd state for a few hours. I’ll be able to concentrate better if I’m moving.”

He hadn’t thought Paige would have any interest in his comfort at the moment, but she nodded. She started walking again, letting him fall into step with her. Despite their height difference, it seemed effortless to adjust his stride to match hers. Even with the simmering tension between them, their bodies naturally moved as one.

God, she was beautiful. He couldn’t help stealing glances at her. The sunlight slanting through the trees cast dappled shadows across her freckled cheekbones. She kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, yet she too seemed to relax a little as they walked. Though her shoulders were still tight, her steps were lighter, out here at the edge of the forest.

When she next spoke, she sounded calmer. “I have questions.”

“I imagine you do.” His mind felt clearer now his feet were moving. “Ask away. No more deceptions, I promise.”

“Is it true that you shifters die if you don’t…” A faint pink blush swept beneath Paige’s freckles. “You know. Mate.”

Conleth already disliked this line of questioning.

“No,” he said truthfully. “We do have a very strong instinct driving us to claim our mate. But we don’t die if we don’t. Not literally.”

It just feels like dying.

Just the idea of losing her had his pegasus in a storm of agitation. There were worse things than mere death. For a shifter, losing your mate was the worst of all.

Paige obviously didn’t know that, as she looked relieved. “Good. Because this can’t go anywhere, Conleth. You and me…it isn’t going to happen.”

“I know you have no reason to want me right now. But we are mates. Give me a chance to show you what that means. That I can be right for you, just as you’re right for me.”

Paige was shaking her head. “Conleth?—”

“One summer,” he interrupted, trying not to let his voice betray the panic closing round his throat. “One summer, that’s all I ask. You don’t have to work with me in the office, if you’d prefer to go back to your original assignment as a counselor. But at least agree to spend some time together.”

“I wish I could, Conleth.” Maybe it was his own wishful thinking, but he thought there was genuine regret in her hazel eyes. “But I can’t. Not now, of all times. You saw how Archie reacted to you. If he thought we might get together, he’d spend all his time trying to interfere rather than concentrating on his shifting. And he has to get better control over his bear this summer.”

His attention snagged on her phrasing. “Why this summer in particular?”

For the briefest instant, Paige froze. Other people might have missed that fractional pause, but not him. She hadn’t meant to let that piece of information slip out.

“He just can’t keep shifting all the time.” Paige’s gaze slid away a little, not quite meeting his. “He’s already had some close calls at school. And if he falls behind any further, he’s in danger of getting expelled. We can’t explain to his teachers that he can’t pay attention in class because he’s struggling to remain human. My mom’s sick with worry. He needs to learn how to repress his animal, and fast. This is the only place he can do that.”

It was a plausible explanation. It might even be true. Yet Conleth’s intuition told him that there was something more going on here.

But this wasn’t the time to try to uncover the truth. Right now, she had no reason to trust him at all, let alone confide her deepest secrets.

“Then maybe this is why fate brought us together this summer,” he said. “So I can help.”

Paige’s wary expression cracked, revealing a flash of desperate hope. “Did you have trouble controlling your animal when you were younger, too?”

If she’d been anyone else, he would have put on a confident smile and assured her that of course he was an expert on the matter and would have Archie’s bear tamed in a matter of days. One did not get far in business without mastering the subtle art of talking complete bullshit.

But he’d promised her the truth. And he’d never had trouble controlling his shifting.

Just everything else.

“Well…no,” he admitted, and saw the hope die in her eyes. He rushed on, “But I’m a shifter. Archie and I have that much in common, at least. Let me spend more time with him, too. Maybe I can get to the root cause of his problem.”

Paige let out a brief, humorous laugh. “Conleth, Archie hates your guts. You’re the last person he’d be willing to listen to, especially under the circumstances.”

“Then I’ll find someone else to mentor him. Or come up with a different plan. I’m your mate, Paige. No matter what, I’m not going to leave you face this problem alone.” Remembering the way she’d looked at him earlier, he risked a step closer. “I understand you want what’s best for your brother. But is that truly all you want?”

It was a mistake. He could practically see her walls slamming up. He’d gone too far, too fast. And it was going to cost him everything.

Stupid, impulsive idiot.

“My brother has to be my only priority right now.” Paige retreated, jaw firming. “He has to concentrate on his shifting, and he isn’t going to do that if he’s worrying that I might get together with someone he despises. So from now on, we have to keep our distance from each other. Archie will settle down once he realizes nothing’s going to happen between us.”

“Paige, I’m your mate. You might not fully understand what that means, but Archie does. Even if you’re working as a counselor and I’m in the office, he’s going to be watching my every move from now on.”

Paige groaned. “Which means he’ll be trying to slip away from his counselors at every opportunity instead of concentrating on his shifting. This is a disaster. There has to be some way to reassure him we’re not getting up to anything while his back is turned.”

There was a way. A plan was already coalescing in his head, coming into focus. He just didn’t like it.

And Paige was going to like it even less.

“I have an idea about handling that particular problem.” He held up a hand to forestall any questions. “But I need to figure out some details. For now, go to Leonie. Tell her you can’t work with me, and that you want to go back to your original assignment as a pack counselor. Leave the rest to me.”

“Okay.” Paige hesitated, expression softening. “I’m sorry, Conleth. I know this isn’t what you wanted. Thanks for understanding.”

“I’m your mate,” he said simply. “I’d do anything for you.”

She touched the back of his hand; only for an instant, but he felt it all the way to his heart. “For what it’s worth, I really do wish things could be different. I…just wanted you to know.”

She turned, heading back to camp. Conleth watched her go, nerves still tingling with that brief, grateful touch.

And he knew that in a few short hours, she wasn’t going to feel the same way.