Golden faltered, losing some of his arrogant air. “Your… mate?”
“Yes.” Buck stalked forward until he was toe to toe with the dragon shifter. “If you’ve got a problem with her being here, then we’re going to have to settle this like men. And believe me, you wouldn’t enjoy that.”
Golden was working hard to keep his composure, but Honey could tell he was rattled. His gaze flicked down to the lightning still seething ominously around Buck’s biceps.
“You must see that this is a special case, Lord Golden,” Zephyr said in mild, reasonable tones. “No-one can part a shifter from his mate. Indeed, it would be unthinkable—not to mention unwise—to even try.”
“I… see that there are facts of which I was previously unaware.” Golden took a subtle step back, easing away from Buck. “The situation seems to be more complex than I first assumed. Perhaps, given the circumstances, an exception can be made.”
“You don’t have to make an exception,” Buck growled.
Honey put a hasty hand on his arm, stopping him from saying more. White lightning sparked from his skin to hers, making her nerves tingle.
“I don’t want you to make an exception for me,” she said to Golden. “If I belong here, even though I’m not a shifter, then others might too.”
“Fate does have a way of bringing mates together,” Zephyr murmured, the slightest hint of a smile playing around his mouth. “Honey has a point, Lord Golden. Perhaps we might consider dropping the shifter-only rule entirely. We don’t want to have to go through all this again next summer.”
“I’m not saying to just throw open the camp to the general public,” Honey said hastily, seeing the look of outrage creeping over Golden’s face again. “We still want to keep this place a secret. But there are plenty of people who know about shifters without being shifters themselves. People who are mated to shifters, or related to them. Even kids from shifter families, who got unlucky in the genetic lottery. They belong here at camp too. As much as anyone.”
“It would make it considerably easier to recruit counselors,” Conleth added. “Not to mention expanding our market. Think of the profits. You would enjoy a considerable increase in your return on investment, Lord Golden.”
Lord Golden hesitated. Buck shifted position a little, and a small lightning bolt leaped from his fingers to earth itself in the ground. The dragon shifter flinched.
“Sorry,” Buck said, not sounding sorry at all. “Still getting the hang of all this. Were you about to say something?”
Golden’s lips thinned. Honey was fairly certain that behind that aristocratic profile, he was grinding his teeth.
“You offer many persuasive arguments,” he said, notablynotlooking at Buck. “Very well. You may open the camp to non-shifters. Only if they already know about us, however. I will still expect strict standards to be maintained.”
“Of course.” Conleth offered the dragon shifter his most winning smile. “Of course, we’ll need to get the modification to the camp charter set down in writing. If you would care to step this way, Lord Golden, I’ll draw up the contract for you to sign. Immediately.”
Conleth hustled Lord Golden into the office. Zephyr followed them, but Ignatius didn’t. He hunched his shoulders, eying Buck and Honey.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked.
“No,” Honey said, smiling. She gestured across the square. “Leonie’s just back there, along with the rest of the pack. Go tell everyone it’s safe to come out now, okay?”
“Kid,” Buck called as Ignatius headed off.
The boy paused, glancing back warily.
“Good job,” Buck told him. “Thanks.”
Ignatius didn’t quite smile, but his shoulders eased down. He gave Buck a stiff, formal nod, turning away.
“Next time, tell an adult first!” Buck raised his voice. “Or I’ll roast you over the motherloving campfire!”
“I’m kind of glad he didn’t tell us,” Honey murmured as Ignatius sloped off.
“Me too, but I’m not about to let him know that.” Buck put his arm around her. “Fuck, Honey. If it weren’t for those damn kids…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, drawing her close instead. Heart full of the same gratitude, Honey leaned against his chest.
“Why is your shirt wet?” she murmured. She wrinkled her nose. “And why do you smell of smoke?”
“Blame Ragvald. It’s a long story.” His arms tightened around her. “You were right. I’m a motherloving idiot.”
She laughed, nuzzling against his neck. “I never called you an idiot.”
