“An ass,” Buck replied, under the sound of Zephyr welcoming everyone to camp. “You remember I told you this place is for shifters only?”
“Believe me, I’m not likely to forget.”
Buck’s mouth tightened. “I didn’t tell you why.”
CHAPTER13
“Honey?” Flora said at bedtime, as Honey was tucking the girls into their bunks. “Does Ignatiushaveto be in our pack?”
Honey sighed as she smoothed Flora’s blanket, pulling it up to the girl’s chin. “I’m afraid so.”
She still couldn’t believe Buck hadn’t told her about Lord Golden earlier. If she’d known that her presence here could put the camp’s funding at risk, she would never have agreed to stay.
Buck had been adamant that it didn’t make any difference.Look, worst comes to the worst, Zeph fires us both and Conleth smooths things over with Golden,he’d told her in that hushed, heated argument outside the dining hall.But it’s not going to come to that.
Honey wished she shared Buck’s confidence. Relying on Conleth to sweet-talk an angry alpha dragon seemed like a shaky back-up plan at best. Now she had double the incentive to make sure no one found out her secret.
Which would have been a lot easier without Ignatius. She didn’t know why his uncle had insisted on sending him to camp, but it was clear Ignatius would rather be anywhere else. He’d jump at the slightest excuse to cause trouble.
“We’ll just have to make the best of it,” she told Flora. “Give him a few days to settle in. He didn’t want to come here, after all.”
“Yeah, well, we don’t want him here either,” Estelle said sourly from the bunk above. “Zephyr should make us all happy and send him home.”
“You know he can’t,” Beth said from the neighboring bunk bed. “He can’t risk offending Ignatius’s uncle. I’ve seen the camp finances. Lord Golden has put a lot of money into this place.”
“Probably because he knew that he’d have to bribe any camp to take his horrible nephew,” Estelle muttered. “Motherloving butthole.”
“Estelle!” Beth said, before Honey could issue a gentle reproof. “No swearing in camp.”
“It’s not swearing,” Estelle protested. “Buck never swears, and he says motherloving all the motherloving time.”
“It’s what hesays,” Flora said thoughtfully. “But I don’t think it’s what hemeans.”
“Lights off now, girls,” Honey said, making a mental note to have a word with Buck. “Tomorrow’s another busy day.”
“With Ignatius,” Flora said without enthusiasm. She burrowed further under the covers. “Are you sure we can’t get rid of him somehow?”
“I know a cave,” Estelle volunteered. “Adeepcave.”
“Estelle!”
“You’re right,” Estelle conceded. “That won’t work. You or Conleth could still find him. Maybe we could punt him into the lake.”
“No punting people into the lake,” Honey said. “Perhaps Ignatius will warm up once he sees how much fun the rest of us have.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Beth asked. “Estelle’s got a point, Honey. I don’t want him ruining things for the rest of the pack.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Honey said firmly, though she had no idea how. “Leave Ignatius to me, girls. I promise you all, you’re going to have the best summer ever.”
“You mean we,” Flora corrected. “We’re all going to have the best summer ever. That includes you too, Honey.”
Honey hesitated a fraction too long. Flora’s curly head poked out from under the blanket again. The wombat shifter frowned, peering up at her.
“Honey?” Flora asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Honey pulled the covers up to Flora’s chin, her heart twisting with a bittersweet pang. “This is already the best summer of my life. I’m so glad that I came here and met you all.”
“We are too,” Estelle said sleepily. “‘Specially because of Buck. He’s a lot better since you came.”
