“I never agreed to take that bet.” Zephyr leaned forward on his elbows, fixing Buck with dark, serious eyes. “Uncle, regardless of how you view yourself, in the eyes of shifter society youareone of us now. Even Lord Golden would consider you perfectly acceptable for the role.”
“Then the man is a damn idiot. Be serious, Zephyr. There must be some sucker you can sweet-talk into this.”
“I do have one other potential candidate.” Zephyr let out a sigh. “Unfortunately, he’s even more stubborn and unwilling than you.”
“Not physically possible,” Buck said. “Tell me who it is. I’llmakehim agree.”
Conleth snorted. “Good luck with that. As I’ve repeatedly told Zephyr, the only way he’s getting one of those appallingly tacky t-shirts over my head is if he’s dressing my corpse for burial.”
“You?” Buck stared at the pegasus shifter. “Wait a motherloving minute. Zephyr askedyouto be a counselor?”
“Your tone of incredulity is duly noted,” Conleth said dryly. “I would take offense, if your feelings on the matter were not identical to my own.”
It was indeed hard to imagine Conleth getting down in the dirt to show a pack of kids how to light a fire. Buck didn’t think he’d ever seen the groomed, urbane businessman in anything other than a tailored suit. Even now, sitting behind a second-hand desk in a log cabin that could most charitably be described as ‘rustic’, Conleth wasstillwearing a tie.
Buck shook off a twinge of misgiving. “Well, I’m sure as hell not doing it. Like it or not, you’re the only option.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I do in fact already have a job here,” Conleth snapped back, still typing without a pause. “Someone has to keep this show on the road.”
“Fine.” Buck knew he was clutching at straws, but he tried anyway. “Then you be a counselor, andI’lltake over the admin. I ran a hotshot crew, remember? I can handle a little paperwork.”
Conleth’s fingers stilled at last. He lifted his head, treating Buck to a long, withering stare.
“Very well,” Conleth said, sarcasm oozing from every pore. “I’ll play rugged wilderness explorer with a pack of adorable moppets.Youtake over payroll, accounts, ordering, inventory, personnel rosters, taxes, investments, maintenance schedules, dispute resolution, recruitment, and marketing. Oh, not to mention ensuring that we maintain compliance with over four hundred pages of health and safety procedures to keep our camp accreditation, while also never letting any mundane state officials realize what we actually do here. What an excellent idea. This is certainly playing to our respective strengths. I can’t wait to see your quarterly financial projections.”
Zephyr cleared his throat. “In truth, I do need Conleth running the business side of things, Uncle. Look, I wouldn’t ask unless I was desperate. The kids arrive tomorrow. I need to find a counselornow.”
Buck could feel fate closing in, jaws opening wide to swallow him whole. “And what if you don’t get one?”
Zephyr’s expression didn’t change, but a chill swept across Buck’s skin. The light seemed to dim, as though great wings curved overhead, blocking out the sun. For a moment, a remote, dispassionate presence looked out at him through his nephew’s eyes.
“Then I would have no choice,” Zephyr said, with the softness of distant thunder. “Some of the children would have to go home.”
A horrified gasp echoed this statement. Buck turned, since the sound sure as hell hadn’t come from his own mouth. With an increasing sense of doom, he realized the door was ajar.
He shot a glare at Conleth. “Are your pegasus senses on the fritz? I thought you were supposed to be able to detect people.”
“To some extent,” Conleth said. He’d gone back to his work, now wearing the beatific expression of a man who knew he was off the hook. “It’s not my primary talent. But yes, they’ve been there the whole time.”
Buck heaved a heartfelt sigh and lifted his voice. “You might as well come in, kids.”
There was a guilty pause, then the door opened to reveal Estelle and Beth. The two girls looked like deer who’d just spotted an oncoming truck.
“You wouldn’t really, would you, Zeph?” For once, all of Estelle’s belligerent attitude had deserted her. She clutched Beth’s hand. “I mean, you wouldn’t really make some of us go home, right?”
“I can’t compromise on safety, Estelle,” Zephyr replied, still in those grave tones. “There’s a limit to how many children each adult can supervise. If I don’t have enough counselors, I have to reduce the number of campers. It’s that simple.”
“How…” Beth stopped, swallowing. “How many places would you have to cut?”
“At the absolute minimum?” Zephyr paused, face softening with pity. “Four.”
Estelle and Beth looked at each other. Buck could see the same realization dawning in both young minds.
Beth drew in a great, gulping breath. She straightened, shoulders setting. “Director Zephyr—”
“No!” Estelle burst out. She let go of Beth, fists clenching. “Don’t you dare! We’ve been waiting forever. This was the year we were all going to go to camp at last. You can’t just volunteer to go home!”
Beth’s trembling lower lip firmed. “He said four, Estelle. You know who he means. Who it has to be.”
