“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 planetshouldrecognize 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 areterrible.”
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 shiftedback 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’tenough.Physical release swept through her, once, twice, yet she still had a sense of mounting anticipation.
