“Uncle Conleth!”
His chest constricted at the shout. Ignoring the familiar stab, Conleth turned, just in time to catch his six-year-old niece as she launched herself into his arms.
“I sensed you were here!” Beth hugged him before sliding back to the ground. “I wanted to come see you straight away, but Daddy said you were working and I shouldn’t bother you.”
His heart twinged again. “You can always bother me, fledgling.”
“Beth!” wailed another childish voice. “You didn’t wait for us!”
Beth heaved a sigh. Giving him an expressive, one-adult-to-another sort of look, she confided, “All the grown-ups wanted to go see the dock and boathouse, but Auntie Moira said it wasn’t safe for little ones. So I’m stuck looking after the babies.”
“I’m not ababy,” Estelle said indignantly, having arrived in time to overhear. “You’re only a year older than me.”
“A year andthree quarters,” Beth corrected. “Which means I’m in charge, and you have to do what I say.”
Fortunately, Finley and Rufus picked that moment to arrive, interrupting the brewing fight. Both boys were panting for breath. Conleth suspected Beth had dragged all three kids across the site as soon as she sensed him step out of the office.
“Conleth!” Noticing Zephyr, Finley bobbed his head in a brief, respectful bow. “And honored Thunderbird.”
“No need for formality, Finley,” Zephyr said, smiling. “You don’t have to be a prince here. Just yourself.”
“This place is amazing!” Beth spun in a circle, arms outstretched, beaming from ear-to-ear. Conleth had rarely seen his responsible, serious niece so uninhibited. “We’ve been exploring. It’s so big!”
Finley nodded enthusiastic agreement, his careful manners dropping away. “Is it really just for shifter kids?”
“Unfortunately,” Zephyr replied. He threw Conleth a somewhat pointed look. “I’m still not happy about that.”
“Neither am I, but Lord Golden wouldn’t invest unless you agreed to exclude non-shifters. And since you need his money, you’re stuck pandering to the bigoted ass.” Conleth returned Zephyr’s look with an even more pointed one of his own. “Unless you want to reconsider my alternative solution?”
Zephyr’s jaw set in the stubborn line Conleth had come to know all too well. “You’ve already put far too much time and effort into this camp. I’m not taking your money as well.”
“Zephyr, I could fund this entire place with loose pocket change.”
This was aslightexaggeration, but he could have easily contributed to the camp start-up costs. Thanks to a combination of his family’s generational wealth and his own meteoric career in corporate finance, money was one of the few things he’d never had to worry about.
“I don’t take money from my friends,” Zephyr said firmly. “I mean it, Conleth. That’s my red line. I want this camp to be an actual business, not a vanity project.”
“Then you’re limiting both your target market and your recruitment pool. Lord Golden was very clear on that point. No non-shifters on site, either as campers or staff.”
Estelle’s small face clouded with worry. “But I can’t shift yet. Does that mean I’m not allowed here?”
“You’re still a shifter, so you can come to camp.” Zephyr ruffled her fine, silvery hair. “Though not this year, I’m afraid.”
Estelle pouted. “Why not?”
“You’re too little,” Beth told her loftily. “And you’ve never slept away from home. You’d be scared.”
“I’m not little!” Estelle drew herself up to her full, extremely unimpressive height. “And I’m not scared of anything!”
“Unfortunately,” Conleth said under his breath. Estelle lived on the horse ranch next to the camp, and had exhibited an alarming fascination with the entire construction process. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d had to dash across the site to haul her out of an excavator.
The corner of Zephyr’s mouth twitched up. “No one doubts your bravery, Estelle. But there’s a minimum age for campers. We’re not licensed to look after children under the age of eight.”
“Six isalmostthe same as eight,” Beth said hopefully. “And everyone says I’m very mature for my age.”
“Rules are rules, Beth.” Zephyr spread his hands. “But you won’t have to wait long. In a few years, I’m sure you’ll be having plenty of adventures here. As a matter of fact, I know you will.”
Conleth cast his gaze to the heavens. “Not this again.”
