“I’m thirsty,” her brother informed her.
“Archie!” Noticing Moira hurrying toward them, Paige waved the head lifeguard away, mouthingFalse alarm. “You shrieked like you were dying!”
Archie shrugged. “It’s important to stay hydrated. That what you always say.”
“Go get a drink, then. And don’t shout like that again!” Thrusting her brother toward the boathouse, she turned back to Conleth, who was bent over with his hands on his knees. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He straightened, looking ruefully at his dripping clothes. “Though it seems I need to get changed again.”
Paige was not sure she agreed. Conleth in a wet t-shirt was, if anything, even more arresting than Conleth in swimwear.
“Uh, yeah,” she said faintly. “You’d…better go do that. Right away.”
At least Conleth didn’t seem to have noticed the way her brain had short-circuited. He plucked at his sodden t-shirt with a small grimace of discomfort. “I’ll have to fetch fresh clothes from the cabin. I’d say I’ll be as quick as I can, but I’d rather not exhaust myself this early in the day.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Until now, she hadn’t really appreciated the full extent of his power. She hadn’t even seen himmove. “I can look after the pack if you need to rest.”
“It was only a brief burst of speed. I’d have to be going that fast for much longer to exhaust my strength.” Indeed, his breathing had already returned to normal, as though he’d done nothing more strenuous than a brief jog. He flashed her a quick grin. “I’ll be back shortly. And don’t worry about Hetta. I think you’ll find I can beverypersuasive.”
And for once, Paige hoped he was right.
CHAPTER 16
By the end of the week, Conleth was experiencing a profound existential crisis.
Previously, he’d considered himself an excellent negotiator. He’d sat down at a conference table opposite arrogant alpha CEOs used to getting their own way, and shaken hands on a contract entirely in his own company’s favor before they’d even finished a single cup of coffee. He’d been studying the art of persuasion for his entire adult life. He wasgoodat it.
Or at least, he’d thought he was good at it. At the moment, all those billion-dollar deals and corporate mergers seemed like child’s play compared to changing the mind of an actual child.
“Come on, Hetta.” He gave her his most encouraging smile, which he suspected was starting to look rather strained around the edges. “I promise, it’s perfectly safe. I’m right here. Just try taking a single step.”
Hetta didn’t budge, still maintaining a death grip on the rope rails to either side of the log beam. “What if I slip?”
“Then I’ll catch you.”
Hetta eyed the log as though it were suspended over a flaming pit of hungry crocodiles rather than barely six inches off the ground. “What if you get distracted?”
“I won’t,” Conleth said, inwardly praying for strength. “I’ll keep my eyes on you the whole time, I promise.”
“That’s impossible. You have to blink. What if I slip while you’re blinking?”
“Hetta, I’m a pegasus shifter. I don’t have to be looking at you to know exactly where you are. I’m not going to let you come to any harm.”
“But you have to watch out for all of us,” Hetta countered. “What if someone else slips and falls, and you zoom off to save them, and thenIslip and fall while you’re busy?”
In fifteen years or so, Conleth reflected, she was going to make a truly terrifying lawyer. “I’d catch you both. You don’t realize how fast I can move. But in the unlikely event that every child here simultaneously decides to test that gravity is still working, I’ll make sure to rescue you first. Now will you please,pleaseat least try?”
Hetta edged the tiniest fraction of an inch closer to the log. “You swear you won’t look away?”
“You have my complete and utter attention.” Conleth locked eyes with her, holding out a hand. “Look at me instead of the ground. I know you’re scared, but you can do this. Don’t think about the rest of the obstacle course. Just take the first step.”
Hetta wavered. Loosening her grip on the safety ropes, she cautiously poked at the beam with one toe?—
“CONLETH!”
Hetta snatched her foot back. “You looked away!”
He cursed himself. “Only for an instant.”
