It was beyond bizarre, seeing a stranger’s smile on that familiar face. “I won’t tell my brother you think he’s sweet.”
“He wouldn’t take it as a compliment, anyway.” Diana claimed little Otis from her mate’s lap. “Your uncle Conleth is a very silly man sometimes, isn’t he? Yes, he is.”
The toddler looked around hopefully. “Uncaleth?”
“Sorry, kitten. No Uncle Conleth tonight.” Leonie held out her arms. “Can I get a cuddle, though?”
“I can’t believe you let me walk into that, Leonie,” Paige said as Diana transferred the toddler. “You are an evil, evil woman.”
The evil, evil woman rubbed her nose against Otis’s chubby cheek, making the boy giggle. “I regret nothing. Moira, Ragvald! You can come in now!”
Rolling his eyes, Callum raised his voice as well. “And the rest of you can stop hiding, too.”
Moira entered, Ragvald at her heels. To Paige’s surprise, they were followed by what seemed to be an entire horde of people—mostly muscular, and all grinning.
“I wish you’d let me film that,” a tall man said mournfully to Moira. “I could have played it at their wedding reception.”
“Joe!” A blonde woman elbowed him. “No spoilers!”
“What?” he protested. “They’re fated mates. It’s hardly a spoiler that they end up together.”
A stocky man with startling golden eyes chuckled. “Come on, people. We promised to be on our best behavior.”
Paige’s head spun at the sudden influx of new faces. There was something familiar about a number of them, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. “Uh… Leonie, what’s going on?”
“Sorry.” Leonie’s apology sounded more genuine this time. “I should have warned you about them, at least. Callum’s a firefighter on the Thunder Mountain Hotshots. When they’re not away working a fire, they usually come here on Saturdays for dinner with their families. They’ve been nagging me about bringing you along to meet everyone.”
“Not because you’re Conleth’s mate,” the blonde woman said earnestly. “Or, well, not just because of that. The kids have told us about you in their letters home.”
NowPaige knew why a number of them looked so familiar. She looked around the group with newfound understanding. Rufus’s golden eyes, Finley’s sharp chin, Estelle’s silvery hair… these were some of her campers’ parents.
“That’s my brother Rory and his mate, Edith,” Leonie continued, gesturing at a stocky man and the blonde woman. “The pair over there are Estelle’s mom and dad, Candice and Wystan.”
“I hope our daughter isn’t causing too much trouble,” Wystan said, offering her his hand. “Please accept my sincere apologies for anything she might do this summer.”
“And this is my brother, Joe,” Moira said, giving the tallest man a look that was equal parts exasperation and affection. “Along with his better half, Seren. Finley is their son.”
Paige shook both their hands in turns. “Does that mean you’re sea dragon royalty, too?”
“Crown Prince of Atlantis,” Joe said with an easy smile, as though this was no big deal. “But don’t hold it against me. And no need to introduce yourself. I’ve seen you before.”
“Uh…” Paige was pretty sure she would have remembered meeting a towering sea dragon firefighter. “You have?”
“Yep.” He winked at her. “In a dream.”
Seren let out a long-suffering sigh. “Joe, she’ll think you’re flirting with her. He means he had a vision about you, Paige. Some time ago, in fact.”
“Before the camp even opened,” Leonie clarified. “Joe’s the one who predicted that Conleth would meet his mate at Camp Thunderbird.”
“While wearing a suit,” Rory added, grinning. “Did youreallysee the suit, Joe?”
Joe rubbed his chin. “I suppose there’s no harm in being a bit less vague, now that it’s actually happened. Yes, I really did. Not that Conleth ever believed me on that point.”
“Of course he believed you,” said the blonde woman Leonie had introduced as Edith. “He wore a suit every day.”
“Yes, he did.” Joe’s penetrating sea-blue eyes lingered on Paige. “But that doesn’t mean he believed me.”
When Conleth had mentioned receiving a prophecy from a powerful sea dragon seer, Paige hadn’t pictured a man in a bright pink t-shirt that said HOT FOR FIREFIGHTERS in purple glitter. She wasn’t really sure what to say.
