With a grateful nod, Leonie left the two women to it. Sheheaded across the camp, taking a circuitous route to avoid being spotted by any counselors. She’d already been delayed enough times this morning.
There weren’t many places on site where one could conduct a covert investigation without risk of interruption. She could have asked Zephyr and Conleth to vacate the office, but it was right in the heart of camp, where anyone could walk past. The staff lounge was right out, and staff were busy preparing all the dorms for the campers’ arrival. As head counselor, she had her own small, private cabin, but taking a strange man there woulddefinitelyhave sparked unwanted gossip.
For lack of better options, she’d ended up stashing Shan in the newly built nature hut. It still wasn’t fully finished, but it had the advantage of being set by the woods, well away from curious eyes.
With a last glance around to make sure no-one was watching, she entered the hut. Inside was a single long, airy room, lined with tables and shelves. Some displayed carefully curated collections of interesting natural objects, while others just held piles of half-unpacked boxes.
She’d expected to find Shan occupying himself on his phone, or perhaps reviewing some of the camp records he’d requested from the office. Instead, he was hunched over one of the display tables, examining a set of plaster casts of animal paw prints. With his sunglasses hiding his eyes, it was hard to guess what he was thinking.
“Enjoying our educational nature displays?” she asked.
Shan ran gloved fingertips over a huge slab of plaster with the webbed, taloned imprint of a sea dragon’s front foot. “Perhaps a little too educational, to the wrong eyes.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not like we let random strangers wander into camp. And we’ll hide the more unusual items if the camp inspector visits.” She gestured at the display. “Noone who doesn’t already know about shifters is ever going to see any of this.”
It might have been her imagination, but his hidden gaze seemed to linger on a paw print labeledLION- Panthera leo (female). “These are all from staff members?”
“Not all of them, no.” She came over to join him, pointing. “The griffin footprint comes from one of my brothers, Rory. He’s Rufus’s dad, and a local firefighter. The unicorn and hellhound tracks are from his crew as well. Paige wanted to collect as many different species as possible. If you’re willing, I’m sure she’d love to take an impression of your paw before you go. She doesn’t have a tiger yet.”
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “I am not a tiger.”
“No, of course not.” Good manners meant she should leave it there, but she couldn’t resist fishing a little. “Sorry, I don’t know what to call your animal. I’ve never met a shifter like you before.”
His face was utterly expressionless. “Good.”
So much forthatconversation. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Leonie decided a topic change was in order.
“Well, I’ve cleared my schedule,” she said, adopting the bright, aren’t-we-all-having-a-lovely-time voice she normally reserved for particularly cranky campers. “I’m at your disposal for the rest of the day. If you’re ready, I’ll go find the kids.”
To her relief, Shan thawed a little, as if he too welcomed the excuse to return to more professional matters. “Before you do, we should agree on tactics. Do you wish me to disclose my ability to the children up front?”
She hadn’t even considered that question. “Do you normally?”
“No. But I do not usually interrogate children.” Thecorner of his mouth quirked, just a little. “My customary approach may not be appropriate.”
“Definitely not.” Leonie drummed her fingers against the display table, thinking. “How does your ability work exactly? Do you just somehow know whether or not someone is telling the truth?”
Shan hesitated. She wasn’t sure if he was reluctant to reveal the details of his talent, or just trying to figure out how to put it into words. “I…taste it.”
“Youtasteif someone is lying? Like, literally? In your mouth?”
Shan dipped his head in confirmation. “Different types of lie have different flavors. One told out of spite or malice tastes dry and bitter, like ashes. A lie spoken out of fear is sharper, and sour. When someone lies with noble intent, to protect another, it is almost palatable.”
“Huh,” she said, fascinated. “I assumed you read body language and micro-expressions. That’s how my dad and nephew can tell if people are lying, though it’s not infallible. Your way sounds a lot more foolproof. So what does truth taste like?”
“Delicious,” Shan said shortly. He looked away, reflected light flashing from his lenses. “And my ability is not without limits. I cannot determine the objective truth of a statement. Only whether that person believes it.”
Leonie realized she was staring at his mouth like a stalker with a lip fetish. No wonder the poor man looked uncomfortable. She hastily redirected her gaze to more neutral regions, which wasn’t easy. Those biceps really were remarkably distracting.
Do not perve on the hot agent, Leonie. She tried to focus on the problem at hand rather than the way the too-small camp T-shirt clung to Shan’s muscled arms.
“I’d normally say we should make the kids aware of yourability before we question them,” she said. “Honesty is one of the virtues we try to promote here at camp.”
Shan’s eyebrows rose over the rim of his sunglasses. “But?”
She blew out her breath. “But I don’t want to lose the kids’ trust. If we tell them right at the start that you’ll know if they’re lying, it’ll seem like we’re accusing them of making the whole thing up. Even if they’re exaggerating a little, I don’t want them to feel we don’t believe them.”
“It will be easier for me to determine the truth if they are comfortable enough to speak freely.” Shan’s mouth tightened in a small grimace. “Which may be difficult enough even without revealing my ability. I’m aware I am…intimidating.”
