“I will take care of that,” Shan said as she opened her mouth to agree. “If you will give me access to the staff files.”
She didn’t relish the prospect of a few more hours of work tonight, but she shook her head. “It’ll be faster if I do it.”
“True.” Shan folded up the map, tucking it into his backpocket. “But you also do far too much already. This is my job. I will handle it.”
“Meeting adjourned, then,” Zephyr said, rising. As everyone started filing out of the office, he cleared his throat. “Ah, Uncle? You seem to have forgotten to return my daughter.”
“You were looking rather comfortable back there,” Moira said as they were walking to their cabins. Ragvald trailed a discreet distance behind, politely pretending he couldn’t overhear. “With Shan.”
Leonie groaned. “Don’t remind me. I guess I’m just so used to pretending we’re mates, I forget to drop the act when we’re not in front of the kids.”
“Hmm,” Moira said neutrally. “If so, you’re not the only one.”
Before Leonie could ask whatthatwas supposed to mean, her back pocket buzzed. With an apologetic glance at Moira, she pulled out her phone.
1 New Message
Birdbrain
Back early. Want to call?
“Oh!” She flashed the screen at Moira, a goofy grin spreading across her face. “Sorry, Moira. I have to take this.”
“Of course.” Moira waved her off, smiling. “Tell Lola I said hello.”
Her small, private cabin was set near the edge of thewoods, well away from the kids. Leonie unlocked her door, already dialing with the other hand.
A face as familiar as her own grinned up at her from the screen. “Hey, Catbutt.”
She smiled back at her twin sister. “Hi, Birdbrain. I thought you were still out on a job.”
“Eh, it wasn’t much of a fire. Didn’t take us long to get it under control. And speaking of hot things, what’s this I hear about you acquiring your own personal bodyguard?”
“He’s notmybodyguard.” Closing the door behind her, she sat on the edge of her bed. “And he’s more of a general security operative, anyway. He’s a special agent from Shifter Affairs.”
Lola raised an eyebrow. “So, he is hot, then?”
She could see herself blush in the front-facing camera feed at the bottom of the screen. “I didn’t say that. How did you even hear about him, anyway?”
Lola smirked. “Same way I get all the gossip. Pegasus Express. I gather you two have been quite the hot topic on the triplets’ group chat.”
“I am going tokillConleth,” Leonie muttered to herself. She should have known the news from camp would have got back to Lola, since she was on the same smokejumper crew as one of Conleth’s brothers. “I don’t know what those feathers-for-brains have been saying about the two of us, but it’s not like that. Shan’s working as my co-counselor for a while, that’s all. He’s here undercover.”
“What, right now? In your bedroom?”
“Birdbrain! Of course not!”
“Would you like him to be?”
She glared at her sister. “What do you think?”
Lola cackled, eyes bright with amusement. They were lighter than her own; eagle yellow rather than lion amber. “So, tell me about this guy that you are definitely not fantasizing about banging.”
Letting out a groan, Leonie flopped backward onto the bed. “He could rip a tree in half with his bare hands, treats everyone with meticulous courtesy, and thinks he’s a monster.”
Her sister digested this. “You’re doomed.”
“Tell me about it.” She rolled over, feet in the air. “It’s okay. I can keep my hopeless crush to myself. Though if you tell anyone about any of this, I’ll murder you and hide your body at the bottom of the lake.”
