Still, at least she hadn’t been the only person to get thewrong impression. Though she wasn’t sure whether that made the whole situation better or worse. Grimacing, she set her shoulders, and went out to face the kids.
“Hang on,” Tiff said. Leonie had pulled the kids away from breakfast, gathering them all at a picnic table for a private chat out of earshot of any other campers. “You and Shanaren’tmates?”
Archie was also looking confused. “Are you sure, Leonie?”
“I’m sure.” She was glad Shan hadn’t yet returned from searching the forest. This cross-examination would have been even more excruciating if he’d been present. “I know what you all assumed. But it’s not true.”
“Itoldthese idiots they were jumping to conclusions.” Ignatius folded his arms, sitting back with an air of smug vindication. “Maybe that will teach you all not to attempt to play Cupid. It would be nice to have one summer where I’m not constantly subjected to inane speculation about other people’s personal lives.”
“But... Rufus said you two were mates,” Estelle said, as though this should trump the evidence of Leonie’s own senses. “He saw Shan recognize you. Didn’t you, Rufus?”
“I’m afraid you were mistaken, Rufus,” Leonie said to her nephew. “I wish talked to me about it, rather than your friends. I understand why you thought Shan might be my mate. But he isn’t.”
Rufus said nothing. He just stared at her, face utterly blank. She was a lot better than most people at reading the subtleties of his expression, but right now, she had no idea what was going on behind his eyes.
“Are you absolutely certain you aren’t mates?” said Beth, not for the first time. She seemed to be hoping that if sheasked often enough, the answer might change. “It was dark last night, after all. Maybe you just didn’t see his eyes properly.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible,” said Spencer. He was still wearing Shan’s sunglasses, now held more securely to his head with an impromptu strap fashioned out of chained elastic bands. “I mean, they literally glow.”
“I guess that explains why he wears the sunglasses,” Tiff said. She glanced at her fellow campers, shrugging. “You’ve got to admit, guys, that makes more sense than him hiding his eyes because he didn’t want Leonie to realize they’re mates.”
“Idon’t think that makes any sense,”Archie muttered. “If I had claws and cool glowing eyes, I’d go around showing them off all the time.”
Estelle heaved a wistful sigh. “Me too.”
“Well, Shan feels differently,” Leonie said—though privately, she thought he could do with listening to the kids on this subject. “Maybe you could ask him why sometime. Though if he doesn’t want to discuss it, you all have to promise to respect his privacy, okay?”
“If he’s struggling with his shifting, maybe that’s why you didn’t recognize him as your mate,” Beth said hopefully. “Maybe he needs to accept his own inner animal first.”
Ignatius rolled his eyes. “What is it going to take to make you let this go? A legally notarized statement from both of them that they have no romantic interest in each other whatsoever?”
“I’m sorry we let you believe there was something between us,” Leonie said. “There were reasons for that, but now I think it’s best if we’re all honest with each other. Including why Shan’s really here. And on that topic, we need to talk about your encounter last night, Spencer.”
Tiff huffed. “I wish I’d stuck around rather than running back to camp.Iwant to meet the camp ghost.”
“It’snota ghost,” Ignatius snapped. “Weren’t you listening to a word Leonie said? From the sounds of things, it’s just some random local shifter who only wants to be left in peace. Frankly, I sympathize.”
“Whoever he is, it’s true that he doesn’t seem to have any ill intent,” Leonie said. “But we can’t have a stranger near the camp. Spencer, did he tell you his name?”
Spencer shook his head. “He asked me for mine, but didn’t offer his in return. I was too freaked out at the time to think that was odd. He knew I was from the camp, though. He asked which pack I was in, and if my counselors were looking for me. That’s why I assumed he worked here.”
“He must have been with you for a while. Did he say anything about himself?”
Spencer thought for a moment. “Not really. Though he asked me a lot of questions. About my family, and how I like to spend my time, and what I thought about camp. I think he was just trying to keep me calm.”
“Did he seem nervous himself?” Leonie asked. “Like he was worried about being caught with you?”
“A little, I guess,” Spencer replied. “But he only sounded really concerned when I told him about Tiff. At that point, I thought she was lost in the woods, too. The man promised to look for her as soon as he could. He told me not to worry, and that he’d make sure she was safe.”
That all seemed benign enough, but Leonie still didn’t like the idea of a strange man approaching one of the kids. “Can you think of anything that might help us identify him? Anything at all?”
Spencer furrowed his brow. “Not really. He smelled a bit odd. No trace of soap or deodorant, like a normal person. Just earth and leaves. And his voice was kind of weird, too.”
“Weird? In what way?”
“Just…weird,” Spencer said, sounding a bit frustrated at his own inability to describe it. “He didn’t have an accent, but something about the way he spoke made me think English wasn’t his first language. Oh, and he kept getting my name wrong.”
Leonie blinked. “Your name?”
