by Liv Rider
“I’d say this is half of it, yes. The other half is the Maze of Terror. We won’t really be able to use that side for shifting.” Then again, the corridors and rooms would be fine for smaller shifters.
“But there’s no river or pond nearby?” Julianne asked.
“Sadly, no.”
“Were you thinking of splitting the costs of buying it into three?” Thomas asked. “And then all shifters in Lewiston get to use it?”
“That’s a lot of shifters,” Vivian replied, sounding worried again. “We can’t all go there. We’d attract attention.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Parker said dismissively. “We can draw up a schedule and tell shifters who can shift anywhere that they can’t use it.”
Isaac frowned at that. “That doesn’t seem fair. We’ve never excluded shifters based on their shifter type before. Obviously the aquatic shifters won’t be able to use it, but that’s different from telling someone that they can’t use it.”
“He’s got a point.” Olivia looked at Parker. “What if I want to go there to shift with a friend who’s a bear shifter? They need that farm for shifting, because a bear will attract attention, but as a crow I can shift pretty much wherever I want.”
“And what about families where not everyone has the same shifter animal?” Glen added.
“If there are too many people and unusual animals at that farm, humans will notice,” Parker told them. Why was everyone being so difficult? “We’ll have to limit the amount of people there at any given time, and do you have any idea how annoyed someone will be if they discover that one of the slots was taken up by someone who didn’t need it?”
“They’ll also be annoyed if they can’t go there with friends or family to shift together,” Olivia replied.
Parker sighed. “Can we stop focusing on the details and instead on how suitable that farm is for a lot of shifters? Yes, people will be annoyed. They’re always annoyed about something. Right now, a whole bunch of them are annoyed because they haven’t got somewhere to shift.” He pointed at the picture Glen still had up on the screen. “That farm is a great solution for that problem.”
“And it’s going to be the cause of more problems,” Vivian muttered, writing something down on her notepad.
“And I will sort those problems out.” That was what he did.
“It would be good to consider some of those problems beforehand,” Thomas said. “What’s the worst thing that could happen? And how would you solve that?”
“Easy—too many shifters wanting to use it at once, and like I already said, we’ll make a schedule for shifters who need a safe place to shift.”
“Someone will have to make sure people adhere to that schedule,” Mitchell added.
“So? We can take turns to check. It’s new and yes, people will have to get used to it and yes, there’ll be some issues we’ll have to sort out. But does anyone here think that we shouldn’t buy the farm?” he asked, looking around. Everyone had been arguing like they already owned the place, which he considered a good sign.
“We’ll have to think carefully about how we’re going to use it,” Olivia said.
Next to her, Vivian nodded. “I do think it’ll help.”
Lee nodded. “I think it’s a great idea, but then, as a bear shifter I’m one of the shifters who doesn’t have a good place to shift right now.”
Glen shrugged. “I don’t need that barn to shift, but there are too many complaints for us to ignore.”
Julianne raised both hands in surrender. “I’d prefer a solution that works for all shifters, but I guess if it goes well with the farm, we can look at other properties.”
“What? More properties?” Isaac looked terrified. “Do you know how much it’ll cost us to buy this place, even with the other districts chipping in?”
Parker sat back as his council argued over the costs involved. He smiled as he leaned closer to Thomas and Mitchell. “As you can see, my district agrees.”
“They’ve never even seen the place,” Thomas pointed out.
“Oh, they’re going to see it tonight,” Parker said. “During the final night.”
“Wait, what?”
He turned in his seat to look at Cameron. His mate sounded worried. “Oh, didn’t I mention that? I want my council to visit Halloween Fest tonight, or at least some of them. Like Thomas said, they need to see the place for themselves.”
Cameron looked at the various council members. “I guess that makes sense. But they’re not going to shift, are they?”
Parker laughed. “Of course not. They have more sense than that.”
“Hmm.” Cameron still sounded doubtful, but he looked more reassured. “Are you going to be there?”
He wanted to. More than anything, he wanted to be there tonight with Cameron for the final night. He wanted to show his council members around and tell them what a great place it was. But if yesterday evening had proved anything, it was that he’d ignored his duties for too long. Sure, he’d solved one big problem last night, but there were still plenty of other issues he needed to look into. “I’m afraid not.” He reached out to take Cameron’s hand. “I still have a lot of catching up to do, so I don’t really have time to go Fest again. You don’t mind, do you?”
Cameron looked down at their joined hands. “Of course not.” He gave Parker a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You do have a very busy job.”
Parker nodded. Cameron did mind a little, that much was obvious, and he wished things were different. He yearned to be with Cameron too. But it would probably do Cameron good to have some time to himself or with his friends to think about everything he’d seen today and process it without Parker around to distract him. He had certainly been distracted by Cameron recently—in the best of ways, but still. He would use today to catch up with his work and give Cameron time to think. Perhaps tomorrow they could talk and Parker could answer further questions Cameron had thought of. “Exactly.” He squeezed Cameron’s hand. “I knew you’d understand.”
He let go of Cameron’s hand. “Focus!” he called out, and his council fell silent. “For formality’s sake, I’d like to call a vote.”
11
Cameron
He felt like he was two steps behind from the moment he’d set foot in the building. It was like being back in Geometry class and trying to keep up with the teacher working through a problem on the board and showing them the steps needed to solve it. His brain just quit on him, too focused on figuring out the first couple of steps that he didn’t take in anything else the teacher said.
Right now, he was still too focused on people who could turn into animals existing at all, and Parker not just being one of them, but apparently their leader. There was no way his brain was going to remember anything about their discussion about the farm.
Why was Cameron even here? Every time someone on the council asked something about the farm, Parker replied before Cameron could even open his mouth. What did it matter? They’d be visiting tonight anyway. Maybe that would give Cameron a chance to talk to them.
Would they want to? He caught them sneaking glances at him, and he wondered if they were as surprised by him as he was by them. One of them, Isaac he thought his name was, had even yelled at Parker for telling him about shifters before Parker had ushered him out the room. What had Parker said to them?
He watched as Parker argued in favor of the council buying the farm, and it was like seeing a completely different person. Oh sure, there was still the enthusiasm and persistence Cameron was familiar with, but this Parker sounded a lot firmer and he didn’t tolerate anyone drifting off topic. He was sharp and quick in his replies to the objections, and once again Cameron wondered what he was doing here. Parker didn’t need him.
The thought hurt more than it should, and his throat tightened. He was being ridiculous. He barely even knew Parker, that much was very clear right now. He could turn into a dragon. He was far more powerful than Cameron could’ve imagined. No wonder h
e didn’t know anything about horror movies. He had more important things to occupy his time.
He’d been right all along. They had nothing in common.
Last night must’ve been a fluke. Yes, the sex had been amazing, but maybe that was all it ever was. Parker did say that he didn’t date very often, which probably meant he hadn’t had sex in a while. Had Cameron been convenient? Had Parker had his eye on the farm all along, and figured that Cameron would know more about the deal with Everett?
He didn’t want to believe last night had been nothing more than a one-night-stand. Parker had been so sweet, so passionate, so eager to be with him. That had to mean something, right?
He wished he could draw Parker aside and talk to him. Really talk. He’d barely had a chance back in the forest before Parker had whisked him back to the city and told him about this meeting. Maybe they could talk after the meeting, before Cameron left for the final night of Halloween Fest.
That was the one spark of hope he could cling to, at least. He believed Parker wanted Halloween Fest to continue at the farm, and these shifters did seem like better owners than Everett. They definitely wouldn’t tear the place down.
“You mentioned there was a verbal agreement, right?” Olivia asked. “How definite are we talking?” Her dark eyes locked onto Cameron’s. “What do you know?”
“There are still some things they need to look into before they can formalize the sale,” Parker replied.
“That’s not what I asked.” Olivia kept looking at Cameron.
“Um,” Cameron said, when Parker remained quiet. “As far as I know, it’s pretty definite. Everett has no reason not to go through with it, and neither do the Wilsons. I think it’s mostly just a matter of working out the details before signing the papers.”
“So we wouldn’t have long.” Olivia sat back in her chair, tapping a pen against her lips. “I hate making a rushed decision like this.”
“Easy for you to say,” Lee said. He looked like the oldest in the room. “You’re a crow shifter. You don’t need that barn like I do.”
“That farm can’t be the only one in the area that’s for sale and a suitable spot. We haven’t even looked at other locations.”
“Ooh, so we could look for one that has water nearby,” Julianne said. Cameron remembered her asking about rivers earlier, and one of the others mentioning aquatic shifters. Did she shift into an animal that lived in the water? If so, she was definitely out of luck at the Wilson farm.
“We’d be wasting time,” Parker insisted. “This one has a great location. It has shelter. It has trees to hide us. It’s not perfect, but no location is. I hate rushed decisions as much as you do, Olivia, but in this case, we have to.”
“Do we?” she asked. She glanced at Cameron again, and he noticed some of the other council members were eying him suspiciously too.
“Yes.” Parker’s tone was firm.
Olivia was silent for a long while, then nodded. “I agree with the plan, but I can only say for sure after I’ve seen the place myself.”
“Naturally.”
The other five council members discussed whether or not they wanted to see it, and whether or not they’d have the time for it. Cameron saw Julianne look at Olivia, who shook her head. He wondered if Parker noticed how annoyed the two women seemed. Did Parker always run meetings with a firm hand like this? Was he always this bossy?
He recalled how insistent Parker had been on seeing him again and getting his number. Well, there was his answer.
“They won’t be any bother, you know.”
Cameron looked up from his empty coffee mug to find Parker leaning closer and looking concerned. “I didn’t think they would be.” Six extra people tonight wouldn’t matter.
“Good.” Parker patted him on the arm. “Don’t worry, they’ll love it.”
Cameron wondered if Parker meant Halloween Fest or the farm. He definitely hoped the council members would at least enjoy the atmosphere.
“What do you two think?” Parker asked, turning to the other two dragon shifters.
Thomas shrugged. “I think I have all the information I need to talk to my council about it.”
“Yes, me too. I’ll put it to them this week,” Mitchell added. “It’ll be harder for them to go and see it, I suppose.”
“We can always use volunteers to clean things up,” Cameron said, before he could stop himself. To his surprise, Mitchell laughed.
“That’s not a bad idea,” he said, and Thomas looked thoughtful too.
Cameron let out a sigh of relief. At least he hadn’t annoyed Parker’s friends with his suggestion.
“If you two know enough, I’d like to continue discussing the finer details with my council,” Parker told them.
Mitchell nudged Thomas. “I think that’s his subtle way of telling us to get out of here.”
“You think?” Thomas grinned while Parker narrowed his eyes at him. “We’ll let you know what our councils think. I suspect their objections will be similar to what we’ve already heard, and my aquatic shifters won’t be happy about the plan either.”
“One step at a time,” Parker replied, as Thomas and Mitchell made their goodbyes and left.
“If their councils agree to the plan as well, I think it’s important we all meet up to discuss the finer details,” Isaac said. “And all the money involved.”
Parker nodded at that. “Of course. I think the other councils will want that as well.” He got up. “But if that’s all, I’ve got other things to attend to.”
“Speaking of…other things,” Lee said, glancing at Cameron again, “there are still some things I asked you about I need an answer to. Soon.”
That seemed to be the cue for all the other council members to bring up important matters they wanted to discuss with Parker or have him make a decision on. “I know you’ve been busy with, y’know, other things,” Olivia said, in a suggestive tone that made it clear she meant ‘Cameron.’ “But you’re still our Keeper of the Peace.”
“Yes, yes, I know. That was actually what I was going to work on for the rest of the day.” Parker sounded triumphant and Cameron’s heart sank.
He wanted more than anything to talk to Parker about everything he’d been told that day, but it was clear Parker wasn’t going to make time for him today. Cameron couldn’t even blame him. Parker hadn’t been doing his job, and for what? So he could hang out with Cameron? Guilt settled heavily in his stomach. Parker had much more important things to do than watch horror movies with him.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask Parker if he could find time before Cameron had to leave for Halloween Fest. Parker would still have the rest of the evening to himself.
“Parker?”
“Oh, yes?” His smile was back on his face as he looked down at Cameron.
Cameron was acutely aware that everyone else in the room could hear him. “I was wondering if we could have dinner somewhere? Or grab something to eat?” He just wanted some time alone with Parker to talk to him and ask him all the questions that were whirling through his mind. Well, some of the questions.
Parker grimaced as he shook his head. “You heard what I said. I’ve got a lot of things that require my attention. Important things. You understand, right?”
“Right.” Cameron thought the look of disappointment on Parker’s face was genuine. “Of course. I suppose it’s time for me to head to the Fest soon anyway.” He got up, picking up his empty mug as well. “I guess I’ll see some of you later tonight, then.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Parker told him. “I’m sorry I can’t be there.”
All Cameron could think was that it wouldn’t be fine. Not if Parker wasn’t there. “Right.” He hoped his voice sounded steady. The last thing he wanted was to let Parker know how upset he was, because it was ridiculous for him to be this upset. They’d only known each other for a couple of days, and he’d been taking up a lot of Parker’s time. “Important things. Of course. Probably for the best, anyway,
it’s not like we could spend any time together even if you were there.”
But it would’ve still been good to know Parker was there, just outside the Maze.
The only good thing about his bad mood was that everyone else assumed it was because it was the final night of Halloween Fest, and no one asked him what was wrong. He’d decided not to tell Stacy about Parker’s plan. He didn’t want to give her hope. If it worked out, great, and if it didn’t, he’d be the only one who was disappointed.
He’d been assigned to his own favorite, the Evil Dead room, which required another face full of zombie makeup. Since it was the last night, most people went all-out, using more fake wounds than they otherwise would, and splattering more fake blood than was necessary on their arms. The people who wore rags splattered extra blood on their old clothes, since they wouldn’t be needed anymore. He was wearing a generic pair of jeans and an old shirt, and he was considering whether or not to cover himself in more fake blood.
“What do you think?” He turned to Stacy, who was doing her clown makeup. She’d put her hair in pigtails and used their color hair-spray to make them bright pink. “Is there such a thing as too much fake blood?”
She snorted and didn’t even dignify the question with an answer, focusing on drawing her eyebrows instead.
“Yeah, good point.” Cameron splattered some more fake blood on his shirt, then got up. He could always come back later to add more fake blood, if any was left. “Good luck getting that off tonight.”
“I know, it’s going to take forever in the shower tonight, but it’s gonna be worth it!” She grinned up at him. “I’m gonna be the scariest clown of the Fest, just wait.”
He wished he could share her enthusiasm. “No one’s gonna even make it to the dentist’s room.”
As he left the farmhouse, thoughts of Parker returned. The hustle and bustle of people doing their makeup and fixing their costumes had been a pleasant distraction, but Parker was never far from his mind.