No longer a pasty white, his skin was pale gold, and the child had lost a little weight. Sasha thought Noel looked happy and healthy.
“No, you don’t,” Max confirmed, the corners of his eyes creasing with silent laughter. “I thought we’d have fish and chips and mushy peas. Have you had that before?”
Sasha shook her head. “Is it tasty?”
“Yes. And afterward, we could walk on the beach or maybe around the castle grounds.”
“Yay!” Noel shouted. “I like the castle and the beach.”
“Why don’t I get you showered and changed?” Max asked. “Sasha can have some time to herself and a leisurely shower. We’ll leave in about an hour. Is that all right with you?”
“Perfect. What should I wear? Oh, and while I remember, did you get Noel a present to take for Tiffany for her birthday party?”
“Jeans or something casual is fine,” Max replied before pulling a face. “I forgot the present. The shops will be open when we go into Bamburgh. The bookshop might have something suitable. What do little girls like?”
Sasha shrugged. “I enjoyed playing with my brothers’ toys. Maybe a book.”
“A kite,”her dragon said.“I bet she doesn’t have one of those.”
“Noel and I have been reading a book about a boy who made a kite. Could we buy a kite somewhere plus a copy of the book we’re reading? The book has girls and boys in it.”
“That might work,” Max said. “It sounds as if Noel would like a kite.”
“A dragon kite,” Noel said.
“Perhaps a book about dragons,” Max said. “Funny, I’ve been hearing a lot about dragons lately.”
“Sasha is a dragon,” Noel said.
“She is fierce,” Max said, sending her a wink. “Let’s get you in the shower.”
Max ushered Noel away, leaving Sasha in the kitchen.
Her dragon climbed her neck to peer after them.“I wonder why we didn’t scare Noel. Most humans fear dragons, even the humans in the village on Perfume Isle. Remember that girl we met at the stream? Her mother wouldn’t let her play with us.”
“Noel differs from other kids,”Sasha said.“Maybe his differences allow him to accept our variations. Max doesn’t believe Noel saw a dragon, which is for the best. For our safety, we need to blend. I wish we could investigate the barrier more closely, though.”
“Now that Max is home for a while, we might have an opportunity to sneak outside and fly out tosea,”her dragon said.
Sasha hesitated before replying,“Part of me wants to do that while the other part of me prefers to stay right here. What if the air is thick again and we can get through? We wouldn’t have any way of returning to Max and Noel.”
“I understand your fears because mine are similar. Besides, I want us to kiss Max again and maybe do some of those other things we’ve read of in the kissing books.”
With her thoughts a thousand miles away from choosing something to wear, she picked up the chicken, placed it on a platter, and set it in the refrigerator.
“Such a handy gadget,”her dragon said, pulling Sasha’s mind away from Max and kissing.“I’d miss the useful, timesaving things they have here on the mainland. Their lives are so different.”
“Do you not want to return to Perfume Island?”
“Yes and no,”her dragon said.“That’s not a straightforward question. I miss our family, but the endless social occasions and stupid dragons like Bruceous I can do without. The world here seems richer, and women of our age have more freedom. I could live here, but I’d have to fly. We haven’t done that since we arrived.”
“I miss flying too.”
“Sasha, you’re still here,” Max said.
“Problem?” she asked.
“Yes,” Max said, walking straight to her. He drew her into his arms and grinned, his blue eyes twinkling. “I haven’t kissed you yet.” With that said, he settled his lips on hers.
