Max groaned. “I’m so sorry. This has been a shock. Sasha, you’re constantly on my mind, and the highlight of each day has been the contact with you and Noel. You faced down my grandmother. I know how forceful she can be, so I’m grateful for your strength of character and the way you stood up for Noel.” His expression darkened. “Do you have any idea of the identity of those two men who tried to grab Noel?”
“I’ve never seen them before, although I have sensed someone observing us whenever we left the house.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Max asked, his glower returning with force.
“When?” she demanded. “During your nightly calls, which are mainly for Noel? My dragon and I couldn’t see anyone, which meant they kept their distance. Until today, Noel was safe. I’d intended to mention the situation to you when you came home again, which is what I’ve done.”
Max opened his mouth again and obviously thought better of what he’d intended to say because his teeth clacked as he pressed his lips together. He huffed out a breath. “I don’t know what to say. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t want Noel anywhere near you. First, Grandmother would use this as a weapon to take Noel from me. Then there’s the safety issue—”
“What safety issues?” Sasha snapped.
“Yeah.”Her dragon lifted higher on Sasha’s neck and onto her cheek so she could glare at Max and give him attitude.“We love Noel. We’d never hurt him.”
Max gaped at her, and Sasha and her dragon glowered back.
“Is that your dragon?” he asked finally.
“Yes,” she replied with a trace of impatience. “Look, everything we’ve done is to keep Noel safe and happy.”
Max dragged his hand through his hair, and it wasn’t for the first time since he’d arrived at home. His black hair stuck up, and Sasha hated to tell him his hair resembled the prickles of a hedgehog. “Please tell me about your dragon.”
Sasha bristled, and her dragon followed suit.
Max backed up half a step. “Hell, I’m mishandling this. I’m sorry. Sasha’s dragon, I’m sorry if my question is rude. Please help me understand.”
“He’s a human. He wouldn’t comprehend our relationship,”her dragon conceded.“Explain to him.”
She agreed with her dragon. “My dragon is my other half, and we share a body. When we’re in human form, my dragon resides on my outer body in her tattoo form. She normally rests on my chest, but she can move across my skin at will. When we’re in dragon form, I’m in her—it’s difficult to explain. In both forms, we communicate with each other telepathically.”
“Two souls. One body. Got it, I think. Thank you for clarifying for me.”
“Do you want us to leave?” Sasha asked in a small voice.
“Hot chocolate,” Noel reminded Sasha.
Max stepped closer again. “No! You’re right. It…this…you… This was a shock. You’ve given Noel first-rate care and made my last two helpers appear ordinary. And better, Noel’s happy. Happier than I’ve seen him since Mum and Dad died, and that’s down to you.”
Sasha let out a shaky laugh, tension releasing from her muscles with a whoosh.
“Woohoo!”her dragon shouted.“Let’s make chocolate.”
“Right. Hot chocolate. Sure thing. Noel, would you like to measure the ingredients for me? We’ll all have chocolate,” Sasha said.
“We’ll add whisky to ours,” Max said, standing. “I need a drink.”
Sasha bustled around the kitchen, grabbing supplies and cups from the pantry. She helped Noel measure spoonfuls of chocolate mix, the familiar ritual soothing her inner angst.
“I’ll add milk to Noel’s,” Max said. “Ours will work better with water.”
Sasha nodded and followed Max’s instructions.
“What will we do now?”her dragon asked.“Maybe it’s better for us to leave. We don’t want to cause trouble for Max and Noel.”
“I don’t know. If we must leave, at least we have some money, and we understand how things work here on the mainland.”
A thump on the door indicated a visitor, and Max scowled. “I’ll deal with our caller. We need to plan and work out how to get rid of the reporters.”
Sasha handed Noel his hot chocolate while attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation.
