Page 65 of The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary

‘Well,’ he said, sitting back and steepling his fingers. ‘It’s definitely enough to pay for the dragon sanctuary. Several of them, I should think.’

She gave a snort of laughter. ‘You have no idea how much one of these places costs, do you?’

‘I’ve seen the figures, Portia. I don’t think it matters.’

* * *

It wasn’t hard to find Noah. He was exactly where she expected him to be, right in the heart of the snuggery. The teacup dragons there had settled down for the night and not even Jade’s gentle calls could summon them out of their cosy little dens on the towering shelves. He was in his shirtsleeves again, each one rolled up above the elbows, and he stood over the basin washing his hands. She watched him for a moment, before he noticed her – his calm competence, the careful way he did everything, the strength that he tempered with gentleness. The ring Gilden had given him hung on a strip of thong around his neck. Too fine to put on a working vet’s finger he had said with a laugh, once they were alone, and then acted as if he had forgotten it and all the promises it carried with it.

‘Portia? What can I do for you? Is Ripple with you? She hasn’t come back yet.’

She shook her head. ‘She’s with Milo. They’re quite taken with each other. We may have an actual adoption on our hands.’

Noah grinned. ‘Don’t tell Iris just yet. Give them a moment to enjoy it before she forces the paperwork on him. What did you want?’

She smiled, cheeks warming. There were so many things she wanted. But that wasn’t why she was here. ‘Just to talk to you. About… about what Virginia said. She was going to pay for your expedition, wasn’t she?’

His face fell so suddenly it was as if she’d struck him. For a long moment he just stared at her and then eventually forced himself to speak. ‘Yes. Well, maybe.’

‘You had a deal.’

‘Portia… I didn’t realise what she wanted. I know I was a fool. Honestly. I didn’t think⁠—’

Portia lifted a hand to silence him. ‘She probably wouldn’t have actually kept her part of it anyway.’

Now he just looked glum. ‘I know that now. I really can’t apologise enough.’ He sighed deeply, a great weight settling on him. ‘I’m forever apologising to you.’

‘Not always,’ she whispered. Not when they’d made love. But she didn’t know how to bring that up without ruining everything yet again.

They sat side by side on the edge of the central table where they usually sorted feed, examined the dragons, or carried out any one of the many ordinary jobs they had worked at side by side. Some of the best times of her life, she realised now.

Portia didn’t know what to say, not now that it came to it. She didn’t know how to broach any of this with him. A part of her really didn’t want to, but that would be selfish. She had to give him this opportunity, even if it meant letting him go.

‘I’ll leave, if you want,’ he said before she managed a word. ‘But please believe me I wouldn’t have betrayed you. Not willingly. Not once I got to know you. I didn’t tell her anything and I wouldn’t have…’ He clenched his hands into fists and she looked up into his face. He had his eyes closed, and there was agony marking every angle of his face. He sounded like a man accepting a life sentence. ‘But I completely understand if you can’t trust me any more. I’ll hand in my resignation to Iris tomorrow and I’ll get the next⁠—’

Oh no, he couldn’t. Not like that. Portia pressed her finger to his lips and he fell silent, his ragged breath playing against her skin.

Was it her imagination or did he lean in to her touch?

‘I don’t want you to go,’ she said. That was true. More than she had even realised. But he would. She knew he would leave. Noah wanted something far more than Starling Island and now he had a way to do it thanks to Gilden and the ring. All he needed was the money. ‘But I can pay for your expedition.’

He froze, staring at her and she dropped the finger that was still lingering on his lips, instantly missing the warmth of touching him. She didn’t want to stop. A heated flush of memory brought her back to that night. She pushed it away. This wasn’t the time.

‘What? How?’

‘The elixir. Milo sorted the patent and there’s a licencing offer of… well, more money than I can ever spend. They’re planning to make it available to the public and… I don’t know. But apparently, we’re rich. There’s an award as well. And the contract payments alone are… It’s so silly really but he’d already arranged everything. And the Academy want me back.’ She smiled, surprised that she couldn’t actually bring herself to put any real joy into the expression. Noah saw it too, because he frowned down at her, clearly still confused. ‘So, I can pay for your expedition. You have all the permissions you need from Gilden. All that matters now is the day-to-day cost, and the equipment and… I don’t know. You can draw up a list and I’ll pay for it. You can go to Elanholm and do all your research and… you know…’

Running out of words as the thought of him leaving finally caught up with her, she shrugged and looked down at the floor. Jade butted the side of her head but she ignored the dragon. She was fighting back tears and didn’t want Noah to see that.

He saw far too much.

His hand folded around hers and he lifted it to his mouth, kissing her fingers.

‘You could come with me?’ he asked.

She had thought of that. Part of her had hoped he’d ask. It would be wonderful to travel, to see the lost dragon realm, to share all his future discoveries with him. But that wasn’t going to be possible either. Not right now.

‘I can’t leave. Not for a while anyway. They need me here. Iris and the dragons. She’s still an elderly woman. I thought I’d set up an apothecary and split my time between it and the sanctuary. That ought to work.’