Page 22

I yawned and leaned against Felicity as we entered the sanctuary. "I'm so tired."

She kissed my forehead. "I know. You didn't have to come over last night after working such a long shift."

"But I've missed you."

"And whose fault is that?" she teased.

"I know. I'm sorry for spending so much time with Obie. It would be so much easier if we lived together."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Worry curled through me and woke me up faster than coffee. "No?"

"Not no. Keep talking."

This wasn't exactly where I envisaged us having this conversation but it made sense, we spent so much time here, it was bound to happen.

"Well, if we lived together then we'd be able to do casual breakfasts and evenings so much easier because one of us wouldn't have to keep going back and forth for clothes, or food, or any of those things.

And we wouldn't have to deal with noisy roommates," I reasoned, not sure if this was the kind of practical proposal people wanted when it came to taking a big step like this.

Felicity reached for my hand. "You're making some good points."

"But?"

"No buts. I think it would be great to see more of you. If I'm honest, I've been thinking about it too and can't say I love living with my roommates."

"That sounds like a yes," I said, not sure if it was too early to start celebrating.

Felicity chuckled and leaned in to kiss me, her lips soft and warm. "It's a yes. I love you."

"I love you too. More than mythical animals."

She laughed. "No, you don't. And I don't need you to love me more either. But equally would be good."

"I do. You're my favourite person," I tried again, hoping that this would convey my feelings better because she was right, I wouldn't give up working with mythical animals for anything in the world. Not even Felicity, not that she would ever ask that of me.

"And you're mine," she returned with an affectionate smile. "But speaking of mythical animals, I'm going to be late to feed the herd and you know how grumpy they get if I'm late with their breakfast."

I chuckled and kissed her quickly before she dashed off.

And she liked to call me a workaholic but she was just as dedicated and devoted.

Maybe it didn't make our relationship the easiest but it made it so easy to love her.

Even if we broke up, I would always admire this quality of hers.

But luckily, it didn't sound like we were breaking up. We were moving forward.

Feeling much more energised, I continued on to the veterinarian clinic, not at all surprised to find Hatty asleep in the middle of the path. She looked so happy in the early morning sun and gave me a challenging look that made it clear she wasn't moving a muscle.

"Don't worry, I'll just step over you," I said, reaching down to scratch her tummy first. The house sphinx was such a character but the clinic wouldn't be the same without her.

I pushed into reception, surprised to find Jacob behind the desk. That was unusual.

"Good morning," I said, not sure what to make of it.

He looked up with tired eyes. "Is it morning?"

"It is. Seven o'clock."

"Ah."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just came off a long, long, long call with IREMA. They're finally moving forward with the court case and they're heading to trial."

I gasped. "That's amazing though."

"It is. I can't wait for the owners of the private collection to get the karma they deserve." He rubbed his chin, scratching the slight stubble that had formed there. "But I'm going to be glad when this is all over. I've not had nearly enough sleep."

"Me either."

He hummed. "I heard you pulled lots of extra hours working with Obie as well. How is he doing?"

"He's doing fantastic. He's settled right in at his new home. His weight is right where it should be and he's gained so much confidence. He doesn't combust into flames nearly as much either."

"That's wonderful. I know that was a tough one to handle. You did a good job."

I beamed with pride. "Thank you. It was challenging and I definitely got too attached."

"I know what that feels like. Some animals just get to you.

One of my first was an abandoned baby rainbow-tailed lemur that I raised to adulthood by hand.

I fed it every day with a tiny bottle and it used to climb onto my shoulder.

" Jacob smiled fondly. "I was absolutely devastated when she was transferred. "

"My heart would break."

"Yeah, mine did but it was for the best. She got to join an established group of lemurs and even raised some babies herself. I still get pictures from the keeper." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, knowing that I made such a huge difference helped with the pain of saying goodbye."

I smiled. "I know that. And it's not like Obie is far away, I can still visit him when I have time."

"Exactly." He smiled at me. "I'm proud of you. Just don't overwork yourself too much or put yourself in danger."

"I will try," I said, which was the best promise I could make him.

Our walkie-talkies chimed at the same time and Maria's voice came through. "Jacob, are you there? I need some assistance in the peryton park."

He frowned as he brought the device to his mouth. "Everything okay?"

Her reply came right away. "The peryton fawn is coming earlier than expected and I'm not sure what I'm looking at."

That was concerning coming from a neonatal specialist.

"On my way." Jacob grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and waltzed past me, not even looking back. "You're coming, right?"

I was already on his heels. "Of course, what did you think?"

He laughed. "Never change."

I wasn't planning on it but it was always good to have my mentor's stamp of approval. And why would I change when there were so many exciting animals to work with? This was the best job in the world.

* * *

Thank you for reading The Hellhound Growl. Charlotte's journey as a veterinarian at the Griffin Sanctuary continues in the next book The Peryton Fawn where an unexpected newcomer throws everyone for a loop.