However, Cat was tired of never being spontaneous. That was something she used to be in her childhood, but never since.
So she placed a hand on his chest, and time stilled as they stared at one another, her heart thundering in her ears. She finally murmured, "I can show you what she's thinking about."
He took her chin in his fingers and leaned closer to her face, until she could feel his hot breath on her lips.
That was all the encouragement she needed to pull his head down to hers and kiss him.
Lachlan had tried his best not to notice Cat's beautiful dark blue eyes or how wisps of her black hair swirled around her head, catching the light.
Not to mention her deep pink lips, ones she'd licked, and he couldn't stop wondering about how they'd taste.
Then she had to go and place her hand on his chest, making it harder for him to breathe for a few beats.
When their fingers had touched during the little painting lesson, he'd brushed off the heat as nothing more than Lachlan going too long without getting laid.
But with her hand on his chest, her face so close he could feel her breath on his skin, and being surrounded by her light scent mixed with paint, desire surged through him.
He wanted her, plain and simple.
The thought scared him, and he'd been about to step back to regain his senses when she brought his lips down to hers. He groaned at how soft they were and barely teased them to open when she pushed him away, dashed to the other side of the room, and faced the wall, her shoulders hunched over as if in pain.
It was far more than mere regret at kissing him, of that Lachlan was certain.
He took a step toward her. "Cat? What's wrong?"
Her voice was strained. "Get my mother. She's at the restaurant."
He took another step toward her, but she moved even farther away, placed her forehead against the wall, and hugged her arms around her chest. She shouted, "Go and get my mother!"
It seemed wrong to leave her. Being as gentle as possible, he said, "Tell me what's wrong."
She glanced over her shoulder, her pupils flashing faster than he'd ever seen. She roared, "Go find her! Now!"
He didn't want to leave her. But then she crouched down on the floor, and her voice was even more strained as she said, "Please. Find her."
In that moment, Lachlan's stomach knotted with dread. He'd worked with the DDA long enough to know the basics of dragon-shifters. He had a feeling he knew what was wrong with her.
But he pushed it aside for the moment. He'd find her mother and then learn soon enough if he was right or not.
And if he was…he wasn't sure if he could help her.
No, don't think about it right now. Help Cat first. That's what's important. With that thought in mind, Lachlan ran out of the room, the cottage, and as fast as he could go to the restaurant called The Dragon's Delight.
Once there, he rushed inside and decided to hell with decorum. Cat was in pain. "Where's Sylvia?" When everyone just stared at him, he roared, "Where is she?"
The older dragonwoman walked out of a back door with a frown. "What's going on?"
He rushed over to her and whispered, "It's Cat. Something's wrong, and she needs you. She's in her studio."
She must've heard the fear in his voice because she nodded. Sylvia looked at someone and told them to watch the restaurant, and then walked briskly out the door.
Lachlan followed, wishing he could run, but he matched his steps to Sylvia's.
The slower pace allowed his brain to calm down and think, though, and he knew there was only one reason Cat would be in pain after kissing him.
He was her bloody true mate, and she was trying to resist the mate-claim frenzy.
It seemed like his one moment of weakness, of finally doing something outside of his schedule and plans, had backfired.
Because when it came to true mates, the dragon would keep demanding sex until the female was pregnant.
And if Lachlan refused and didn't give it to her, she'd be drugged at first, and then he'd be sent as far away as possible for years until her beast calmed down.
Which would still mean months and months of hell for her.
After all the years of him trying to be better, to avoid hurting others, it looked like he'd caused chaos yet again.
And Cat was suffering because of it.
Then finally Sylvia said, "Tell me what happened."
Once he recounted it, she took a second before saying, "I suspect you know what's happened, aye? Being with the DDA for as long as you have."
"Aye," he murmured.
The studio came into view. Sylvia pointed toward a road going off to the left. "Go to Finn's house, tell him Cat's fighting the frenzy, and have him send a doctor."
Lachlan felt as if he should say something, do something, but Sylvia gestured down the road. "Go. Right now, focus on helping Cat. The rest can wait."
And so he did what she asked, and while not his strong suit, he waited.
Chapter Five
Cat lay on her side, curled into a ball, using every bit of energy she had to stay where she was.
Her dragon kept trying to take control of their mind, wanting to run after Lachlan.
And when she didn't let her, her dragon kept roaring, Find him and fuck him. He is ours. Why do you resist it? I won't. I'm going to find him, claim him, and take what I want.
At some point, the demands to find and fuck Lachlan became a low hum, one she could barely make out as she did her best to keep her dragon in the back of her mind.
She barely noticed her mother finding her, only that she could hear her muffled voice, as if coming through water. "Shh, Catherine. The doctor is coming."
She had no bloody idea how long she lay there, trying to fight her dragon—who had always been her best friend up until that point—until suddenly, her dragon fell silent. Almost as if she'd disappeared completely.
Then she heard a familiar voice, that of Dr. Alex Campbell, Lochguard's junior doctor. "It's okay, Cat. Your dragon will only be gone a few days. She'll be back when you're ready."
Cat's entire body felt like it was weighed down with stones. She'd never been so tired in her life. But somehow, she managed to open her eyes. Her mother's face came into view. She was the one person Cat ever let her guard down around, the only one she didn't always have to be strong for.
And so she broke down into tears.
Her mother managed to get her sitting upright and hugged her close.
Maybe some people would be embarrassed crying into their mother's shoulder, but Cat didn't care if she were in her twenties. No, she took strength from her mother, and eventually, she calmed down.
Her mum said softly, "It's just you and me, Cat. The doctor's gone. So tell me why you're crying, aye?"
She looked into her mother's eyes, and a mixture of guilt and comfort rushed through her. Guilt at yelling at her mother the night before, but comfort from the one thing that had been constant in her life the longest. "I've ruined everything."
Her mum raised her brows. "Did you force yourself on Lachlan, or him you?"
She murmured, "No."
"Aye, well, then it takes two people to kiss, doesn't it?"