As he spent inside her, a sense of rightness settled over him as he claimed Cat as his yet again.
It was almost as if he'd been waiting his whole life for this woman.
When her cunt had milked every last drop, he released her lips and held her close, pressing his mouth to where her neck met her shoulder, and inhaled the combination of female musk, sweat, and the unique scent that was his Cat.
He was content to merely hold her, the woman who was growing to mean so much to him already, her warmth seeping into his skin, making him want a future he'd never thought to want so damn much before.
It was Cat who spoke first and broke the silence. "So if that was the rehearsal, I wonder what we can improve upon for the final version."
He chuckled before kissing her neck. "Oh, give me a day or so, and I'll come up with something even better."
"Maybe we should practice certain scenes at home first. You know, just to make sure they're perfect."
He moved his head back until he could see her eyes. With sunlight coming in from three sides, she almost glowed, as if a sort of beacon for him. One he'd always be able to find no matter what darkness tried to consume him.
But could a beacon light the way forever? That he didn't know.
Before further doubts could seep in, he replied, "We can practice as much as you like, lass."
Although he couldn't bring himself to say for the rest of their lives.
He wanted Cat more than anything, but he had been cautious for more than a decade, and he couldn't shrug that off so easily.
No, he'd need to make sure that once the almost honeymoon-like period wore off, she still wanted him before allowing himself to hope for the future.
However, as she snuggled against him, he pushed his worries aside and merely held the dragonwoman he wanted to one day call his own.
Chapter Thirteen
The next day, Cat shucked her clothes at the side of one of Lochguard’s landing areas and tried her best not to be nervous.
No, it wasn’t the fact she was going to be naked that did it. Dragon-shifters grew up treating nudity as just another normal state. Rather, it was because she was about to show Lachlan her dragon form for the first time since the frenzy.
Her beast snorted. He saw our dragon form over a year ago, during the exhibition he ran. Being nervous is silly.
I know, but this time it’s different. He’s embraced you taking over when we’re human, but this is something else entirely, seeing the mother of his child changing into a dragon. It might be weird for him, and I don’t think I could bear that.
It’s strange for most humans, although I think he’ll be fine. Besides, it’ll be good to show him our dragon form since it’ll remind him that we’re stronger than him. Not that I think he’ll hurt us, but he keeps thinking he can and will someday.
Not wanting to waste time debating with her beast, Cat merely tucked her clothes into one of the cubbies at the side of the landing area and strode toward the center.
Once there, she met Lachlan’s gaze. Even from this distance, she could see his clenched jaw and slowly narrowed eyes. He didn’t like her naked in public.
He was still jealous of others seeing her, apparently, no matter how many times she’d stated it was as normal as shaking hands with someone inside Lochguard.
Her dragon sighed. He’ll learn eventually. At any rate, now’s all the more reason to shift quickly.
Not needing any more prodding, Cat imagined her wings sprouting from her back, her arms and legs extending into fore and hind legs, and her nose extending into a snout until she finally stood in her tall, purple dragon form.
Lachlan’s gaze trailed from her head, down to her feet, and back again.
Leave it to her male to make a thorough study of her other form.
Her dragon snorted, but then Lachlan walked toward them and Cat’s heart beat double-time, her nerves on edge as she waited for their human to touch her.
For all the stories and legends told of fierce dragons with few—if any—weaknesses, many of her kind relished being scratched behind the ears, or stroked along the side.
It would be another way for Lachlan to show he accepted her, all of her.
Her dragon sighed. Stop being silly.
Lachlan finally stood in front of her and Cat lowered her head. As soon as his hand caressed her snout, her dragon hummed. The sound made Lachlan smile.
He said, “The dragon purrs much like when the human does—when’s she’s happy, aye?”
She lightly butted his shoulder and he chuckled. Even though he did it more often, Cat still treasured each and every time he did so.
He kept his hand near her nose and murmured, “You’re beautiful in any form, Cat. I love how your scales sparkle a little, even when it’s overcast.”
His words made both female and beast sigh.
Her dragon said inside their mind, He still needs to scratch behind our ears.
He will. But maybe we should have some fun with him first. He’s due for it, given his lesson in “patience” yesterday.
Aye, but I think we both rather enjoyed that.
Not wanting to remember Lachlan worshiping her inside her studio and get lost in the delicious memory, she pushed it aside for the moment.
No, she was determined to have her turn with him. Maybe even make him squeal a wee bit.
True, it wasn’t the mostly dignified or macho of things, but Cat didn’t care. She had a feeling they would be trading “lessons” for many years to come.
Or so she hoped.
Lachlan patted her cheek and then reached up to scratch behind her ear. Her dragon hummed louder and Cat did her best to focus on what came next. Her dragon was getting her ear scratches, so next it’d be her turn to have fun with their human.
Once Cat finally stood in her tall dragon form, Lachlan forgot all about his points to convince Cat to at least toss a towel or sheet around her naked body when shifting.
He couldn’t resist her glinting scales or eyes that were both the same and yet foreign to him, and he instantly went to her.
However, when she started humming at his touch, he couldn’t help but smile and revel in this side of his dragonwoman.
He’d barely had a chance to compliment her, though, before she gently used her snout to guide him toward her tail.
Not that he minded. Running his hand along her side, he loved how her scales were hard and smooth, and slightly warmer than he would’ve expected.
Between the teeth she’d flashed and the solidness of her scales, it only reinforced that she was indeed a woman who could take care of herself.
And that was before his gaze fixated on the talons of her hind feet.
Aye, his lass was strong in many ways.
He reached her tail and was about to ask her what now when it wrapped around his middle and he was suddenly up in the air, a foot or so away from Cat’s snout.
He didn’t know if dragons could smile, but her open, toothy mouth surely looked like one. He asked, “What’re you doing?”
She showed more of her teeth, ensured she was standing on all fours, and then deposited him on her back, in between the wings resting on her sides.
Lachlan was now at least ten feet off the ground.
Not that he cared much about that. No, he was more worried about what Cat might do. “Don’t even think of jumping into the air, lass. If anyone reports you carrying a human in the air, then you’ll be in trouble.”