She flicked a wing out to the side and back, almost in a shrug.
Lachlan tried to think of what he could say to change her mind—Cat was stubborn, but usually not quite so reckless—however, her tail tapped her side, garnering his attention.
It moved down her flank, back to where he sat, and down again.
He raised his brows. “You want me to slide down your side?” She nodded and he eyed the distance. “That’s almost straight down.”
As if she’d known the argument was coming, she moved a leg out to the side, making the angle less severe. Then her tail repeated the earlier motion.
Given that Lachlan was in his thirties, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d gone down a slide.
Part of him wanted to, but the more rational part knew it was not only dangerous, but it could also lessen the respect others had for him within the clan. Because surely adults didn’t go sliding down one another’s sides for fun.
It was then he noticed a ginger-haired woman standing next to a double pram, another woman at her side balancing a toddler on her hip.
Bloody fantastic. They now had an audience.
Lachlan recognized the ginger-haired woman from the meal in the great hall when he’d first arrived. She was human and named Gina MacDonald-MacKenzie; she was mated to the dragon-shifter named Fergus. She shouted, her American accent readily apparent, “You may as well just do it. Trust me, my mate did the same thing in the beginning. I was scared at first, but actually it’s pretty fun.”
The other woman grinned. She also had an American accent too as she said, “It really is. I convinced Fergus to let me slide down his side too. I think it’s a rite of passage for any human living on Lochguard.”
Even though he’d never met her, the accent told him the other woman was Kaylee MacDonald, Gina’s sister.
He grunted and shouted back, “It seems bloody dangerous to me.”
Gina said, “Cat won’t let you fall.”
Even without Gina saying it, he knew that as well.
He stole a glance at Cat and she tilted her head, almost in challenge. Surely if the two women could slide down a dragon’s side, he could as well.
Of course neither of them worked for the DDA or hoped to remain employed with them.
But then it hit him that if he refused to do this, then maybe Cat would construe it to mean he didn’t value her dragon form as much as her human form.
That was all it took for him to take a deep breath, scoot into a better position, and propel himself forward.
He slid down, her smooth scales making it easy, and Lachlan just managed to get to his feet at the bottom without a problem.
Kaylee asked, “Well?”
He met Cat’s gaze. “Maybe I should try it again.”
Cat bared even more teeth—the dragon equivalent of a grin—and placed him on her back again. As soon as he was back on the ground, Kaylee had somehow convinced Cat to let her have a go as well.
Eventually Gina convinced her sister they needed to get the children home and he was left alone with Cat. She motioned for him to stand back and he watched as she slowly shrank back into her human form.
He wasted no time unbuttoning his shirt, walking up to her, and putting it around her shoulders.
Amusement danced in her eyes as she said, “Well, that went well. I’m sure Kaylee will share your adventures far and wide within the day.”
He sighed. “Which means others are going to tease me, aren’t they?”
She placed a hand on his cheek. “Don’t worry about it, aye? Everyone slides down a dragon at some point.” Her lips twitched. “Although to be fair, it’s usually as an older child.”
He lightly slapped her arse. “Minx.”
She laughed, and the sound made him forget about everything else but the fact he had a beautiful female in his arms.
Cat was his, and that was all that mattered.
He lowered his head closer to her lips. “I think maybe it’s my turn to play with you for a wee while.”
“Oh? And how, exactly?”
He scooped her into his arms as she squeaked. “It requires somewhere far more private.”
She put her arms around his neck, leaned against him and replied, “There’s an empty shed not far from here. True, it only has a table inside it, but we both know how much you like those.”
Memories of the day before, with him taking Cat inside her art studio, flashed into his mind, making his cock turn to stone.
With a growl, he said, “Tell me how to get there.”
She did. And in less than five minutes, he had his woman spread on the table and showed her what his version of playtime entailed.
Chapter Fourteen
Over the next few days, Cat and Lachlan fell into a routine. The early mornings and evenings were filled with teasing, conversation, and plenty of sex.
During the day, however, they'd both had to face reality. Not only were the various artists due to arrive in about six weeks' time, but Lachlan was also still trying to find a way to convince the DDA to let him keep his job.
For the time being, the DDA didn't know about the frenzy, which of course, meant no mating ceremony.
Although Cat wasn't entirely sure if Lachlan was ready for one anyway. He still worried about failing her—and probably even hurting her—and it would take time to convince him otherwise.
And while she wasn't always patient, she could be in this. Lachlan's scars ran deep, and she had to give him time to heal.
Well, she could give him at least until after the art collective project was finished. Because if they weren't mated by then, Lachlan wouldn't be allowed to stay on Lochguard.
And just thinking of him leaving made her throat tighten, her dragon unable to comfort her because they were sitting with Aimee King at the moment.
There was too much bloody uncertainty in her future, apart from having a bairn of her own in a little less than nine months' time. Almost everyone else with human mates on Lochguard seemed to have had everything settled so quickly. But apparently not her.
And yet, as Cat watched Aimee fill in her latest paint project, she decided to be grateful for all that she did have. Aye, she didn't like the fact Lachlan could lose his career for simply choosing her, but she had no right to complain when compared with Aimee.
The brown-haired lass had been imprisoned and drugged as a teenager. Cat suspected there was more to that story, perhaps even torture, but she wasn't about to ask. The female would share when she was ready.
Regardless, Aimee's situation did put things in perspective.
Usually her dragon would comment, but she was trying to stay quiet with Aimee.
Instead, Cat thought about how Lachlan might know more about the whole Clan Skyhunter upheaval—how Aimee, her brother, and so many others had become prisoners in the first place—when something lightly hit the window.
Their art therapy session was in Aimee's room today, at a different time than usual since their normal spot had been temporarily claimed for storage.
The tiny clacking sound happened again. However, before she could stand to check out the sound, Aimee asked, "What time is it?"
She checked her phone. "Half ten."
The lass jumped up and rushed to the window. After a beat, she gave a wave.
Her dragon's voice was sleepy as she said, Go see who it is.