Finn merely smiled as Lachlan left. For once, he was going to have to be spontaneous and not plan out every last detail of his proposal.
He only hoped she said yes. Not just for his sister's sake either.
Chapter Seventeen
The smell of paint usually comforted Cat. But after a close call in her studio earlier, when she'd tried to mix her paints and had ended up running to the toilet instead, she decided to fill her day with paperwork and prep work for the other artists arriving in about a week.
Which was why she was stacking supplies on a series of shelves inside the big art space, her dragon asleep from boredom, when Lachlan burst into the room.
She turned at the sound, but she paused midair in placing some paper towels on a shelf when she noticed his face.
Something was wrong.
Her dragon stirred. Then find out what it is.
Cat tossed the paper towels aside, closed the distance between them, and placed a hand on his chest. "Talk to me."
Lachlan cupped both sides of her face with his hands before leaning in to kiss her quickly. The action almost felt like an apology, which sent off warning bells inside her brain. Searching his gaze again, she stated, "Lachlan, just tell me what's going on, aye? You're worrying me."
His voice was soft as he answered, "I'm sorry, I just didn't think the moment would go like this." She growled impatiently, and he continued, "My sister came to Lochguard because of a threat to her family, and the only way to save her means I need to ask you to mate me."
Her dragon sighed. He's right. That's not very romantic.
Since when do you care about that sort of stuff?
Not giving her dragon a chance to reply, Cat told her human to fill her in on all the details.
When he finished telling her about the note and the hunters, as well as Finn's idea, she finally said, "Of course I'll mate you, Lachlan. You could've asked me weeks ago, and I would've said yes." She paused a beat and added, "I knew you needed time, so I wasn't going to rush you."
He leaned closer. "It wasn't so much me being unsure, as wanting to make sure you could deal with me and all the baggage that comes with it."
She tilted her head. "You're worth a whole lot more than you think, Lachlan MacKintosh. And if you're going to be my mate, you need to realize that."
"I do know that," he said quietly. "But it's not easy to erase a lifetime of history as quickly as I'd like."
She cupped his cheek. "Aye, I know. And I don't expect it. But I love you, Lachlan. So of course I'll mate you."
He blinked. "You love me?"
"Of course I do, you bloody human. And not just because you'll be the father of my child, either. I've told you before—you make everything easier to endure, to enjoy, not to mention how you help me handle my family so that I no longer want to kill them." She smiled wider as she caressed his cheek with her thumb. "You also have a hidden sense of humor that I like knowing you show me and almost no one else. Maybe one day you'll share it with other people, but for now, it's all mine."
Her dragon added, And the sex. He's good at that too.
She snorted, and Lachlan raised his brows in question. "My dragon likes your cock and your tongue."
Lachlan's lips curled a fraction upward. "Well, it's good to know the whole package is included."
She laughed and tilted her head upward. "So, do you believe me when I say I want to mate you now?"
He strummed her cheeks with his thumbs, leaned down to kiss her gently, and whispered, "Aye, I do. And I love you too, Cat. I hope you know that."
She did, but it was still nice to hear it. "I do."
Her dragon spoke up. He can convince me a wee bit more later.
She ignored her beast, kissed her human for a few beats, and then pulled away. "So now what? Tell me what you need, and I'll do it."
He frowned and glanced down at her belly. "Are you well enough? I don't want to make you sick again."
"As long as I don't have to cook a three-course meal or fertilize a garden, I think I'll be fine." He looked dubious, so she added, "I vow to tell you if I don't feel well. And you know how seriously dragon-shifters take their vows."
He nodded without hesitation. "Aye, I know." He let go of her face and took one of her hands in his. "Now I just have to convince my sister to move here. I might need your help with that."
She raised her brows. "My help? How? I've never met her before."
He shrugged. "Sarah's more comfortable around women than men, and I think that would be doubly so for dragon-shifters. She'll probably have questions and will protest at our solution, but we need to do everything we can to convince her this is the best choice in the long run. Because if the hunters think they can start threatening family members of anyone tied to the dragons, it could get rather dangerous fairly quickly. Not to mention the DDA could eventually stop any sort of matings between humans and dragons if things get too out of control. We have to nip this in the bud now."
He was right. Only in the last few years had more and more humans started mating dragon-shifters in the UK. If it became known that any human connected to a dragon-shifter could become a target by the hunters via their extended families—especially if people got hurt or even killed in the process—then the DDA would probably halt any more humans from living with the dragon clans, end of story.
She nodded and said, "Then lead the way and I'll do whatever I can. Just maybe don't run, aye? I'm not sure if my stomach would like that."
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. "Of course, lass. Now, let's go."
He led her out of the warehouse and to the main Protector building. Whether because of the urgency or simply because he was thinking, Lachlan kept quiet.
But Cat didn't mind. His family could be in danger, so of course he needed to focus on them.
Her dragon said, We're his family too.
Aye, but apart from a queasy stomach, we're just fine. If you care about Lachlan as much as I do, then try to be quiet when I'm talking with his sister, aye? I'm not sure what flashing dragon eyes will do to her.
Her beast sighed. Fine.
Even though her inner dragon sounded exasperated, Cat knew it was an act. Dragons, for the most part, treasured family. Well, especially so on Lochguard. And her inner beast wouldn't want to hurt Lachlan's sister if she could help it. Don't worry; I'll make sure you get some extra attention when it's safe. That should make up for staying silent.
Maybe Sarah's sons will scratch my ears. I could use a few more people doing that.
We'll see, dragon. We'll see.
It wasn't long before they reached the room where Cat assumed Sarah was waiting. Lachlan knocked once, and they both stepped inside.
Even though she'd seen pictures, in person, his sister looked even more like him—same dark hair, cautious blue eyes, and slightly too-long nose. Her skin was a little less pale, but Cat knew from Lachlan that the human female liked to garden and probably spent more time in the sun. She was also quite a bit shorter than her brother.
Once they were inside the room and the door was closed again, Lachlan gestured toward her. "Sarah, this is my fiancée, Cat MacAllister. Cat, this is my sister, Sarah."