Above all, she missed Arthur. But she knew she'd never get him back.
Her dragon spoke up. I still say we should go looking for that human. He made you forget your sadness for a wee while.
How, exactly? Beyond his name, the fact he's American and works in some restaurant in San Francisco, I know almost nothing else about him.
I bet Ian and Emma could find out if you asked them.
Aye, and then they'll get caught hacking into who knows what and be carted off to jail. I think not.
"Mum?" Sylvia met her daughter's gaze again. "If there's anything I can do to help you, be it with the bairn or anything, just ask, aye?"
Since Sylvia wasn't going to ask her daughter to find her males to date, she merely nodded. "Aye, I will. I miss us chatting alone like this. We need to do it more often."
Cat squeezed her hand. "I agree. As much as I love my siblings, it's nice not to have to compete with four other strong personalities."
Sylvia laughed. "You have no idea. Trying competing with all five of you in one room."
She was shy and reserved outside of her restaurant, which was out of place among all her late mate's extended family. Not to mention she had almost no family left on her side still alive.
Sylvia was, quite simply, the odd one out. It didn't bother her much, but it could be exhausting at times to explain how she liked—or, rather, needed—spending some time alone.
Her son Ian understood the need for peace and quiet more than the rest, but he was still more charming than Sylvia could ever hope to be.
Her dragon sighed. Stop looking for faults. I think they're excuses to use so we don't go looking for another male. Or maybe even one particular male.
The human from San Francisco had been outgoing and charming. And for a day and night, Sylvia had been someone else, almost as if being out among the humans in Glasgow had coaxed out a different side of her. Because they were human or simply because she wasn't surrounded by people who expected her to act one way, she didn't know.
However, it wasn't who she truly was here at home. He'd soon see how she wasn't the bold, spontaneous person she'd been that day. And she didn't need the rejection.
Ignoring both her beast and the memory of the mysterious American, Sylvia chatted about everything and nothing with her oldest daughter. And she couldn't help noticing how happy Cat was. Her daughter's true mate had turned out to be what she needed. Aye, he'd brought a bit of trouble to Lochguard, but it wasn't anything the clan couldn't handle.
But it did make Sylvia realize she wanted a similar sort of happiness again too.
So, aye, it was time to stop making excuses and do a few things for herself. Her children were grown, and after she settled into a routine with her new bairn, she would have the rest of her life to think of.
And as much as she'd always love her late mate, she knew he'd want her to find some happiness outside of their children. And so, for only the second time in a decade—the first being her one-night stand with the human—Sylvia decided to be more than a mother. She was also a lonely female with needs of her own.
It was high time she did something about that, as long as it wasn't with a certain human but rather someone who knew who she was and would accept it.
Chapter Nineteen
Lachlan wasn't sure how the dragon-shifters had managed it, but somehow they'd snatched his brother-in-law and two nephews and brought them to Lochguard without anyone raising alarms or calling the police.
Maybe some would be relieved at that, but it only made Lachlan more aware of how easy it would be for the dragon hunters to do the same.
At least his sister had seemed to warm up to Cat a little. His dragonwoman had helped Sarah and her sons settled into a temporary cottage while Lachlan had tried visiting his brother-in-law.
Which had resulted in nothing but the man cursing at him and disparaging all dragon-shifters.
He'd had to leave before he punched the bastard in the face.
On the walk home, he tried his best to forget the arsehole and focus on the next item in the never-ending list of things to accomplish—mating Cat.
Lachlan arrived at Finn's cottage, knocked, and Arabella, Finn's mate, opened the door. She raised an eyebrow and said, "You look like crap."
Her words made him smile. He preferred the dragonwoman's bluntness to any sort of small talk. "It's been a long twenty-four hours."
She stepped aside, her pupils flashing as he walked past her. She murmured, "I hope not too tiring. This is supposed to be one of those 'happiest days of your life' sort of events."
Not wanting to go into how kissing Cat the first time had triggered everything else and should be considered the happiest moment, he merely nodded and followed Arabella down the hall to Finn's office.
Inside, the room was filled to capacity with Cat's siblings, her mother, Finn, Faye and Grant, even one small blonde-haired child he knew to be Finn and Arabella's daughter, Freya.
Wee Freya stared at him and smiled.
He must be tired because the child was barely one and looked far too intelligent for her age.
Looking around, he finally spied Cat in the corner next to a small table. She wore a long, flowing dress in dark blue. On the surface, it looked modest, but the silky fabric outlined the shapes of her body, leaving nothing to the imagination.
With a growl, he walked over to her and stood as if to shield her from the room. He whispered, "Why are you wearing a bloody nightgown in a room full of people?"
The corner of her mouth ticked up. "This is Lochguard's formal dress. You should know that, Mr. DDA Expert."
"I've never attended a formal dragon event before." He moved his mouth to her ear and murmured, "But if I have to in the future, you're adding ruffles. Or maybe extra layers. Lots of them. So other men don't stare."
She laughed, but it was Finn who replied. "If you think her dress is bad, you're aware that dragon-shifters are naked when they shift, aye?"
Lachlan swung his gaze toward the clan leader and glared. Hard.
Arabella stood next to Finn, touched his arm, and sighed. "Don't provoke him, Finn. He's human, remember? They're modest and embarrass easily."
Lachlan wasn't in a mood for the usual teasing, but he felt Cat's hand on his cheek, and she gently turned his head back to meet her gaze. She kissed him gently and whispered, "Just focus on me, aye? Mating ceremonies are usually only between two people."
They were having their ceremony in a small, crowded room only because of the rushed situation and urgency to help his sister.
Lachlan's irritation faded, and he nuzzled Cat's cheek. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."
She caressed the side of his neck with a finger. "There's nothing to make up. I love you, remember?"
Not caring who else was in the room, Lachlan took her lips in a desperate kiss, licking, and tasting, needing her calming presence to help control his worst impulses.
When he finally let Cat up for air, they both breathed heavily, and her cheeks were flushed.
Someone cheered, but he ignored them. He murmured, "I love you," kissed her gently, and asked, "What do we do? They don't teach us about the finer details of mating ceremonies in the DDA."