The Dragon's Pursuit (Lochguard Highland Dragons 7)

"It may not be what she needs, if the test results come back different than I think they will," Dr. Sid stated softly.

"I know that. But I'd rather have it in case Layla needs it."

Dr. Sid bobbed her head. "Then I'll send a few more pictures to your mobile of other possible plants I'll need, in case you see them, too. The more remedies I have available, the better."

Grant interjected. "And Cooper will go with you. Don't argue, it's nonnegotiable."

Cooper was Grant's second-in-command, and Chase knew the male could keep a secret if he asked. "Fine, he can come. But I'm leaving as soon as possible, so have him meet me at the main landing area." He looked back at the doctor. "Can I at least see Layla once, before I leave?"

Sadness flashed in Dr. Sid's eyes. "No, I'm afraid not. I'm still pinpointing the cause, and we're keeping her in a sterile environment and in quarantine until I sort it all out."

He nearly snarled and demanded to see her, but then his dragon murmured, Dr. Sid would let us see Layla if she could. You know that.

Now his beast was the calmer of the two. Aye, I do. But I don't like it.

Neither do I. But let's focus our energy on getting to our hidden garden as quickly as possible.

After muttering his farewells, Chase walked out of the surgery and straight to the landing area. As he shucked his clothes, he focused on what he could control—shifting into his dragon form and flying as quickly as possible to the south.

Chapter Eighteen

Cat MacAllister stared at the closed door of her guest bedroom and willed for Aimee King to have a peaceful night.

The lass had been doing fine, working on one of her paintings, but then a sound of a dragon flying overhead had sent her into a panic. No amount of coaxing had been able to pull the lass out of her nightmare, and so Cat had resorted to calling the doctor.

The doctor had forced her into a medically induced coma, one that should last for a while yet.

She hated that the dragonwoman had to be drugged, but she knew nothing about medicine and trusted the doctor's judgment.

All she hoped now was that the doctor's statement, about Aimee sleeping for a total of forty-eight hours, held true and not just for the female's sake, either. Cat had asked her brother Connor to come over and listen for anything amiss while she ran an errand. Cat didn't want to leave Aimee, but she had a long-standing appointment to keep. And when the Department of Dragon Affairs reached out to a person about spearheading a project, a dragon-shifter simply didn't say no.

Her beast spoke up. You could reschedule if you wanted. And don't give me the excuse you can't. In reality, you just want to see him again.

Cat resisted looking to the room she used as her studio, where more than one painting featured the male in question. If I want to see him again, it's only to refresh my memory and memorize more details of his face and form to improve my next painting.

Her dragon snorted. Right, tell yourself that.

A knock sounded at the front door. Ignoring her beast, she opened it to find her younger, but much taller brother Connor. She motioned him inside.

Since Cat was the eldest of five, she couldn't help but stand up a wee bit straighter and put a touch of dominance in her voice. "Remember what I said, Connor. Don't bother her unless absolutely necessary. I know you think you're a gift to all females, but she's having a difficult time and doesn't do well with males. Leave her be."

Connor raised a dark eyebrow. "I'm not ten years old, Cat. And I'm not a gift to all females." He placed a hand over his heart. "Females who fancy females will always just miss out on all of this."

She rolled her eyes. "You only say that now because Jade and her long-time girlfriend turned you down. As I recall, they laughed at the idea of sharing your bed, to the point they both started crying."

He shrugged, pretending it didn't bother him in the least. However, Cat had noticed the split-second flattening of his lips before he'd forced a smile again. "It just gives me more energy for those who could appreciate a bloke like me."

Feeling a headache coming on, Cat turned from her brother and picked up her bag. "Aye, aye, you're so brilliant and fit, I know." She glanced over her shoulder. "But I'm your sister and I know full well there's a kind, caring heart inside that chest, underneath all the swagger. If you're not careful, I may even share a secret or two about your time caring for our old Auntie Maude."

Connor growled. "If you tell anyone I put together a fancy high tea for our auntie, I'll just happen to share a photo I snapped of that painting, the one with your half-naked human."

She turned around with a frown. "When were you in my studio? Not only is it off-limits, but I also lock it anytime I'm not in it."

Her brother grinned. "As if that would keep me out."

What she wanted to do was scold Connor and treat him like a child, not caring that he was twenty-three years old. However, she needed to leave in the next minute or two if she didn't want to be late for her meeting. And considering Lachlan MacKintosh was Mr. Punctual to the extreme, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of her being late.

Not that she always tried to be tardy, but sometimes Cat lost track of time when it came to drawing, painting, or even daydreaming.