Caitlin glanced at Brenna, an apology in her eyes. "I'll contact Lorcan straight away."
Brenna's dragon spoke up. This is a bad idea.
No, it's the best path forward at the moment.
And if the frenzy breaks free?
Then so be it.
Her beast huffed. Someday, you'll realize that always being noble comes at a cost.
This is the right thing to do, dragon.
Not wanting an argument, she tossed her beast into a mental prison. "Do you think you can stand, Killian?"
"I have a headache, but I'll live."
"Are you sure?" Caitlin asked. "Maybe we should wait for the doctor."
Killian gave a derisive laugh. "No offense, but he has no idea of how to deal with my condition." Killian sat up slowly. "The best thing you can do is ask for Lorcan's help as soon as possible."
With a nod, Caitlin stood. "I'll do it now."
Before anyone else could say a word, Caitlin exited the room.
A second later, Orla banged her cane against the ground, obviously not caring about Killian's wince in response. "I have a feeling my daughter will need me shortly. Since no one seems to want to listen to me, I'm sure Brenna can handle the situation."
Before Brenna could do more than open her mouth, Orla had also left.
Since dragon-shifters had supersensitive hearing, no doubt Teagan had heard everything from the kitchen. The fact the female wasn't storming back into the dining room told Brenna she had to approve of the idea. Or, at least had accepted it.
Brenna put out a hand and helped Killian to his feet. He stumbled a second, and she grabbed his arms to steady him.
Simply touching his skin sent a rush of awareness through her body, instantly raising her body temperature. Allowing Killian to kiss another female wouldn't be easy. Maybe she could find a logical excuse as to why she didn't have to watch it.
Her dragon banged against her prison, but it held. Focusing back on the present, Brenna whispered to Killian's chest, "You might soon be a whole person again."
He placed a finger under her chin and forced her to meet his unreadable gaze. "Even if my dragon returns, I'm not sure I can forget you, Brenna."
Not wanting to entertain the impossible, she gave a strangled laugh. "Does it matter? Not five minutes ago, you were furious with me for keeping information from you."
Stroking the underside of her chin, he murmured, "And to a degree, I still am. But regardless of what happens with the Northcastle woman, I doubt it'll be anything like this."
He lowered his head and kissed her.
If Brenna were a stronger person, she'd push him away. Their futures were not meant to be together.
But as Killian wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up against his body, she sighed, and his tongue slid into her mouth.
Each lick, caress, and nip only made her body warmer, and she threaded the finge
rs of one hand through his hair and took the kiss deeper.
He lifted her leg up and ground against her core. Gasping, she broke the kiss, but Killian only took her lips again, never ceasing the motion of his hips.
The friction of her trousers against her clit only pushed her closer to orgasm. All she needed was another minute, and she'd come. True, she'd much prefer Killian naked and inside her, but since this could be her last chance to kiss him, she hugged him closer and increased the pace of her own body.
She was so close. Digging her nails into Killian's scalp, he growled and nipped her bottom lip. Just as she was about to retaliate, Teagan's voice carried across the room. "I'm not sure now is the best time for that."