"And you want Killian to kiss my daughter."
"Yes."
He paused and finally spoke again. "That's why Killian disappeared several years ago, when I came to visit your clan, with my daughter in tow. He was keeping his distance and that was why Teagan had to reveal herself."
She bobbed her head. "He didn't want to cause any trouble, so we kept Killian hidden away."
"You should've just told me the truth."
"Because I'm sure that would've worked out so well," she said dryly.
The corner of Lorcan's mouth ticked up. "My, my, there is more to you than a pretty face, Caitlin O'Shea."
She fought a blush at Lorcan's words and the appreciation in his eyes. "We were talking about my son and your daughter."
His face instantly returned to a neutral expression. "She won't want the frenzy, that I can tell you."
"Killian doesn't, either. But it's happened before, with two dragon-shifters kissing their true mate and being held apart long enough to allow it to fade."
Granted, both parties would be in physical pain for weeks, possibly even months, and would probably have to drug their dragons into silence at first.
She stilled. What am I doing? How could she even ask Lorcan to put his daughter through such pain.
She opened her mouth to apologize, but Lorcan beat her to it. "And in exchange for agreeing to this, you want to offer yourself up as my mate?"
She nodded, and Lorcan fell silent.
If she were a stronger person, she would dismiss the idea and end the call. But with each second that ticked by, she thought maybe her sacrifice would help Killian after all.
It was a big ask, her request. But she didn't have any other choice.
Lorcan finally spoke again. "I need to talk with my daughter. This is her decision."
"Of course."
"Then stand by for my call. I'm going to talk with her right now and give you an answer."
The screen turned dark and Caitlin slumped in her chair. She was no closer to securing Killian's future than before. On top of that, she had to talk with Lorcan again. The next conversation might be even more difficult if his daughter said no.
Her dragon spoke up. He's not that bad. And that's not true, about Killian's future. Lorcan could've said no straight away.
Maybe. I still feel awful for what his daughter could endure, if the true mate link still exists.
It may not, and then our number of solutions dwindle.
Caitlin's phone beeped, and she barely glanced at her mother's message. She wasn't about to share anything until she had an answer.
Not wanting to fret over a decision beyond her control, she needed a distraction.
She pulled up information about the area surrounding Belfast, where Northcastle was located. While there was a huge lake nearby—Lough Neagh—that she'd always wanted to swim in, being so close to Belfast and its roughly half a million humans living in or near it caused any number of dangerous situations to run through her head. After all, her mate had died at the hands of humans.
And not only that, there was a dragon hunter base not far from Clan Northcastle.
Maybe moving there would be a worse idea than she'd originally thought.
Her dragon spoke up. Lorcan keeps his clan safe. Things will be different, but maybe we need a change of scenery.
What are you talking about?