Captured By The Dragon
Episode 22

Malcom – Third

It took two days for Malcom and his team to get through to the shifter territory undetected. It was a path he knew well and one he had taken countless times to bring back innocent girls to their families.

He only hoped he would find Patara and potentially other young girls that had been taken as well. Every minute they were delayed was another minute that Patara might have been abused or closer to death.

There were many times where Malcom was a little too late. Girls were found dead by hours or minutes when he reached them. They were thrown to guards or workers when they were all used up and usually died from their injuries. He would carry their broken and bruised body back to be buried by their parents and each one was like a bullet to the heart.

Those scars never went away. They only encouraged him to keep going and keep finding the girls that didn’t deserve this fate. He knew full well that he would be doing this job until he was dead in the ground—even if he somehow stopped human trafficking all together, he would still make sure no one slipped through the cracks.

Dylan’s home wasn’t far from the forest they came in through, but it was dangerous to get there on foot. They stuck out as humans, but Malcom knew how the soldiers dressed in the territory and he tried to make sure his men were similar. He knew every step to take to dodge danger as much as they could.

Rogues and horrible beasts surrounded these parts. Dylan made sure his area was clean of it but that didn’t mean that there weren’t some that slipped through. They were on high alert as they passed through the trees and tried to blend in with the night.

They all knew their plans. Scope out his residence and try to see if Patara was inside. Once that was confirmed, they would go forward with their plan to rescue her. But they all knew they had to be careful.

Dylan was one of the most powerful shifters in the land and he was rarely the type to be overstepped. He was violent, vicious and cruel to those that deserved it. Malcom still couldn’t believe he had taken a girl to be his own after what happened to his mother. It didn’t make sense.

Malcom – Third

It took two days for Malcom and his team to get through to the shifter territory undetected. It was a path he knew well and one he had taken countless times to bring back innocent girls to their families.

Had he seen Patara and knew he could own her if he wanted? Was she the first—or did he secretly have other girls at his home that he liked to keep as his own? It was a shame—Malcom never considered that Dylan would do this, but he should have known that a man with power could do what he pleased.

His home wasn’t one that Malcom had ventured to before, though he knew where it was well enough. When you entered a different world, you had to know where the rulers lived. You had to know where to avoid and where to hide.

Malcom stationed his men in the trees across from the home. It looked like a gothic house that would be the star of a horror movie. While it was clean and pristine—it looked hauntingly different from all the other homes Malcom had come across. Somehow it seemed like the perfect place to take innocent girls—it was scary enough.

There were a handful of guards that walked around the outside of the home. Half of them looked as if they were about to fall asleep while the other half were more alert. His team ducked low whenever their gazes wandered towards the trees, but not one of them sniffed them out yet.

For hours they watched the house. They made note of what times the guards switched shifts and how long they stayed in an area before they went to a new one. No movement came from in or out of the house but once in a while he swore he saw a shadow in one of the top bedrooms.

Slowly, they moved around the forest so they could see the back gardens. It was closed off and locked as if no one was allowed back there. It made sense, considering what happened to his mother all those years ago. Dylan must never let anyone back there.

They listened closely. A few guards passed on information about Dylan that was foolish of them to say out loud. Their patience always paid off in one way or another.

“He might be gone tomorrow, we have to double up if he is.” One of the guards relayed to the other. Malcom’s ears felt as if they opened wider as he desperately tried to hear more.

“How long will he be gone this time? He didn’t return from the last battle for months. Are we supposed to entertain that human?”

The guard snorted. “She wouldn’t be hard to entertain. Hell, throw me in a room with her and I’ll keep her happy.”

The other guard smacked his friend and Malcom felt his stomach turn. He hated when men talked like that about young girls as if they were objects. It made him want to knock them to the ground and make them feel as helpless as the girls did.

“He didn’t say how long he would be, he could be back within an hour or more. Stop being an idiot and go around the back.” The other guard snapped.

Malcom lowered his head a little. He’d heard about the war brewing between shifters but he wasn’t sure of all the details. They always seemed to be fighting over something in this land. If Dylan was involved in it, that gave them a perfect opportunity to get her out of there and back to her home before Dylan ever returned. He wouldn’t be able to reach her in the human world.

It wasn’t until the next morning that they finally saw her.

Patara opened the shades of her window and gazed out into the front yard. Malcom felt his heart stop in his chest. She looked so sad and lonely as she watched the guards pace back and forth. She wiggled the window a little as if to open it but quickly gave up and closed the curtain again.

It was her. Malcom knew it instantly. He studied her picture for days so he wouldn’t forget her face. He wanted to make sure he would know her the instant he saw her and there she was.

She wasn’t being held underground like Malcom feared—it appeared she had her own room. He could tell from her face that she was locked in that house as if she was a doll. It broke Malcom’s heart.

He quickly pulled back his men to an area where they wouldn’t be heard.

“We know she’s there but we don’t have enough manpower to go in and rescue her now.” Malcom said to his men. They all nodded in agreement. “We have to watch Dylan for a few days and see his movements. Then we can get her out of there when he’s gone.”