Captured By The Dragon
Episode 86

Dad. People kept saying that word. The warm woman was always calling the warm man that or Dylan. Ethan had figured out that Dylan was the man’s name like Ethan was his name, but he didn’t know what Dad meant.

Erik lifted Ethan into the car and put the warm woman in the car beside him. Ethan got onto his knees and watch out the back window as the car revved to life, shifted, and began to roll away from the fire. The dragon lifted into the sky and waved his wings. Someone screamed. There was something crashing, but Ethan couldn’t see anything.

“Put your seatbelt on, Ethan,” the warm woman said softly.

Ethan didn’t look away.

“Are you worried about your dad?” She asked. She turned to look out the window with him. “He’s very strong. He promised that everything would be okay, so we should trust him okay?”

Dad.

That must be what that word means. It was strange, but it had to mean that Ethan was a dragon shifter because his dad was a dragon shifter.

Dad. It was a nice word.

He looked at the warm woman who smiled at him and tugged him to sit beside her. He wondered what the word for her was. She put a bet across his lap and pulled him up against her.

What was the word for the one that held him close and stroked his hair? He didn’t know, but he hoped it was a nice word too.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” she said. “Mom’s here and Dad will protect us. He’ll always protect us.”

Ethan leaned into her, turning her words over in his mind.

Maybe the word was mom.

Dylan

I never wanted to have to do this in front of Ethan, but there was no choice. I shot a beam of fire at an oncoming jeep, blocking the sight of Patara and Ethan with my body. I heard Patara stumbling towards the jeep with Erik helping her walk and leading Ethan along.

The jeep roared to life as they came within firing distance and began to drive away from the house. I lunged forward, flapping my wing hard enough to send the standing gunners flying off the back of the jeeps.

“Damn it! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!”

I sent another blast of fire at them as the rest of my forces started to pull back and follow Erik into the distance. When the fire was high enough, I took to the sky to survey the enemies that were coming. I flew high enough to be out of their firing range, but my fire would scorch the tops of trees and turn them to ash even at this distance.

I let a burst of fire go fort, cutting them off and trapping them in place. Something exploded and I watched my forces pull back as the chain of explosions carried on. As they shrieked and scrambled, I shifted and fell onto the back of a gunner’s jeep that was aiming at me. I tore out his throat and killed his partner. The jeep swerved to one side, trying to throw me off as I checked the ammo of the mounted gun. I aimed it at another jeep and fired, careful to keep track of the shells as I killed the other gunners.

When the jeeps all came to a stop, I shifted again and took to the sky, calling for all of my forces to head away from the explosions that were still going off. I banked around to follow the caravan of jeeps that were following Erik. It seemed he was heading north to another safe house.

The others took to the air and fell into formation around me as we cleared the area and were heading to the edge of the safe house settlement. I dove and shifted, landing in the back of the truck with a grunt. I grabbed a radio.

“Someone answer me, what’s happening? How many were detained? How many dead?”

“No casualties on our side.” Someone answered. “It’s a mess on the border though.”

I grit my teeth listening to the report. There were several, large trucks coming over the border. The scent of human women and guns lingered in the air and they were being led by hunters. I had no idea whether or not the hunters were actually in on the trafficking or simply trying to transport the guns, but it didn’t matter.

The humans had all but declared war on us, so it was only going to be a matter of time before I would declare war on them, but I wouldn’t be stupid like the Tiger King. I would just strike and strike hard.

When we arrived, another message from the Tiger King was published. Erik tracked it to the grounds of my old house.

“Dylan has declared war on all shifter-kind. He’s attacked the werewolves and the snakes. Who is next? Join me and let us reclaim the true shifter way!”

I grit my teeth as we stopped and everyone started to get out of the car. I jumped down and lifted Patara out of the car, carrying her carefully.

“Dad.”

I froze and turned back to look at Ethan as he climbed to the edge of the seat. Patara gasped in my arms and I stared at Ethan.

“Ethan?”

He reached for me, “Dad.”

I lifted him into my arm, pressing him close, and pressed a k**s to his cheek, “Yes, son. I-I’m your dad.”

“Dragon.”

“Yes. Yes, I’m a dragon shifter and so are you.” I smiled, “You’re so smart, kid.”

My heart felt like it would burst as I carried them both into the safehouse. I set Patara on a cot and helped her lie down, but I couldn’t bring myself to be parted from Ethan just yet. I held him close as Patara looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

I wondered if this what my father felt like when I first called him dad. It couldn’t be that much longer until he would call Patara.

“You’re so smart, Ethan.” I whispered. “You’re so smart and so precious to me…”

“Dad,” he said, his little voice was calm and I felt him relax in my arms as if he was just too tired to stay awake much longer.

“He called you Dad,” Patara whispered.

I nodded, “He did.”

“Are you okay?”

My eyes were burning with tears. My chest felt tight, but I didn’t think I had ever been happier. I didn’t think I could ever be happier than I was right now.

No matter what the Tiger King had planned, I’d kill him and then turn my sights on the human side of the border. This war couldn’t go on.

Violence was a part of being a shifter, but I didn’t want it to be as big a part of his life as it had been mine. If I could do anything as his father, that would be my one wish. I looked over at Patara. I sat beside her and stroked her face.

“As soon as this is over,” I said. “As soon as we can have some type of peace… would you marry me?”

Her eyes widened and she smiled, “Aren’t… we already married?”

I laughed, “Not quite.”

I pressed a k**s to her temple, “But is that a yes?”

“Yes,” she said, leaning into me. “Of course.”

I smiled, sighing with contentment. At the least, I had that to look forward to in my future.