Captured By The Dragon
Episode 28

Malcom – Third

“Dylan has returned to the residence, we will have to move in the moment he leaves again.” One of the officers said to Malcom.

Malcom rubbed his head and sighed. They waited in that forest for long enough. He brought most of his team back to their safe spot to better prepare themselves for the rescue but they didn’t expect Dylan to return so soon.

They had everything they needed. Their specialty guns made just for shifters and knives too. Their team was bigger, more intense than the one they first entered the shifter lands with. It was clear that they couldn’t take this lightly, they needed as much man power as they could get if they wanted to make it out alive.

“We overheard some of his guards mention that he is due back to the battlefield soon. Apparently the war is far from over and he is one of the main participants. It shouldn’t be long until he leaves again.”

“I wonder what he’s doing in there with her.” Malcom grumbled. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. She looked sad and lonely, but not hurt and near death like he expected. More like she was homesick.

“One of the men reported that they saw him and Patara take a walk earlier in the day. They came back not that long after they were covered in b***d, but he didn’t say it came from either of them.”

Malcom sat up straighter. “What do you mean? Did she look distressed when they left the house?”

“He said she seemed fine. She held his arm the whole time and clung onto him as if she was terrified when they came back.”

Malcom scratched his jaw. “Interesting. They might have been attacked by rogues. I know that many rogues want to settle a score with the rising king.”

“Is he really set to be king?” The officer asked.

“It’s a rumor in the shifter world. He’s trying to unite them and set a king that rules over everyone but clearly he doesn’t have a ton of supporters. Many rogues and shifters have tried to stop him.”

“Either way, he doubled up his patrol in the surrounding forests. We’re going to have to be more careful and never stay in the same place for too long.”

“Gather the team.”

Dylan

I wanted to burn the paper in my grasp until it was nothing more than ash. The next battle was coming up and I knew my time with Patara was limited.

I was so close, I could feel it every time she was in the room with me. The way she would look at me and place her hair behind her ear. The way her body was always shifted towards me no matter what direction I went in.

Not to mention the k**s.

The bloody k**s.

I could feel her melt in my hand and I pulled away. It took every ounce of power I had to pull back from her. My darker side wanted me to wrap her small body around me and take her to the showers to unleash all of my fantasies on her but—I tamed it. It almost ripped me in half, but I tamed it.

And I saw the smile on her face when I led her back to her room. She was surprised, yet relieved that I didn’t tackle her to the floor.

My darker side didn’t understand that she was a flower. A delicate, innocent flower that was close to breaking if I held her too roughly.

And now that I was this close, I had to be ripped away from her again by morning.

No, no. I had to do more. I had to claw my way into her brain and stay there even when I was gone.

I knew she was awake. I could hear her pace her floor through the walls. I grabbed a blanket and knocked on her door. Her pacing stopped and a moment later, her small face peered through the door.

“Sorry if I woke you, I wanted to show you something.” I said with a half smile. I scratched the back of my head and took a step back. “Unless you’re tired—“

“No.” Patara said in a small voice. She opened the door wider and clenched a robe around her. “What is it?”

My smile lifted as she stepped out of her room without a sense of hesitation. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

I led her down the stairs and through the old house. Our steps creaked loudly and it was our only intruder for the night. I sent away all the staff now that she was here—perhaps I didn’t want them to scare her.

Or perhaps I didn’t want them to let her out when I was gone.

Her small hand gripped my arm as we moved through the darkness. I felt my heart slow in my chest at the contact and then speed up twice as fast.

“Here we are.” I breathed as I opened the back door that led to the gardens slowly. It creaked an awful, nasty sound as I pulled it open. It had been years since I ventured here. The smell of dead flowers hit me instantly and almost made me slam the doors closed.

“The gardens?” She asked in a worried voice. I felt her move closer to me. “We don’t have to go in there if you don’t want to.”

I looked down at her in surprise. All I saw on her face was concern—not fear or disgust. Concern for me.

I closed the door and turned to her when I felt my throat get heavy.

“I haven’t been there in probably a decade.” I admitted.

“Why did you want to bring me here?”

“I just… I thought you might want to see it. It used to be my mothers favorite until…”

Patara frowned and raised her hand to my cheek. I leaned into her touch. I didn’t want to admit that I just wanted an excuse to spend more time with her. I had no other plan—I just wanted her to be with me before I left in the morning.

I wished I had thought this through. The very sight of the garden brought back things that I wasn’t ready to face. Especially not in the darkness.

“My mother hates gardening.” Patara said with a little smile. “She doesn’t like the dirt under your nails or the smell on your clothes. I always wanted to try it for myself, but she hated it even more when her kids did it.”

I tilted my head in curiosity. “Why would she hate it if you liked it?”

Patara hesitated and I feared that I crossed a line. “She… she wanted us to be perfect. She liked when our hair and clothes were set right and if anything could ruin that, she despised it.”

I wanted to push her on it, but I knew that wasn’t wise. She knew her mother was probably looking for her now. I cleared my throat.

“My mother used to get mad at my dad whenever he didn’t clean up after himself and expected her to do it. She would take something of his and bury it in the garden. When he would ask where it was, she would throw one of her small shovels at him and tell him to go replace it.”

Patara’s eyes were wide. Her lips parted and—she laughed.

I don’t think I had ever heard such a magical sound.