Captured By The Dragon
Episode 90 The End

Dylan

I left the room and turned Patara’s words over. She wasn’t wrong, but the question of how to get a broadcast through to the human side that would be powerful enough to shake things up was the problem. I didn’t want more killing if I could help it, and I doubted it would get me far with the humans anyway.

My phone rang and I picked it up.

“Is this the dragon?”

I put the call on speaker as I didn’t recognize the voice, “Who is this?”

“Please… I just… My daughter, Patara. You have her, don’t you? I just want to talk to her.”

I put it on mute and looked at Erik, “Can they track my phone?”

“It’s not in their network, but it’s possible. How did they even get your number?”

It wasn’t as if humans and shifters shared a phonebook.

“Get Patara and Ethan into a car. We ride towards the border in five minutes. Get everyone ready to advance towards the human side.”

“Hello?”

I took him off mute, “Why are you calling?”

“She’s my little girl!” He said, his voice seemed tight. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand what being a parent is like.”

“Because I’m a shifter?” I asked lightly. “Because I’m a monster?”

“… will you let me speak to her or not?”

I snorted. At least he was honest, “I’ll think about it if she wants.”

We got into the car as I put him back on mute and Patara frowned at me.

“What’s going on?”

“Why wouldn’t she want to talk to me? What have you done to her?”

Patara covered her mouth and stared at me. I took him off mute.

“Why accuse me—”

“You and your monstrous child nearly killed her! I’m sorry that the child is dead, but my daughter left with you and she never—” His voice cut out. “Please… I just want to talk to her.”

“Answer my questions first and I’ll consider it.” I glanced at Patara whose eyes welled with tears.

His voice shook, “What is it?”

“How did you get this number?”

“I…”

“If you lie, I will hang up.”

“The hunters gave it to me… They said they would get her back when they went to replace Malcolm… Did you kill him?”

“Malcolm died in an explosion trying to kill shifters. Your daughter almost died then too.”

He gasped, “Is she alright? Where is she?”

“I’m not done asking questions. What was Malcolm doing with the tiger shifters?”

“Probably hunting them? I-I don’t know. I just… I’m just an office worker.”

“You’re not alone in the room. Why don’t you ask for the information?”

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I hung up and looked at Patara. She uncovered her mouth and sniffled, curling forward.

“What do you want to do?”

I didn’t want to give her the option, but the man was clearly worried about her.

“He didn’t know about Ethan. He didn’t know. It was all mom.” She wept. “All this time I thought he didn’t want me either.”

She looked at him, “Please, Dylan? I have to see him. He should know that Ethan is alive and…”

I sighed, leaning back as the phone rang again.

“Last chance.”

“There’s a hunter and the government leader here with me. It’s the only way I can make this call. Please. Just let me hear her voice. I just want to know that she’s okay.”

An idea came to mind, but I couldn’t let Patara know what I had planned. It would be better if she was in the dark about it just in case it didn’t work out the way I expected it to. If the leader had such an interest in this call, they had interest enough in me for some reason. I bet it had to do with whatever they found out while they had Ethan or simply seeing it as a chance to deal with the shifter problem once and for all.

Stupid humans.

“You’re in luck. She wants to see you. I’m going to give you instructions. You’ll come where directed and you’ll get to see her. If you think it’s a good idea to try and launch an attack, I’ll have you killed.”

I gave him simple directions to a wide-open field on the border. I sent Patara and Ethan with Erik and some others wondering if I was doing the right thing.

“Keep your phone on,” I told her before letting them get out of the car.

“I will,” Patara said. “Be safe.”

“I will.”

Patara

We rode to the field quickly. On the other side was a long line of cars with gunners on the back of them. I saw my dad standing in front of them with my mother and siblings.

I didn’t realize how much I missed them until I was getting out of the car with Ethan and walking towards them.

My mother went pale. My father’s jaw dropped as we came closer. He seemed to lose his surprise and rushed forward to embrace me. Ethan clung to me warily as I leaned into his embrace.

“You’re okay?” He asked. “You’re… You’re not hurt.”

“I’m okay.”

We pulled back and I smiled, looking down at Ethan.

“Ethan, this is your grandpa. He’s my dad.”

His eyes watered, “But… H-How?”

“Ask your wife.”

He turned his head stiffly before shaking his head and kneeling in front of Ethan.

“It is… very nice to meet you, Ethan.”

“Mom Dad?”

“Yes, this is my dad,” I said. “He’s very nice.”

Ethan didn’t seem to be buying it, but my dad’s eyes watered. Maybe there was a chance that I would be given away by my father. Maybe he would stand against my mom for that chance too.

Suddenly, a truck creaked behind him and there was a shout of surprise. Dad turned around and blocked me and Ethan with his body, but I recognized the man standing on the back of the truck, holding another man hostage.

It was Dylan.

“Dylan?”

“Dismantle your weapons, or I will gladly murder the leader of your government.”

My eyes widened and I looked at Dad who seemed oddly relaxed. What was going on? Did my dad know something?

“Dad? What is he doing here?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We’ll kill you first!”

“Stand down!” The man said, trembling in Dylan’s hold.

“Smart. I’m interested in coming to a peace agreement between our people.”

“Peace?” The man sneered, “What do you know about peace, shifter?”

“Dominion is still on the table,” Dylan said. “Be glad my son has seen enough violence for his lifetime.”

I drew Ethan closer to me and hoped against hope that it could really work out. How had Dylan known some of importance would be here? Why was he here at all?

It took a bit of time for the hunters to realize that they’d been beaten, but as Dylan started questioning them and making demands, the leader of the humans and the hunters confessed to more than just the crime of weapons trading. Taking money from traffickers to look the other way and helping to hide shifter-child experimentation buildings were crimes that people on both sides of the border couldn’t forgive.

My dad’s phone started ringing with notifications and I realized that the entire thing was being broadcast as my phone started ringing too. Had this been a setup to try and kill Dylan on camera? Some hunters and shifters arrested the leader of the humans and the hunters. They fought, but it didn’t go over well. Dylan made a speech about his intentions to end the human trafficking trade and return the men and women who had been taken.

My mom looked uncomfortable with his plans to restructure the shifter and human side of doing things so that we could co-exist, but I figured she would never be comfortable with anything about this. It just wasn’t in her nature.

Dylan came towards us with a grin, “Not exactly I come in peace, but how did I do?”

I smiled at him, “You were great.”

“I… misjudged you,” my dad said, looking at Dylan. “For that… I don’t know if sorry is enough.”

Dylan offered his hand, “So long as you mean to be good to Patara and Ethan, it is enough.”

I smiled as they shook hands. Dad’s eyes watered.

“I… always wanted to be a grandfather.” He chuckled, “Is there… any chance I’ll get to give you away too?”

I couldn’t help myself, throwing my arms around him and bursting into tears.

This was what my homecoming should have been like before, but it was enough that it was happening now.

My mind whirled at how much darkness I had survived, but I was grateful that there was this light too.

The End