Chapter 14
I was finally allowed to visit my family two days later.
The thought was both exhilarating and anxiety-inducing, as we had never been in our biped forms together.
However, I needed to be with my father. Vamir, who led the team of elven clerics at this facility, reported the day before that my father was having a hard time transforming and letting go of his animal form.
I was certain my presence would make a difference.
As we stepped into the portal room beneath Talos’s mansion, Ryker grasped my hand firmly.
My father, while not old by therian standards, was the eldest among his brothers and was an omega like me.
He had little recollection of anything prior to his captivity.
I never knew whether that was a curse or a blessing, considering how difficult his life has been all these long years.
I understood how profoundly upsetting my being taken away would have been for him. Over the years, they had taken my father multiple times, and he would be missing for days before returning, often pregnant. Reassurance flowed from my mate, and I offered him a faint smile.
He talked to one mage briefly and then a portal appeared in front of us. Ryker squeezed my hand as we walked through. Vamir met us on the other side, but the air of urgency around him didn’t encourage me.
“You must hurry. I’m afraid your father doesn’t believe us and is giving up.
” The worry etched on his face told me everything I needed to know without having to ask.
I urgently followed him as he led me through the building.
He pushed through another door into a room similar to the one I was first in, with a small pool.
My father lay on the ramp, seemingly unconscious.
Tears filled my eyes, a mixture of joy and concern. I quickly stripped and shifted. “Oto!” I cried out telepathically. Slowly, I eased myself backward into the water beside him, bringing our heads close together. Using my snout, I gave him a gentle nudge, hoping to rouse him. “Oto!”
Movement by the door drew my gaze, and I tilted my head to see a sparkly light purple dragon entering gracefully. They made their way to the far side of the pool, slipping out of my limited line of sight. I heard a gentle rustling of wings before the stillness settled once more.
“Hello Kaba. I’m Ozzalik but you can call me Ozzy. I’ve been trying to reach your father.” Ozzy’s concern was projected with their words. “Is it okay if I stay here so I can relay anything back to the clerics or just in case you need me for anything?”
“Yes. Thank you for trying to help.” I nuzzled my father, letting my full body lean against his.
“I’ve watched over him these last two days. I know deep down he’s strong, but he needs you to help him find his inner fire.” I prayed to the ancestors that Ozzy was right. “Oto. Wake up, Oto! I need you!”
“Am I dreaming?” He didn’t open his eyes, and his voice was weak in my head.
“No, Oto. I’m here.” I nudged him again. “Open your eyes and see, Oto. Please!”
His ear twitched and his nostrils flared. “Please, Kaba. Don’t let them take me. I can’t again.”
I transformed again and took my father’s head in my hands. His eyes still didn’t open. I pressed my head to his. “Hear me, Oto. I am here. You are safe! Open your eyes and see the truth, Oto.”
I pulled back, stroking my thumbs along his jawline. “Oto. Open your eyes. You’re safe.” Speaking our language out loud was odd, but I had been practicing.
Ryker was on the other side of the door and sent me assurance and love. I loved he stayed back without me asking, knowing we needed the space. I kissed my father’s snout.
Finally, one eye opened and then the other. “Hello, Oto.” I smiled and he nudged me with his head.
“You’re really safe. You don’t have to stay in this form. You can change like me. See, Oto?” I leaned back further so he could get a better look at me.
“You’re so handsome, my Kaba. Are you sure? No tricks?” I couldn’t stop the tears even if I tried.
“No, Oto. We can be our full selves. No more hiding half of us.” I gently laid his head back on the ramp and moved into the pool.
His head followed me and he pushed backward to reposition himself.
We were not agile creatures; we were fast but not agile.
I transformed into my animal form and then back to my biped form.
I moved through the water and hugged his middle tightly.
“We have a real home, Oto. With so many trees and the most beautiful lake. We have houses made just for us. I want to show you, Oto. I want you to live with me and my mate.” My father jerked out of my hold.
“Your mate?” Fear laced his words and a rising panic as he looked back and forth. “They lie, Kaba. They lie!”
I stroked his back to try to calm him. “No, Oto. Not a lie. My mate is brave and beautiful. He saved me.” I continued to stroke him from head to hip.
“He took me away from the horrible place they had taken me to. He took me to the other dimension. It’s because of him that we were able to save you all. ”
I placed my head on his back, his heart still beating hard. I made calming sounds and waited for it to slow. “Please, Oto. We’re safe. No one is going to hurt you ever again. I promise.”
I kissed him and tightened my hold on him. Then, suddenly, my father was flailing in the water in his biped form. I helped him get upright and put his feet under him. “There, Oto. Is that better?”
He shook in my arms, not from cold but from the adrenaline of transforming. Vamir approached us slowly with a big fluffy robe and some towels. My father stopped moving as he realized he was close.
“It’s okay, Oto. He’s a healer. He saved me. He won’t hurt you.” Vamir placed the robe and towels by the edge of the pool, then stepped back toward the door. I inclined my head in thanks and guided my father out of the pool.
He was shorter than me but had the same frame.
Grey laced through his thick black hair that hung to his ass like mine had.
They had to cut my hair it was such a mess and we’d have to do the same to Oto’s.
He’d normally have at least two centuries of life left to live, but the captivity had aged him more than time.
Captivity and grief.