The entire cavern quakes as the massive dragon takes a thundering step closer, and the very air turns scorching as he lowers his massive head to their level. Jack swallows, and nervously says "Mom said my dad's name was Drayce. Is…is that you? Are you Drayce Fallon?"

Fixing his gaze on Jack, expression turning even worse somehow, the angry dragon says "If you are the child of my wife and mate, then you should know what she's like."

Fiore can't decide whether to sigh in utter relief or pee from pure fear - good news, against all the odds this is Jack's father. Bad news…he hasn't seen Jack's mother in nearly nineteen years, and the woman he left to protect almost certainly changed in that time. And Jack most definitely doesn't know the same things Drayce does or did.

Jack gulps, wishing he hadn't left his phone in the SUV way back down the mountain, then hastily says "Brown hair, brown eyes, about five-two, fantastic cook, she had me in every self-defense class she could find…" Jack keeps talking for a solid five minutes, describing everything from where to grew up to what kind of jobs she's worked to her favorite color, food, and what she's allergic to.

Drayce's lips slowly cover his teeth as Jack all but rambles, and he slowly shifts to lay down in front of them - presumably, because keeping his neck at that angle was starting to get uncomfortable even for him. After Jack finally runs out of either air or things to describe, having finished a messy description of her handwriting, Drayce rumbles and says "Alice rambled the exact same way when she learned what I was hiding." Another rumble, which everyone belatedly realizes is him chuckling rather than angry-growling like before, and he adds "She took it rather well, all things considered."

And then he takes everyone by surprise, getting to his feet even as he shrinks down - in about ten seconds, Drayce goes from towering over them all and capable of turning them into paste on the ground with one wrong step to just about a head taller than Jack. It takes Drayce exactly three long strides to stand directly in front of Jack, golden eyes roving over his son as if to memorize every inch of him, before Drayce pulls Jack closer by the back of his neck and rests their foreheads together. "Not a day has gone by, in all these years," he rasps out, a growling undertone to his deep voice, "that I haven't thought about the two of you."

He hadn't known if he had a son or daughter, or if either his child or his wife had survived childbirth. Hadn't known if his child had been born human or as a dragon…all he'd known was that, if his child and Alice were still alive, she'd raise them with nothing but love.

It's the only thing that's kept him sane all this time, when he should've gone mad at least a decade ago from the separation.

Rania and Fiore trade glances, and Rania mouths 'Thank the Stars!' Fiore nods, feeling like she could collapse from sheer relief. And then, when one of Drayce's arms wrap around Jack's shoulders, she can't help but notice the man has arms bigger than anything she's ever seen before - she couldn't wrap both hands around his upper arm if it was relaxed, much less when he's using those muscles.

He looks like he ate a metric ton of protein powder every day for a month!

Jack seems to read her thoughts right then, or maybe he's just getting really awkward, because he says "You know, when Mom said you could lift the back end of a pickup truck…I'd thought she was exaggerating a little."

Drayce chuckles a little, lips curving into a nostalgic smile for a moment, and says "No, that actually happened." He pulls back enough that he can look Jack in the face, and says "You've got your mother's hair…somewhat, anyway. What's your element, Earth I'd imagine? How much have your scales appeared yet?"

Jack blinks, asking "My element? I don't…erm, I've got the scales all over my chest, my neck, most of my arms and legs…how'd you change to a human?" More than that, how'd he change into a human that looks so much like him? It's not exactly like looking in the mirror, but the resemblance is undeniable - nobody could not tell they're father and son

Drayce nods, saying "Your mother wouldn't have been able to teach you about controlling any elements…dragons possess the ability to change their form at will. It takes practice, but it's learnable. I can teach you. Who's your friend?"

Fiore jumps at Drayce's sudden interest, and squeaks out "Me?!" He's suddenly interested in her?!

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Drayce nods, saying "Your scent is all over my son. I may be just now picking up the whole 'parenting' thing, despite every wish I had regarding that, but I figure wondering why that is would be a good start, given the circumstances."

Jack goes about as red as Drayce's hair - about the color of a stop sign - and quickly says "Dad, this is Fiore. She's been helping me find you since I met her. As for why we smell like each other, we've been in the same SUV for the past…what's it been, three days? Four now?"

Fiore grimaces, then says "I've got close to three days left."

Drayce tilts his head towards Fiore, saying "Well, then, for that you have my gratitude. Three days for what, exactly?"

Fiore takes a shuddering breath in, and says "Until my eighteenth birthday."

Aeson's jaw drops, even as Rania goes pale, and he asks "You're not even eighteen yet?! And you did that to Alfric even still?!"

Fiore blushes, scowling at him even as she crosses her arms over her chest defensively, and says "Don't tempt me into showing you what else I can do."

Jack gives Aeson a glare of his own for a moment, then says "Dad, you mentioned a vampire. Do you know who it was?"

Drayce nods, a considering look on his face as he glances between Jack and Fiore, and says "His name's Dakkar. Dakkar Styx, I think the full name is. One of the oldest things on this continent that still walks, been trying to find a way to force me to join his little mafia for a few decades now."

Jack sighs, then says "Makes things easier. When some of Dakkar's minions found you with Mom, and you killed them all, a card for a nightclub fell out of one of their pockets. It led me to a supernatural nightclub called 'Mythos' where I met Fiore…and Antonino Styx, Dakkar's son. Fiore helped me escape, and we've been heading here ever since." Fiore shifts behind Jack a little more, swallowing when bright golden eyes follow her movements.

Drayce frowns, then asks "What were you even doing in that place, anyway? It may be located in the human world, but no non-human wanders in there by chance." More often than not, they're brought to the club and either taken to Dakkar by Antonino and his guards or made a meal out of.

Fiore gulps, then nervously says "I was kidnapped from my parents when I was four by Dakkar's minions, though I hadn't known that when Jack came to Mythos. After they sealed my powers and memories, I was given to Antonino…and the rest is history, up until Jack came to Mythos one night, and I saw a chance at escaping."

Drayce raises an eyebrow, curiosity coloring his voice when he asks "And why, exactly, would Dakkar have any interest in you?" What's so special about this girl?

Fiore shrugs, saying "I don't know. I'm half-Fae, and half-Succubus, and I've been kept tied to Antonino Styx though circumstances…and his sheer possessiveness. Why they kidnapped me, I don't know…"

Drayce hums, running a hand along his chin as he does, and says "Probably to get access to the Fae Realm. Every Vampire Lord with at least six hundred years behind them has tried to get to it."

Fiore asks "The Fae Realm?"

"Yeah. Where the Fae reside." At Fiore's confused look, he asks "You don't know?"

Fiore shakes her head, saying "I've never heard of it before…I know I was Antonino's favorite snack, but I just thought that was him making sure I knew I belonged to him…"

Drayce shakes his head, saying "It probably factored in, Vampires can be possessive at the best of times, but I can guarantee you that's not the main reason. Fae don't taste like a human does, more like ambrosia straight from the gods. He probably got addicted to your blood at the very first taste, especially if he's young. For a vampire, getting into the Fae Realm would be akin to a sugar-addict getting into a chocolate factory. Or an alcoholic getting into a distillery."

Fiore goes pale, one hand going to her neck unconsciously, and she quietly says "Oh…"

Jack asks "You mean Fiore was kidnapped…so she'd be some kind of key?! This Dakkar's ticket into some Fae Realm she doesn't even know how to find?"

Drayce shrugs, saying "Don't know for sure, but Dakkar's ambitious enough, no question there." He's never wanted anything to do with the vampire lord - any vampire, really, as he's yet to find one he can get along with - but getting into the Fae Realm is the dream of every single Vampire that's ever tasted a Fae. And he's been on the receiving end of enough of Dakkar's plots to force him into service to know that a plan such as that would be right up the twisted vampire's alley.

Fiore clears her throat, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder to try and bring him back to the present, and says "Sir, Jack came looking for answers and help regarding his sudden inheritance…and I came seeking protection, to be perfectly honest."

"From Dakkar."

Fiore nods, saying "Yes. From Dakkar." Now, anyway - at first, she sought protection from Antonino and herself…now she needs to be hidden away from an entire vampire mafia, it seems! She hadn't known she was at the center of a plot to secure the Fae for Dakkar, still isn't clear on the details of how that's supposed to work out anyway, but it only makes her that much more desperate to stay free of the Vampire Lord's clutches.

Drayce uncrosses his arms, and says "I see. Seeing as you've been such a big help to my son, as well as it screwing that blood-sucking bastard over, I've got no reason to decline and every reason to accept. 'Sides, it'll give me the chance to teach you about being a dragon."

Fiore very nearly breaks down and cries in sheer relief right then and there. Point of fact, she wipes at her face and finds there's tears running down her cheeks she hadn't even been aware of.

"Well," Aeson slowly says, "I'm sure father wouldn't overly mind if you used a guest room in the palace."