"How long do you think it'll take?" Krista asked between bites of curried chicken."
"It could be weeks or months. I was just explaining that to Raiden."
"Let's hope it happens faster than that," Akash said.
"I guess in the meantime, we can all go back to our houses and get out of your hair," Flora said.
"You guys are no bother at all. We love having you around."
"We can stay a few more days to see if we get the approval quickly. But if it doesn't look like that's going to happen, we'll go back home," Zephyr said. "There's no reason to remain here if we aren't working in the lab."
"Have it your way." Krista chuckled. Then she grunted, holding her belly.
"What is it?" Ragnar asked, gripping her hand.
"A contraction. I think I'm in labor."
After that, the commotion in the household didn't let up until Krista and the guys had gone off to the hospital, leaving Raiden and the scientists in their house.
"I'm so excited for Krista," Penelope said after she had put Effie to bed. "We're going to be able to raise our children together. It's just more good news."
"Yes, it is," Cato said, kissing his wife.
In the morning, they got a phone call from Akash, letting them know that their baby boy had been born—ten pounds, eleven ounces, and all Storm dragon. Everyone was ecstatic. On the way over to the hospital, they got another phone call, this one from the science board, accepting the application for human trials. When everyone arrived at the hospital to greet the new baby, they had many things to celebrate.
"Oh, this is good news," Krista said, cradling her son.
"But not nearly as important as the birth of another Storm," Flora said, gazing down at the beautiful baby boy. Something tightened in her chest, and she and Raiden looked at each other. An understanding passed between them. They both wanted the same thing.
Chapter 21
Over the next several weeks, the scientists recruited human subjects, and the house was busy with the presence of not one but two newborns. It was hectic and crazy, and everyone was tired and happy and blissful, a state that Raiden never wanted to leave. He helped with the cooking and cleaning and with the babies from time to time as well.
Finally, at the end of the week, his beautiful Flora had the confirmation she needed. The particle application of the vaccine was just as effective as the blood application. They could administer the vaccine using a device similar to the bomb she had produced that had killed the vampires at the compounds. With the help of the labs back at the compounds, Flora, Zephyr, Cato, and Yuki were able to create the perfect distribution method.
In true Dragonian fashion, the houses of Storm and Flames decided to have a big barbecue to celebrate the conclusion of the drug trials and the birth of the new baby, who they’d named Skyler, in Krista's beautiful yard overlooking Lake Washington.
The day was warm, and the sun was bright with a clear blue sky, even as the fall leaves swirled in the air. The House of Storms arrived first, Hanish and JoJo bringing several dishes along. There was corn chowder and big steaks for barbecuing and coleslaw and a shepherd’s pie that JoJo had prepared. Then the rest of the House of Flames arrived, Kian bringing three-meat chili and homemade ice cream. The House of Flames and House of Storms were growing exponentially every day. Krista sat in a comfortable lawn chair with plenty of padding all around her as she held her baby and greeted all of her guests.
Krista's three mates were attentive, and she was blissfully happy. The sight of it always created a warm feeling in Flora’s heart. After the steaks and hamburgers and sausages and shish kebabs were all barbecued, they sat around the multiple picnic tables, which were arranged in a U shape, and ate together, like the pictures of royal courts in medieval times. There was laughing and talking and so much excitement. It was hard to believe that they had all come so far in such a short time.
The scientists and engineers discussed the best way to administer the vaccine in particle form to cover the entire seven-billion-person population of the world.
"Even if we mass produce the particle bombs," Yuki said, "It will still take us over a year to apply it to the entire earth." He worked out the calculation on his wrist device as he spoke.
"There has to be another way. With only the nine of us and the limitation on how fast a dragon can fly plus the number of particle bombs we can carry, I don't see any way to increase the speed."
"Why don't we excavate the spaceships?" Flora asked.
"We can't do that," Yuki said. "Not unless we plan to permanently remove them. When we buried the ships, we didn't plan to dig them out anytime soon."
"Unfortunately, the ships are now structurally necessary for the stability of our homes," Cato added.
"What if we bought a jet?" Raiden asked.
"That's a possibility," Kian said, rubbing his chin.
"We can easily afford jets," Hanish agreed.
"Even if we bought a jet each," Yuki said, making more calculations, "It would still take six months to cover the entire planet."
"That may be our only option," Hanish said.
"The vampires have not relented in their pursuit of humans. Just as many people are disappearing every day. They’ve just decided to leave us alone for now," Raiden said.
"There has to be a better way," Flora mused.
"If we excavate one of our ships, the process could take less than two weeks," Yuki said.
"Which one of our ships will we excavate?" Kian asked, looking at Hanish.
It was clear that neither captain wanted to risk his home.
"Let's just table the subject for now," Zephyr suggested. "We will try to come up with a better plan that doesn't involve one of our ships."
"That's probably for the best," Hanish said. "You know what I just thought, Zephyr? You are the only one who still hasn't found his mate."
"That is unimportant right now," Zephyr said.
"Of course it's important. We all want mates, and we all are fated to find them."
"Let's focus on saving the human race first, and then we will talk about my mate."
"You didn't seem to have that attitude when we were discussing my mate," Raiden said.
"That was different. We all knew that Flora was yours. You just hadn't admitted it to yourself yet."
"I wish I had figured it out sooner," Raiden said, taking her hand and twining his fingers through hers as they rested on the picnic table.
"It's better late than never," Penelope said, winking at Flora.
Flora felt the rush of love and connection with her mate flood her entire body, and the blissful ecstasy of it overwhelmed every other emotion. They had found the vaccine, and they had found a way to deliver it. Everything was coming together in her life, and now she and Raiden could be together in a world that was free of vampires. They just needed a little more time and patience, and they would see that beautiful world.
"I'm getting an incoming message," Kian said.
"So am I," said Hanish.
"Another ship has emerged," Kian said. "It's the House of Tides."
"It's the House of Ether," Kian said.
They looked at each other.
"I'm getting an incoming message from the House of Stone," said Zephyr.
"Three houses awakening at once?" Kian said, shaking his head. "Wait a minute. There are too many messages coming in."
"I think it's… I think it's all of them," Hanish said.
The group sat in stunned silence as Yuki broadcast the messages over his smartphone. Flora heard the many overlapping greetings from the captains of the Dragonian ships.
"Greetings," Kian said aloud. “I am Kian, prince and captain of the House of Flames."
"And I am Hanish, prince and captain of the House of Storms. We are quite pleased to welcome you to Earth."
After the preliminary introductions, they found that a total of ten houses had awoken. A total of twelve houses had left Dragonia. Everyone was awake. Everyone was there
.
"Have you found Dragon Souls?" said the captain of the House of Storms.
All of the dragons looked at their mates, their eyes shining and their hearts full. Flora felt the thrumming beat of the rhythm of love enveloping her from every side.
"Yes, we have," Raiden said. "Yes, we have."
Zephyr
Chapter 1
Zephyr sat at the dashboard of the computer in his laboratory and watched the data roll across the holographic screen.
"Human activity has tripled in the last week. At this rate there will be a catastrophic event in the next thirty days,” Azure, his AI informed him.
"I would like you to run some simulations of multiple scenarios, including various levels of disclosure. The purpose is to predict the reaction of humanity, and if it will be more or less dangerous to reveal our existence to them at this time."
“Compiling simulation data.”
"Inform me immediately when they are complete.”
“Yes, Lieutenant Zephyr," Azure said.
Zephyr rubbed his temples, standing from his chair. He was exhausted from long hours in the lab. Even after discovering the formula for a vaccine against the vampires, he and his team still hadn't determined a way to administer it across the world. The attacks on humans had not diminished. They had increased.
Since the emergence of all the other dragon houses, the pressure on the House of Storms had increased hundredfold. It wasn't that Zephyr wasn't pleased with their arrival — on the contrary, it presented an excellent opportunity. But while the House of Storms and House of Flames were distracted by introducing the new arrivals to their world, it seemed as if most of them had forgotten their primary mission. He understood that everyone needed a break — he did too — but there was still so much to be done.
Zephyr made his way to the kitchen, his stomach begging to be filled. He hadn't eaten all day. In the kitchen he found JoJo and Hanish, eating turkey sandwiches and feeding Tor.
"It's good to see you, Zephyr. You made yourself scarce lately.”
"There is still so much work to be done.”
"Now that the other houses have awakened and we’ve found the vaccine, we’re home free.”
"That is true in some respects," Zephyr said, “but the full truth is the human race may be too far gone, psychologically. The vampire attacks have introduced a strange new reality to them. And there's no going back.”
"The human race is going to have to find out about us sooner or later," Hanish said.
"Sir," Zephyr said, growing concerned about his captain’s flippant attitude. "There may be better or worse ways of going about the transition. If we can avoid alarming them, it would be preferable. We have seen that humans can be irrational and chaotic when fear drives them to a mob mentality. There's no telling what they might do if they learn the truth. We are already experiencing the beginning of such possibilities. Azure predicts a catastrophic event within the next thirty days if we remain on this course.”
“That should change once we distribute the vaccine. Continue with your research and let me know what else you find," Hanish said, turning back to JoJo and his son. Tor made a giggling noise and slapped his hand on his food tray, sending a spray of applesauce into the air. Both his parents gushed with delight at the display. Zephyr shook his head, starting out of the kitchen.
"Zephyr," Hanish said behind him. Zephyr turned back to face his captain.
"What is it, sir?" Zephyr asked.
"Why don't you focus on finding your mate and leave all of this worry about the humans’ reaction until something actually happens.”
"Now isn't the time to be concerned about my mate, Captain," Zephyr said.
"Now is the perfect time to be concerned about your mate. We’ve had the most progress against the vampires since our arrival on earth. It's time to relax, recharge, and celebrate. Sometimes things just have to take care of themselves.”
Zephyr knew he wasn't going to convince Hanish of anything right now. His captain was in his own little world with JoJo. Perhaps Zephyr was overreacting. But, as much as he wanted to tell himself that and trust his prince, he knew it wasn't true. They were so close to having the peace and prosperity they had all hoped for, now wasn't the time to relax. Now was the time to dig in and work harder.
As he approached the door to the basement, he realized he’d forgotten to get anything to eat. Zephyr gritted his teeth and turned toward the front door. He left the house and headed to the garage. He grabbed the keys to the white Tesla, slipped through the door, and sat behind the wheel. He quickly pulled out of the garage and made his way through the shields and onto the road toward the highway. He needed to get away from the lab and clear his head.
Perhaps he should just relax and enjoy the fruits of his previous labors. Perhaps focusing on his work was just a way to distract himself from the fact that he hadn’t found a mate yet. As he sped along the road and turned toward the coast, he realized how difficult it was to be without one.
"Have you made any progress on the simulations, Azure?" Zephyr asked through the mental link.
"The first analysis is complete, Lieutenant Zephyr," Azure said.
"Yes?"
"With the base variable of dispensing the vaccine but taking no further action, there is an 85% chance the human psyche will be driven to world war."
"85%." Zephyr shook his head. "Those are not good odds.”
"The human psyche is unpredictable," Azure said. “But it is predictably unpredictable."
Chapter 2
Maia stood aboard the deck of the ship of the House of Tides, staring down at the vast blue-green planet below. She ached to swim in the shimmering blue oceans of the planet and feel the warm sunlight on her skin. She held her daughter to her chest and smelled the babe’s sweet scent. Her love for her child was boundless and she ached to see all of her children again.
Duchess Maia of the House of Tides was the only adult female dragon in all of the galaxy. They called her Dragoness Prime, but she didn't feel much like a prime anymore. Most of her people believed her dead. The Prince of Tides had made sure of that. The father of her dear, sweet Waverley had spread the rumor in the very last hours before the end of their world.
Ever since the cataclysm, he’d kept her captive aboard his ship. In the months that the dragons had searched for a new home, Maia had contented herself with taking care of her daughter. Now that she had awakened on Earth, all she could think about was being reunited with all her children. And maybe, in this new world, where the humans had evolved into Dragon Souls, she could find her own fated mate. Her one true love.
Prince Current of the House of Tides wanted her to be his. Since she could bear young with any male, she could also be claimed by anyone. But it was not a fated love. Prince Current believed it only fitting that she remain loyal to her own house and become his mate. She had refused to lay with him all this time, but that hadn’t kept him from persisting.
Maia had never been with a man. All of her dragonkin had been artificially inseminated. The eggs she had produced were born to a virgin dragoness. She had a deep affection for all the princes whose seed she had grown. One no more than any other. She knew in her heart that none of them were her fated one.
Finding the love of her fated, the eternal bond of mates, was the one true dream of her heart. A dream she had sacrificed in service of her people to produce the last dragonkin in existence. When she was declared a Dragoness Prime in her third year of life, it had become her destiny. But now that destiny was fulfilled, and Maia wanted something for herself.
She put her sleeping baby in her crib and walked across her room, looking at the holographic projection of the world below her. Prince Current had allowed her this much. Even though he wouldn't allow her to leave the ship and experience the world the way the men had.
Their old enemy, the vampires, had found their way to Earth and were currently wreaking havoc with the native population. The primitive creatures the dragons seeded had evolv
ed over the million years she’d spent in a stasis pod. During that time, they’d created a vast advanced civilization.
But the seed of dragon nobility had been corrupted by the interference of the vampires. And the primitive roots of the humans’ animal ancestry remained at the core of their being. All three influences clashed, causing them to act in chaotic and unpredictable ways. They were on the brink of complete social meltdown because of a rash of murders and disappearances they could not explain. Maia’s heart went out to them. In some ways, all of humanity were their children.
She looked back at Waverley. Her heart burst with love for the child. Maia loved all of her children so very much, and she missed them every day. She hadn't been allowed to see them since the escape from Dragonia. Prince Current kept her existence a secret.
In some ways, the dragons who had escaped the cataclysm were the best of their race. Although Prince Current had joined the rebellion against the elders and had left the dying world, she could see he was more aligned with the elders than the noble hearts of the rebels. Current wanted to dominate and control her. He wanted to keep her for himself.
Maia was biding her time, waiting for the day when she could leave the ship and find her own way in this new world. He wouldn't be able to keep her here forever. Not now that they had all awakened, their mission a success. The possibility of the men finding their mates was right before them. She wished more than anything that Current would find his one true love and release her from this hell he had created.
The door to her room slid open and Prince Current stepped inside. He had a dark look in his eyes as he stared at her. She had been crying. The projection of the Earth played on her holographic screen. He crossed the room to her and took her in his arms. Leaning in, he attempted to kiss her, but she turned away. His lips fell on empty air. He stepped back, angry at her continued rejection.
"Have you any news from the houses on the surface?" she asked.
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