“Have you gotten the results of the mating analysis yet?" she asked tentatively.
"I have not. I would have assumed Azure would be finish by now, but she says the results are more challenging than anticipated.”
"I wonder why that is?"
"My ship's AI informs me it is because you have borne the children of other males. It’s making the analysis trickier than most.”
"Oh," she said, disappointed.
She had hoped they would know by the end of the day. But, if Maia had learned anything in her imprisonment, it was patience. She shot down her impulse to take Zephyr's hand. They sat side by side, watching romantic comedies and adventure stories while sharing the human delicacy known as popcorn. It was all quite enjoyable. But after several hours of being together, Waverley needed to go to sleep and Maia herself was feeling quite tired. Even with the nap, she felt exhausted from her eventful day.
She walked Zephyr to the door, and they stood there together for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes. A spark of hope radiated from inside her, and she wished that he would reach out and kiss her. Instead, he nodded and smiled.
“I will see you in the morning. After we distribute our first round of bombs, we are passing over a chain of pleasant, tropical islands. Prince Mortar suggested we take a brief vacation there. It should give you a chance to enjoy some of the beauty of this planet.”
"That sounds like exactly what I need.”
"Good night then,” Zephyr said, opening the door and stepping through.
“Good night,” she said as the door slid shut.
She felt the loss of his presence immediately and wanted him to return. She took a deep breath and let it out, reminding how herself how far she'd come already. She was so close to everything that she had ever wanted. So close to achieving all the things that she had believed possible, even while being held captive. All she had to do was wait a little bit longer, just until Zephyr's AI had the results of their analysis. It would be better for everyone if they waited for confirmation. It was the way of their people. After her time in captivity, she wanted to maintain their traditions, their customs, and their honor, more than anything in the galaxy.
9
Maia stepped on the sand of the human beach, holding her child in in a sling provided by JoJo. People walked in the distance along the shore; her first true observation of humans. Zephyr stood beside her, his strong and silent presence giving her a sense of safety and protection that she desperately needed. Since she had awakened weeks ago, she’d been confined to a ship. During that time, all she had wanted was to get out. Now that she was free, she felt a growing sense of apprehension about living in this totally new world. Waverley stirred as the warm breeze carried the scent of tropical flowers. Maia took a deep breath and sighed, trying to relax.
"We have rooms booked for the next several days. The crew will be dispensing particle bombs all around this area.”
"It is very kind of you to pause your mission to escort me here."
"It is not an act of kindness so much as an act of selfishness," Zephyr said.
She glanced over at him, observing the slight smile on his lips and the sparkle in his eyes. She blushed, understanding his meaning.
"I do enjoy our time together,” he said.
"As do I."
"I thought while we were here you might like to go shopping for new clothes that would better suit your personal taste.”
"You don't like what JoJo provided for me?" she asked, looking down at herself as they walked along the sand.
“I thought you would like to pick something for yourself. They say clothing is an expression of the individual.”
“You have a point,” she said.
"This resort is supposed to have some excellent dining and shopping opportunities. Not to mention the chance to swim in the warm sea.”
Maia looked out at the turquoise waters and smiled. "It is beautiful here. My inner dragoness longs to be enveloped in the waves. It’s been too long. Waverley has never been swimming in her life.”
"We'll have to remedy that."
They made their way along the beach and checked into the hotel. Maia was at a loss the entire time, letting Zephyr lead the way. She had no understanding of the ways of humans. But she did hope to learn.
After the porter carried their bags up the stairs, they walked into their large, luxurious suite. There were common rooms at the center and private bedrooms on either side. Zephyr tipped the porter and he left the bags near the door.
“I’ll take the room with the crib. It has a lovely view of the ocean. I’d love to go out now, but I think my Waverley needs a nap. This has all been a bit trying for her. All she’s ever known was the nursery aboard our ship.”
“She will soon experience the whole wide world and all it has to offer. But for now, if you want to put her down for a nap, I can order us room service and we can continue your education on humanity.”
"What is room service?”
“That means they bring us food to our room.”
"That sounds perfect. I don't want to stay cooped up here forever, but I would prefer to just relax for now.”
"I am here for you.”
"Thank you for everything, Zephyr. You have been so kind and accommodating.”
"There is nothing I would rather do than to help you settle into your new life on Earth. And I also get to spend time with the woman who my dragon believes is my mate. I must admit, I never imagined it would be the Dragoness Prime.”
“Who did you imagine your mate to be?”
“I never could have imagined a woman as beautiful and magnificent as you, being mine."
Maia blushed at his words. She wanted to throw herself in his arms and profess her undying love. Forget the past, forget her duty, forget everything, even the mating analysis. She was so close to saying it aloud. They had both agreed waiting was the best course of action, and she knew that in the long run, it would be best to resist her impulses, but that it didn't make it any easier.
"Have you had any updates on the mating analysis?"
"It is taking quite some time," Zephyr said, his voice taut with anxiety as he picked up the phone.
Maia immediately felt sorry for bringing it up again. If they just didn't talk about it, they could pretend that they already had confirmation that they were mates. At the depths of her soul, she knew that Zephyr was hers. She had waited for so long, yearning for the moment when she found the match for her soul. It felt nearly impossible to wait any longer to be with him. She would try her best to be satisfied with his company and with becoming better friends.
"What would you like to eat?" he asked, changing the subject.
“I’d like to try everything.”
He laughed. “We should. Let's try everything on the menu."
Maia laughed as he ordered. When he was done, they settled onto the couch and waited for the delivery.
Their order required two porters to cart it up to their room. Their large dining room table was covered with multitudes of various dishes. Maia laughed with delight at the abundance of colors, scents, and flavors.
"Now you have to explain to me what all of this is."
Zephyr went on to explain to her what each dish was and how it was made as she sampled and tasted each one. The sensual experience of sampling each dish filled her with pleasure. By the time she had tasted everything on the table, she was stuffed to the gills and feeling happy and tired in the most satisfying way.
She and Zephyr sat together and scrolled through the media options on the television. They settled on a romantic science-fiction movie about visitors from outer space. The storyline echoed their own lives so much that she almost felt as if it was a sign. The lovers struggled mightily to be together during the film. At one point, toward the end, she thought that they might never be together. But then, finally, the power of their love overcame all odds and they triumphed against adversity.
She was filled with inspiration and joy when
the couple came together at the end. It was so satisfying that tears streamed down her face as the credits rolled. Zephyr glanced over at her with a questioning expression in his eyes.
"Are you all right?"
"I am.” She wiped the tear away.
“But you are crying.”
"I am touched by the film.” She sniffled. “I'm just so happy that they made it through.”
“This is a typical human storyline. But I'm afraid that things don't always work out that way in real life.”
Her heart dropped. She hadn’t expected Zephyr to say something so pessimistic and cynical. Maia needed to believe that everything would work out in the end for them. Fear whirled in her chest at the notion that he might not feel the same.
"But mates always find each other,” she whispered.
"Perhaps for dragons. But it doesn't always work out that way for humans."
"Oh?" Relief pulsed through her. “Why not?"
"Because humans do not have fated mates the way we do."
He looked at her longingly, his eyes ablaze with desire and need that ignited an even greater longing inside her. Her inner dragoness screamed for fulfillment, and Maia could hold back no longer. She slipped her fingertips over the back of Zephyr’s hand, just barely brushing his skin. A surge of electricity ran through her from her fingertips, through her hand, up her arms, and then all the way down her spine and into her core. She felt on fire with it, to the point where it was almost too much to bear.
Zephyr shuddered at her touch and she drew away. He cleared his throat and stood. Waverley cried from the bedroom, and Maia hurried to attend to her child. Her mind was ablaze, and her body throbbed with awareness. The only other time she’d felt anything even close to this much pleasure was the first time she and Zephyr had touched. Every other moment of her life paled in comparison.
She had been filled with adoration for her dragonkin when they hatched, in those brief moments she was able to hold them and give them her love. She had always known she would have to give them up — it was the agreement that the dragonkin would go with the Prince of each house. And part of her had held back from allowing her love to flow. But when she’d touched Zephyr, something had changed in her.
She was ignited, and she wanted to fan the flames higher and stronger until it burned away all the despair and sadness of her past. But his reaction had not matched hers. He had seemed confused and perhaps even repulsed by her.
Maia picked up Waverley and cradled her in her arms. She rocked her and smelled the child's head. Being with her baby had always given her a sense of contentment. She realized just then that she’d been missing the love of a mate that should have been a complement to the love of her child. Prince Current had never been a substitute for the love of a fated one, no matter how much he insisted he should.
But now that she was with Zephyr, she had an inkling of what it should feel like to be a mother and a woman. Her love for her child felt magnified a thousandfold by this brief time with Zephyr. She carried Waverley into the main room and fixed a bottle of dragonkin formula for the baby.
Zephyr was nowhere to be seen. Maia wondered if she had somehow offended him by touching him in such an intimate way. Zephyr had seemed as taken with her as she was with him, but maybe that had changed as he’d gotten to know her. She hated to think that his desire for her was growing less instead of more. After all the months she'd spent with the Prince of Tides, she had become disillusioned with the possibility of her own happiness. Zephyr entered the room a moment later. His face was etched with a deep frown.
"What's wrong?" Maia asked.
"I've just received the news from Azure."
"What news?"
"The mating analysis is complete."
10
"Inconclusive?" Maia asked.
"What does that mean?”
"It means that she can't determine if we are mates or not.”
"What should we do?" Maia rocked Waverley in her arms.
Zephyr's disappointment rang through his body like a tolling bell. He couldn't bear the look at her face. He felt as if he had failed her, failed them both, in every way. And there was nothing he could do to change it.
"We can run the analysis again. I don’t know what else to do.”
Maia turned away, her despair and disappointment palpable in the room. "That is what you should do,” she whispered.
“I will start right away.”
"I'm going to finish feeding Waverley in our room. I think I need some rest."
"I understand."
He watched her disappear into the bedroom, a growing sense of panic rising in his chest. Zephyr had been never been a man who was given to strong emotions. But in that moment, his feelings were roiling like a turbulent sea. And he didn't know how to stop it.
All he wanted was to make her happy. All he wanted was the chance to see her smile. But with one sentence, he had dashed all her hopes. He couldn’t bring himself to betray the way of their people. Neither of them wanted that. If he allowed himself to be with her without proof, it would be an unforgivable mistake. It would make him no better than the Prince of Tides. He could never be a man of so little honor.
He would have to let her go if that was what it took. No matter how they might feel about each other, Maia’s true mate could still be out there somewhere.
But he held out hope that they were true mates. There were a number of reasons why the test could be inconclusive. He would try again, and in the meantime remain together as friends. It would have to be enough.
And he would continue to be there for her even if she was fated for someone else in the end. That was the way of an honorable man. Zephyr wouldn't be anything less than the best he could be, for himself, for his people, for his house, and most of all for Maia.
"Azure. I would like you to run the mating analysis again. Please determine the variables that are making the test inconclusive.”
"The Dragoness Prime bore the young of many other dragons. Their DNA has mixed with her own. It is very likely the reason that it is difficult to give a definitive answer. Most tests come back either negative or positive. This one cannot be completed. I can adjust the variables of the analysis to include the change in Maia’s DNA. But I cannot guarantee I will ever be able to determine a definitive result.”
"Does that mean that Maia will never find her fated one?"
"She may find her fated one. But the mating analysis may never be accurate.”
"This will not do."
“I will do my best, Lieutenant," Azure said. “It is all I can guarantee."
"Very well, Azure. Please begin your second analysis."
Zephyr shut off the mental link to his ship's AI and sank into his bed. He stared up at the ceiling and grasped his hands over his chest, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.
He had not expected to experience such an emotional reaction to the results. He had been prepared to hear positive or negative. And after their initial and continued response to each other, he had fully expected to hear a positive result. Not knowing was worse than anything except the look of disappointment in her eyes.
He had no idea what else to do. He couldn't force the results and he couldn't ignore them either. He had to do all he could to preserve his race and to ensure their future. And with each choice that he'd made along the way, he had known it was all for the future of his people.
He wanted Maia for his own in every way. He admired the purity of her goodness, her light, her nurturance, her own sense of duty, and her loyalty to her people. She was so unimaginably strong and so beautiful it made him shake with desire for her. But the feelings he had for her were also the very reason he had to keep his distance and wait for a conclusive result. She was far too precious to allow his selfish lust to make his decisions, no matter how much he needed her.
He fell asleep hoping the next morning would be better. When the sun broke through his curtains, he rose. Out in the dining room he found Maia already dres
sed and prepared for the day. Waverley sat in a high chair at the dining room table. Maia had ordered room service. There was a carafe of coffee, sliced strawberries, melon pancakes, and bacon and eggs.
“I ordered my favorite breakfast foods from the menu items that we tried yesterday.”
She still seemed distant and unhappy. It was as if a spark of light had faded in her eyes. He wanted more than anything to bring it back. To bring back the easy camaraderie they had shared the day before. The one touch of her hand had been the most sensual experience in his memory to date. He couldn't stand the distance that now lay between them. But he had no idea how to change it, or if he even should try.
"This is perfect." He sat across from her at the table. "I thought we might visit the shops today.”
"I've been looking at the brochures for the resort and the names of the shops close by. I think you were right about expressing my own style rather than JoJo’s.”
Maia and JoJo were very different people. While JoJo was strict and domineering, Maia was soft and nurturing. Both women were powerful, but Maia’s power came from a different place. Her strength was her heart. It was what gave her the strength to bear and love all twelve dragonkin. She had survived imprisonment by her own prince, but hadn’t lost her faith in love. Zephyr couldn't begin to imagine the strength of character that it took to stand strong and loving in face of such evil.
He ate his breakfast, stealing glances at the iridescent Duchess of Tides. He wished he could reach and touch her, to soothe her in some way. But he knew he could not. If he was not her mate, he did not want to confuse things, but he hated that they couldn't give into their feelings. He knew she wanted him as much as he did her, and every second that they remained unmated was like a century of torture.
Zephyr: House of Storms: Dragon Guardians Book 8 Page 5