She looked at a human dating website and then quickly turned it off. The whole process made her cringe, and she knew more than ever that she wanted things to work out with Zephyr. Her inner dragoness was sure than she had ever been. Her feelings weren’t wishful thinking. If the mating analysis couldn't prove she and Zephyr were mates, then the mating analysis was broken. At about dinnertime, Zephyr stepped out of his room, looking blurry eyed and tired.
“Were you sleeping?”
"I've been doing research. The vaccine seems to be spreading to animals. The vampires are going to become desperate without anything to eat.”
"What will they do?”
"My simulations suggest that the vampires will only be able to survive for a few weeks. Then they will be forced to go into stasis sleep or die.”
"That's good news, isn’t it?”
"It depends. It is very likely that they will strike back against dragons and humanity.”
"What will they do?”
“The vampires have a great deal of power in the world: wealth, and weapons. They could do anything from blow up half the world to crash the stock market. Perhaps sending out the vaccine was a hasty move on our part."
“But you had to.”
"Even now, the spread of the vaccine has changed their behavior. The disappearances and murders have stopped completely. But the humans are increasingly suspicious. Human behavior has become chaotic and there is civil unrest across the world. The humans may destroy themselves without any help from the vampires.”
"Why don't you tell them the truth now?"
"We decided to wait until after the vaccine was dispensed before doing so. Hopefully that will weaken the vampires enough that they can't do anything too destructive." He walked across the room and sat down in a chair across from her, folding his hands in his lap. "I continue to receive requests from dragons, asking me to find their fated mates. And I've had to explain to them that I can't do that. Not yet.”
“Why not?”
"I don't have a way of matching up the dragon DNA with human DNA.”
"What would it take to do it?"
"The truth is that writing the code would be a fairly simple process. If I got Cato and Penelope to help me, with Flora to advise us on the genetic components, I think as a team, we could probably create a program in a few days. But it hasn't been our priority until now. And it still isn't, to be honest. We have had much bigger problems to solve."
"But if you found the mate of the Prince of Tides, then he would have to let me go.”
"I hadn't thought of that. When I get back to the House of Storms, I will discuss it with the others and see what they think.”
Maia couldn’t help but be excited by the prospect of Current finding his mate. She and Waverley would finally be free. She believed in her heart that all Current needed was to find his own mate. As soon as his inner dragon responded to the sight and scent of his fated one, he would have to let Maia go.
“Mortar will send a pod down to pick us up in about half an hour. Yuki has devised a way to make a shuttle to look like a human vehicle. Easier to make the trip back and forth this way.”
"That is ingenious."
"It is simply a shift in the cloaking shield’s program."
"I will get my things and prepare Waverley for the journey.”
Maia went about packing her things with new hope in her heart. A hotel porter came up and helped them with their bags as Maia wheeled her child in the contraption called a carriage down to the first floor of the hotel. She would always think fondly of the time she'd spent here. She wished they could have stayed longer. Maybe someday, when she and Zephyr were able to live their truth and be together, they could return. She could wear one of her new dresses, and they could spend the night laughing and dancing and swimming.
But for now, she had to find contentment in her freedom and safety of her child. When they made it out to the car, Maia found that Prince Mortar himself had come down to escort them back to the ship.
They all climbed into the large vehicle and pulled out onto the streets. They took a turn into a secluded road, shifted into stealth, and hopped into the sky.
"We've dispensed the last of our particle bombs carrying the vaccine. Now that we are done with this mission, the House of Stones is going to find a new home. We've been discussing where we would like to live, and we've decided that we like the state of Colorado. Maia, you are invited to come with us, or we can return you to the House of Storms.”
"But what about the Prince of Tides?"
“He’s been out dispensing his own bombs."
"And my brother?"
"We have made some subtle inquiries about the Duke of Tides and it is our conclusion that he is safe for now.”
"I must return to the House of Storms to complete my work. There is a great deal at stake at this moment in time.”
"You are more than welcome to join us in Colorado, Dragoness Prime."
She looked from the Prince to Zephyr and then at her child. Maia was at a loss as to what to do. Her inner dragon was screaming that Zephyr was hers. She didn't want to be separated from him. He had to return to the House of Storms to complete his work; work that could forever free her from the Prince of Tides.
“I will go with you to Colorado," Maia decided.
“We can drop Zephyr off at the House of Storms before we go.”
Her presence still being a secret, Maia retreated to her rooms. Feeling a mixture of hope and sadness left her in a state of melancholy. When it was time for Zephyr to leave, she walked with him to the door and unconsciously reached out to embrace him. It was such a natural gesture that it was almost impossible not to do it. But she felt him go rigid between her arms before he relaxed into her embrace. He took a long inhale of her scent in the crook of her neck as he held her close.
"I will get a new implant. We can speak through the mental link." She stepped away but still held his hand. They gazed into each other's eyes for a brief moment before he let her go.
“Yes. We should stay in touch."
“Inform me me as soon as you have conclusive data from the mating analysis." A tear formed in the corner of her eye.
"Of course." His voice was low as he turned away.
Zephyr stepped outside and disappeared behind the sliding door. Maia sucked a shuddering breath into her chest.
"I have come this far believing in love. I will continue to believe in it no matter what the circumstances.”
14
Zephyr returned to the House of Storms more confused than ever. Feeling Maia’s arms around him had filled him with such a sense of belonging he had not wanted to let her go. His inner dragon had screamed to make her his. Without confirmation from the mating analysis, he could not allow himself what he most wanted.
As he walked through the back door of the House of Storms, he saw JoJo and Hanish stare up at him from the kitchen table.
"How did it go?" JoJo asked. “Have you claimed her yet?"
“The mating analysis is inconclusive," Zephyr grumbled.
"But your dragons both felt it," Hanish said. “I don't understand why you hesitate."
“I am not a man without honor.”
“Why can’t you get conclusive results?” Hanish asked.
"It could be any number of reasons. But it is most likely because she bore the dragonkin of twelve princes. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a great deal of work to do in the lab."
Zephyr stormed out of the kitchen, hurried through the living room, and trotted down the stairs to his laboratory. He found Flora there, working with a big bowl of nachos in her lap.
"You're back," she said, her mouth full.
"Yes, the bombs have all been dispensed. The houses will now be looking for homes of their own."
"I've been following the simulations you started about the human's reaction to the truth," Flora said. “The variables have shifted after dispensing of the vaccine, so I started that new simulation you suggested. The results s
uggest there is a 95% chance that the vampires will retaliate."
"I was afraid of that."
“However, it is possible the response will be advantageous to us and the human race." She shrugged another nacho in her mouth. It was unlike Flora to eat while working. Zephyr wondered what had gotten into her. He took one of her nachos as he sat down beside her.
“How so?”
"It's highly likely that the vampires will disclose for us.”
"Let me see the results." He slid his finger over the computer dashboard to bring up the data.
"Yes. I see here that the greatest probability is that they will disclose. But the second greatest probability is that they will unleash atomic bombs on the entire planet."
"But there is only a 65% chance they’ll do that," Flora said, her mouth full of nachos.
"Are you pregnant?" Zephyr asked, sniffing the air.
"Yes. Just found out this morning," she said. “How did you know?"
"Just a wild guess.”
She rubbed her stomach, leaning back in the chair. "I really would prefer the vampires not unleash nuclear winter on my planet,” she said.
"The social unrest across the planet is accelerating every day."
"My suggestion is that we wait for the vampires’ next move before taking any action. If we tell the humans ourselves, it takes away the vampires’ option for retaliation and makes nuclear fallout a lesser likelihood.”
I agree,” Zephyr said taking another nacho from her bowl. "Does Raiden know?”
"Raiden isn’t that interested in science." Nacho crumbs sprinkled on her lap.
"I meant about the baby."
"Oh yeah, he knows about that.”
"I'll have to congratulate him the next time I pass him playing that stupid game.”
“The game isn’t stupid. I play it myself.” She shoved another handful of nachos in her mouth. “Raiden is Guild leader again. We’re all happy to have them back.”
“That’s nice for all of you gamers, but I think we are going to need his fighting skills before all of this is done.”
"You know Raiden is always ready to fight."
“While we wait for the vampires’ response, there is another project we could be working on.”
"What's that?"
“There seems to be a universal request for a dating website.”
"A dating website. How could that be a priority?”
“It would be for dragons and Dragon Souls.”
"Ohhh.”
"I thought we could get your sister and Cato involved. And with your expertise on genetics, I was sure that we could have a prototype up and running within a few days.”
"That's probably true,” Flora said. “I'll get in touch with them right away.”
Taking her nachos with her, Flora and hurried out of the lab and up the stairs. Zephyr continued reviewing the results of his simulations. He truly hoped that the results were correct. If the vampires disclosed to humans, it would explain the unexplainable events of the last several months, but if the vampires chose the other option, it could mean the end of the world.
"Zephyr, are you there?" Maia asked through the mental link.
"You got your chip implanted.”
“Mortar put it in on the way. We've just arrived in Colorado. The mountains here are beautiful. The House of Stone will be in such a lovely location, but I already miss the sea.”
"You are welcome to return to the House of Storms at any time."
"I would love to," she said. “Prince Mortar said I can take one of the shuttles any time, but I'm afraid that it won't be possible until things are worked out with the Prince of Tides. Have you made any progress with the dating website?"
"As a matter of fact, I have. I just spoke with Flora about it. She is going to contact her sister and brother-in-law about getting it started. We should have a beta version fairly soon. Granted, it will only have the DNA of the Dragon Souls who have ever donated blood, needed blood, or were born in a hospital after a certain date. It does leave out a whole swath of humanity, but it is a start. First, we will have to select out the Dragon Souls from the rest of humanity. Once we have them in a separate database, we can attempt to match them up with the male dragons currently on Earth. There is no telling how long it will take to match a specific male dragon with his mate. But at least we will have the infrastructure in place.”
“Can the Prince of Tides be the first to be matched?" Maia asked, her inner voice reluctant but hopeful.
"Yes. That seems to be the best choice. The sooner you are freed from his desire, the sooner you will be free to make your own choices."
“And the sooner I will know that my desire for you is real and not just my fear of going back into captivity.” Her tone was calm and unwavering. He blinked several times, seeing the wisdom in her words. But his inner dragon rebelled. His inner dragon new beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was his. The beast needed no proof, he knew his desire didn’t come from fear. His desire was destiny. Zephyr’s logical mind, on the other hand, would never act on his dragon’s desire without firm scientific evidence to back it up.
"Have there been any results for our mating analysis?".
"There's nothing new to report. I will tell you as soon as I know anything."
"Very well then. I should go. Waverley is waking from her nap."
Zephyr’s mind went silent as Maia withdrew. He felt energy rush out of him as if he had lost part of his soul. He squeezed his eyes shut as his inner dragon lashed against the backs of his eyes. It was too much to bear, and he felt as if he would be torn to pieces by the other side of himself.
"I must wait for conclusive results." Zephyr enunciated each word. He looked up at the holographic screen before him and a new file appeared.
"Mating analysis complete," Azure intoned.
“Results?" Zephyr asked, excitedly.
"Mating analysis between Maia Tide and Zephyr Storm remains inconclusive."
15
"I have the results from the latest mating analysis," Zephyr said to Maia through the mental link. She was sitting in the ship of the House of Stone, looking out at the mountain landscape below. Her heart leapt in her chest when Zephyr's voice rose inside her mind.
"What is it?" she asked excitedly.
“I'm afraid it remains inconclusive.”
"Inconclusive. How can that be?" Maia instantly grew angry.
"Azure cannot confirm or deny that we are mates."
"I'm sick of this, Zephyr. I don't care anymore. My inner dragoness torments me ceaselessly. Don't the old ways mean anything anymore?"
"Dragons have not relied on intuition for a thousand years.”
"Our grandparents did. Before the diminishment of our sun and the decline of the female birth rate, all dragons followed their instincts. Why should we be so different now?"
"There is so much at stake, Maia. I know you know this.”
"What I know is I'm being torn apart from the inside out. I cannot sustain my sanity against the barrage of anger from my inner beast. I need relief."
"I know how you feel." His voice was faint.
"Would it be so wrong if we gave in to our passions?”
"I don't know what to say, Maia. I honestly don't. At first, I believed it was a matter of honor that we should wait for conclusive results. I have no wish to be like the Prince of Tides.”
"I asked you not to compare yourself to him ever again."
"I am a scientist. I rely on analysis, experimentation, and provable results. The ravings of my inner beast provide me with none of that.”
"I can't go on like this. I need to see you."
"It would be better if we remained apart."
“Why do you torture me like this?"
“That is the last thing I want to do."
“Then why do you refuse to see me?”
"I don't refuse to see you. I just think it unwise to be together until we have conclusive results. It will make it easier to control our pa
ssions.”
“Come to Colorado.”
"I can't, we've just begun work on the dating website. And we are at a crucial moment in the war with the vampires. Simulations suggest that the vampires will retaliate soon. The vampires are starving, and humans grow more unpredictable by the day. And I’m trying to find a mate for your captor.”
"All of those things pale in comparison to my need for you," she said. Her heart filled with the truth of her words.
Zephyr sighed inside her mind. “You should come to me,” Zephyr said, his inner voice so soft she could barely hear him. Then he went on, gaining confidence. “We will spend a day together. Without any restraints between us."
"And we can pretend that we know we are mates and are free to go courting."
"Yes," Zephyr said at a whisper.
“I will be there by nightfall. Waverley will be safe here until I return. We can be alone together."
"I await your arrival with great anticipation."
Maia quickly prepared for the journey, packing the white dress she'd bought for the look in Zephyr's eyes. She would finally get a chance to wear it for him. She informed the Prince of Stone of her plans and made sure that Waverley would be well attended to while she was gone.
She hurried to the shuttle and climbed inside. Her excitement thrummed in her chest. She had given birth to twelve dragonkin, but she had never been in love. She had never kissed a man. She had never been held in a passionate embrace. The thoughts of holding Zephyr played across the screen of her mind as she slid her fingers over the dashboard of the shuttle's control panel.
Her shuttle ejected from the larger ship, flying through the bright Colorado sky. She flew over the snowcapped mountains, over the valleys and red rock formations, across the plains and lakes, until she came to Zephyr's home state. She set down the shuttle and transformed it into a vehicle on a secluded country road near his house. After removing the stealth shield, she continued to the front gates of the House of Storms.
Maia truly enjoyed the sense of freedom and opportunity that lay ahead of her. The gates opened, and she drove through, parking in front of the house. Zephyr was not the dragon who greeted her at the front door. He quickly introduced himself as Raiden and guided her inside. She found a group of dragons and Dragon Souls waiting for her in the living room.
Zephyr: House of Storms: Dragon Guardians Book 8 Page 7