"They have been sharing information about how to court human women.”
"That's good news.”
"Just because the males on the surface appear to have found their fated mates, doesn't mean all of us will. The safest thing for you and I is to stay together.”
"Of course," she said, turning away and staring at her child. "But what if?
"If my fated mate lives among these humans," he said with a sneer, finishing her thought "I expect you to stay with me and raise our daughter. We are water dragons. Our house must stick together.”
"There is no taboo against mixing with different types of dragons," she said.
"Are you interested in one of the other men?"
"Of course not," she said stepping away from him. She walked to the holographic screen and stared up at the projection of the Earth below. It was so beautiful. A tear slid down her cheek. "It's just that I might make new friends. I've been cooped up in my chambers for so long. I would like to meet the other dragons who escaped. And… who knows… maybe my fated mate lives among the humans.”
"A Dragoness Prime should never mate with a human." He said ‘human’ as if the world left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"But what if we could both have our true love?" she asked, turning and crossing the space between them. She gripped his crossed arms and gazed imploringly into his eyes. “We could be happy. We could find love."
"Love is an outdated idea.”
"Love is never outdated." She turned away again. "Love is everything.”
"I understand you are just expressing your soft feminine emotions. That is the way of your kind. I wouldn't deny you that. But as your mate and your Prince. It is my responsibility to correct you and to remind you to be rational.”
"I'm not irrational," she said, losing her practiced cool with him. “How could we care for our children if we didn't love? How could we remain loyal to each other if we didn't love?"
"Those are real questions. It’s not that I don't understand where you're coming from. But in times like these, we must do what is right for the race and for our house. It is a greater and higher love than the love of mates for each other, or of parents for their children. It is the love for our entire species. You and I must have more dragonkin. Purebred dragonkin conceived without the messy interference of human DNA. And it is because I love our kind so very much that love for each other is not required. If you would allow it, we could come to love each other in time. I’m sure that if you search your soft, female heart, you will see that I’m right.” He turned and stared at Waverley in her crib.
"Of course you're right," Maia said, fear gripping her gut.
"Then you agree to be my mate."
"I will… think about it. You know it's hard for me to give up on my romantic dreams and to be as rational as you."
He nodded, seeming to accept that explanation. He turned on his heel and hurried out of the room. Maia picked up her daughter and held her close. The tears welling in her eyes seemed too scared to freely roll down her cheeks.
"We will be free, my darling," she said. “I promise you. Love is real and love is true. It is the most important thing in the universe, and I will not give up on mine. It is my love that brought all the dragonkin into the world. I will believe in love til the last breath in my body.”
Waverley cooed up at her mother and patted Maia’s cheek. The tears finally broke from their prison in the corners of her eyes and flowed unabated down her cheeks. Maia sniffed back the tears and smiled at her beautiful daughter. Her aqua blue eyes gazed expectantly at her mother. Maia didn't want her daughter to see her cry.
"I will be strong for you, my darling. I will be strong in my love, and I will never give up. I will never give up my dream. Just because I am the last female dragon in the galaxy doesn't mean that I don't deserve to have my own happily ever after.”
Chapter 3
Zephyr made it to the ocean and parked the car at a bluff overlooking the sea. The storm clouds had rolled in, casting the world in a heavy gray hue. He gripped the steering wheel and let out a long sigh. His eyes focused on the distant horizon. Ships were coming into harbor, trying to beat the storm.
Light dustings of snow still clung to the earth, reminding him that they were coming into their second year after awakening on Earth. Things had changed so much since the day the storm dragons had emerged from the ocean. It was hard for even a thousand-year-old dragon to believe everything that had come to pass in so short a time.
He watched a fishing boat motor toward the harbor and wondered if his love would soon reveal itself. He had so very much to do and so very much responsibility on his shoulders. When he returned to the storm the mansion, he would commence with arranging how to dispense the vaccine across the planet. Now that there were ten unencumbered ships, they could easily traverse the planet in just a few weeks. But that would require gaining the agreement with all the other houses. It was an obvious solution, but actual execution of the meetings had yet to commence. He reached out to Akash through the mental link, needing the diplomat’s help in arranging such meetings.
"How are you this afternoon?" he asked Akash.
“We are well. The baby is growing and everyone is happy. Ragnar and I have come to an agreement about how to raise our son and we are all getting along quite well for the first time in… well… maybe forever." Akash chuckled through the mental link and Zephyr could appreciate his crewmate’s happiness.
"How are things with you?" Akash asked him. “Have you found a mate yet?"
"That isn't my concern right now.”
"If you say so," Akash chuckled.
"It is critical that we contact the newly awakened houses to ask for their cooperation in dispensing the vaccine bombs across the planet. However, diplomacy is not my strong suit.”
"So where are you in the process?"
"The bombs have been manufactured. But I have not contacted the other ships’ captains.”
"Perhaps you should leave that to me."
"I would be more than happy to," Zephyr said.
"I will contact the captains and convey to them the urgency of the situation. Then I will arrange a debriefing at my home on Mercer Island. That would be a good time for you and Flora to come and explain the science end. I think it would be good if we create more incentive to participate by giving them information about Dragon Souls at the meeting.”
"They surely already have the information from our databases at their disposal."
"But nothing is as convincing as information straight from the horse’s mouth, as humans say."
"I would agree, but I am the only one who has not yet found his mate. I’m not exactly an expert on human women.”
"That will be all the more convincing. You can speak from the perspective of a dragon who is still looking.”
"Very well then," Zephyr said. “Keep me informed of your progress.”
"It shouldn't take more than a few days.”
"Very well then. I will speak to you soon."
Zephyr disengaged from the mental link with Akash and went back to staring out at the sea. The waves were roiling against the shore and the ships had all made it into harbor. As the storm blew in, he felt a chill in his heart. Something was not right. He felt it deep in his bones.
Zephyr had never considered himself a particularly sensitive or intuitive dragon, but in that moment, as he stared at the raging sea and the howling winds outside his sports car, he knew to the very depths of his being that his fated mate was in trouble. She was calling out to him from across the void, begging for his help. He was struck with the immensity of her desire. It was so deep, it nearly took his breath away. He sucked air into his lungs, trying to comprehend what was happening to him. His heart beat faster and sweat trickled down his brow. He shook his head, trying to come to his senses. But nothing seemed to work.
"What has gotten into you?" he asked his inner dragon.
The beast within roared in response and flew against the backs
of his eyes in a discontented rage. It shocked Zephyr so completely that he was knocked back in his chair and hit his head against the headrest behind him. He squeezed his eyes shut, confused by his inner dragon's strange behavior. He knew that most dragons had these odd responses after they had met their fated mate for the first time. But to have his dragon act so erratically without ever having laid eyes on the woman was highly alarming.
The storm blew in and clouds dumped hailstones the size of golf balls. They smashed against the windshield and the hood of his car. He would have to get to shelter soon or risk damage to the vehicle. He turned on the engine and hurried away from the sea.
His inner dragon's tumultuous behavior did not relent. Zephyr could not drive home under such conditions. He found a turnoff on the road and parked the car. At first, he’d planned to just sit there and wait out the storm, but he found that he could not sit still.
He opened the door and climbed out. Before he knew what was happening, he was naked and standing in the forest. The hail had turned to heavy rain. His inner dragon leapt out from inside of himself and took to the air. After a moment, his greater sense of propriety came back to him, and he activated his stealth shields, cloaking his existence from human eyes.
Higher and higher he flew into the stormy sky, feeling the wind and rain on his wings. As the storm dragon, this inclement weather did not bother him. In fact, it felt invigorating. And it was a deeply needed respite from the worry of his day to day existence. He flew into the headwinds, reveling in the cold and wet and rain. He felt alive like he hadn't since his youth long ago on his home planet of Dragonia. It had been so very long since he had felt so alive. And he didn't want the amazing sensation to end. The voice of his inner beast came alive inside him.
Our mate is here. She needs us. We must not fail her.
Chapter 4
"The House of Storms is asking for a diplomatic meeting of all houses," Prince Current told Maia.
"What is it about?" she asked curiously, holding her child. She had so much desire to see her children again. She knew such a meeting could potentially give her that chance.
"They want to discuss a plan to protect the humans from vampires.”
"This seems like the right thing to do," Maia said.
"The humans are not of my concern."
"What of the Dragon Souls? Your fated mate?”
"I do not wish to find my mate on Earth.”
"But don't you want your true love?" she asked, still not fully comprehending how a dragon could ever reject the chance to find his fated one.
"Not from among the half-breed humans. I have you. I need no other.”
"But surely…”
"I will go to the meeting to see what they have to say. I am not so coldhearted that I would refuse to help the humans outright. Especially for the sake of the other males. They may very well find their fated ones among these savages. I would not want to deny them that. Even if I myself have no interest in mating with them.”
"That is very diplomatic of you," Maia said. “When will the meeting take place?”
"In one day. At the home of Akash of the House of Storms. It is requested that we all attend. I would appear disloyal to my race if I did not agree to go. Everyone else will be there.”
"Would it be possible for me to join in the meeting?" she asked hopefully.
"Whatever for?" he asked, looking her up and down.
“I miss my children. I’m desperate to see them. I would do anything for the chance."
"I would be most agreeable to allowing you to see them if you agreed to mate with me.”
"But we can't."
"You can mate with any male, you are Dragoness Prime.”
"But our fated ones…”
"This discussion is over, Maia. I will not change my mind.”
"Don't you see that this is wrong?" she asked, rushing to him and taking his hand. “This is not our way. This is not who we are. We left our dying world to create a better one. We cannot create a better world if we deny ourselves the love that is possible in this one.”
"I don't intend to deny myself love. I have the love I desire with you.”
“You don't love me, Prince Current. You only wish to possess me."
Maia knew she was pressing the line. She had never been so forward with him before. But she couldn't hold back any longer. The prospect of seeing her children filled her with courage and strength. She would do anything to hold them in her arms again.
"We've been over this many times before, Maia. And I don't appreciate your attitude. If you would just accept me as your mate, I am confident you will find love for me. I would allow you to see your children any time you want. I do not understand why you have denied your children their mother for so long. You deny all of us the love you speak of. It is not me who does not believe in the new world, it's you."
“How can you say that? I have given everything I have and everything I am to preserve our race. You then convinced all the survivors that I died. Those actions are a rejection of all that we stand for.”
"If you press me, there will be consequences."
"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes darting to her child.
"We’ve talked about this, Maia. If you insist on crossing me, on resisting me, on challenging me, then I will have no choice but to take our daughter away from you in order to protect her from your influence.”
"You wouldn't dare! I am her mother. I raised her. I love her, and she loves me!”
“I will not allow defiance in my House. I thought I’d made that clear. As your Prince, your savior, and the father of your child, you owe me your loyalty.”
“I may owe you my loyalty as the Prince of the House of Tides, but I do not owe you my life. This is not our way, and it is not our law. Even the elders would have protested this.”
"You of all people should not speak of the elders and their protest. You defied them by giving birth to the dragonkin. They strictly forbid your mating with the Princes of each House. They had resigned to die in the cataclysm. Bringing new dragonkin into the world was in direct defiance of their orders.”
"And you agreed with them?" she asked, aghast at his suggestion.
"I agree that you are an insubordinate. If you dare to defy me again, Maia, I will lock you in a room by yourself and never allow you to see the child again. And if I have to, I will force you to bear my young.”
"I cannot believe the words that are coming from your mouth," she said, covering her mouth in shock and dismay. “You are a better man than this."
"I am a man who knows what he wants. And a man who knows what is valuable. I refuse to let you destroy what we have, and I refuse to let you take away what is mine. I wanted our mating to be a mutual agreement, Maia. But you know I do not need your agreement to get what I want from you. You would be wise to remember that.”
"This is not who you are. I refuse to believe your vile words.”
"Believe what you want, Maia. This conversation has gone on long enough. I will not engage in it any further. You have been warned. If you defy me again, you will reap the consequences of your actions. And you will only have yourself to blame. Think of the welfare of your child. If you want to be free to be her mother and to care for her as I know you do, then you will do as I bid.”
Maia shrank back, unable to believe what she was hearing. She had trusted him in the beginning. She’d thought him a good man and a confidant. He had been there for her at the end, when their sun died and imploded into a black hole. He had been the one to take her away from their dying world. She had been so grateful that he had been there for her when she was sick and weak and could not get herself to her own ship.
But as the days and months wore on, and he would not allow her to speak with the others, she came to realize the truth. It was so disturbing that she didn't want to believe it. By the time they had found Earth and seeded it with the souls of their ancestors, it had all become unavoidably clear to her. She was imprisoned, and no one
even knew she was still alive.
Maia ran to Waverley and held her close, tears flowing down her cheeks without stopping. "You're insane," she said. “Losing our home world has driven you mad.”
"It matters not what you think of me, Maia. You will do as I ask, or you will lose what freedoms I now allow you.”
"You cannot keep me locked in here forever!”
"If that is what you need to believe, I will not stop you. As I said, I will have what I want from you, with your cooperation or without it. I will let you out of this room the minute you mate with me. You will be allowed to see your children, you will be allowed to roam the world and see all that it has to offer. You have twenty-four hours to decide to be mine. If your answer is still no, I will take the child from this room and you will not see her again. I would not test me in this. You will be mine, like it or not.”
He gave one last look to the child and left the room. She couldn't believe she had trusted this man. She couldn't believe that he was the one to lead the House of Tides into this new world. He had no honor and knew no respect. But she knew he would keep his word.
Maia hugged Waverley as her heart wept for both of them. She could not allow her baby to be raised by this man. She could not allow herself to be claimed by him. There were no good options, and she felt completely trapped. If only her brother knew that she had lived and was aboard the ship. He would never allow this to continue.
All the tide dragons would come to her aid. She was Dragoness Prime and next in line for the throne. She had never had the desire to rule, knowing her destiny was to hatch dragonkin from her earliest memory. What she did desire was freedom. She had the right to live as a free woman, and she would not allow a madman to take that away from her.
If she could only find a way to reach out to her brother. Prince Current had removed her mental link while they were on the shuttle between Dragonia and the ship. She’d been so sick and delirious from the strain of hatching sixteen dragonkin that she couldn’t fight him. She hadn’t even known what was going on.
Dragon Guardians: Complete Series Page 35
