22. Tarek

"What do the databases return?"

We'd been at this all day, and I was tired. This human male was a ghost in Emberhaven. He hadn't come to us through normal channels. All the technology in the universe, and we still had many, many holes.

"This is a new colony-wide system that hasn't been released yet. It's going to take time to match his prints or his DNA signature. We should have both if he was born somewhere on this planet," said Ravi.

I nodded and kept pacing.

"We all want to be back with our females. Calm yourself. A threat to any one of us is a threat to all of us. This is the first lead we have had since Emberfield disappeared."

I glared at Ravi and tried not to let my frustrations out on my brother. He was the tech savvy one of our hoard. We all had our strengths, but his was the one we needed right now. The worry was that this little rebellion was extending beyond Emberhaven Colony and beyond the Emberfield poison. He had too much power that was just now being seen.

"Strange how everything has been peaceful, and two hundred years later, shit's hitting the fan, as the humans say," I said.

I kept pacing the tech center in the dragon city that we called home. It bothered me I was here and Zara was inside the dome where all the human problems were. I wanted to keep her away from the things that seemed to be causing her mental discomfort. Goddess, they flat out attacked her. How was that keeping my mate safe?

"Perhaps when this is all over, we all head to one of the oases for Pyrothians. I believe we could all use the break," Solan said from his corner where he had remained silent and grumpy for most of the time we'd been here. I stopped and watched him. Perhaps I had been far too consumed with my mate for the moment to see the exhaustion in the others.

"You might be right. Once we find our mates or not, perhaps a trip together would be good for all of our souls. When was the last time any of us have been out for a hunt?" I asked.

Solan shrugged.

"Fine, maybe you have hunted, but that isn't doing anything for our family. We all need a moment together. The obsession to find the human issues within the colony and now this alien attack seems to be taking more energy than even looking for our mates."

Solan still wasn't speaking. In fact, for the most part, everyone was eerily quiet.

"What is going on that everyone is far more somber than what I would expect for several of us finding our mates?"

Akio crossed the lab.

"Not all of us have found our mates. And those of you who have? What if we cannot protect them? Last night showed us the human colonies are threats to our futures. Your mate is fighting the bond. Aurora has told Ciro as much. The Federation is fighting the fact that we have females not born in the colonies. Aurora was almost killed to keep her from us. To me, this all seems like we are far from celebrating. Ask me when I have found my mate and Solan his. As of right now, there are too many pieces in motion to find comfort."

Through the bond with my brothers, I could feel the energy of our dragons. Every generation had their plight. Ours was apparently multiple issues and some far more complex than others.

I sat down, wondering where to go with this next.

"While I can't fix everything, I can say my mate seems to trust me. She wants to go on a date before she becomes my mate. This seems rather simple. The goddess has given us signs. It is just a matter of time before everyone meets their mates. As for the aliens and the Federation? We will need to figure out who is on whose side."

The computer was still running through all the colony's databases.

"I think perhaps it is a good chance to go for a quick flight. Who is with me?"

The way everyone's eye flickered between dragon and human told me exactly what everyone thought. And for once, the laughter that reminded me we all once had been innocent and young echoed through the halls as we fought each other to reach the landing and takeoff platforms in the city.

"Last one in the sky is in charge of cleaning after the younglings practice tomorrow," I said as I pushed off from the ground, shifting midair.

"Fucking show off," yelled Ciro, who followed suit.

All six dragons took to the sky, letting instinct guide us.

This was what we were meant to do.

I soared up and toward the suns as high as one dared to go to feel the warmth of the largest of the two. My brothers spread out and covered the sky, enjoying the freedom of being us.

No wonder the humans are so unhappy. They are stuck to the ground like a wounded harpile. Too awkward to function as a pyracat,I said through our bond.

Elio's orange dragon coughed out what would be a laugh. A fireball chased through the air before dying out.

Poor humans. Ciro used to think they were mere pets until his Aurora was found, said Solan as his yellow dragon dove toward a lake below.

Everything was right up here until it wasn't. The thing was, I couldn't quite place the dread that hit me and had my dragon faltering in our flight. I watched the landscape below. There were no strange marks from a breach in our defenses. No foreign creatures or ships had come through like last time, at least not on our lands.

My dragon veered off and started back toward Emberhaven. He didn't seem to know why, but something called us back. The lightheartedness of miles of chasing the wind seemed to have been forgotten as my instinct shot dread through me.

Brother?Ciro asked as his purple dragon flanked me.

My dragon's head swayed back and forth, doing what I could not. I couldn't form words for why my chest ached and my dragon grew unsettled.

Something is wrong, was all I got out before Ciro's dragon let out a cry so deafening the animals that had been on the ground scattered and ran for cover.

Something was wrong indeed.