Predator

Chapter 13

Riddick spent the next couple of hours going back through the flexis of all the past time spent in the Royal Palace. He pulled every one of them that held the image of the man that plagued his memories. Frustrated that there was no clear picture of his face, he set them aside and went about the task of researching his competition for Alex’s heart, mind, body, and soul.

Alex’s rule on her space became more involved. After the abduction of her first born, she exacted harsh revenge on anyone that defied her laws or threatened her family. She was very precise with her actions and nothing survived her wrath.

She reached a point in her long life where she began to feel stagnant. Her whole purpose in life was to exist to protect her mates and children. She loved them all unconditionally but it did nothing to alleviate her boredom. Ian was the only one amongst them that could see it.

He occupied a majority of her free time in an effort to ease his mate’s unrest. She was acting like a caged animal that longed for release from captivity. One evening as he held her in his arms in his bed, he confided in her that he was disappointed that they hadn’t created a life together. He knew his wife well and was aware of her future plans for her sons. “What better man could you choose to have a child with and use for that purpose? I want a son from our union.”

Jarod was born of two cosmic beings 8 days later. It was a difficult birth even for her unique way of giving it. A good portion of her power went into his creation but; when she encountered more battles from insurgents; her power returned to normal levels.

Again, she grew weary and again her first love could feel her distress. He could also see that the constant use of her abilities was increasing her power. She was becoming unstable and she knew it. She approached him with the idea of the Wielders.

She had devised the gauntlets with the ability to siphon off her power in dire emergencies. They required 2 wearers to agree upon the action. Ian wasn’t thrilled with the concept of anyone having that kind of control over her but could tell his mate was scared. He agreed and she went in search of the Wielders.

Alex picked 2 mutants from Earth. The feral Wolverine was perfect to judge whether she was out of control or justified in her rage. Logan fell in love with the Phoenix after a matter of weeks in her presence. He felt a connection to her on a deep, primal level that he could never get over even when he knew what she wanted him for. They developed a romantic relationship that continues to this day.

The level-headed Cyclops was chosen for his ability to make hard decisions at any costs. He saw both sides of the woman he was picked to safeguard the universe against. She was a wife, mother, and friend. She was also a warrior and a lethal being. He respected both aspects of her persona.

With her chosen Wielders in place, Alex returned to her duty of protecting her space and loved ones. The Nietzcheans were in the midst of a civil war amongst their Prides. It would not have garnered her attention until some of the Prides conquered other worlds and either enslaved the inhabitants or executed them.

Ariana’s fleet beat back the invading Nietzchean ships on every planet in her system and even extended their protection beyond her universe. Alexandra herself went on several solo missions just for the excitement it afforded her.

She learned of several Prides attempts at stealing the Nietzchean progenitor’s remains from the Drago Katsov Pride. She knew whoever possessed Drago Museveni’s bones would be in a major position of power in the war. She also knew perfectly well that she could end their conflict with a single thought but she opted for some fun and infiltrated Enga’s Redoubt; the Dragons’ home world; on her own.

As she made her way through the compound, she used her telepathy to determine the location of the bones. She became curious when the thoughts of the progenitor’s guards suddenly ceased and teleported to their position to find all four men dead.

Alex’s senses detected the presence of the assassin in the crypt and materialized in the room behind him. He went rigid for a split second before he spun around swinging a fist towards her head. She ducked his punch easily and returned with 2 open palms to his chest and propelled him across the room.

He gathered himself together quickly and rose to his feet. His eyes ran the length of the slight but deceptively strong form of the woman before him. “Who are you?” His deep voice was haughty and demanding. The only response she came up with was a fit of laughter which irritated him further. “What is so funny?”

“The look on your face.” She slowly walked around the coffin and smirked at his outrage. “It appears to me that a woman has never planted you on your ass before.” She hopped up on the coffin and sighed dramatically. “Typical male thinking you are superior to all females.” She mimicked the voice of a little girl to piss him off further. “I’m afraid all of us lil’ girlie girls don’t need big, strong men like you to protect us from the big, bad world.”

She took in his caramel skin, muscular chest, arms and legs wrapped in black leather, beautiful brown eyes and long, black locks and the pure, animal magnetism that rolled off of him in waves. “I’m sorry. You looked pretty strong so I thought you could handle that little love tap. As it turns out, you just look pretty and I should have taken it easier on you.”

He growled low in his throat and stalked up to her. He was furious with her condescending attitude and that she was using the Nietzchean messiah’s remains like her personal throne. He grabbed her jaw and moved his face within an inch of hers. “I repeat…who are you, woman?”

“That whole intimidation thing might work on most people, Nietzchean, but not me.” Her eyes went from black to white energy and he loosened his grip. “If you don’t know who I am by now, I’m not telling. Now why don’t you back off because we have company coming that requires our attention.”

He looked at her curiously for a second before his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of the approaching men. He looked back to her smiling face and tightened his hold on her jaw. “How did you…” She cut off his question by shaking her head no. “Fine! Stay behind me and we’ll finish this later.”

She giggled harder at the absurd notion that she needed protection until he abruptly pulled her off the crypt and placed her behind him. “This is not necessary. I can help.” She said evenly to his very impressive backside.

“Is it possible for you to shut up for one minute?”

She arched her eyebrow at his brusque tone and indignantly crossed her arms under her breasts. “Fine. Knock yourself out.” She indicated the new wave of guards that rushed into the room with a tilt of her head.

He threw himself into the middle of the Dragons to make their weapons ineffective in close quarters and began to incapacitate his enemies with his bare hands and boneblades. Alex watched him tear through 3 men with a savage and lethal grace. His movements were smooth and refined. He was perfection in body and skill.

She stood mesmerized by the beauty of his form and skill until she saw a Dragon close in behind him while he was occupied with 2 other men. She sprang into motion and grabbed his arm before he could bring his blades down into her ‘companion’s’ neck. “No you don’t.” Her captive looked at her in surprise before she hurled him back across the room with enough force to send his body smashing through the concrete wall.

Startled by the loud crash, her companion spun around expecting to face a new threat but found a very angry, determined woman glaring over his shoulder. He watched in awe as she stepped around him and threw a right cross to the temple of the nearest attacker. She spun to the left to avoid another that rushed at her, wrapped her hands around his face, and cracked his neck with a twist of his head.

She sensed the movement of the last Dragon and turned to see him advance on her ‘partner’ from behind. She grabbed his vest, pulled him aside, and caught his attacker’s throat in her hand. “What is it about your Pride that makes you think attacking from behind is an honorable victory?”

Unable to vocally respond, the Dragon’s eyes widened in horror when she lifted him off the ground to dangle helplessly in the air by her grasp on his neck and practically growled at him. “It amazes me that your pathetic Pride still exists considering how cowardly its men are.” With a flick of her wrist, she dispatched her enemy and dropped his corpse to the ground.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her chest and pulled her back against a hard torso. She could feel his even breath on the sensitive skin of her neck just below her ear and shivered with excitement when his lips brushed her earlobe. “Tell me your name, woman.”

She bared her neck to him as she tilted her head to the side to look up at him and grinned. “You first.”

“You are the most infuriating woman I’ve ever met.” He drew in her scent; detected her arousal; and instinctually pulled her lower body closer to his own.

Feeling his impressive bulge pressed against her backside, she applied more friction to his erection by wiggling her ass and purred seductively in his ear. “Really? I’m the most infuriating? Hmm. I would suggest otherwise based on your body’s reaction to my own.”

He spun her around to face him and held her flush to him. His erection ground against her pelvis and he smiled when he heard her breath hitch. “I can smell your body’s reaction to my own.”

“Fair enough. You are an extremely attractive male and I won’t deny the effect you are having on me. Oh and I also get extremely horny after a fight.”

“Likewise, my lady.”

“We will be receiving more company soon. Give me your name and I’ll get you out of here.”

“I am Tyr Anasazi, out of Victoria by Barbarossa of the Kodiak Pride.”

“All of that, huh? How did you get here, Mr. Anasazi?”

“I have a ship. It’s in a clearing in the woods a couple of miles outside of the city. And you?”

He allowed her to extricate herself from his grasp and watched as she hopped back up on the crypt. “The same way I’m getting this out of here.”

“You came here for Drago Museveni’s bones?”

“Why else would I come to this shithole?”

“You cannot take the bones.” He moved to stand in front of her and his countenance turned serious. “I won’t let you.”

“You’re welcome to try to stop me.” She reached out and grabbed his arm when she sensed more Dragons coming. “It will have to wait for a moment because we have to go.”

A second later, Tyr, the woman, and the crypt were in the cargo hold of his ship. “How did you do that?” He backed away and looked upon her as a real threat for the first time. “Answer me, woman!”

“Stop barking orders at me and quit calling me woman!” She jumped to her feet and paced around the hold. “My name is Alexandra and; since my presence makes you uncomfortable; I’ll take what I came for and leave.”

“My Pride is the rightful guardians of the progenitor’s remains. I am the last surviving Kodiak which makes them my property! You are not taking them anywhere!”

“Wanna bet? I could take them now before you could draw your next breath.” She was having fun with Tyr and that was something she couldn’t remember having for quite some time. He made her blood fire. She looked at him sideways and smirked. “Then again, I could give you a chance and fight you for them. I’ll even make it fair and fight at your strength.”

“How would you know what my strength is?”

“Simple.” She walked a circle around him and came to a stop looking up into his captivating eyes. “You need to hit me as hard as you can.”

Tyr looked baffled by Alex’s request but the grin on her face reminded of the ease in which she tore apart the Drago Katsov males. He knew she was strong and had some supernatural power but he couldn’t let her take Drago. It would ruin his plans of uniting the Prides with himself in the position of Alpha. He could not allow this female to ruin his destiny.

She watched him weigh his options. The second he decided his course of action, she reduced her power level to human and waited for the inevitable. The blow she received left her reeling on the floor at his feet.

Tyr was struck with concern as he watched her writhe in pain for several seconds before she abruptly sat up and regained her normal composure. “That was impressive, Uber. I have some conditions for this battle since I’m fighting at a disadvantage.”

“What disadvantage?”

“Your inferior level of strength, of course.” She chuckled at his scowl when she referred to him as inferior. She knew the Nietzcheans desire for perfection but; most importantly; she knew this Kodiak’s mind frame.

“I have some of my own. Yours first.”

“If I win or we come to a stalemate, the bones are mine.”

“Agreed.”

“Well, Tyr, that was too easy.” She narrowed her eyes and looked at him sideways. “What are your conditions?”

He bent forward, pulled her to her feet, and held her flush to his chest. “When I win, I get the bones…and you.”

Her temper flared and she practically snarled in response. “I am no man’s slave!”

He leaned forward, nuzzled her neck, and purred when she shivered from his advances. “I don’t want you for a slave. I want you to bend to my wishes willingly and give me your body whenever I want it.”

“Are you talking about making me your wife?” She felt his head nod as he smelled her hair and she felt her blood fire once again because of him. “Nietzcheans do not mate outside their species.”

“I am a man without a Pride. I have no choice but to look elsewhere for a suitable mate to give me children.”

Her breath quickened and her eyes closed from his proximity. “What about another Pride?” She softly whispered.

“They are inferior. Do you agree to my terms?”

She gasped when his hand moved over the swell of her breasts. She swayed towards him and rested her forehead against his chest. “If you take me, you can never have another wife. Do you understand what that means to you? Your life is forfeit if you break this vow.”

“Like I said, the other Prides are inferior. Now do you agree?”

“You have no idea what you are getting yourself into.” She took a deep breath and nodded her head. “I agree.” Her eyes snapped to his eyes with a look of determination and she landed a quick blow under his chin.

Riddick watched Tyr quickly recover and move to counter. They traded several punches through out their skirmish that inflicted damage to both of them. Alex shifted into her martial arts skills and delivered several combinations of punches and kicks. After almost an hour and a half of this conflict, she began to falter.

Tyr was relentless in his pursuit to win this battle. He had a lot to gain from it and drew on hidden reserves of strength to pull himself from possible defeat. Their fight was exacting a toll on them but; when he sensed she was wearing down; he pressed his advantage. He had her on the brink of defeat when he misjudged a move and a spinning heel-kick to his jaw dropped him to the ground.

Thinking she had a moment’s respite, she bent over at the waist to draw in some much needed air. Before she knew what was happening, the floor was rushing up to hit her in the face. Tyr straddled her waist and twisted both her arms up behind her back.

She struggled repeatedly to break free of his hold to no avail. “Submit to me.”

“No!” When she felt restraints close around her wrists, she thrashed about violently. “Stop this!” He picked her up, hefted her over his shoulder and carried her kicking and screaming to his cabin.

He dropped her unceremoniously on his bed and watched with a smile as she struggled to sit up. When he saw her shoulders tense, he knew she was about to revert to her original state of being. “We had an agreement and you promised to fight at this level of strength. If you break those restraints you break your word.” She glared at him silently as he turned to leave the cabin. “I need to slipstream us out of this system. I’ll be back to claim you as my own.”

She heard his steps fade into the distance and positioned herself on her side to try to get comfortable. All sorts of thoughts went through her mind while she waited for him to return. This man had a definite effect on her body. She flirted with him on Enga’s Redoubt when she should have just accomplished her mission and left. She gave him a chance to keep what she went for and even weakened herself enough to lose. Did she want him to win after she heard his terms? Could she trust herself to a Nietzchean? She was tired, injured, and overcome with these thoughts enough to allow sleep to claim her.

While Tyr was piloting the ship through the stream, he ran her image through the computer’s database along with a description of her unique gifts. It took one minute for the results of his search to come back and his jaw dropped when he read them. When they were at a safe distance from Drago Katsov space, he put the ship on autopilot and went to his cabin.

Alex had fallen asleep out of exhaustion but; upon closer inspection; Tyr noticed all her injuries and bruises had faded. He grabbed 3 more restraints and fastened her ankles spread apart to the bedposts. He released one of her wrists, attached the third manacle to it, and carefully moved her arm to fasten it to the headboard.

When it clicked into place, she woke up swinging. “What the hell are you doing?” She tugged at her cuffed wrist frantic to find release. “Get these off of me!”

Tyr grabbed her free arm, straddled her body and wrestled her hand down above her head. When he restrained it to the headboard, he smiled at her in triumph. “A promise is a promise, Alexandra.”

“You want me for a wife? You can’t be serious!”

“I’m very serious!” He held her head still and brought his face within an inch of hers. “I know who you are.” He pulled a knife from his boot, grabbed the collar of her leather top, and cut it clean down the front. He left the ruined material in place and did not reveal anymore of her flesh than the strip of skin that ran from the top of her cleavage to her belly button. “I ran a scan on you while we were streaming.”

“If you know who I am then you know mating me is the worst thing you could do.”

Although her voice was calm, Tyr could hear her accelerated heartbeat. He didn’t know if it was out of fear or excitement but everything he knew about her suggested the latter. “On the contrary, Alexandra, who could make a more suitable mate than the Ruler of the Known Universe?”

She squirmed when his fingers skimmed under the waistband of her black leather pants and clenched her eyes when his blade cut the leather from her hip down to her ankle. “In that aspect, I see your point but you don’t know the rules to being with me.”

“I heard you when you said I couldn’t have other wives.” He spoke softly as he cut the other leg of her pants. “I also heard the consequences if I cheat.”

Her eyes opened when she felt his weight settle on her thighs and saw him place his knife on the bedside table. “I am not held to same standards. I have 3 husbands already.” His eyes held hers while he digested that information. “You will have to share me and I hear Nietzcheans aren’t big on sharing.”

“No, we aren’t known for sharing our women but I know something about you that your mates don’t.”

“What’s that?”

“You’ve never been conquered before.” He parted the scraps of her top to expose her breasts to his eyes and ran his palms over her nipples until they hardened. “I’m thinking that will ensure you remain close to my bed.”

“That’s awfully presumptuous of you.” He smiled at her criticism and lowered his head to capture one hard tip with his teeth while he pinched the other between his thumb and forefinger. “Oh, you are a bastard!” She gasped and arched her back thrusting her breasts further into his face.

He greedily worked her nipples while his free hand grasped the front of her pants and ripped them from her body leaving her naked and at his mercy. Her arousal assaulted his senses and a low growl erupted from his throat. He halted his feast on her breasts, crawled down her body, and ran his tongue the length of her wet lips. “You taste like honey.” He enveloped her clit with his lips and pushed 2 fingers into her wet core. He then proceeded to lick, suck, and finger fuck her pussy until she came screaming.

He moved off of her with a cat-like grace and slowly stripped off his clothing until he stood looming over her gloriously nude. He cupped her mound in his palm, ground it against her clit, and watched her hips buck off the bed. “Do you want me, Alexandra?” She nodded her head wearily in submission. “Consider yourself conquered, your Highness.”

Riddick watched his enemy ram his cock into Alex and heard her scream at his occupation. He pounded into her mercilessly while she thrashed about in ecstasy. She became so overwhelmed by her passion that she snapped her restraints, rolled them over and rode him hard until they both screamed out their release.

She collapsed with exhaustion onto his chest and struggled to calm her breathing. She felt his strong arms hold her close and his lips press a kiss to the top of her head. “I’ve given you a son tonight.” She said in the barest whisper.

He rolled her over, lay on his side facing her, and stared at her questioningly. “What did you say?”

Tears welled in her eyes and she couldn’t meet his gaze. “We made a child. Given my unique abilities, he will be a full-blooded Kodiak with…some extra power inherited from me.”

Her eyes went to his when she felt his own tears fall from his cheeks to her chest. “Our son.” His hand ran gently over her stomach and he smiled at her lovingly. “My Kodiak son.”

She caressed his cheek and returned his smile. “I can give you as many children as you want, Tyr, but don’t…don’t ever cheat on me. I am a creature of many passions and I am bonded to you on a deep level. If…” Her emotions overcame her and she couldn’t complete her sentence.

“Shh, love.” Tears ran uncontrollably down her face and heavy sobs wracked her body. “It’s okay.” Tyr gently wiped her tears away with his fingertips and tried to calm her. “Tell me what you need to say.”

“I know the males of your species have a drive to procreate with many wives. If you can’t control that instinct, I’ll be forced to kill you and I can’t bear that thought.”

Assurances were made and the Kodiak double helix was put into place on their biceps to show to the universe that they were mated. His son, Jesse, was born by the time they returned to Ariana. It was a surprise to her entire family. His possession of her was complete. When he called, she ran to his side forsaking which ever husband she was scheduled to be with.

The palace was in turmoil but Alexandra didn’t care as long as Tyr’s touch drove her to the heights of pleasure. After about 2 years, his plans of uniting the Prides came to fruition and he disappeared from Ariana to overlook the restructuring of the Nietzchean Empire.

His absence disturbed his wife beyond measure. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown from depression and came close to snapping whenever anyone approached her on the subject. Ian could not bear to watch his mate fall apart like this, swallowed his own pride, and went in search of her missing spouse.

What he found made matters worse. He reported Tyr’s infidelity back to Alexandra which threw her in a rage. She teleported into the main hall of the Nietzchean Alpha’s palace and a wave of energy kept all the guards pressed against the walls. When she tracked down her errant husband, he rushed to embrace her but found himself thrown across the room with a slap of her hand.

“No more fighting at your inferior strength, Uber! I came to exact my revenge for your betrayal! You lied to me and I would see you die before I destroy everything you built.”

“Alexandra, please don’t do this! It was necessary just this once to bring in a straggling Pride.”

“You had only to ask, husband, and I could have bent them to your will but you bedded one of their whores instead! I knew I could not entrust myself to you!”

“Mom?”

She spun around and her anger bled out of her at the sight of her son. Her sorrow at her mate’s betrayal replaced her fury and she granted him a reprieve until she thought she could live with being his executioner.

“Don’t ever enter my universe if you value your pitiful existence, Tyr. Our marriage is over but not this battle. When it comes it will be my best work ever and it will be here. You don’t exist as anything but an enemy to me now.” She walked up to her son and raised tear-filled eyes to meet his gaze. “I need you with me.”

Jesse leaned his forehead against his mother’s and closed his eyes. He felt her pain and turmoil. He knew his place would always be foremost at her side. “Let’s go home.”

“Alex! Jesse!” Tyr ran to his departing family and spun Alex around by her arm. “Baby, I love you! Don’t do this!”

Her eyes flashed red for the first time in righteous anger and a punch to his chest sent Tyr crashing through a wall on the far side of the room. If his strength hadn’t been enhanced after mating with her, he would not have survived. She took her son and left before she lost control.

The 2 of them remained isolated for a time in a part of the palace that no one entered after her near psychotic episode when Tyr disappeared. Time passed and Jesse expressed an interest in visiting his father. She declined several times before she finally agreed as long as he returned if she mentally called for him. He agreed knowing perfectly well that one day he would be called home so that his mother could destroy his father.

Riddick sighed heavily when he thought about the intricacies of Alex and Tyr’s relationship. The man was not worthy of her but she refused to follow her own mandates and end his life. He had a lot of work to do.