Predator

Chapter 18

Alexandra propped herself up on some pillows and listened to her sons grill her with questions on her health and her experience in Kortoth. Their concern about a repeat performance occurring was high when they learned of Tristan, his attack on Ares, and that he was still running around free.

“Mom, are you sure Tyr healed you completely?”

“Dean, I told you I am fine. He did a perfect job, honey.”

“What is the plan now, mother?” Brandon was pacing back and forth at the foot of her bed running different battle strategies through his head. “What should all of us be preparing for while you get ready?”

“What are you talking about, Brandon?” She smiled inwardly as she questioned her son knowing perfectly well that the God of War’s heir was trying to position himself into the next battle.

“Surely you have a strategy for your next confrontation with this man? You would have to since he is not a common enemy but a holder of part of your power.” His voice started to rise in volume when his mother cocked her head and looked at him questioningly. “This man wields the power of the Phoenix and murdered my father! You cannot possibly go into battle against him like he is just another of your would-be attackers!”

“First of all, my young Godling, you will not forget who you are talking to and you will lower your voice!” Her voice rose as her anger grew and her eyes began to flicker with sparks of flame. “I will not be addressed in such a tone or treated like a novice to war!” All of her sons jumped at the fury she was emanating and Tamerlane began to cry.

Her head snapped towards Jesse and the child he was holding while her second son tried to appease his mother’s anger while defending his insolence. “I know you are not a novice to war and I know perfectly well who you are, mother. I am just trying to get an idea of what your plan is to avenge the injustice done to my father and our family.”

She ignored Brandon and held out her arms towards Tyr’s ‘other’ child. “Jesse, can I hold him?”

“Sure, mom.” He sat beside Alex and showed her how to place her arms and settled the boy in her grasp. “There you go that is perfect...just make sure to support his head.”

“Mother, are you listening to me?” Brandon asked, as his mother seemed absorbed in trying to calm the crying child. “Mother! We need to concentrate on the situation at hand and not defile yourself by caring for Tyr’s bastard child!”

Fully flamed eyes turned to Brandon and the sound of Alex’s voice boomed through the palace. “I told you before to watch your tone with me, boy! Do not make me say it again!” Her mates rushed into the room to find their wife in a dangerous mood and tried to assess what brought her to that state. “The situation and the vengeance for your father will be handled by all of my mates but I will not tolerate anymore of your verbal abuse! I am the ruler of this fucking galaxy and I don’t need to explain myself to my children!”

“You are the ruler of the known universe and you are leaving this threat upon our family to our fathers? They are all capable warriors but how could you even think of bowing out of this fight unless you don’t think you can win?”

“Brandon, that is enough!” Ares stepped forward, grabbed his son by his shirt and pinned him to the wall. “Your mother went through hell to rescue me! She risked her life and the life of Riddick’s son just by entering that dimension and you have the audacity to think she is a coward!”

“Father, I just wanted to avenge…”

“I don’t care what your reasons were. If you ever talk like that to your mother again, I swear you will regret it! Just so we are clear, I will not tolerate you speaking ill of Tyr or his child either. He and Riddick jumped in to Kortoth with your mother and fought legions of men to bring me back to life. He is a part of this family unless your mother says otherwise. Am I understood?” His son nodded his head and Ares set him back on his feet. “Good. Now go sit down and be silent.”

Alex’s eyes followed her chastised son across the room and then turned back to the child in her arms. “Shh, Tamerlane, it is okay now.” The infant quieted at her soothing tone and a tiny hand wrapped around a ringlet of her hair. “That’s a boy.”

Riddick smiled at the awestruck look on Tyr’s face and moved to address their wife. “Alexandra, I know the rules say that I am supposed to spend a week with my son before he is brought before you but I think we should cut that short.”

“Why is that, Richard?”

“For one thing, darlin, he already read my entire life story in the archives since they were added after our mating. I believe he has a firm understanding of everything I had to tell him.” He smiled like the proud father that he became when he was faced with the eagerness of his son to learn and the speed that he absorbed it in. “He also managed to finish reading about you and your history.”

Ian crossed his arms and smiled at the boasting father. “In two days, Dorian has finished his instruction from you and read all of Alexandra’s history. Your son is quite impressive, Riddick.”

“Hey, he is my kid.”

Ares moved up behind Riddick and spoke over his shoulder. “Are you sure he’s your son then? Impressive and you doesn’t add up. Maybe Alexandra made a mistake and he’s mine.”

“Shut up, Ares.” He grabbed the War God in a headlock and they wrestled around the room. “Keep it up and I’ll pitch you back into Kortoth myself.”

“Yeah right. Just because you are the new and improved mate around here doesn’t mean you have what it takes to shut me up.”

“Death couldn’t shut you up.”

They stopped playing around the room when they heard a throat clear. When they looked up, their wife had a smirk on her face. “If you two are finished acting like bigger children than my actual children, I believe we were in the middle of a conversation.”

“I was going to say that I think Dorian should be with you and the rest of the boys now while the rest of us take care of some business. He really wants to spend some time with you, baby.”

She reflected on the seriousness of his face that was in deference to his light tone and knew her husbands had come to formulate a plan to protect the family while she was indisposed. “If you think it is time, Richard, than Ian can summon him.”

“I don’t think I will have to summon him, my love.” Ian strode over to the door and pulled it open. “Dorian, lad, why don’t you come in and meet your mother.”

His stride was confident as he walked to his mother’s bedside and his stance showed his inherited power when he stood gaping at the woman he had spent the past 2 days learning about in the flesh. “Mother.”

“Dorian, you are looking fit just like your father. I suppose I have some explaining to do about the night you first saw me.”

“No, father explained the circumstances of your injuries. May I?” He indicated the edge of the bed to her left with a gesture of his hand. She nodded her head and patted the bed while she cradled Tamerlane with her right arm. “Thank you. Are you feeling better?”

“I have been cared for and am healed but my strength has not returned to normal yet. Normally, I would not concern myself with the delay of its return but there is a battle coming that will probably require my attention as well.” She saw her mates tense at her words and answered their concerns by addressing her son. “I am relying on my mates to handle the situation but; in all honesty; this is the first time that a war will be waged between Wielders of the Phoenix force and I don’t really anticipate the opportunity to sit this one out.”

“Father and history speaks highly of your fighting abilities, mother, but I know that there are some things different in you now.” He glanced between Riddick and Tyr for a brief second before he spoke to Alex again. “Father says that Tyr risked his life to protect you while you were pregnant with me. I don’t believe for a second that he would not risk the same for Tyr’s son.”

“I believe you are right, Dorian, but if it means saving one of their lives I will put myself in the battle faster than you could possibly imagine.”

“I know you take responsibility for the safety of your family but there comes a time that you have to trust in others to help you when the need arises.”

She smirked at her son’s smiling face and looked at Riddick. “You have taught him well. He is going to be as big of a pain in my ass as you are.”

“I learned from the best, mother, and that includes the archives on your life. You sacrifice yourself for your loved ones all the time but your husbands and sons are all warriors. They have trained with you. I don’t think you will be disappointed in any of us.”

“I could never be disappointed by any of you.”

“This must be the soft side of you that father mentioned.” Her eyes widened at her son’s knowledge of her and Riddick’s first night together. “He also said you are the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. I agree. You are more beautiful than the stars you covet so much.”

Riddick grabbed his son’s shoulders and laughed. “Okay, boy, I think you’ve bent your mom’s ear long enough and made her turn an interesting shade of red at the same time. We need to let you know what we decided, Alex.”

“Really?” She arched her eyebrow while she rocked the child in her arms to lull him into slumber. “What would that be?”

The underlying sarcasm could be detected in her tone by all of her mates but Riddick stood his ground and laid out the plan they had discussed. “Ian absorbed the rest of the Phoenix force from the temple after we left for Kortoth. What we plan on doing is dividing the power that was stored there between the rest of us depending on our ability to control it. Ian says he can predetermine our limits to it before he transfers the power.”

Her gaze darted to her first mate and scrutinized his self-assured stance. “You really think you can determine what their limits are without a doubt? If you’re wrong, you will turn them into the monster that Tristan became.”

“There is no difference between your abilities and mine. We are the same. If you can do it, so can I.” Ian moved to stand beside her and ran his hand over the top of her head. “I would not do this to them if I thought it would cause them harm. We are a family. All of us are in this…including our children.”

“No. My sons will not be involved in this. I won’t allow it!” She lowered her voice to keep from waking Tamerlane and glanced over her mates. “Let’s not forget that Tristan only has a little over a third of my power. I hold half and Duncan, Ares, Tyr, and Richard all possess a portion of my half. If you augment their power with the two-thirds that are left, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Ian, you have your own power that is well over what Tristan stole. He doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Do not forget that Tristan survived the impossible to come back here and claim you as his own or make sure no one else can. I am positive that he has strengthened the power he has by feeding.” He sat beside her, looked down at the sleeping child, and up into her eyes. “He wants you to himself or he will make you suffer. You are carrying a life within you now. Stop risking everything for us and let us do what you trained us to do.”

“I can’t risk you. I rise from the ashes to be reborn not the others. That is the reason I never let them fight.” Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at her family. “You all have a destiny to fulfill and I cannot risk anything getting in the way of that. I chose powerful mates to give me powerful sons that will be the future Guardians of the next Protector of Life. All of my children will wield the Phoenix force but one special child will be the avatar. Together they will safeguard existence. I cannot survive another trip into Kortoth without dying at least once and I don’t want to see someone else I love sent there.”

“Baby, I promise you won’t lose any of us but we can’t risk you.” Riddick sat next to his son and caressed the side of her face. “You are going to have a baby and if you die the boy will too. I won’t let you risk Tyr’s son.” He dried her tears and kissed her forehead. “Besides, I want another critter too after you have this one.”

“Really?” She sniffled.

“Yeah and I want it to come from your body. So you see you have to keep safe and we have to be the ones to protect you. It’s an order, Alex, and I won’t allow you to defy me again.” He looked at her expecting an answer and received a nod from his defeated wife. “That’s my princess. Let’s get to the temple and get this done, guys.”

Her husbands headed for the door but before Ian could move from her side, she caught his arm. “Ian, when you divide the power amongst them, give a majority of it to Tyr and Ares. Duncan is still just a human and cannot handle much more than I already gave him.”

“What about Riddick?”

“He has power of his own and it is very strong. Augment the combination of his power and what I already gave him with more of the Phoenix. It will make him one of the most powerful beings in the universe. I think the child he is asking for will be the avatar.”

“It will be nice to see your plans reach fruition, my love. Maybe then you can finally find some peace and live a somewhat normal life with your family.” He bent down and kissed her softly on her lips. “You look beautiful holding a baby in your arms.” He flashed her a dashing smile and moved to the door. “We will be as quick as possible. Boys, keep an eye on your mother until we return.” Then he was gone.

Ian met the men out in the hall and teleported them to the temple. “We have a lot of work to do, gentlemen. I have to get this exactly right or you could be permanently damaged.” He led them to her statue in the foyer, drew the borrowed power out of his body, and returned it to its holding place. “Please spread out in a circle around her likeness and we can begin.”

They did as he instructed and Riddick watched Ian prepare himself for the transference. “Ian, you still remember Tristan even after she erased everyone’s memories of him, right?”

“Yes, I do. Alexandra cannot alter my being in any way after she created me to be her equal.”

“What did Tristan have dominion over when they were bonded?”

Ian’s eyes snapped open from the disturbing thoughts that Riddick’s question just provoked in his mind. “At the time, there was just Tristan and myself in her life. She did not think she would need anything more than a balance between good and evil. I was her light.”

“Are you saying this guy was evil?” Tyr stepped forward and asked.

“No. He was a good man but he did have a dark side that he constantly fought against and the Phoenix tipped the scales towards the darkness. He was her fire. He could control every part of her dark nature but could also bring it out if that was his wish.”

“How is that any different than what Tyr, Riddick, and I can do with her?”

“Ares, all three of you are a perfect balance of light and dark. You are strong enough to resist the evil that you are capable of and from allowing the primal side of the Phoenix to push you to it. Duncan is a being of light and so am I. She gave herself an extra cushion of purity with us. Tristan was corrupted by the Phoenix and gave into his dark side completely. He would have no interest in reining in her baser instincts.”

“Hurry up, Ian.” Riddick was hit with the ramifications of what would happen to his wife if Tristan got a hold of her and was desperate to get back to her side.

~*~

“Mom, you need to rest. Do you want me to hold on to Tamerlane so you can lay back?” Jesse came forward and took his brother into his arms when she offered him up.

“Thank you, baby. We really have had a long day. I didn’t realize how tired I was until Brandon got me riled up.” She shot a glance at her now quiet son and grinned at his solemn look. “Don’t look so upset, darlin. I wouldn’t let your father get to you. I know you were trying to defend him and he hurt your feelings when he didn’t appreciate it but I did.”

He met her eyes and a trace of a smile graced his features. “You did?”

“Of course I did. I would hope that all of my children would so adamantly stand up for their fathers even to me. I just wasn’t in the mood for it. My moods are a bit erratic right now.”

Her brow furrowed and she looked towards the door like she had heard something. “Mom, what is it?” Dean tuned his enhanced hearing to the hallway to try to pick up on what his mother was hearing but came up with nothing. “Mom?”

“Son of a bitch.” She turned back to her children and yelled. “Everyone get down!”

Before any of them could move, the entire wall exploded inwards and threw her sons in every direction before they settled amongst the debris. Dean rose up and turned towards the gaping hole readying himself for whatever came through until a cosmic energy sphere struck him in the chest and sent him crashing through the back walls of Tyr’s room.

Brandon and Brennan threw fireballs and electricity across the room but had their power deflected back at them. “Ioan, get Jesse, Tamerlane and Dorian out of here!” Alexandra yelled over the loud explosions from various power sources in the room. She watched him teleport them away and turned to see Ares’ sons finally overcome by their opponent.

She struggled to get up and suddenly felt her arms restrained to her sides. “Hey there, beautiful.” She closed her eyes and held her breath before she turned her head to the side and saw Tristan smiling at her. “Did you miss me?” He held her tightly in his arms and they vanished from the room just as Ioan returned to help his mother.