Predator

Chapter 36

The Shi’ar fleet had just entered Nietzchean space and the Alphas had gathered on the command deck of the flagship to give thanks to the Royal Family. Not all of them were comfortable being here but they were all thankful. The Majestrix had already neutered three of them before the mission even began and one other Alpha in particular was hesitant to be in her presence. ‘She had said she had unresolved business that would be dealt with after the war was over.’ Guderian was definitely leery of this meeting.

Alexandra picked this very moment to stride on to the bridge flanked by her mates and children. The applause and cheers from the Alphas and evacuees rose up to fill the room as Alex stood with a grim smile just behind the command chair. “Thank you but this is not necessary. It was a joint effort between our two systems and all of our people that made this victory possible.”

“That is nonsense and you know it, Alexandra.” Charlemagne told her in a serious tone and stepped forward. “You and your people saved the Nietzchean race. You put your ships at risk to defend our fighters and lost countless of them when they could have fared better with out the extra pressure of protecting our pilots.”

“It is as I said, Charlemagne, I refused to leave anyone defenseless and my reason for getting involved was to safeguard your race.”

“You did more than that, Majestrix.” Curchulain came up to stand beside Charlemagne. “You destroyed the enemy force by unleashing the Angel of Death upon them. You flew through the stars and struck down the people that meant to destroy us. I am told that you did all of this at great risk to yourself.”

‘Shit.’ She swore when she felt Riddick tense beside her. ‘It is just like a Dragon to fuck you over even when he is saying thank you. It isn’t like I don’t have something else I have to atone for when I get home. Now this moron let’s the cat out of the bag about the use of my power.’

“Gentlemen, I appreciate all the credit you are giving me but it was a joint effort.” She cast her tired eyes over all present and felt a small sense of satisfaction that they seemed to have given her a little of that redemption she was looking for. “I can only hope that all of the Prides will remember what we did here together and not go back to fighting amongst yourselves when we part company. It would be such a waste of my resources and a great dishonor to my slain soldiers if we did all of this just so you could destroy each other.”

The underlying threat did not go unnoticed by anyone who heard it and she smiled as she indicated the door. “Your transports are ready to return you home. My engineers have deemed all the ships out there are fit for travel. It has been a…pleasure, gentlemen.”

All the Nietzcheans on the bridge nodded their thanks to her as they headed out the door one by one. Guderian hesitated before her and hesitantly met her gaze. “What about me and my people?”

“What about you, Guderian?” She asked in exasperation.

“The battle is finished and we have…unfinished business.”

“If you’re asking whether or not I plan on taking my revenge on your Pride for the attack on my home world then the answer is no.” He looked up at her in surprise and words tried to form in his mouth but nothing came out. “I am tired of fighting for now, Guderian. Go home, stay below my radar, and I might forget your little indiscretion. Okay?”

“Yes, Majestrix.” He turned to the door and stopped before it closed behind him. When he turned back to look at her, she was barely holding herself up with the aid of her command chair. “This took a lot out of you, didn’t it?” Without lifting her head to look at him, she nodded in response. “Thank you for everything you did.”

“You are welcome. Good bye, Guderian.” He bowed to her and left the bridge. “Damn those people are irritating.” She wandered around her chair and flopped down to drape across it sideways. “Do them one little favor and they are fawning all over you. Are your people always so impressed with a little lightshow, Tyr?”

“Alexandra, the type of lightshow you put on was anything but little and it would impress anyone.”

“Speaking of your lightshow and the release of the Angel of Death, Alex, I think we need to retire to your quarters and discuss your inability to obey me.” Riddick picked her up out of the chair, slung her over his shoulder, and headed to the door. “Guys, you wanna join us?”

Her mates followed him off of the bridge and into her quarters where he dumped her on to the bed. “Richard, I had no other choice. It was necessary to ensure…”

“Be quiet!” Her mouth snapped shut and she shrank back against the headboard in the face of his anger. “You promised me you wouldn’t use your power! You promised me you would let us take care of you! You promised me nothing would happen to my baby! I just went through hell to save people who meant nothing to me and avenge a race of people I don’t even remember! All I wanted…all I asked for in return was to be able to come home to the only family I’ve ever known and you almost took that from me.”

“You couldn’t possibly understand…” She whispered in an emotional tone and hung her head low unable to look any of them in the eyes. “I sat there and watched as a race of people was being annihilated before my eyes. I couldn’t take it…not again.” She sobbed and covered her eyes with a shaking hand. “I have killed so many people in my life. I left entire races to be destroyed by others and didn’t lift a finger to stop it. I just wanted…to make up for it if only by doing this small deed. I needed to redeem myself.” She was crying uncontrollably at this point and her mates took a deep breath of understanding while they watched her shaking form. “I had to prove I could still be the Protector of Life…especially now.” She placed her free hand on her abdomen in a protective but explanatory manner.

“I understand your reasons for getting more involved in the battle, my Lady.” Ian set beside her and stroked her shuddering back with a gentle hand. “I above everyone else know how heavy your guilt weighs on your conscience from the carnage the Phoenix has released on your victims. You were not created to be an executioner. Your purpose in life was to protect and you did that today. However, you should have taken into consideration the most precious life of all that was at risk today. Your heir is more important than any of those you saved.”

“You’re right, Ian.” She whispered and looked up at Riddick who stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl of anger but his eyes held his sorrow for his wife’s distressed demeanor. “I’m sorry, Richard.” He clenched his jaw and fought to keep from taking her in his arms to comfort her. The anger and pain was still too great for him to give in. “I’m so sorry, my love. Please forgive me.” Without a word, he turned and left her quarters with tears rolling down his face when he heard her cry out. “Richard, please! I’m begging you!”

“He’ll forgive you when he gets over the shock of almost losing his mate and child, my love.” He spoke softly to her as she curled up into a ball and cried. “He was a man without any ties to humanity until you came into his life. You gave him everything he never had hoped to have. He never thought he could be loved but you proved him wrong. He never thought he could love but he fell head over heels for you. He never thought he would have a family but you gave him Dorian, the rest of us, and the little one you carry within. He will forgive you.”

“Please leave me alone.” She whispered to the rest of her mates. Ian glanced back to them and nodded his head. They filed out of the door leaving the two cosmic entities alone. “That does include you, Ian, unless you feel the need to have our little confessional right now?”

“No. You said we would discuss it when we are safely home and I will obey your wishes.” He ran a hand over her hair and down her back in a gesture of love. “I just wanted to let you know that I am proud of the way you handled this war and I do understand why you did it.”

He kissed the top of her head, rose up from the bed, and left his distraught mate sobbing hysterically alone in her room. It took everything he had to leave her in that condition but he knew a worse confrontation awaited her on Ariana. He would be involved in this one and even though he temporarily pushed his anger aside for the time being, he was extremely hurt and beyond outraged by her actions.

~*~

An hour later, the door of her quarters slid open and a single figure walked to the end of her bed. He gazed upon her sleeping form until his eyes settled on the salt of her tears staining her cheeks. ‘This is all my fault. If she hadn’t come to save me, she wouldn’t be suffering like this.’ He moved around the bed and traced a finger gently down the side of her face. ‘I’m sorry, my love.’

The door hissed open and Rhade turned to see Riddick standing in the room. “You shouldn’t be here right now.” He growled in a low voice. He moved closer to the opposite side of the bed and Rhade stood to face him. “I know there was something between you and her in the past but right now she has some matters to clear up with her mates.” He picked up her tired body in his arms and held her close to his chest. “We will deal with your feelings later.” He turned away from the Nietzchean and headed for the door.

“Richard?” Alex mumbled sleepily into his chest.

“Yeah, Alex, it’s me. We’re home.”

‘Oh shit.’ She thought as he carried her off of the carrier and headed towards the palace.

~*~

Dorian, Dean, and Jarod waited for the arrival of their family on the stairs leading up to the front gates of the palace. Dean had said it was too weird to wait inside with their guests and the others concurred. They stood when they saw Riddick turn a corner that led to the stairs. When he was closer, they saw their mother in his arms looking very small and fragile against the large man’s chest.

“What is wrong with mother?” Dorian asked as he ran up to look her over for injuries. “What happened, father?”

“She is fine, Dorian. She’s just exhausted.” Riddick started up the stairs with the rest of his large family right on his heels. “She felt the need to single-handedly wipe out the Necromonger forces that were attacking the Nietzcheans. It left her a little weak.”

“Is the baby alright?” He asked his father in a near panic.

“I’m told by the others that a med tech checked her out after she lost consciousness and determined the baby is fine.”

“Riddick, there is something else the medic said that I forgot to tell you in all the turmoil that was going on.” Riddick stopped before the gates and turned to Tyr waiting for him to continue. “Apparently the gestation period of a Furyan child is a lot shorter than that of a human child.”

“What are you saying, Tyr?”

“Alex will give birth to this child in about 4 months.” He smiled at the open mouthed expression of shock on his friend’s face. “I guess your race matures faster than the rest of ours. The fact that this baby is growing so quickly probably has something to do with her hormones working in overdrive right now?”

“Tyr, I wish you would have mentioned that earlier! I tore her a new ass for using her power during the battle and now it is likely my kid is the reason she did it.” He looked down at her sleeping face with remorse and glanced back at his friend. “I always heard that women do weird things when they’re pregnant. Is that right?”

“Freya did some unusual things when she was carrying Tamerlane. Her moods changed so quickly I couldn’t keep up.”

Hearing the name of the woman her husband cheated on her with woke Alex from her disturbed slumber. “I think I could live forever without ever hearing that name again, Tyr.” She wrestled out of Riddick’s grasp and slipped down to her feet. “I don’t need you to feel obligated to carry me when you are so angry with me.” She met his sad eyes with equally desolate eyes and turned to walk into the palace. “I can manage on my own.”

He rushed up to walk beside her and fell into stride grabbing a hold of her arm as they went. “I don’t feel obligated. You are my wife and the mother of my children. I love you and I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe and comfortable.”

She pulled her arm free of his and cast a hard look in his direction. “That sounds an awful lot like obligation to me, Richard. Maybe you should run your statements past Ian or Duncan before you open your mouth. At least they know how to sweet talk a woman!”

“Alexandra, that was plain rude and uncalled for!” Ian chastised his mate when Riddick’s stride faltered and he followed her at a short distance. “He didn’t deserve that and you know it.”

“He didn’t deserve a lot of things, Ian, but he got them anyway. I got into this mess to start with because I felt guilty that I did nothing when his people were being annihilated when he was just an infant. Now I am treated like shit because I tried to stop the very same people from wiping out another race. Well I won’t ever regret what I did and if that makes me a selfish bitch in any or all of your eyes then so be it! There is nothing I know better than how to be a bitch! Just ask all of the people I butchered!”

They all stood in shock for a moment when she ended her rant and continued into the palace. “Gentlemen, I think we are definitely seeing signs of hormonal rage here. I think we might be in trouble.” Tyr stared at his wife’s retreating backside and shook his head with a smile. “I am so glad that she decided to carry your baby first, Riddick. I hope you have a real nice time dealing with that.”

“Shut up, Tyr.”

They hurried after her with Ian in the lead. “Alexandra, you need to slow down so we can talk.”

“I don’t feel like talking to any of my loving family right now, Ian. So do me a favor and fuck off!”

“I’m afraid you have no choice but to talk to some of your family right now, love.” He called out to her and watched her round a corner only to freeze in her tracks. When he caught up to her, he smiled and held his arm out indicating the 2 people sitting in the room. “I believe you know your sister and nephew?” He said in a snide tone. “They are dying to see you…and Rhade of course.”

Her mates and children had just cleared the corner and when they had a clear sight of the visitors they skidded to a halt bumping into each other almost comically. Alex paid no attention to the woman who squealed happily for her husband and ran into his hesitant arms. She just stared at the young man who rose up from the couch and walked towards her with her charming smirk and his father’s gleaming eyes.

He looked down into the black eyes of his mother’s twin and had a feeling she was familiar to him. He didn’t understand it because he had never met her before but here she was standing in the flesh before him. “I have been waiting a very long time to meet you.” Ronan said quietly as she stared at him with her mouth slightly agape. “For as long as I can remember my father has told me everything about you.”

“Ronan, what are you doing here?”

“Dad, mother wanted to be here when you got back from the war. She couldn’t stand being apart from you.” The young man glanced back down at the tear-filled eyes of the woman before him and cocked his head slightly to the side as he looked over her powerful form. “I wanted to come here to see you. I felt like I needed to be here and I have so many questions to ask you.”

“Who the fuck is this?” Ares’ loudly stated question echoed off the marble walls of the room and startled everyone present. He stood before Rhade and looked up and down the woman in his loose grasp. “Who in the hell is she?” He pointed his thumb at her as he turned to look at Alex’s back. “Baby?” His mate was still staring at the young man before her and did not acknowledge his question. “Alex!”

Rhade’s mate looked over at the silent woman who hadn’t moved or said a word since she laid eyes on Ronan and decided in error to answer the God of War. “I am Rhade’s wife, Andrea. That is our son, Ronan, and I am Alexandra’s sister.”

“You are deluded, lady.” Ares snapped at her and backed up shaking his head. “I’ve been mated to Alex for over 6000 years and my wife does not and never has had a sister. I don’t know what the fuck you are but you aren’t her sister.”

Andrea’s mouth dropped open in outrage before she looked up into her husband’s face with a questioning gaze. “Telemachus, tell him he’s wrong!” Rhade didn’t answer her.

His eyes met those of his son’s whose head snapped up to stare at him when he heard Ares’ statement. Ronan’s brow furrowed in confusion and looked back down into his…mother’s eyes?

“Rhade, tell this man he is wrong about me.” Andrea pleaded with her unresponsive mate. When she couldn’t get her husband to even look at her let alone stand up for her, she ran over to her twin and turned her by the arm to face her. “Alexandra, my sister…please tell them the truth! We are twins…” Andrea’s words stopped cold when she felt the smooth forearm she held in her grasp. “You don’t have bone blades.”

“No I don’t.” She said in a choked whisper.

“We are identical twins.” Andrea repeated trying to make sense of what she was seeing and hearing. “Did you have them removed?”

“I have never had bone blades, Andrea.”

“I don’t understand.” She shook her head trying to clear her mind. “I know my memories are gone from before the fall of the Empire but I know we are sisters. You and Telemachus told me so. I mean look at us!”

“Mother.”

“Not now, Ronan, I am talking to your aunt!”

He moved in between them and looked down at Andrea. “I wasn’t talking to you, mom.” He turned and stared at Alexandra. “I was speaking to you. You are my mother, aren’t you?” He watched the tears stream down from her black eyes and grabbed her shoulders. “You are what I’ve been missing all these years. The reason I felt incomplete. You are my real mother, aren’t you?”

“Ronan, don’t be ridiculous. I am your mother!” Andrea turned to her husband and beat her hands on his chest. “Telemachus, tell your son that he is confused! Tell these people that I am her sister and your wife!” Rhade stood in shock at the realization that his son discovered the truth on his own and his wife’s pounding hands on his chest did nothing to bring him out of his current condition. “Rhade, answer me!”

As Ronan looked on, Alex sensed Rhade’s distress behind her and her eyes began to burn when she saw her clone attack him. She took her son’s forearms in her hands interlacing her fingers within his bone blades and removed his hands from her shoulders. “I’ll just be a moment and I promise I will answer your questions but I cannot abide anyone hurting your father.” He gave her a nervous glance and she felt the need to reassure him. “I won’t damage her.”

Alex reluctantly turned away from those beautiful green-brown eyes and saw the hysterical woman still hitting Rhade while his eyes focused on hers. “Andrea, that is enough.” Her words did not reach her clone’s ears so she walked up behind her and placed her hand on the woman’s forehead. Andrea stiffened at her touch. “Go to sleep, Andrea.” She collapsed forward into Rhade’s arms and fell into a dreamless sleep. Alex waved her hand and teleported her to a bed in one of the guest quarters. Her eyes returned to normal and fixed on Rhade’s. “I guess we have some explaining to do.”

“I guess so. Whom should we start with?” He glanced back to see her angry mates staring at them and turned to his son’s contented face. “Personally I prefer we speak to Ronan first. He looks like he is accepting this and he did discover the truth with just a glance into your eyes.”

“He knew who I was because he has a small amount of my power within him. It is easy for like power to recognize like power.” She looked over her shoulder at the product of her and Rhade’s love and smiled back at his father. “He is so beautiful, Telemachus. I never realized I missed him so much.”

“He is perfect, my love. He makes me very proud.” Rhade sensed the unease of the men behind him and heard Tyr’s low growl. “I repeat…who should we talk to first?”

“I am already in the doghouse with my mates so I guess we should settle Ronan in first and then deal with them.”

“I don’t think so, my Lady.” Ian pulled her from Rhade’s grasp and spun her around. “You can tell your tale to all of us at the same time. The boy is a member of this family so it is only right that he gets to sit in on this confrontation and see what happens when you defy your mates.”

“I never defied any of you in this regard!” She lost her temper and yelled at Ian, as she pulled free of his hold. “Rhade and I never bonded! He is not one of my husbands but I guess you could say he is a mate. We had a child together and that young man is my son.”

“Why did you mate him? Why did you give him a son and leave a clone of yourself to masquerade as his wife?” Ian screamed at her and she backed up a step in the face of his anger. Rhade wrapped his arms around her waist to give her reassurance and she held her ground. “The most important question is why did you hide this from me and keep it out of the archives? Why the big secret?”

“I will explain my reasons for all of this, Ian, but I don’t think it will matter to any of you. You’re angry and nothing I say is going to change that but I am required to answer to all of you in matters of family and children and I will obey your demands.” She grabbed Rhade’s hand and they stepped around the others to go to their son. “I hope with every ounce of my being that what I have to say doesn’t cause you any more distress.”

“You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.” He smiled at his parents. “I finally feel whole for the first time in my life.”

“You say that now. I hope that doesn’t change ever.” She indicated the couch with a gesture of her hand. “Let’s sit down and get this inquisition over with.” Alex sat down feeling more tired than she had ever felt before in her long existence. Rhade sat on her right and Ronan set down on her left while the rest of her family took seats that Ian conjured up. She looked at the hard glares from Tyr and Ian and the dejected faces of Ares, Duncan, and Riddick. ‘Talk about sitting in the hot seat. They look like they hate me.’

“You are all aware of the Commonwealth that existed over 300 years ago from reading the archives. This federation of planets of many races made treaties and agreements with each other to band together to both prosper and protect each other from predators and other species that sought power and conquest. The Commonwealth thrived for a long time with peace and exploration their only mission.”

“The archives read of Captain Dylan Hunt’s ship, the Andromeda Ascendant, on a routine patrol near Hephaestus when they discovered a fleet of Nietzchean ships gathered in the Commonwealth system preparing to attack. Gaheris Rhade, his First Officer, warned him that all the Nietzcheans on board should be confined to the brig immediately. You see, even though Rhade was Dylan’s second-in-command and best friend, he knew survival was bred into his people and if the battle turned in the Nietzcheans’ favor, all of his kind aboard the Andromeda would switch sides in an instant and fight beside their Nietzchean brothers.”

“Dylan ordered Rhade to be taken to the V-Deck and prepared for the battle looming before him. On the way to the brig, Gaheris took the lax treatment of him by his fellow officers as an opportunity to escape. The good Captain Hunt was outnumbered and his ship took heavy fire until it could barely navigate or defend itself so Dylan ordered all hands to abandon ship. Only his pilot and himself were left aboard after the crew evacuated. Or so he thought.”

“Gaheris entered command with a force lance in hand and shot the pilot dead in her chair. Dylan faced off against his best friend in battle while the Andromeda became caught in the gravity well of a black hole in the system. They fought until Dylan finally managed to get a clear shot off at Rhade’s chest. He ran to his friend and held him as his dying words left his lips. ‘I’m proud of you.’ Seconds later, the Andromeda finally settled into a slow decent towards the event horizon and there it remained for 300 years frozen in time.”

“As you’ve read in the archives or remember from your own knowledge of history, Dylan was eventually rescued when the Andromeda was pulled away from the event horizon by a salvage ship looking for a big payday. With the help of his new crew that consisted of Beka Valentine, the Captain of the Eureka Maru, Tyr Anasazi, a mercenary that was brought on board in the event of any difficulties that arose from the extraction of the warship, Seamus Harper, a brilliant engineer that suffered horrible atrocities at the hands of the Nietzcheans when they conquered his home world of Earth, Trance Gemini, an avatar of a sun in human form, Rev Bem, a wayist Magog who found enlightenment, and Rommie, the Andromeda Ascendant’s avatar that Harper created from downloading the AI’s awareness into the body of an android, Dylan went on to re-create the Commonwealth only to have it destroyed by Tyr three years later when he united the Prides under his rule.”

“We know all of this, Alexandra.” Tyr growled out when his betrayal was voiced in front of the others. “I was there! I remember my people’s history very well and have first hand knowledge of my own. Now tell us something we don’t know.”

“Okay. That isn’t the way it really happened.” She smirked when she heard the assorted sounds of disbelief from her mate, Tyr. “You are familiar with that little thing called the space-time continuum, right? I mean you were there when the Andromeda went back in time to find itself at the Battle of Witch Head and I destroyed the extra 1000 ships that were not supposed to be there according to history records. What we did by going back in time made the present we came from match the actual events of the past. I know the whole space-time continuum and continuity is a big fucking headache but try to keep up. That little trip back wasn’t the only one that occurred.”

“In actuality, it was Gaheris that survived the fight with Dylan and was rescued by the Maru 300 years later. He made a crew of the salvagers and, after he discovered the atrocities the Nietzcheans and Magog committed against the known worlds, he decided that the only chance the universe had to survive was with the reconstruction of a new Commonwealth. Everything that happened in your reality, Tyr, happened in the alternate one with one exception. The worlds Rhade approached to join the Commonwealth would not trust a Nietzchean. He couldn’t do it no matter how hard he tried.”

“Trance, who has a gift of seeing possible realities, approached Rhade and told him his quest would never reach fruition. The universe would suffer through the chaos that The Long Night had brought them until almost every race was annihilated by the Magog, the Nietzcheans or the Abyss. Distraught by this news, he asked if there was anything that could be done and she told him that there was but he wasn’t the man to do it. That man was Dylan Hunt and the only way to bring some semblance of normalcy back to the universe was for Gaheris to go back in time and allow Dylan to survive.”

“Harper’s tesseract machine…that is how he did it.” Tyr mumbled as the realization hit him.

“Yes. Gaheris sacrificed his life for the universe and I couldn’t allow his name to go down in history as a traitor. The people of the Commonwealth’s past never knew that he tried to take control of the Andromeda from Dylan in this reality so he was recorded as dying in the service and defense of his ship. It was later that the Nietzcheans, who considered him a traitor to their people, distorted the facts of what occurred and spread the rumor of his betrayal of the Commonwealth.”

“In the past continuity, Dr. Sara Riley, Dylan’s fiancée, had the unusual opportunity to speak to Dylan through time with the means of a black hole. She had spent so much time trying to devise a way to rescue the Andromeda from the event horizon but Hephaestus was in Nietzchean space. After she spoke to him and they found some closure, she was able to move on and left his home world of Tarn Vedra. Together with the survivors of the Andromeda crew, she helped found a society of different races that lived together in harmony just like Dylan would have wanted on a planet called Tarazed.”

“It was there that in the recent past, Dylan returned Gaheris’ body for a proper burial and met his direct descendant, Telemachus. You know the rest of the story pertaining to Dylan and Telemachus’ history but what you don’t know is that I spent some time on Tarazed quite a while before I met Tyr.”

“You met him before me?” Her mate asked as he stood up and pointed at Rhade.

“Yes I did.” She leveled a gaze at him that drove him back into his seat. “I was the only being alive that knew of Gaheris’ sacrifice and I did not want Telemachus to go through life thinking he was a descendant of a traitor. Even on Tarazed, he felt out of place due to the citizens’ belief that his ancestor betrayed the Commonwealth. I righted the wrongs of the Nietzchean rumors so he could go on through life proudly knowing the truth. I spent some time getting to know him and we became very close.”

“Did you mate him before me?”

“No. I did not mate with him before you. As you were told, after your infidelity I went into seclusion for a while. I kept to myself in a secluded part of the palace and wallowed in my misery. I was heartbroken and wanted to end my existence. After some time went by I sought out Logan’s company. He and I have a lot in common. We both have a dark side that we try to rein in and our primal instincts drive us in life. You all know what happened between Logan and I so I see no point in continuing there.”

“Ian, Ares, and Duncan gave me some space for a while to sort out my troubled thoughts but I think maybe I needed someone to talk to about it so I visited Telemachus.” She subconsciously reached out and took his hand while she spoke and even though she was unaware of her actions, her mates were not. “He could sense the pain I was in and goaded me into talking about it.”

“You told him about us?”

“Yes, Tyr, I did. I was miserable and I needed to get beyond it or I wouldn’t be able to function in my capacity as Majestrix. I talked and he listened. He explained to me the Tarazed Nietzchean mindset that having multiple mates was not every male’s goal. Some were content with a single wife to live out their lives together and have children if that was their wish. He had not found a mate on Tarazed because of the whole ‘my ancestor was a traitor’ thing. We were both so lonely.”

“I made appearances on Ariana to prevent suspicions amongst the 3 of you but then I would return to Rhade’s side. We spent a lot of time talking, walking on the beaches, or just enjoying each other’s company in silent contemplation. It took some time but we realized that we loved each other. He desperately wanted someone to love and to love him in return. I needed someone who valued me above everything else. He calmed my rage and despair.”

“He came into my room one night and told me he wanted a wife and a child to carry on his name. He asked me if I would become his mate and I said yes. There were circumstances to our mating though. I could not bond with him like I did with the rest of you. It was not destined to be. I told him that I could not return as much as I had been but I would give him his son to carry on his name. We mated that night and Ronan was born a couple of days later.”

“Why the clone, my Lady?” Ian asked with a furrowed brow. “Why did you make him a cheap copy of yourself? Was it that he just needed a body that looked like yours to fuck?”

“Watch your mouth in front of my children! That was way out of line, Ian, and you know it!” Her eyes flared up in anger and her voice turned hollow. “I don’t need to remind you that I don’t have to sit here and be interrogated like a common criminal! If you continue down this path of insults and lewd suggestions, I will leave you to them and end this discussion. You can wonder for the rest of your lives what my motivations were!”

“Whatever you say, my Lady. Now please explain the creation of a clone.”

“I could not bond with Rhade and force him to stay true to me but I could not bear the thought of him bedding another woman. I created Andrea for that very reason. I also wanted a mother figure around to raise my son and provide Telemachus with more children if he so chose.”

“I did want more children but not with that copy of you.” Alex turned to Rhade when he squeezed her hand in his and uttered his words so quietly the others barely heard them. “I wanted you. I’ve always wanted you. I couldn’t even betray my love for you by sleeping with Andrea.”

“You never mated with her?” She asked with a whisper. “After all this time you remained loyal to me?”

“How could I be satisfied with anything less than the original?”

“That is all very touching but we are not here for you two to rekindle your affections for each other!” Ian rose up from his chair and pulled Alex to her feet. The 2 men at her side growled at his rough treatment of her and Ian’s eyes burned with his white energy. “Don’t get in between me and my mate. She has responsibilities to me and this family but most of all she is ours to command.”

“I belong to no man! No one commands me! I have given you all privileges over my life and my body but I will not be dictated to like some errant child!”

“Isn’t that exactly what you are acting like, my love?” Ian pulled her to him and forced her to her knees to bow before him. She swung her arms at his hand that gripped her hair and kept her head down. “Why did you keep this a secret? You have never kept anything from me! You already have a lover that you are not bound to and I never gave you any grief over Logan! Why didn’t you just bring him and your son home?”

“Let me go, Ian!”

“I will when you answer me!” Duncan, Rhade, and Ronan began to move forward until Ian’s gaze flashed to them and they froze before the anger of the Phoenix. “Do not interfere in my business with my woman or you will get hurt!”

“Ian, you’re taking this a little too far.” Duncan put his hands up in a gesture of surrender in an attempt to appease the furious entity. “She kept a secret from you. That is no reason to treat her like a dog.”

“You don’t understand, Duncan. She is not supposed to be able to keep secrets from me. I am an extension of her being. For her to be able to pull this off she had to exercise a tremendous amount of power to cut our connection.” He glanced down at his struggling mate and pushed her down further. “Why did you keep it a secret, Alexandra?”

“I couldn’t bring them here because you all made it real clear what you thought of a Nietzchean mate. I didn’t want anyone to know about them because they were human and vulnerable.”

“Nice try. We would have dealt with it and they would have been safe here. Try again.”

“I GAVE RONAN THE POWER TO DESTROY ME!”

“Only the Wielders and Riddick have that ability so try again!”

“You don’t understand.” With a swing of her arm, Alex quickly dislodged Ian’s hold on her head. She shot to her feet, driving an uppercut to his chin that sent him flying back across the room. “It is prophesied that I will bear a child that will be a girl. When this child has grown, she will become the new Protector of Life.”

“What the fuck are you saying?” She turned her red eyes to Riddick who stood a few feet from her. “What does that mean…the new Protector of Life?”

“It means, my dear husband, that she will inherit my power…and Ronan is the one that was given the ability to release it from my body.”

“How will he release it?” Riddick asked warily.

“He will rip it from the confines of this shell and my daughter will gain her birthright.” She knew what was coming and dread shot through her entire being.

“What happens to you?”

“The Phoenix does not let go of her toys without a fight. This shell will cease to exist and I will return home forever.”

She eyed Riddick with caution. He was angry with her before and now… She received her answer in regards to how pissed off he was when she reeled from the impact of his slap across her cheek. “You promised me…” She cradled her stinging cheek in her palm and watched him pace back and forth before her. “You promised me we would not be apart. You said you wouldn’t leave me!”

“It is nice to know that being pregnant doesn’t stop my mates from dishing out my punishment.” She mumbled as she rubbed her jaw. “ I explained all of this to you before, Richard. This child is not born into adulthood so we have time as she grows but I was not made to last forever this way. I will have to return from where I came.”

“All I know, Alex, is that you’ve broken a lot of promises to me in the past day and I don’t know if I can deal with it.”

“Richard, we have a child coming! A child made from our love. Don’t do this!” He turned his back on her again and walked away. “Richard, please don’t do this!” She watched him leave the sitting room with Ian and Tyr following closely behind. ‘They abandoned me.’

Duncan and Ares moved to her side and helped her to her feet. “Baby, are you okay?”

“No, Ares, and I probably never will be again.”

“What can we do, love?”

“Leave me alone, Duncan.” She whispered in agony. “All of you leave me alone.” Her two mates and her children filed out of the room leaving her heartbroken and frightened for the first time in as long as she could remember. They shut themselves off from her emotionally and mentally leaving her alone in her mind. “Telemachus…”

He and Ronan moved to her side and grabbed her arms to keep her from collapsing to the floor. “We got you, love.”

“Can I go home with you?” She turned her tear-filled eyes to him and their son. “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Sure, baby. Let’s get the hell out of here.” In a flash, she transported them and Tamerlane off of Ariana. As an afterthought, she reduced the clone to the atoms she was formed from.

The instant she left the planet Riddick and Ian knew it. They could sense the emptiness her absence left in them and it hurt…badly. They reached out with their senses to discern her location only to find she was no longer in her space. Reaching out further, she couldn’t be detected at all.

‘ALEX!’ Riddick yelled out with his mind desperate to find his mate and child. ‘ALEX, WHERE ARE YOU?’

“Riddick, I cannot sense her at all.” Ian said as he ran in the door of his quarters that he shared with their mate. “That means two things: 1. She is so far removed from this system that we don’t have the ability to reach her. She might have even traversed time.”

“What is the second thing?”

“We turned our backs on her and she has deemed us unworthy as mates. We took an oath when we bonded with her and we basically just shit all over it. She is gone.”