Predator

Chapter 58

Alexandra transported her two mates and their two infants to the new nursery. She was gently rocking Dawn in her arms and smiling at the wide-eyed child that was tugging on a ringlet of her long hair.

Tyr placed Tamerlane in his crib and bent down to kiss his son’s forehead. He turned to his mate and smiled with love in his eyes. “He is waiting somewhat impatiently for you. That boy was almost inconsolable when you were lost to us.” His eyes misted over as she turned to him. “I have no words to describe how relieved I am to have you back. I love you, Alexandra.”

“I love you too, Tyr.” She smiled at him, rose up on her tiptoes, and kissed him.

“I will leave you alone to care for our children and to get some rest.” He nodded his head and turned to his friend. “Good night, Riddick.”

“Night, Tyr.” He watched the Nietzchean walk through the adjoining door into his quarters and heard it close as he turned to his mate.

“Aren’t you the inquisitive little one? Are you trying to figure me out, Dawn?” She stared into her daughter’s deep black eyes that bore into her like ones. “You have no idea what I am, do you?”

“She knows who you are.” Riddick came up behind Alex and steered her into the rocking chair. “She knows you are her mother. She knows you fought to protect her from harm. She knows you died and came back to her.” He knelt beside her and cupped her face in his palm. “She doesn’t need to know anything else.”

“I can barely be classified as human, Richard.” Her eyes began to water as she glanced up at him. “I was hardly human before and now…I just wear one’s shell. My true self is fighting to break free of this frail entrapment.” Her eyes began to exude flame again and her voice took on the inhuman tone. “I do not wish to be held captive within this ridiculous flesh.”

“That is the Phoenix talking.” He grasped her face between both of his large hands and moved his within inches of hers. “You need to get a handle on that shit and remember who you really are. You are not just this all-powerful cosmic entity anymore. You have bonded with this form and you have a family that cares for you.”

“Do you have any concept of what I am?” She held Dawn closer to her chest to free one hand and grabbed one of his wrists. “I wield the power of every star in the heavens.” Fire encased her hand and danced over his wrist to his hand. “I am power incarnate.”

“You are that and you are a wife and mother.” His eyes darted down for a second and returned to hers. “You gave birth to the universe as the Phoenix but you gave birth to Dawn as Alexandra. Look at your daughter.” Her eyes narrowed on his with a glint of danger in them. “Look at her!”

Her fiery eyes reluctantly glanced down at her child and saw Dawn nursing from her exposed breast. The fire in her eyes died down and they returned to black. She released Riddick’s wrist and the flames recessed into her skin. She looked on her child in awe as she tugged hungrily on her nipple.

“I’m sorry, Richard.” She whispered.

“Its okay, baby.” He said lovingly. “I knew you were hiding your internal struggle with this at the temple. I know you didn’t want to absorb the rest of your power but it was necessary. I kind of figured you were bullshitting us when you accepted it so fast.”

“It is frightening, Richard. This fire that rages within me constantly wants to be free.” She ran her once flaming hand over her daughter’s back and rocked slowly in the chair. “It is a never-ending battle to keep it under control and remind it who is in charge. There is a difference between the Phoenix and me. We are one but at the same time we aren’t. It is difficult to explain.”

“You don’t have to explain anything, baby.” He kissed her gently on her pouting lips. “You just need to rely on me to help you differentiate between the two. You need to look at these two babies and your boys and remember who you are to them. Can you do that, Alex?”

“I can do anything for my children.” She glanced up at him with a smile on her face. He could see the uncertainty in her eyes and her smile faded under his knowing gaze. “As long as I have you to keep me in line.”

“You will always have me to keep you in line and remind you how much you are loved.” He brushed a kiss on her forehead and went to pick up Tamerlane from his crib. “You have another hungry mouth to feed as soon as our critter gets her fill.” He rocked Tyr’s son in his arms and grinned lecherously at his mate. “When you’re done with them, I am waiting for my turn.”

“There is the pig I know and love.”

~*~

Alex had finished feeding Tamerlane and went to lay him down to sleep in his crib. She kissed the yawning boy on his head and turned to look at her daughter. Dawn was well fed and sleeping soundly in her crib. A tiny hand was curled into a fist in front of her mouth, which caused Alexandra to giggle quietly.

“What is so funny?” Riddick whispered into her ear.

“It looks like our little girl inherited our inclination to fight. Look at her fist.” She lightly traced her finger over Dawn’s hand before she pulled it away. “She is just so adorable, Richard. I can’t believe we made this beautiful little life.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “We did an amazing thing, didn’t we?”

“We really did. I was so wrapped up in the uncomfortable maladies of human pregnancy that I only got to experience the wonder of her being inside of me a couple of times.” She leaned her head back against his chest and let out a deep sigh. “I really was a wuss, wasn’t I? I have taken on the worst beings in existence. I survived countless wars and died thousands of deaths but a little puking and I caved.”

“It wasn’t that cut and dry, baby.” He laughed softly and kissed the side of her face. “You were not accustomed to the things you were going through and it threw you off. You looked at it like it was a battle when it was really something natural.”

“I guess so.” She sighed again. “I know I yelled out during labor that I would never have another child come from my body again but I kind of wish I could experience it without the fear. I would like the opportunity to have another and relish the life within me instead of being scared of what is happening to my body.”

“I have the feeling that Tyr, Duncan, and Rhade would volunteer for that and fulfill your wish.”

“It is not something that I have time for now.” He could hear the sadness in her voice and pulled her closer into his body. “I have another battle coming.” Her tone grew sharp and he could feel her body tense against his. “For me there is always another war to fight.”

“Not tonight there isn’t.” He swept her up in his arms and took her mouth in a deep kiss. “Unless you count trying to fight off the amount of times I’m gonna make you cum.”

“I would never fight with you in that matter, my love.” The tension bled out of her body and she smiled at him lovingly. “I know I am not completely myself right now but I will definitely obey my mate’s wishes.” She giggled as he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her into the bedroom.

“I am yours to do with as you please, Richard.” He dropped her down on the bed and his hungry eyes devoured her body. She spread her legs and gazed at him seductively. “I will lay right here and endure every orgasm you wish to inflict on me.”

“Well aren’t you my perfect little slave.” He growled at her and she shuddered at the raw look of desire in his eyes. He knelt on the edge of the bed and crawled up her body. “I believe I told you I was hungry and wanted to be fed when you were done with the kids.”

She didn’t have a chance to respond before he latched on to her nipple and sucked her milk deep into his mouth. She grabbed the back of his head and arched her back forcing her breast into his eager lips. “By the Gods, you make me feel like I am on fire.” She writhed under the skillful ministrations of his tongue and lips.

He switched over to her neglected breast and applied the same sweet torment. He was so wrapped up in his need for her taste and her touch that he had yet to realize that they were encased in crimson flames. Her power responded to his hunger. His power was triggered by her need.

He released her nipple from his mouth and moved up to taste her lips. He took her hands in his, interlaced their fingers and pinned them down beside her head. He probed her slick entrance with the head of his cock and drew back to meet her eyes before he slowly entered her body.

“You feel so good wrapped around me.” His eyes were clenched and he hissed with the pressure she applied to his shaft. He slowly opened his eyes and his liquid silver orbs locked on her obsidian black. “I could lose myself in you forever.”

“I don’t want you to lose yourself.” She whispered as she searched his gaze. “I need you.” As he looked into the black pools that stared at him, he saw 2 suns burst into existence within them and the flames consumed the black. “I need the man that hunted me down. I need the man that had the strength to tame the beast within me. I need the man that gave me a soul. That man is the only being alive that can keep me here.”

“I am that man. I will never let you down again and I will be by your side forever.” He took her mouth in a passionate kiss that left them both breathless. “Alexandra, I love you and I will be your anchor in any storm.”

“That is good to hear, my beloved, because I am a different animal from the one you knew and mated.” She used her upper body strength to roll them over until she straddled his waist and pinned his hands to the bed. “I am beyond anything you can imagine.” She began to ride him at a steady pace and watched his face twist in pleasurable agony. “I can take you places you’ve only dreamed about.”

The flames around their bodies flared brightly as she ground down on him. His eyes took in the beauty of this powerful creature that claimed his heart. She threw her head back and her black tresses fanned back as he thrust up into her. “Take me there, baby.” Her red eyes snapped to his and she tilted her head in question at him. “Take me to your home.”

“You are my home.” Her brow furrowed in confusion until she saw the meaning in his eyes. “Are you sure?”

He nodded his head. “I want you to make love to me in your element.” She turned her head towards the nursery and glanced back at him. “I just sent for Athena. She will watch over them. Take us to our star, baby.”

A slight grin appeared on her face before her power flared in the room and they vanished from their bed. As soon as his shined eyes adjusted to the light that never hurt him, he found them flying through space. Alex had her arms secured around the back of his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. He was still inside of her body and hard as a rock.

He watched the stars streak by and turned to look at the child-like wonder on her face. She was in her element. This is where a part of her belonged and always would. She was a being of the stars. A living embodiment of cosmic energy whose home was in the heavens and he had every intention of keeping her with her family.

Before he knew it, they were hovering above the sun that they visited on the night of their bonding. They settled in a low orbit on the surface and she began to ride his body once again. He was standing on what passed as the surface of the sun and pumping his cock into the body of the woman of his dreams.

As he drove into her wet heat, solar flares sprang to life all around them. The Phoenix avatar burst free of its bodily confinement and cried to its mate that lay within Riddick. As his desire for her grew, his Furyan power poured free from his body and merged with the not-so-mythological bird of power.

Her pussy clamped on to his shaft as it slid in and out of her. Her cries were building in to high pitched screams as her pleasure swept through her. He could feel her begin to convulse around him. He knew her release was approaching swiftly and he had every intention of joining her.

He sped up his thrusts into her body. Her breasts bounced before his face and he took the opportunity to latch on to one hardened tip. She clutched at his head and threw hers back as he drew sharply on it with his teeth. His balls slapped against her ass as he pounded relentlessly into her.

He felt her body tense for a moment and then begin to shudder as her orgasm ripped through her. The pressure she applied to his cock sent him spiraling over the edge with her and they both screamed out to the surrounding void.

Their breathing was labored as they struggled to overcome the effects of their release. They clung to each other in the afterglow of their passion. After several minutes, the solar flares settled down as their power recessed back under the surface of their skin. Two sets of love-filled eyes met and held as they floated above the surface of the gas giant.

“You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever known.” He kissed her gently on her lips, nose, eyelids, and forehead. “I am yours forever and, just so you know, I am never letting you go.”

A look of sadness crossed her face before she masked it behind a smile. “You are the man I was destined to find and mate since the beginning of time.” She traced his features with gentle fingertips before she kissed him passionately. She broke the kiss slowly with lingering lips and a lick of her tongue. She rested her forehead against his, looked deep into his eyes, and smiled. “What took you so long?”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head and laughed. “But I will make it up to you every day for the rest of our lives.”

“Do you promise?” She asked in a small voice with tears glistening in her eyes. “Will you love me…love what I’ve become no matter what happens in the near future?”

“I promise, baby.” He caressed the side of her face and she nuzzled into his touch. “I will love you no matter what and I will stand beside you to make sure you stay in control.” She blinked fresh tears from her eyes and nodded her head. “Now how about we go home and get some rest? We do have 2 kids back there that will be screaming to be fed again in a couple of hours.”

“As you wish, my love.” She snuggled into his chest and he wrapped her in a tight embrace as she flew them home on instinct.

~*~

It was dark in the palace and most of the Royal Family had retired for the evening. After the day’s long ordeal, all of Alexandra’s mates and children were exhausted from the strain on their systems. Ian was the only exception.

A dark entity entered the palace unnoticed by anyone. It moved like a smoky mist through the halls unerringly towards its targets. There were two people amongst its enemy’s family that it was searching for and, as it reached a point in the corridors, it divided in two.

Rhade was sleeping fitfully. The day was a terrible drain on his emotions. The dreams that flitted through his subconscious mind were a replay of the horrible things he saw and felt all day. The sight of his pregnant mate bloodied and beaten made him toss around in bed. The thought that he could not be of any help to her when she died broke his heart.

He had loved her from the first moment he met her and yet he did not have anything to offer when she needed help the most. His feelings of desolation ran rampant through him when the darkness entered his bedchambers. Its strength was fueled by his negative emotions as it hovered above his sleeping body. It waited until he was at his lowest moment in his dreams before it entered his form and set up residence deep within his psyche.

~*~

Tyr slept soundly in his bed. His mate was whole and alive. Even altered as she was, she still accepted their son in her life and he was among her first concerns when she rose from the dead. He felt proud of her deep in his heart that she had chosen to become the mother of another woman’s child. She changed her body’s genetic makeup to allow herself to provide him sustenance.

The sight of his son feeding from her breast made his blood fire in his veins. He would love the opportunity to have another child from her body. The pain of losing their son was almost too much to bear. After he discovered Ian’s plan to replace Alex in the prophecy, Tyr thought he might have another chance to have that child but was worried about the reaction she was going to have from his loss.

When Ian addressed them on his plans, it was made clear that Riddick would be replacing him as her First mate. Tyr considered Riddick his friend but he also knew that their mate really did not need anyone other than Riddick to ensure her control. The rest of them were obsolete now that he was in her life.

He loved his mate and their 2 children more than life. He would die for his family. He just prayed to his maker that there would still be a place in her heart for him after Ian’s death and Riddick’s rise to power. As his newfound insecurities ran through his sleeping mind, the entity fed on his dark thoughts and buried itself in his subconscious.

~*~

By the time they had reached Ariana space, Alex had drifted off into a contented slumber within her mate’s arms. Riddick was amazed that she had subconsciously relinquished control of her power to him while she slept. He entered the atmosphere of their planet and dropped down through the clouds. He cradled her in his arms as he flew through the night sky towards the palace.

He landed gently on his feet at the entrance of their home and walked through the deserted corridors to their chambers. When he entered their bedroom, Athena came strolling in with Dawn in her arms and Vaako on her heels. “My Lord, I hope you and our Lady had a nice night.” She smiled knowingly at Riddick as he carried Alex towards the bed.

“We had a very enjoyable night, Athena, and I think you have managed to dislodge that pole that was firmly planted up your ass when we first met. You are actually civil these days.” He tilted his head towards Vaako with a grin on his face. “Not to mention, you have that one sniffing around you like you’re in heat. I knew all you needed was to get laid.”

“I beg your pardon, my Lord.” Athena blushed furiously and lowered her eyes to the floor to avoid Riddick’s smirking face. “Vaako and I have not engaged in such activities.”

“You haven’t yet but you will. Even converted, that boy has a thing for you and you feel the same for him. Even I can see that and my vision tends to focus strictly on my woman.” Vaako pulled back the covers on the bed for Riddick and he laid her sleeping form down in the center. “Is Dawn awake, Athena?”

“Yes, my Lord. She woke about a half an hour ago.” The Goddess rocked the child in her arms and cooed at her, which made Riddick’s eyebrow arch in amusement. “I believe the young one is hungry again but the Creator appears to be quite exhausted. Should I try to settle her back to sleep?”

“No. I can feed her.” He situated himself behind his mate and pulled her up so that her back reclined against his chest. Vaako covered them up to their waists with the blanket and backed up. “Let me have her, Athena.” Riddick held out his arms out from around his mate’s slight frame and cradled his daughter. He held her up against Alexandra’s chest in one arm and moved a nipple against Dawn’s lips until she latched on. “There you go, darlin. I can take care of you and mommy.”

Athena smiled at the Lord of Ariana as he fed his daughter and glanced at Vaako’s inquisitive face. He was engrossed in the sight before him and a look of wonder filled his eyes as the infant tugged on his mother’s breast. “We will leave you to your privacy now, my Lord. I will maintain my surveillance on the children from the temple. If you need anymore assistance, please feel free to call on me.”

“Thank you, Athena. Good night…both of you.” He nodded his head at Vaako when he emphasized his tidings to both of them and smiled when they vanished from the room together.

“Richard…” Alex mumbled sleepily as she began to rouse slowly from her slumber. “Do my babies need me?”

“They will always need you, love, but I can handle getting the critter fed while you sleep.” He whispered in her ear. “Go back to sleep and rest. I can take care of you and Dawn.”

“Thank you, love.” Her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed as she relaxed back into his warmth. “You are a wonderful father and husband, Richard. We are both very lucky to have you.” She whispered just as she slipped back into sleep.

“You’re wrong, Alex.” He kissed her gently on her temple and nuzzled his cheek against her hair. “I am the lucky one to have found you. I am the one you found worthy enough to save, fall in love with, and give me this gift of Dawn.” He whispered softly and switched his daughter over to her other breast. “I am the luckiest man in existence since I met you.”

He clenched his eyes and kissed the side of her soft cheek. ‘I just hope you will still love me after all is said and done. I hope you’ll forgive me for my involvement in manipulating your plans and accept me as a replacement for Ian.’ He opened his tear-filled eyes and glanced at his mate and daughter that he held in his arms. ‘I love you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I don’t want to go back to being the heartless bastard that I was without you. Please still love me.’

~*~