Predator

Chapter 6

Duncan moved quickly through the halls dragging Alex along by her wrist. He was agitated by the past day’s events and she could read it off of him before he snapped at her. “Why is Tyr back? I thought you made the repercussions clear if he was to return.” He opened the door to his quarters, pulled her in behind him, and slammed the door. “Well, Alexandra, are you going to answer me?”

She wrapped her arms around herself and paced his room. “Apparently he is calling my bluff.”

“Why is it a bluff?” He began to pace as well and scrutinized his wife’s anxiety over his inquiry. “I know if I betrayed our union, you would kill me. Ares is quite aware of that as well. What makes Tyr different?”

“Each of you has dominion over a certain part of me. You have my heart.” Her eyes welled with tears when she saw his eyes soften for a moment. The rest of what she had to say was going to hurt him. “Ares has my mind. Tyr…owns my body.” Her last sentence came in a whisper. “I crave his touch.”

“He is your primal side?” She nodded her head in response. “What about the assassin? What will he own?”

“All of me.” She heard his loud sigh and saw him rub his eyes in frustration. “Duncan, I’m sorry. I did not plan this thing with Riddick. I just wanted him to end my existence but Ian has discovered that he can save me.” She slowly walked towards him with an outstretched hand but stopped just short when he raised his to ward her off.

“Don’t touch me until you bathe, Alexandra. You positively reek of sex.”

A stab of pain shot through her heart when he saw the disgust in his eyes. She spun on her heel and ran into the bathing room. She clutched her chest and wept as she felt her heart break. With trembling hands, she removed her robe and stepped in the pool.

“Alex, as soon as you’re cleaned up I’ll have some dinner sent up! We can eat and retire for the evening!”

She heard him yell from the bedroom but did not respond. She was diligently obeying her husband’s demand by scrubbing her skin and washing all traces of Riddick’s scent from her body. The loss of his scent from her skin saddened her more than the pain of hurting Duncan and that troubled her deeply.

When she was positive that she was sufficiently clean, she grabbed a towel and walked over to a full mirror while she dried her skin. As she moved the towel to start on her hair, she saw the marks left by her sexual encounter with Riddick. “What did that animal do to you?”

She ignored Duncan as she looked at the bite-marks on her neck and shoulder and the bruises on her arms and hips. “It is no different than when I mate with Ares or Tyr. On occasion you can add Ian to that list as well. They are very aggressive lovers.”

“I did not need that information or the visual of what you’ve been doing with that man. I can see that I do not give you what you need and you seek it out from the others.”

“That is not true. You give me exactly what I desire from you.” When his eyes met hers in the mirror, she could see doubt written all over his features. Her head lowered in shame and tears rolled down her face. “I should not have come here. You are different from the others. You’re more human and bound by traditional ways.”

“In other words, you try to spare me the pain of knowing you have multiple sexual partners and seeing the results of said encounters.” He moved up behind her and watched her trace the bruises on her hip with her fingertips. “You are my wife. You cannot blame me for getting jealous.”

“No, I can’t but I do not like to see you like this.” She felt his hands on her shoulders and flinched away from his touch. “Duncan, please don’t. I’ve hurt you enough already and I should go.”

“Alex, no matter what you do I still love you. I knew what I was getting into when I married you and it was a price I was willing to pay for your love.” He reached out for her and she stepped away again. “Stop this! You are my wife and you need my protection right now.”

“I need you to stop looking at me with disgust in your eyes and you cannot do that for me right now.” She wrapped the towel around her body and looked on him with sad eyes. “Maybe it would’ve been best to stick with my original plan to return home. I’m breaking your heart and you in turn are killing mine.”

“Alex, baby, don’t go. If he gets to you…”

“Ian will protect me. Ian always protects me.” She turned away from him and looked longingly over her shoulder at him. “I love you, Duncan. I always have and I always will. I would not have a heart if it wasn’t for you.” With that said, she disappeared from his room.

She rematerialized in Ian’s chambers and threw herself on to his bed. The pain she felt from Duncan was tearing her apart. The trepidation of facing Tyr was tearing her apart. The thing that ate away at her being was the anxiety of being separated from Riddick. She curled up in a ball on her mate’s bed and cried herself to sleep.

That was how Ian found her an hour later when he returned to his room. He felt her pain and it tore through his soul. His connection to his mate was complete. He knew her every thought and emotion the moment she did unless she shielded him from it. In a state of slumber, she was an open book for him to read. He removed his silk shirt and pants, crawled into bed beside her, and pulled her into his chest.

“Ian…”

He ran one hand over her still damp hair while the other gently caressed her lower back. “I’m here, my love. I’ve got you.”

“What happened to Tyr?”

“Ares has him confined to his quarters. I don’t believe we can restrain him for long. He is rather adamant about seeing you.” He felt her tense and held her to him tighter. “Do not worry, love. I will take care of you.”

“You always do.” She wrapped her arm around his neck and snuggled into his warmth further. “Is Riddick okay?”

“Yes. I checked on him before I came here. I explained the necessity of you being in the company of one of us while Tyr is in residence. He did not take it well. The shields are in place around your chambers. They are keyed to Riddick’s DNA so none of the others may enter except for him. That was brilliant of you to construct those by the way.”

“I could not have jealous mates killing each other off, now could I?” They both laughed for a moment and it seemed to ease her tension. “I guess I should keep mine active all day like the rest of you.”

“As long as Tyr is here that would be wise.” He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her lightly on her forehead. “What else is on that wondrous mind of yours?”

“Duncan.”

“Hmm. I can imagine he is greatly disturbed by all of this. To be honest, love, we were all upset when Tyr was in the picture. He occupied all of your time and we rarely saw you.”

She straddled his waist and smiled down at him. “You were pissed because he didn’t like to share.”

He pulled off her towel and ran his hands down her sides to her waist. “I had my time with you but not as much as I did before he came along. The others weren’t so lucky.”

She reflected on his words remembering how distant Duncan was and how angry Ares became during that time. “I neglected them badly, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t mean to. Tyr just has that effect on you. He is very possessive over you and you allowed it. I would wager that Riddick will have the same effect and be equally if not more possessive. Is he the one, my love?”

“Yes.” Tears formed in her eyes with her whisper.

“You have not mated with him yet.” It wasn’t a question. He knew everything about her and did not feel the balance in place within her.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“He does not love me.”

He lifted her chin and caught her tears on his fingers. “Don’t be ridiculous. He loves you fiercely but does not know how to show it. You know perfectly well how difficult life was Furyan males. He buried his emotions to survive an impossible life.”

Her tears turned to sobs when she thought about the life Riddick must have led. “I should’ve protected his race. I could’ve stopped what transpired and he would have been spared that solemn existence.”

“Love, you were not meant to interfere in the natural course of life. You cannot save everyone.”

“What happened to his people was not natural and I use to be able to save everyone.” Her moods were mercurial and her temper rose quickly. “I guess somewhere along the way it just became easier for me to kill than save.”

“Alex, if you would have changed the course of his life he would not have become your salvation.”

“So in order to save my life; a life that has lasted way too long; it was necessary to condemn him to a life devoid of emotion and full of pain? I am not worth his suffering through that torment!”

Ian saw through her anger easily and recognized the true source of her tirade. “You love him.”

“He…has touched a part of me that no one has before.”

A sly grin broke out on Ian’s face and he chuckled. “I think I walked in on that earlier, love.” He laughed and caught her hands as she slapped his chest.

“Ian, you pig! Stop laughing. It isn’t funny.”

“I’m jealous. I was your first lover and you never let me take you that way before. You think you might be more receptive to sharing that part of you now that you’ve been broken in? I know Ares will not let you rest until he gets it.”

“Stop…” She was laughing so hard she could barely take a breath. “I swear I regret making you sometimes.”

He rolled her underneath him and pinned her arms above her head. “No you don’t. When you thought about what you wanted in a man, you created me.” He pressed a kiss to her lips before he ran his tongue over them. “I’m the man of your dreams and no one can take that from me.”

“You’re right, love. You are the perfect man. In every aspect, you are the man of my dreams.”

He took her mouth in a searing kiss and when his tongue sought entrance, she accepted it. Her legs wrapped around his waist while he slid his hard length into her. “Milady, you feel so good wrapped around me.” He moved with steady hard strokes within her and her eyes rolled up in rapture. “I told you every time with you is like new.”

“I love you, Ian.” Her eyes opened and held his as he made slow passionate love to her.

“And I you, my lady.”

Forty minutes later, they lay recovering in each others arms. She was draped across his chest on the verge of sleep while he tenderly stroked her hair. “Are you happy, Ian?”

“I just made love to my beautiful wife. Of course I am happy.”

“You know what I am asking. If I take Riddick as a mate things will be different. He will be able to control me completely. Do you think you will be able to handle that?”

“I am not just one of your mates. You and I are bound on a level that transcends what you have with the others. Nothing and no one will keep me from you.”

She sensed his possessiveness in every fiber of his being and ran her hand over his chest to calm him. “I know that, Ian. I will always be yours but what if he pushes the others out? I do not want to lose them.”

“You need to make that clear to him, Alexandra. I’m sure he will understand.”

As if on cue, Riddick kicked in the door to Ian’s room. His facial expression turned murderous when he saw her naked body pressed against Ian’s. “Richard, what…” He crossed to the bed, pulled Alex from Ian’s grasp, and threw her over his shoulder. “Ian, I don’t think he understands the concept of sharing.”

“Riddick, stop!” Ian jumped to his feet and headed him off. “You cannot take her out of this room! She has to be with one of us.”

“She’ll be with me! I won’t let him touch her!”

When Ian inched forward to grab Alex, Riddick stepped out of his reach which sent Ian into a fury. “You are not taking her!”

Riddick snapped back in a rage of his own. “Try to stop me, sparky!”

“Cut it out both of you! Riddick, stop waving my ass around in the air and put me down now!” He pulled her off his shoulder and she slid down his chest to her feet. “Thank you.”

He drew in her scent, pulled her behind him, and growled at Ian. “You fucked my woman!”

“I fucked MY woman!”

She threw her hands up in exasperation and turned to the door. “Great. The pissing contest ensues.”

“Where are you going?” They asked in unison and glared at each other.

“Anywhere you aren’t! The testosterone is too deep in here for me.”

They both grabbed one of her arms and pulled her away from the door. “Love, you cannot go out there.”

“Alex, please don’t leave me.”

“Ian, I’d rather face Tyr than watch you two fight over me. Richard, I have four mates that I am bonded to. They are entitled to me and you will have to get use to that fact if you want to be a part of my life.”

“You said four.”

“What are you talking about, Richard?”

“My lady.” She turned to face Ian. “Why did you say four? You included Tyr in your number.”

“I, uh, don’t know.”

“Alex, why did you include Tyr?”

“Stop! I don’t know why I said it and I don’t have to explain myself to either of you!”

The next second found them both clutching at empty air. “Damnit! I hate that shit. We really need to get her a leash.”

“Her teleportation does come in handy when one of us is hurt or attacked but I know what you mean. When she doesn’t want to listen there isn’t much you can do about it.”

Ian grabbed a pair of black workout pants and pulled them on while Riddick looked over the various weapons that adorned the walls of his chambers. “You’ve got quite a collection here, Ian. I noticed Alex uses a sword too.”

“All of us do.”

“Why doesn’t she just use her power to kill?”

“She likes hand to hand combat. In a way, she is trying to give her adversaries a chance.” Ian ran his hand over a katana that was his personal favorite. Memories of her teaching him the art many lifetimes ago ran through his mind. “She is a master of the blade.”

“So I noticed but she gets hurt in hand to hand. I saw it on her face. She feels the pain.”

“Yes, she does.” He turned to study Riddick’s expression. “Not only does she feel every punch, cut, and blast that she receives but she feels our injuries as well.”

“Shit. It shouldn’t be that way for her.” His anger flared and he turned contemptuous eyes on Ian. “You are all pathetic excuses of fucking men if you can’t protect your woman.”

“We can protect her if she allows it! And you have a lot of nerve calling us pathetic! You love her and you’re afraid to admit it.”

The men stared each other down. Both were on the verge of erupting. Riddick caught her scent on Ian and clenched his teeth. “Take a fucking bath. I can smell her all over you and it is driving me insane.”

“Jealous, Riddick?” Ian smirked at turning the tables on him. “I am one of her husbands. I can marinate in her scent if I want to. Besides…I love to piss off Tyr with it.”

“That is really not a factor now.” They both turned to see Ares standing beyond the barrier of Ian’s room. “Tyr is not in the palace anymore.”

‘Fucking men!’ Alex thought angrily as she stomped up the path to the lake. ‘Why did I ever want to be human? These people suck.’ She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts she did not sense the surrounding danger until it was too late.

Several Nietzcheans jumped her from all directions. She shrugged off two effortlessly and hit another in his throat before she felt a drain in her power. Her hand went to her neck and felt the restraining collar locked in place. “She killed Darius!” One of the males yelled before she felt a hard kick to her back that brought her to her knees.

Anger coursed through her body and she glared at the men before her. “You are all dead. You just don’t realize it yet.”

A hand pulled her head back by her hair while his other arm wrapped around her chest and pulled her naked body flush against a male behind her. “You are hardly in a position to make threats.” He crudely grabbed her breast in his hand and ran his index finger over her nipple. “Your position does make me see Anasazi’s attraction to you though.”

She threw her head back and smashed the offending male’s nose. He released his hold on her rearing back in pain. “You think this fucking collar gives you an advantage? It has sealed your fate.” From her kneeling position, she kicked her leg out behind her into his abdomen and sent him flying back into a tree.

She swiftly got to her feet and turned on her attackers. The kicks and punches she delivered took several men out before she did a back flip and snapped the neck of another. When she squared off against the last handful of men, her eyes focused beyond them and saw him approach like silent death. ‘Damn, he is beautiful.’

While she was distracted, one of them caught her across the midsection with his bone blades. “NO!” Tyr swept in and cut a path of death through the remaining men. “Alex!” He caught her in his arms before she hit the ground. “Baby, please be okay.”

“Tyr…get this off of me.”

He struggled with the locking mechanism and could not get it to release. “I can’t! Alex…”

“Shh, love. I need Ian or Logan.”

Tears welled in his eyes and he clutched her to his chest. “Alex, I’m sorry. I love you, baby. I love you so much.”

“I love…you too.” He cradled her in his arms and ran back towards the palace. “I still hate you for cheating on me though.”

“I know.” He kissed her forehead and glanced at her wound. “You are not healing.”

“It’s the collar. Tyr, I need to release my power. This thing doesn’t work on me like it does others. It is suppressing now but there is a surge building.”

He could hear the panic in her voice and it hit him like an anvil in his chest. “Alex, hold on. I’ll find Logan. He’ll cut it off.”

“Tyr, stop!” He halted at the edge of the tree-line and saw her eyes begin to burn. “Leave me here!”

“No.” He shook his head and his tears ran down his face.

“You have to get away from me. Go get Logan and Scott but leave me here!” She forced her way out of his arms and fell to the ground. He moved towards her but she scrambled back. “Tyr, if you love me you will do as I say. Now go!”

He backed away from her with a deep sadness in his eyes that could not be measured. In an effort to reclaim his mate, he may have set in motion a chain of events that would bring about her destruction. “I am so sorry, my love.”

She could no longer block the onslaught of thoughts that she fought every second of her long life from entering her mind. She clutched her head and tried desperately to keep her self from getting lost in the midst of chaos. “You…brought…them here.”

“I needed them to get you back.” He whispered in guilt and shame.

“They…betrayed…you. They…want…revenge against…me.” The fire burned brighter in her eyes as she looked at him. “You. Brought. War. To. My. Home. Go get the wielders before it is too late!”

He turned and ran towards the palace leaving her screaming in the woods. As soon as he made the entrance, he heard the ships landing and weapons fire.