Kodiak

by Delta James

  It was Alex’s turn to chuckle. “Handcuffed to my bed up in the cave.”

  Josh laughed, which quickly became a groan. “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts. You left her handcuffed to your bed? I’m guessing not at her request or even with her consent.”

  “That would be correct. I need to get back to her. I needed to get word to you and get some supplies, but I need to deal with Flynn and get her settled.”

  “You think you’re going to convince her that she’s your mate and needs to give up her life to be with you?”

  Alex growled low. “What I know is that she is my mate and will be with me. She will need to accept that.”

  “Good luck with that. It is so obvious that you’ve never lived with a woman. You may have to compromise...”

  “That is your way, little brother, not mine. Flynn is my mate and will submit to me. But she is safe from Koto. We need to ensure you and your family are the same. I’ve contacted Yutu. He’s gone to collect Allie and the kids. He’ll get you released and up to the clan lodgings.”

  “Other than dealing with Flynn, what are your plans?”

  “I’ll see if I can’t broker a peace with the last Koto, but if not, I’ll have to deal with him.”

  “Alex, you’re talking about killing a man,” whispered Josh.

  “No, Josh, I’m talking about safeguarding my family—Flynn, Allie, the girls, and you. If that means David Koto has to die, I’ve got no problem with that. The alternative is unacceptable.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line before Josh sighed. “You’re right, of course, but I hate that it all falls on you.”

  “Part of being the eldest and clan leader. Yutu is going to get the word out to the rest of the clan and our kind in general. He should be there shortly with Allie and the kids. They’ll keep you safe and let you heal. I’ll try to keep in touch, but don’t be alarmed if you don’t hear from me for a while.” Alex heard the sound of people entering his brother’s hospital room. “Josh?”

  “It’s ok, Alex. It’s Yutu with a doctor in tow. You know how to get hold of me. Take care of Flynn and stay as safe as you can. Komodo dragons, huh?”

  “Yeah. If he wants to fight, that lizard physiology is going to have a tough time of it.”

  “Not to mention that they have a pretty high profile so them just disappearing would be problematic.”

  “Just another unsolved mystery. If it traces back to the wilds of Alaska, maybe those who are not experienced in harsh wildernesses will stay home. Not the worst outcome.”

  “I suppose you’re right, and they have left us with little choice.”

  “Not us, Josh, me. Flynn is my mate; it’s my problem.”

  “They tried to kill me first... it’s our problem.”

  “We’ll leave that argument for another day. Go with Yutu and stay safe.”

  Alex hung up and dialed Koto Development in Seattle.

  “Koto Development. How can we assist you today?” the polished voice on the other end of the phone answered.

  “I need to speak to David Koto,” responded Alex.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Koto is unavailable, can someone else help you?”

  “He’ll want to talk to me. Let me speak to his assistant.”

  The phone was suddenly filled with classical music.

  “Kelly Adams. I’m Mr. Koto’s assistant. How may I be of help?”

  “You can tell your boss that Alex Kingston wants to meet. If he’s unsure of who I might be, tell him we met briefly at the river on Shuyak.”

  Without another word, he hung up. He looked up the number for Flynn’s brother’s company and dialed.

  “Benjamin Montgomery, Daredevil Adventures. Where can we take you today?”

  “Ben, my name is Alex Kingston—Alex or King to my friends. Your sister has gotten herself into a spot of trouble up here on Shuyak...”

  “Shuyak, she was scheduled to go to Kodiak. Is she all right?”

  Alex suppressed a chuckle. He rather imagined Flynn believed she was anything but all right, but he also didn’t think Ben would want to hear the particulars about his past with his little sister or his plans for her future. Down the road, he thought Ben would be all right with the idea as his sister would be happy, but until he got Flynn settled, she might be disinclined to reassure her brother.

  “Your sister is safe, and I will keep her that way. But you could be in danger,” said Alex calmly.

  “I’m in Seattle—how much danger could I be in?”

  “How much do you know about your client Henry Koto? More specifically the Koto brothers?”

  “Where’s Flynn?” Ben demanded.

  “As I said, she’s safe. She and I ran afoul of the Kotos. Apparently, the news hasn’t reached the lower forty-eight... Both Henry and Kevin are dead, both at my hand.”

  “What happened?”

  “Henry wasn’t looking for a photograph. He was looking for a trophy.”

  “Shit. I should have known...”

  “Not necessarily. I had to kill Henry in order to save my brother who was accidentally shot. My belief is that Henry would have finished Josh off and turned on your sister,” he improvised. “When Henry’s two younger brothers came looking for revenge, Kevin attacked and was killed in the ensuing fight. David fired at us, but we were able to get away...”

  “You need to take my sister and go to the authorities.”

  “That would be redundant. I’m the head ranger on Shuyak; I’m the one it would be reported to. You can call 907-555-4400, ask them to verify my identity.” Alex gave him his identification number. “I’m concerned that David Koto will be looking to get at Flynn through you—either by hurting or killing you in retribution or to get her to expose herself so that he can get to her. I won’t allow that to happen. I’ve ensured my brother and his family are safe. I would like to tell Flynn her brother is safe as well.”

  “You’re serious. I appreciate you wanting to keep Flynn safe, but getting Flynn to do anything she doesn’t want to can be difficult.”

  “I am serious, and I won’t be giving Flynn a choice about her safety,” Alex assured him. “Do you have some place you can go? I think being in two locales is probably better as it doesn’t give him a single target.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. I could revisit the Hebrides...”

  “Too isolated, but the northern hemisphere is probably better than the southern.”

  “How about Reykjavík?”

  “That might be a good choice. Enough population and cold enough that he won’t want to go hunting there.”

  “Wouldn’t he just send someone?”

  “Not from what I know about them. This is a kind of blood feud and he’d lose face if he didn’t handle it himself. If he wants to take over for his brother, he can’t afford to do that.”

  “I can reach you and Flynn on this phone?”

  “Yeah, but we’ll be out of touch for a day or two. How about we set our watches for Zulu time and touch base in 48 hours.”

  “Sounds good,” said Ben, the reassurance evident in his voice. “And King?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You take care of my baby sister.”

  “You know?” Alex asked with humor in his voice.

  “Some of it. I had heard some guy was poking around asking about Flynn. So, I did a little snooping around of my own. Want to fill me in on the details?”

  “Your sister and I got involved a couple of years ago; she got spooked...”

  “Afraid of commitment?” teased Ben.

  “Not hardly...” Alex said in a surly tone that bordered on a growl.

  Ben laughed. “Her, not you. Look, King, I can call you King, right? I love my sister to little bitty bits, but I am not blind where she’s concerned. Flynn has never played by anyone’s rules and after whatever happened with you took place, she got really gun shy and seemed to shut down that side of her personality that needs to find that one person who completes you, the other half of your
soul, if you will.”

  Alex snorted. “And you are her polar opposite... an incurable romantic.”

  “Nah, not incurable... hopeful and patient. You planning to break my sister’s heart?”

  Alex stopped short. He had always thought of Flynn as his mate, pure and simple. No need to dress it up in lace and ribbons, just her yin to his yang. Their hearts had never entered into it and yet when Ben asked him the question, he was as sure of his answer as he was that the Aurora Borealis would come each winter in a dazzling display of light, pattern, and color. He always believed that their reappearance each year held the promise of magic.

  He chuckled. “Far from it. She’ll be safe with me. You have my word.”

  “That’s all I need. Forty-eight hours, we check in with each other. If contact is missed, we try again at forty-nine. If still nothing, we head to the other’s position. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” said Alex. “You’ll be in Reykjavík and we’ll be on Shuyak. Head to the main ranger station. Ask for Yutu and tell him who you are. He’ll make sure you have back up.”

  “You aren’t just going to hole up somewhere with Flynn, are you?” asked Ben softly.

  “Much as I’d like to, I think Koto will be after her and he won’t stop until one of them is dead. It won’t be Flynn.”

  “Good. You and I are going to get along famously as brothers-in-law.”

  Once again Alex was bemused that the idea that he would marry Flynn, as opposed to simply taking her as his mate, had the same rightness as everything else about her. He grinned; Josh was going to love this... and would never let him live it down.

  “I believe we will. Be careful, Ben. Koto is powerful and looking to get even. I think there’s little he wouldn’t do.”

  “I can take care of myself. I’ll be safe enough in Reykjavík. I have friends there. The kind of friends that have your back whether it’s legal or not. You take care of Flynn... and Koto.”

  Alex disconnected the call and put together a small package of things they would need—ammunition, clothing that could suffice for Flynn, as well as a high-powered rifle with a sniper’s scope, wrapping them in oilskin so he could easily carry them in his mouth when he shifted to his bear form. He needed to get back to Flynn. For one thing, he needed to ensure she was safe and still at the cave. For another, his cock ached reminding him it was the time of the rut and she was his mate. Besides, he suspected, a well-sated Flynn would be easier to deal with.

  He exited his cabin, locking it and adding his keys to the pouch. Shifting back to his bear, he picked up the bundle and made his way back to his home lair.

  * * *

  Using the interwoven links of the handcuffs as a kind of make-shift wrench, Flynn worked for hours dismantling the parts of Alex’s headboard that would allow her to extricate herself from being tied to his bed. Once freed, she examined the cuffs again. However, they interconnected, they would not be easily opened. She examined the restraints where the cuffs met the length of chain and could see no easy way to separate them. No matter, the chain might come in handy as a weapon and as a means of belaying herself down the side of a hill.

  Freeing herself had proven more difficult and time consuming than she had imagined. She found a pair of his sweatpants and fashioned a length of leather lacing to make them fit. She added a pair of his wool socks, her own boots, a clean flannel shirt, one of his sweaters, and a parka. It wasn’t glamorous and it wasn’t ideal, but it would do.

  She approached the massive door to his dwelling. She managed to wriggle between the enormous stone and the wall of the cave. Flynn braced her back against the cave wall and placed her hands and feet along the edge and pushed. Nothing. She changed positions, putting her back against the barrier and pushed against the interior of the cave with her hands and feet. Nothing, not even the slightest budge.

  Third time’s the charm, she thought. She wedged herself between the rock and the wall. This time, she pushed against the wall with her feet and the obstruction to her freedom with her hands. She had almost given up when she felt the very heavy object begin to give. Finding new strength, she almost wept when she felt it begin to give way.

  Her momentary tears of joy turned bitter as the door rolled away from her, she lost her footing and fell, only to be caught by Alex. He was stark naked and fully aroused. He bent down and retrieved a small key from beneath a rock by the opening.

  “Your brother sends you greetings and made me promise I would keep you safe. I will keep my promise to him... and to you.”

  “What promise? You made me no promise. You threatened me about seeing to my own need, but I wasn’t all that horny and spent my time more productively by freeing myself,” she said lifting her chin in defiance.

  “You may have managed to untether yourself from the bed, but that is all you accomplished.”

  “If you hadn’t showed up, I would have been long gone before you returned.”

  “No. You would never have been able to move the stone door. I can barely manage it and I am far stronger than you.”

  He unlocked the handcuffs, once more freeing her hands. The instant his back was turned, Flynn looked around for something heavy to grab and hit him over the head with. As she looked wildly around, he rolled the door back into place and then turned to stare at her.

  “I spoke with your brother today. He is going to Reykjavík. He and I have set up a schedule to check in with each other. And what I promised you, mate, was to rut with you upon my return.”

  “I am not your mate.”

  “You are and more than that, you know you are. Get naked and climb up onto the bed. Stay on your knees and stretch your upper torso down. Spread your legs and—”

  Flynn’s hands had finally found one of the iron spindles from the bed. She grasped it with both hands and whirled around, swinging it at his head. He batted it away and used the inertia of her swing to toss her face down onto the bed. He clutched the back of the sweater and shirt, ripping them from her back with one, powerful downswing, before tearing her leggings from her body as well. Alex raised her lower body off the bed, cradling her against his chest. He used his other hand to remove her socks and boots. Within moments of his return, he had her naked and on her belly in the middle of his bed, precisely where he’d wanted her for the past two years.

  Alex hauled her up onto her knees, locking his powerful arm around her hips so that she had no choice but to stay in position. She tried kicking out at him, but trapped as she was in such an awkward position, it was ineffective at best.

  Flynn had no doubt what he had in mind. After all, he’d been naked when he reentered the cavern and his staff had been standing at full attention. Seeing it again had caused her mind to flash back to the last time she had felt him thrusting inside her... filling her... scraping her inner walls and creating such incredible sensations. Flynn could feel her nipples beading, her sheath pulsing and knew that when he mounted her, he’d find her drenched and more than ready.

  “No,” she cried, fingers digging into the bedding and trying to crawl away from him.

  “Yes,” he growled, parting her legs and stepping between them.

  “You are not going to do this to me again.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, but I am and will make you revel in your response to me. You should know that when we are in the throes of the rut, your need to be fucked will be as desperate as my own. I will not be content merely to fill your cunt with my seed, but will fuck your mouth sending it deep into your belly and your ass. You are mine, Flynn, and you will submit to me in all ways.”

  Alex traced the cleft of her ass, teasing her dark rosebud only for a moment before continuing downward to finger her swollen and wet vulva. Drawing his hand back, he swatted her pussy rapidly with a stinging strength that took her breath away. She squirmed trying to free herself, but it was no use. It was clear the beast meant to use her... and that some part of her wanted him to do so.

  Flynn yowled in frustration and pain. The strikes had not
been as harsh as those he had delivered earlier to her backside. They were painful and added to the heat and arousal already spreading throughout her feminine parts. He fingered her lower lips and penetrated her wet heat, growling appreciatively when he found her more than ready.

  Standing with his feet firmly planted on the floor, he leveled her hips in alignment with his cock and surged forward, sinking to her depths as her body embraced his possession in orgasmic bliss. Her body shuddered as he thrust within her, grunting and groaning as he did so. He allowed her no time to recover as he plunged in and out, her body arching in a primal response to his claiming.

  Alex was in complete and utter control, her body merely the willing receptacle of his lust. He continued to plow her furrow with his mighty staff. He stroked her hard, long, and deep—his pace being sustained through her rapidly cycling orgasms, each more intense and devastatingly emotional than the last. He crashed into her, the tip of his cock feeling as though it hit her cervix with each surge forward. Gradually, his control seemed to erode, and his stroking became more frenzied.

  He grasped her hips harder and drove into her. Flynn’s body was rocked by the power of her response to him. She was unprepared for her body’s ability to recover only to begin the process of climaxing again without any respite being offered. She moaned as he continued to drive into her, causing her to orgasm repeatedly. It didn’t take long for Flynn to lose herself to the physical sensations he continued to elicit from her and to lose count of how many times she came.

  At last she felt his cock becoming further engorged as it filled with his cum. It felt as if it had doubled in size as he rammed into her, sinking his shaft as deep as he could get it and waiting for a moment. Then, his cum began spurting into her, coating and bathing the ravaged walls of her pussy. He didn’t move at all, just held her tight against his pelvis while his cock pumped his seed deep into her body. Her sheath pulsed in time to his release so that it too worked to catch his semen as deeply within her as it could. When at last he had finished, he withdrew and let her body fall to the bed.

  Without a word, he turned back to the door, picked up the pouch he had with him and walked to the table and chairs and unpacked.