Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 81 : Breeder to the Night King

*Lena*

The man from my nightmare flitted through my mind as I slowly raised my cheek from the stone floor of my cell, looking Slate straight in the eyes.

“Vampire?" I asked, a violent chill descending on me and making my skin burn with bitter cold.

“You're kidding, right? You didn't know?" Slate laughed, actually laughed, and leaned backward, hugging himself. “You–you have to be joking, Lena. Seriously."

“I don't know what you're talking about–"

“That's enough," came a gruff voice down the corridor, followed by echoing footsteps.

My heart sank as Maxwell Radcliff's voice filled my ears. The last time I'd seen him, I'd hit him in the head with a flashlight. “She needs to eat something, and rest–"

“I'm just having a little fun," Slate pouted as Maxwell stopped at his side. Maxwell nudged him with the toe of his boot. Slate groaned, then hopped to his feet, scowling at me as he tucked his hands in his pockets. “She stinks. She needs a bath too. I can do the honors–"

“No," Maxwell said firmly as he unlocked the cell, glancing at Slate with a snarl on his face. Slate paled, sheepishly shrugging one shoulder as he rocked on heels. Maxwell held his gaze, his darkened eyes cutting through Slate like a blade, and Slate cowered before he turned on his heel and walked away. “I'm sorry about him–"

“Get away from me!" I screeched, which caused Maxwell to startle in surprise.

He raised his brow, shaking his head as he set a brown paper bag on the ground in front of me. “Food, and a water bottle," he said with a gentleness that made me want to vomit.

I bared my teeth at him as he took a step in his direction, and he halted.

“Eat."

I spit at him, and he backed up a step, a wry smile touching his lips. “He'll be impressed with you. You should be grateful for that."

“I'm not going anywhere–"

“That's not up to you. You're going to open a portal for us into King Nikolas's realm–"

“No, I am not!"

“You are," he growled, crouching down to look me in the eye. “You don't have a choice."

“I'd rather die–"

“Then I'll turn you, Lena, into something like Jen. That's what those beasts are–did you know? They're shifters who had the blood drained from their bodies and replaced with the blood of my kind. We need access to his whole army, not just the handful of creatures roaming Crimson Creek. You killed them all, Lena. And now the king would like to meet you."

“I can't do that–"

“If you are what they say you are, you can. And you will, or we will ravage the pack lands and kill everyone. Your family and friends will be first."

I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat as I pressed my cheek back to the ground. “What does Slate have to do with this?"

“He's been working for us for a while now," Maxwell sighed as he leaned his shoulder against the wall. “He brings the women the king needs for, well, what you're going to be used for in that realm."

“What do you mean?"

“You're his breeder, of course. No one else can handle his, uh.... Well, here's the thing–" he kicked off the wall and took a few steps toward me. I flinched away from him as he crouched in front of me again. “There's two types of vampires. There's the High Vampires, the elite, the immortal. And then there's the Lower Vampires, or Vamps. They're not immortal, and can have children, which allows the High Vampires to maintain a large slave and feeder population."

I needed to throw up. My stomach clenched as I mulled over his words. Feeder? Vampires ate… other vampires?

“The Vamps follow some pagan religion tracing back to the witches of the realm.... I don't really know, “ he waved a hand in dismissal. “They revolted against the prior king, and a massive civil war broke out and lasted for nearly two hundred years. Some of the Vamps, freed from their shackles, were able to escape and crossed to this realm with the help of the witches. They set up here, in Crimson Creek, having their children and living in secret among your kind."

I thought of Gideon and his family, my heart breaking with this new knowledge.

“I'm a Vamp," Maxwell said with a shrug. “But I won't be for long… no. See, Vamps aren't immortal, but we do live for a long, long time. I'd like to make that… forever. The king is willing to grant me that wish in exchange for you."

“I won't help you."

“Slate," he continued, “has been essential in finding young women to bring to Crimson Creek. Normally they're just brought to the barrier between our realms as sacrifices–"

“You said you needed me to open a portal, but you already have one?"

“It's not that simple," he hissed, his canine teeth elongated. “The Vamps in the Night Realm are slaves, remember? They mine the bloodstones needed to activate the witches' powers to open small, temporary portals to this realm. The captured witches often refuse to do it, and are tortured if they do not comply. For centuries, the king has been trying to open a permanent portal to this realm to no avail. But then… the prophecy of the moonstones came to fruition, a prophecy shared with the Night Realm. The Moon Goddess would come back, to walk among the mortals again."

“So he needs me–"

“High Vampires have been around since the dawn of time, Lena. They were created alongside the gods, according to legend. The king believes that you, a goddess, is the only way he can produce a true blood heir. He is at risk of losing his stronghold on the Night Realm, but if he produced an heir–a child of a goddess, well… he could retain his power forever, cementing his positions among the gods."

“This is ridiculous," I muttered, wanting nothing more than to close my eyes.

“This is reality, and you will obey him, and me, while you're in my possession."

“What happened to Carly?" I whispered.

To my surprise his face fell, his eyes shadowed by a sudden, undeniable sadness. “Slate brought her to me to bring her to the king. I tried to wipe her memory by draining her, essentially killing her, but she was… strong willed–a fighter. The king had been looking for women who had White Queen blood, and Slate thought, based on her appearance, she may be related to the White Queen line in some capacity. I think he was right. She healed when she shouldn't have. She was likely some long-lost cousin of yours from a distance branch of your lineage, Lena. And I…" Maxwell hesitated, swallowing painfully as he met my eye. “I fell in love with her. Unrequited, of course, but I loved her. I loved her to the point that I defied the king. I lied about her, hiding her away and telling him she was dead. He believed me."

“Where is she now?"

His face hardened and he looked away, refusing to answer.

“Where are you keeping her?" I pressed, but he clamped his mouth shut for what felt like several minutes.