Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 97 : I’m Going to Kill Him

*Lena*

I was ushered by two vampire guards shortly after I'd attempted to heal King Nikolas's feeder. I was thankful for it. I didn't want to spend another second in the room with him, and the place was so thick with the stench of blood.

I memorized the corridors we walked down, taking stock of every turn and every detail down to chips in the uneven chunks of obsidian and black granite of which the castle was made. I also prepared myself for another long stay in my ice palace, but when I was shoved through the door to my room, I was shocked by the transformation.

It was hot inside the room now, the frost that once lined the floor no longer shining like an icy, greasy sheen along the tiles. The circular room was lit only by the hearth, which was blazing, and more wood to feed it was stacked along the curved stone wall. My bed, which had been nothing more than a thin, soiled mattress on the ground, had been totally removed and replaced by an ornate, solid wood bed frame and a thick mattress that made my bones sing with relief as I gazed upon it, noticing the thick quilts and soft sheets.

A plush armchair had been placed in front of the fire, as well as a round coffee table. Vases of flowers I'd never seen before sat on nearly every surface.

Several platters of food were piled high on the coffee table. I didn't wait for the guards to shut the door behind me before I darted forward, dropping to my knees in front of the spread, which included steak dripping with pepper and butter, and a bowl of mashed potatoes sparkling with flakes of coarse salt. There was another plate piled with vegetables soaked in a rich, wine-colored sauce and sprinkled with what smelled like fresh herbs. A bowl of meaty stew, and an entire loaf of bread, along with a butter dish filled with golden, sweet honey butter, finished off the presentation.

I started to cry despite my efforts to control myself as I cut into the steak. I washed bite after bite down with glass upon glass of milk, which was cold and creamy, fresh.

So, they had cows in this realm. They had farms, agriculture. It wasn't a total surprise. I'd eaten food as rich and flavorful as this in Brune, along with the rest of Kiern and Costas's court. Kiern had explained that they did eat, although some favored blood over most meals. Kiern had preferred real food, while her husband had not.

For King Nikolas's castle to provide a meal such as this, they would have needed a well-staffed kitchen. I pushed the thought of the king and my situation out of my mind as I finished the steak and moved on to the rest.

I wasn't hungry any longer, but I continued to eat until every last crumb of bread, every honeyed shimmer of butter, and every drop of milk was gone.

I crawled into bed and flopped down on the sheets, my hands creeping over my stomach as I held my palms over the sanctuary where the greatest and most vulnerable part of me lay.

I'd worried about the baby endlessly over the past several days of my ice trial. It couldn't have been healthy or safe for her.

I turned my head to the door as the knob turned, but my body was too spent to react. A young woman peaked inside, hesitating for a moment before she fully entered the room. She was dressed plainly in a homespun gray dress that brushed her ankles and a stained apron. Her hair, mousy brown and thin, was pulled away from her face in a low bun along the nape of her neck.

She was incredibly young… at least, she looked like it, no more than a teenager. But she could have been a thousand years old for all I knew.

She didn't meet my eye as she fluttered across the room and began to stack the plates, the porcelain clanging against the crackling of the fire. She didn't meet my eye as she spoke, either, and her voice held a hint of what could only be described as fear as she said, “Can I run you a bath?"

I winced, sinking into the bedclothes. The bathroom adjacent to the bedroom had been filthy and covered in ice so thick I couldn't have run a bath if I tried. I hadn't even looked in there since returning to my room.

She finally looked over at me, her sapphire eyes lined with dark circles and indescribable sadness. She looked miserable and exhausted, enough so that I sat up and gathered the covers around my waist.

“Are you alright?" I asked, and she flinched at the sound of my voice as though I'd slapped her.

“Fine, miss."

wall toward the narrow wood door that led into the bathroom. Light sprung from the darkness as she lit what must have been candles within. I heard the sound of running water, and soon steam

quietly toward the bathroom. I could see her shadow moving beneath

come in," she said softly, sensing my nearby

coursing through my body as I pushed open

been before. The tub, once covered entirely in ice, was carved out of obsidian, flush with the wall. The water swirled like ink dusted with bubbles and petals as

seen

“Okay–"

door to the bathroom closed behind her as she hurried out. I took off my shirt and pants, the same I'd been wearing beneath

settled on my stomach. She was looking at the scars that ran across my belly, long, jagged reminders of the night Xander,

to be tolerable, but I didn't sink into it up to my

to hear the story?" I asked her as she stood like

blinked, lowering her head as she rushed toward the counter where

mean

like this on someone

and she laid the nightgown

you need help washing and

began, unaccustomed to the force in my voice. She swallowed again and nodded tightly as I

“and they are… something else, older than

“But still vampires?"

and to my surprise, her skin colored as she searched for the words she needed to

I said, a shocked laugh escaping

shrug, but only lowered her gaze to the floor. “They are so old they've just.... All that's left of them is what they are, just muscle, just speed. An undying loyalty is all that's left in their minds." She took a reluctant step away from the counter, turning to face me fully. She met my eye, only the second time she

“Why?"

an extension of the king–" She bit her lip, flushing deeply. She

“What is your name?"

“Penny," she whispered.

the king is

“Yes, I–"

many women have come

she looked away from me and toward the mirror

only one who has made