Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 116 : Tell Her I Loved Her

*Xander*

We'd hatched a practically impossible plan. It was a last-ditch effort, but there was a slim chance it could buy the allied forces a full night to rest and regroup, and to hold onto Breles. Oliver was sitting next to me in Gideon's truck as we bounced over the rolling hills on the outskirts of Crimson Creek, a massive tank of fuel jostling in the bed of the truck behind us. One wrong move and we'd tip over, potentially blowing the truck, and ourselves, up.

Oliver and I were absolutely covered in blood root. I glanced at him, seeing nothing but his multicolored eyes as he peered through the windshield. I'd left my warriors and Gideon behind, so it was just me and the fire-obsessed cousin of my mate.

We were nearly at the outcropping of dead trees and the dilapidated temple where both Lena and I had been held captive and tortured. I could see the portal now, wide and rippling with energy. It reflected all of the colors of the incredible sunset behind it, but upside down, which was the only way to differentiate it from the landscape beyond.

“This is going to work," Oliver remarked, more to himself than to me.

“You just want to play with fire again," I mused, and Oliver smirked, shrugging one shoulder.

“My uncle Keaton had me light all of his cigars as a kid. He thought it was the most useful trick, but my parents thought differently. I caught the palace on fire more than once."

I arched my brow at him, and he turned to me with a wry grin.

“Mischief is a family trait. No one can fault me for that."

“A family of menaces," I breathed, shaking my head.

I wondered what my daughter would be like, who she would be like–Lena, with her striking intelligence and beauty, but a flair for the dramatics and an affinity for acting without thinking, or me, damn near perfect in every way?

I chuckled to myself as I pulled the truck into the clearing near the temple. Oliver sighed deeply, looking around.

“We have about twenty minutes to do what we need to do," I said in a whisper, a feeling of unease rippling up my spine. Oliver was out of the truck before I'd even finished the sentence.

I stepped out of the truck as Oliver connected a hose to the fuel tank and began dragging it over to the portal. I hissed at him to be careful, noticing how his copper curls seemed to drift toward the portal the closer he got to the opening, like he was being pulled inside. Oliver waved his hand at me in dismissal as he began to spray fuel in front of the portal, and within minutes he'd soaked the area.

The smell of gasoline was sharp and made me slightly dizzy as I watched the fuel gauge drain.

“A little more," I shouted, and Oliver continued to spray until the ground was so saturated with fuel that Oliver's shoes made sloshing sounds as he walked through the grass and blood root back to the truck.

nonchalantly toward the portal. It took us several minutes to push the tank out of the bed of the

It was turning a rich violet, the first stars peaking through

out branches before we got back in the truck and drove onto a nearby ridge. I looked down at the portal, my hands gripping the steering wheel as Oliver stepped

they can't see it sitting on the

the truck when Oliver used his

taking the first branch from him as

waited. The flames were catching on the branches, turning that initial dull glow into raging embers that made the branches burn like torches. Dusk faded into night, and through the portal, I saw the first ripple of

on the rigidness of their

another, until at least a hundred vampires were gathered in

mouth wide and let out a howl so shrill it made the hair on my arms stand on end. The vampires snapped their heads at us, their teeth shining

wave of them stepped out of the portal into the flames and were immediately engulfed in wave after wave of fire as Oliver and I began throwing the rest of the

was on fire now. The dry grass and blood root soaked in fuel set a black cloud of toxic smoke into the air, making it almost impossible to see what was happening below. But I knew more vampires were coming through the portal right

in the air as the fuel tank we'd left in the clearing exploded, sending a shower of

was panting, his eyes reflecting in the flames as

to turn around, but were met by the next group of their comrades trying to come through as well. Some of them began climbing up the hill toward us. Covered in blood root, we were damn near camouflaged against the night sky behind us. We charged them as they got near, throwing them back into the flames. Their screeches of surprise

I grabbed Oliver by the shoulder and

I heard them–the hybrid beasts. Their roars cut through the screeching below and

before we bolted. I saw it there, flames

dragging him down the other

trying to find his breath in the thick,

the truck struggled to start with a cracking rumble of protest. Smoke was choking the engine. I pounded on the dash as

me and shut the door just as the winged hybrid

engine started, thank the Goddess, as the hybrid situated itself right in front of

hybrid, sending it flying back. I threw the truck in reverse and sped backward, then drove the truck in a circle so we were facing Crimson Creek once again. In the rearview mirror, I

it. We f*****g

earth.

screamed, but my voice was drowned out by his panicked protest as

the hills and landing