Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 14 : Dark Discoveries

*Lucas*

'Something bad....'

Sasha's words rang in my head as I tried to focus on finding a new project to write up a proposal for. There were plenty of sites in Egoren that needed attention.

But I couldn't shake Shasha's warning about the temple from my mind.

Part of me wanted to believe she'd been spooked by her near-fall, but I knew that couldn't be it. It seemed crazy to risk my career by reporting her 'feelings of evil' to King Xander. But, if there was something to it, I would be to blame if people got hurt because of it.

I warred with my options for the better part of an hour before I cursed out loud and went to find Brady.

He was waiting in the hall.

“Need to talk?" Brady asked, those damn lips twitching again.

“Shut up," I grumbled. “Where's Phoebe?"

“Sleeping."

“You still catch spooky vibes, don't you?"

“Can I sense the difference between good and evil? Yes," Brady said. “Why? You want me to go hit Donovan Clarke again?"

“You hit him?" Jealousy curled in my gut.

“One of the most satisfying things I've ever done," Brady confirmed. “Wouldn't mind doing it again."

I grunted. “Some things a man wants to do for himself."

“For his mate," Brady corrected me, his eyes twinkling.

“She's not my mate," I muttered, though my heart thudded when I said it.

“You don't know that," Brady said. He sighed and shook his head. “Anyway, what's up?"

“Sasha says there's something evil at the site."

“You don't believe her?"

“I don't know. But, I believe she believes it. I want to go back over to the site." I didn't know I'd decided that until the words were out. Brady followed me as I hurried to start packing bags with what I'd need for exploring in the darkness from my engineering supplies.

“What? Now?! It'll be after midnight by the time the train gets there! It'll be the last train out. There won't be one back until morning!" Brady protested.

“I need to know. And now that the Lycaon Church is involved, they're not just going to let me stroll over there in the daylight," I reasoned, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

“You could just report it," Brady pointed out. I waited for him to play the potential scenario out in his head. “Yeah, you would both look unstable. But, if you're caught out there...."

“I'll just have a look and see," I muttered. “Will you come with me?"

Brady laughed. “Yeah, um, no."

“Why not?"

“Because it's crazy."

“Scared?" I teased.

“Engaged," he reminded me.

and headed for the door. “I

morning?" Brady

know a guy in town,"

“Did you let

time." My

there alone, right?

coming?" I held up the second bag for him and

a companionable silence as we headed for the train station, which

way Brady's eyes slipped from side to side as we made our way down the road at the edge of the woods and past the barn Sasha and I had made our stand in made me realize, with rising dread,

I asked, not sure why I was so

not the only thing out there," Brady

a hand through

we don't bother with whatever it

it," I

both of us were a mature shifter and vampire, so no flashlight was needed. His glowing eyes were incredulous. “You've got

Sasha. That's what she said. I'm not leaving here until we get

onto… so that's what that was," Brady

was?"

zap of… something. But it was gone so quickly, I barely clocked it." Brady looked out into the woods again and shivered. “Lucas, my man, I know you're worried, but there are

library site. The temple area was roped off with a single industrial flood light shining

sensing

cold. “Evil

I remembered something. “A good bit of the old library burned down a few years ago, all the way through the foundation, and there

saw that the archeological team had already built a scaffolding down into the hole. “Convenient," I

a bad, bad place. We need to get the

on the first rung of the ladder,

longest time, me looking up at him from the temple floor, him looking down at

don't," I snarled, tired of

floated down into the temple with me. “I'm going to

Sasha stays safe," I grunted,

muttered, but he began circling the

after finding nothing but innocuous books and other artifacts sitting in organized rows in

did the moonlight, and I was just getting

jumped back, slamming right into

my shoulders. “There

Skeletons, now meticulously assembled and tagged, filled the space, some spread across the floor, others in

My stomach turned.

some tags. He murmured to himself more and more as he

is it?" I asked, as though there could be something worse than the discovery

same time." He looked

took a step back,

to me. He shook the dust off his clothes and grimly cast his eyes back over the temple proper. “The evil isn't coming from there,

from?" I turned around, looking around the space myself. Aside from being

like a bloodhound. He walked over to the altar and

click, then a

narrow space between the altar and the wall. I followed him, squeezing in next

been revealed under the altar. A

the White Queen?" Brady

staring at the

this place is supposed to be

I nodded. “It is."

the White Queen. They never did. Did