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.

for the door. “I

you stay until morning?" Brady asked, falling into step

guy in town," I

you let him know

time." My

letting you go out there alone, right? You could very well

bag for

train station, which surprisingly lasted the several hours it took to get out to the

made our way down the road at the edge of the woods and past the barn Sasha and I had made our stand in

asked, not sure

not the only thing out there,"

raked a hand through my hair. “Great.

as we don't bother with whatever it is and it stays

it," I

us were a mature shifter and vampire, so no flashlight was

onto Sasha. That's what she said. I'm not leaving here

onto… so that's what that

what was?"

get her out of the bar, away from Donovan, I got this little 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

temple area was roped off with a single industrial flood light shining down into

you sensing anything?" I

stopped cold. “Evil

bit of the old library burned down a few years ago, all the way through the foundation, and there was nothing but dirt beneath. There was no sign that a temple had ever been

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

bad, bad place. We need

him off. “Not until I have my answers." I put my foot on the first rung of

time, me looking up at him from the

don't," I snarled, tired of his

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

regret anything as long as my Sasha

Sasha,'" Brady muttered, but he began circling the small space from the other

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

getting out a flashlight when something crunched beneath my

slamming right

of the White Queen!" Brady breathed, gripping my shoulders. “There have to be at least a

revealing a kind of catacombs. Skeletons, now meticulously assembled and tagged, filled the space, some spread across the

My stomach turned.

into the corridor and began reading some tags. He murmured to himself more and more as he

I asked, as though there could be something worse

time." He looked around. “All of them. This is just one

took a step

these is a question mark," Brady said, making his way back down to me. He shook the dust off his clothes

coming from?" I turned around, looking around the space myself. Aside from being dusty, it was

bloodhound. He walked over to the altar and began feeling around, his brow furrowed

a low click, then a

narrow space between the altar and the wall. I followed him, squeezing in next to him so we were

had been revealed under the altar. A dark

Queen?"

staring at

be an ancient temple,

I nodded. “It is."

the White Queen. They never did. Did they?"