Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 588

Chapter 88 : Kingdom of Brune

*Xander*

This was a major risk.

The woman hurried ahead of me, her feet sure and agile as she stepped over the roots that covered the forest floor. We followed no trail, but I knew she was aware of where she was going. She exuded the signs of someone who spent time hunting… or being hunted.

She stopped twice, abruptly, covering the lantern with her cloak and shrouding us in complete darkness. I didn't breathe during these moments, didn't even dare to move as the woman scanned our surroundings. Small creatures moved through the forest. Birds flapped their wings and shook the branches over our heads. But there was nothing large nearby, at least from my own awareness and understanding.

She was moving faster than I could handle while carrying Lena. My arms and shoulders were numb after hours of effort, and my feet were bare and bruised. I almost asked her to slow down, but I wasn't sure if she could understand me. It turned out that I didn't have to because one moment the woman was in front of me, and the next moment she disappeared into the darkness.

I come to an abrupt stop, looking wildly around for her lantern light. I heard a soft whoosh of movement where she had just been standing, and I turned back toward that spot as the lantern light spilled toward me, illuminating the space where I was standing.

I looked up to find a giant, towering tree directly in front of me. There was a cleft in it, just wide enough that I could step inside of it as I followed the lantern.

I lost my balance as the ground beneath me fell away, and I stumbled on what felt like stairs. Two small, childlike hands came up to steady me.

“Down," said the woman, and she hooked the lantern's handle over one of my fingers as she stepped behind me. I heard rustling and turned to find her moving several bundles of tree branches woven with alders in front of the cleft in the tree, sealing us inside.

I turned back to the stairs. They spiraled down into darkness… more darkness, just darkness.

“Go!" she hissed behind me, and I did, the lantern swinging on my finger as I balanced Lena in my arms in the crowded space.

“Where are we?"

“Safe," the woman breathed, and I heard a rustle of fabric that I assumed was her removing the cloak from over her head.

We reached the bottom of the stairs, and I stopped, waiting for further instructions. The woman squeezed past me, grabbing the lantern from me as she moved into the darkness. Suddenly, the area was showered in warm amber light as she used the lantern to light a torch, revealing a long, curving corridor.

I hadn't noticed the basket the woman had been carrying. It was dangling from her waist by a strap that hung from her shoulder. The basket was full of plants I couldn't name and had never seen before, several of which were white flowers that had a strange, iridescent glow to them. She noticed my gaze and shrugged, motioning toward the basket.

“Herbs," she said casually, then started forward down the corridor before I could utter a single word in response.

So, she did speak my language, or at least enough of it that I could understand her, and she could understand me. But I bit my tongue as I followed her, the unease of being stuck in a dark, endless forest in a world full of vampires replaced by the fact I had followed one inside a tree, and underground.

But I found myself at a loss for words when we rounded a corner and came face to face with a heavy, ornate set of double doors, two torches already lit on either side of them. My mouth dropped open as my gaze moved up along the symbols and designs, all of them etched into what looked like solid gold and embellished with gemstones.

“Safe, inside," the woman said, nodding her head toward the door. “She needs the healer." She pointed at Lena, a look of concern flashing over her dainty features.

This woman was young, little older than a teenager, and based on the velvet, emerald-green dress she was wearing beneath the black cloak and the polished moonstones she wore in her earlobes and pinned throughout her long, golden braid, I assumed she was some kind of royal, or at least wealthy.

She pounded a rhythmic pattern against the door, and after a moment it creaked open, warmth and light spilling into the corridor.

I damn near dropped Lena out of sheer surprise.

***

*Lena*

The ceiling was low and covered in plaster that was painted in a mural of sweeping florals and foliage. I'd been staring up at it for hours, unbothered by the women circling around me with their kettles of richly brewed herbs wafting fragrant steam into the air as they rubbed my arms, legs, and stomach with poultices.

I didn't protest. I didn't utter a word. I just laid there.

Maybe I slept; I wasn't sure. Time seemed to stand still. Eventually, I was propped up, a blanket laid over my body and several thick pillows stuffed behind my back so I was forced to sit.

A tray was laid over my lap, and an unfamiliar woman fed me spoonfuls of hearty stew while another waited to tip a teacup into my mouth. They didn't give me the option of feeding myself. I ate everything they offered me, every single morsel of food they had. Slowly my strength began to return, and the blanket of exhaustion lifted, and I was struck with a crushing reality.

“Xander?" I said sharply, which shocked the women who were circling the bed, all of them dressed in gowns of fine silks and velvet. Their hair was twisted in challenging braids and coils, roped with strings of gold and pinned with jewels. “Where am I?"

One of the women stepped forward, placing a pale, thin hand on her companion's shoulder as the other women slowly retreated from the bed.

Oh, Goddess, I thought, sinking into the pillows as my gaze left the woman, and I looked wildly around the room at its finery, wealth.

Was I in the castle of the Vampire King?

The woman who had stepped forward bowed deeply, and her companions followed suit. I glanced at each and every one of them, seeing them for what they were past their riches… vampires, all of them.

“How do you feel?" the woman asked, her jet black hair swept away from her ageless face.

“Where am I?"

“Safe," she said, and she sat on the edge of the bed, motioning for two of the women to pull back the curtains to reveal a giant window overlooking… daylight, green hills, green trees, a waterfall, and the sparkling lights of a village beyond. I narrowed my eyes, gaping slightly as I tried to catch the breath that was stuck in my throat.

“But…"

“Artificial light," she said, matter-of-factly. I snapped my eyes to hers as she continued, “It mimics the day you experience in your own realm."

“Am I being taken to the Vampire King?" I asked, fear prickling in my fingertips as I gripped the bedsheets.

She looked surprised. “No, of course not. You're safe here–"

“Where am I? Where is Xander?"

A low, playful murmur passed through the group standing at the edge of the bed, and several of the women blushed deeply.

“Your mate is fine, resting before he meets the king… our king, that is, my husband."

“I don't–I don't understand–"

“I understand you've met my niece, Alma. She is a talented healer based on what she was able to do to the wounds you have on your belly."

“Alma?"

The woman nodded, a genuine smile spreading across her face. She looked like she could be younger than Alma, maybe even younger than myself, but her voice was that of a woman who had lived a long life and was rich with wisdom. “My sister's daughter. I never had the chance to meet my nieces and nephews, unfortunately. But that's a story for another time." She paused, rubbing the corner of the bedsheets between her thumb and forefinger.

“This kingdom is a prize, a precious jewel. Long ago, my husband's grandfather created this place as a refuge for the lower vampires who were facing slavery–and worse–in the lands above us. We are the lucky few who don't have to bend the knee to the King of Nightmares, Nikolas."

A chill ran up my spine as I thought of the man from my dream, and my fear must have shown on my face, for she placed a hand on my ankle over the bedsheets.

“You're safe here, White Queen. We know what's happening to your realm. Whispers of an invasion have been trickling down here for years now. Your arrival is well-timed. The Wise Women have been expecting you."

“Who?"

But before she could answer, there was a knock on the door, and a maid stepped inside, nodding in greeting to what I assumed was the queen's court. The queen rose, nodding to the maid.

“We must get you dressed for dinner," she said, and then looked down at her hands as she chuckled. “A dinner we will eat together."

I blanched, adrenaline coursing through me as I realized a silent question about what, or who, they'd be eating for dinner had been sitting on the tip of my tongue.

The maid retreated into the hallway as the court circled the bed, and helped me dress with all the gentleness in the world. I'd been scrubbed clean, my hair washed and styled, although several of the women clicked their tongues and commented on how short it was. But after nearly an hour of preparation, I was led in front of a mirror, and I barely recognized the woman in my reflection.

I was dressed in a gown that looked as though it were made of stars… long sleeved, but rather racy as it hugged every curve of my body like a glove.

“A goddess," the queen cooed, extending her hand for me to take.

I wondered if she knew that was exactly what I was.

“Will Xander be there? I need to talk to him."

“Of course, White Queen. He is waiting for you now. Come, let me show you the Kingdom of Brune."

I was led out of the room and into a corridor that shimmered like the inside of the diamond. Everything was all colors and life, nothing like I thought I'd find in the realm of the vampires.

“My name is Kiern," the queen said as she tucked my hand in the crook of her elbow.

“Selene," I replied, and I thought I saw a flash of understanding pass behind her pale auburn eyes.