Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 594

*Xander*

“ZEKE!" the woman screamed as I wrestled her captor into the ground.

I glanced up at her, confused as she dropped to her knees and swatted me repeatedly with a canvas sack that felt like it was filled with rocks.

The man, apparently named Zeke, was hissing and moaning beneath me as I shoved my elbow into the back of his neck and held one of the wooden knives against his ribs, ready to drive it through his chest.

“Get off of him, you maniac!" the woman cried, beating me with her bag of rocks.

“He's a vampire!" I protested, throwing my weight against him as he continued to struggle.

The woman looked more annoyed than anything. Her skin wasn't pale at all, not like his. It was a rich golden brown, and her eyes were the palest, brightest blue I'd ever seen. Her hair was covered by the hood of her black cloak, but a few rogue, shadowed curls fell over her forehead as she glowered at me and wound her arm back, slamming the sack of rocks into my shoulder.

“He's my brother!" she spat, winding up to hit me again.

Zeke huffed a breath, straining as he tried to lift his head.

“He doesn't look like your brother," I said stupidly.

She glared, gritting her teeth as she reached into her bag and removed a rock. So, I'd been right.

She tossed it at me but missed, and it ricocheted off the tree and hit her in the chin. Her high-pitched screech was enough for me to loosen my grip on Zeke, and he struggled out from underneath me before I could regain my hold on him.

He had me on my back in an instant, his canine teeth snapping down from his gums in two long, pointed fangs. His amber eyes glowed, momentarily possessing me as I looked up at him, unable to tear my eyes away from his face.

“Holy s**t," I said, unable to stop the words from rolling off my tongue.

He furrowed his brow at me as his sister came up beside him, looking down at me with marked disapproval in her eyes.

“What?" Zeke said, likely surprised I hadn't screamed or begged for mercy.

He wasn't a sunken, shriveled gray demon from the depths of hell like what had assaulted me. If he'd been wearing finer clothes, he easily could have been a member of Costas' court.

But the initial shock I'd felt when I looked at his face, and the rich ebony hair, made me realize what had actually caught me by surprise.

“You look like Kiern," I stammered, and he immediately let me go.

The woman opened her mouth in a perfect O shape, her eyes flicking to her brother's face as the male vampire took a staggering step backward.

“How do you know the Queen of Brune?" the woman asked, her voice a symphony of sound.

I looked her up and down. She wasn't a shifter. I would have been able to smell that on her. But she wasn't a vampire, either. At least, not totally. She had a familiar look about her, but her features were striking and abnormal. She had a power about her I couldn't explain, something that caused me to want to cower and flinch away from her gaze, but I held it nonetheless.

“I was just in Brune."

“What were you doing in Brune?" she asked, a hint of fire in her voice. She looked defensive, and I was sure I saw a look of fear in her eyes.

Zeke ran his tongue along his lower lip, arching a brow as he waited for my response.

“It's a long story," I answered, moving slowly into a seated position, leaning against the tree. The empty blackness of the night around us was fading into a rich, purple twilight, and I noticed the vampire flick his eyes to the sky, his expression tightening.

“What happened in Brune?" he asked, lowering his gaze to my tattered clothing and bite marks coating my exposed skin.

“Nothing. They're fine, at least they were when I left a day ago–a little over a day–"

“What are you?" the woman asked, taking a step forward.

Zeke stopped her from advancing any further toward me with his arm. She sniffed, scrunching her nose.

“What? Do I smell?" I teased, which neither of them appreciated. “I'm a wolf."

“There are no wolves here," she said.

“I can prove it to you," I offered.

It wasn't like my clothes could rip any further without falling off completely, anyway.

Zeke growled, low in his throat.

“What are you doing here?" the woman asked. “Why were you in Brune?"

“So many questions, and I don't even know your name," I countered, crossing my arms over my chest.

She stiffened, chewing her lower lip as she glanced at Zeke, who shook his head.

“Ianthe," she whispered, the name barely audible. I c****d my brow. “IANTHE."

“Eye-what?"

“Eye-an-thee!" she snapped, exaggerating every sound. “Now tell us what you're doing out here barely clothed and covered in bite marks."

“I was attacked by vampires, obviously. And I'm looking for the Vampire King, King Nikolas. He has my mate, and I need to get her back. Do you know the way to the castle?"

Zeke and Ianthe looked at each other. Ianthe's voice cracked into a laugh, and she threw her head back, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

“You're not serious–"

“I am." I reached to the velvet sack of bloodstone on my belt and emptied the contents into my palm. “If you show me the way, I'll give you these."

“Where did you get those?" Zeke asked sharply, his upper lip curling into a sneer.

“King Costas of Brune," I said, closing my hands around the bloodstones. I had no idea of their worth, but it was all I had to offer them. “Please. All I need is–"

“Why did he give you these?" Zeke's tone was harsh with a bitter edge.

I furrowed my brow as I looked over his face, trying to make sense of the anger flaming behind his eyes. Ianthe cleared her throat, nudging the vampire with her elbow as she glanced up at the sky.

“We don't have time for this conversation. It's nearly daylight, Zeke. We need to find you shelter."

Zeke's eyes remained on mine for a moment before he let out his breath and ground his teeth, then nodded, turning his gaze to Ianthe. “There are caves nearby."

“Wait!" I said, rising to my feet. “Please, how do I get to the castle?"

Ianthe looked me up and down, taking in my tattered clothing and overall disheveled appearance before glancing at her brother, who had tucked his long hair behind his ears and was putting on his hood.

“I have some food, but not much. We will talk while he sleeps–"

“No," Zeke said firmly, but based on the look Ianthe gave him, she was the one in charge. Zeke surrendered, rolling his eyes toward me and baring his teeth with a hiss before he started forward, disappearing over the edge of the bluff.

“What's his problem?"

“Just so you know," Ianthe said sharply as she walked forward, looking at me over her shoulder, “I am perfectly capable of defending myself and my honor. If you so much as touch me, I'll kill you without hesitation."

“I just need to know how to find the Vampire King," I said as I raised my hands in surrender. “You could tell me now, and I'll be on my way."

“You'll never find it in your current state. Come, I have a few hours to explain."

She stepped down over the edge of the bluff, skillfully maneuvering down the rocks that led into the narrow valley. Zeke was far below us, and as I followed Ianthe downwards, he disappeared in a shadowed crack in the black granite.

***

Ianthe laid out a small spread of stale bread and a few pieces of jerky. I couldn't name the meat. It didn't taste like anything I'd ever eaten. I swallowed it down nonetheless.

Zeke was in the farthest reaches of the cave he'd found, which was little more than a shallow hole in the side of the bluff. Pink sunlight poured through the entrance where we sat, and Ianthe turned her face toward it, the light shimmering across her skin.

“What are you?" I asked, popping a dry piece of bread into my mouth.

She removed her hood to reveal spiral curls that fell over her shoulders in a shower of deep brown and auburn, nearly the color of her skin.

“Just a wayward witch," she said casually. I wasn't sure if she was joking or not. She obviously wasn't a vampire if she could stand sitting in the sun like that. “Excuse Zeke's behavior, if you can. He's fiercely protective of me."

“Is he really your brother?"

“Yes, he is. We share a mother."

“Is that mother… Kiern?" I asked, hesitating before I said the queen's name. Ianthe turned her gaze to me, nodding.

“Zeke is her son through Costas, and I am her daughter through… well, I'm not entirely sure."

“But she's a vampire?"

“Yes, she is. But my father was a witch. I only have vague memories of her, and I've never met him because he's dead. Zeke has been my guardian since birth."

“Then, you weren't born in Brune?"

“Obviously not. Zeke and his mother went to visit her people in one of the other underground cities ruled by the lower vampires. The city had been found by King Nikolas and destroyed. They were taken in by a coven far east of here, across the great river. Zeke said they spent many years there. I was born, and Kiern could in no way return with me to Brune. Costas would have killed me immediately because of his fierce jealousy when it comes to our mother. So, I was to be left behind in the care of the witches but… the coven was attacked. Zeke and I were separated from Kiern, and he… he has raised me ever since."

I wasn't sure what to say, but she didn't seem to be waiting for a response.

“Zeke has been looking for the coven of the Great Witch for years, but they hide themselves well. Tonight, we will cross a river, and on the other side is the sea. That's where they live, and where he means for me to stay."

“That's what you were arguing about last night?"

“Yes."

“Why?"

“Because King Nikolas knows of me and has been sending his spies after us for years. Zeke thinks it's the only place I'll be safe. But… I am of both kinds. The vampires don't accept me. Who says the witches will?"

“Why is the King after you?"

“Why did he take your… your–"

“My mate," I breathed, wrapping my arms around my knees. Ianthe had given me a pair of Zeke's pants to wear, pulling them out of her canvas sack. She had all kinds of things in there, which was odd based on its size.

“He wants a child," Ianthe breathed, her eyes looking out over the valley. “That's what he has your mate for."

“I know."

Maybe that's what he wanted her for, as well. I stared at her, wondering just how old she was. It was hard to tell. She was young, but being half vampire she could have been hundreds of years old. A life on the run, in hiding, could have been decades or centuries.

“Zeke will help you find him," she whispered, tilting her head toward the back of the cave, “and I will convince him if he refuses. But only if I can have the bloodstones."

“Why do you need them? What can they do?"

“Whatever I want them to," she replied, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. “Try to sleep. We have a long journey tonight."