Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 620

Chapter 120 : Xander Is Dead

*Xander*

I wanted to be dead.

But those vampire bastards were doing everything they could to keep me alive. I was sure the torture they were inflicting was part of the act of trying to turn me into one of their hybrids, but the powers in my blood were preventing that from happening.

I was reserving those powers, turning them into something almost euphoric instead of deadly. If one of the Death Walkers attempted to feed on me, well, they were suddenly dizzy and unstable, often falling into a deep slumber with a childlike smile on their face.

I don't know how long this had been going on. I hadn't left the circular room where they were keeping me. The only thing keeping me lucid was Lena's smell, which seemed to overwhelm the room. This is where she had been kept, and I was sure King Nikolas was keeping me here on purpose.

My body was in shambles, and every ragged breath was a challenge. I couldn't feel my legs, and my skin burned with fever.

Just let me die, I thought, every time a new vampire came in to force some blood root tonic down my throat. Just let me die.

But then I… I was sure I wasn't seeing what I saw.

Slate was in the room, talking to a Death Walker. His skin was… gray, his eyes a pale red. He looked totally different, but yet, his voice–his voice was the same.

Not real–he wasn't real. I was dreaming.

Until I wasn't.

“I'm going to be the one to kill you," Slate said into my ear, his elongated fangs grazing my neck. I tried to push him away, but I couldn't move my arms. My fingers twitched in response to his touch. I curled my fingers, which sent a shooting pain up my arms and into my shoulders.

No, not Slate–I'd seen him go over that gorge. I'd heard him hit the bottom.

“Get away from him, Slate. You'll have your turn," King Nikolas said as he strode into the room.

I was able to turn my head enough to see him as he approached, and I started, shocked by his skin.

He was pale, nearly translucent. But burn scars fanned out over his skin, covering one eye. He looked… horrific, a walking nightmare. And he was furious.

“Can you feel her yet, little wolf?" he sneered, reaching down to scrape a long, jagged fingernail down my bare chest.

I hissed with pain as he broke my skin open. He chuckled under his breath, eyes flicking toward Slate, who was staring at the fresh blood on my chest with a look of pure, animalist hunger. “Wait your turn," he barked at Slate.

“The guards say his blood is… different," Slate drooled, which made my jaw clench.

I felt my powers of darkness rushing forward, twisting and turning into something deadly in my veins.

“New vampires are always so hungry," the king said to me with a shrug, mopping up my bloodied chest with the corner of his cloak. “Slate nearly wiped out all of our servants before I could stop him."

“Get away from me," I growled, but neither man moved away from the bed.

“Mate… such a strange concept. What does it feel like, having someone bound to you like that? They say it's like sharing a soul. Is that true?"

“Mates are nothing but property," Slate sneered, “breeding stock."

“I'll f*****g kill you, again," I hissed, my fingers twitching as fury and adrenaline numbed the pain I was experiencing.

“Speaking of breeding," the king said as he began to walk around to the other side of the bed, his long platinum hair trailing out behind him in a sheet of silver white. “Did your mate really think she could hide her pregnancy from me? I could taste it in her blood, you know. I could taste you. The only reason I kept her alive during her time here is because the blood of a wolf pup is especially… delicious–"

“You f*****g monster," I ground out, trying to form fists with my shattered hands.

“I'll get an heir out of her yet," the king said, unperturbed by my curses. “Then you can have her, Slate. That was the deal, after all."

“And a kingdom in New Night," Slate added, rocking on his heels.

New Night?

“Ah, yes. Of course." The king reached up to tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear, his touch making my skin crawl. “How close we are to taking over your realm, little wolf. Your homes will soon be filled with my kind. Your people won't need them. Your kind… will just be fodder to my armies. And they are hungry."

“Can I drink from him now?" Slate whined, trembling as he rested his palms on the bed, down right shaking with anticipation.

“You will not drink before your king," the king said sharply, and Slate cowered, falling to his knees on the ground.

I swallowed back a grunt of mirth seeing Slate cower. I let my remaining energy feed my power, my soul-sucking power, the power that had plagued my family since the dawn of time.

But then I felt a searing pain in the mark on my chest. I gasped, sucking in my breath as the heat of it spread over my skin. The king hadn't noticed; he was too busy chastising Slate to pay me any mind.

Lena–she was here, in this realm. I could feel it. She was… she was close. Oh Goddess, no. No! She was walking right into a trap.

“You can't kill me," I taunted as I let the full strength of my power roll over my body. I couldn't protect Lena by blanketing her in shadows, not now, not when I needed those powers to kill, or at least subdue the king.

But I was weak. It was taking all of the depleted strength I had to bring those powers forth.

This was going to kill me. I had no doubt in my mind that this was how I would die.

But I'd be taking the king with me into Hell.

“I won't be killing you. You'll make too fine of a hybrid to waste."

I closed my eyes against his words, gritting my teeth as I felt his hand wrap around my wrist, then his breath was on my skin.

The bite didn't hurt. I was used to it now. But the king was much stronger than his guards, and the force of his power was evident by how fast he was draining me.

But I was not just a shifter. I let my powers trickle away, rushing out of the wound he'd inflicted. I used the last ounce of life I had to push that shadow through me, and out of me, right into the king.

I was barely lucid when I heard the king's shocked moan. Something clattered to the ground as my other wrist met with Slate's teeth, who was too hungry to even notice the damage my blood had inflicted on his master.

Death was near, and it was cold and empty. I felt it take me like a wave of icy water as the dim light of the room began to fade into flakes of black nothingness.

“Lena," I said aloud, and I was sure it would be the last word to ever leave my lips.

***

*Lena*

The castle was heavily guarded, and it took the full force of the legion of warriors to cut through the vampires and gain entrance. Vampire after vampire charged for us, snarling and clacking their fangs together as they lunged for my troops.

Even I wielded blades, cutting them down, slicing them up and pushing them over the bridge that led to the castle, all while Narcissa walked in front of me, casually, like she was just taking a midnight stroll.

It wasn't until we reached the castle that I caught a glimpse of her abilities. The door to the castle flew open with a swipe of her hand, flying off into the deep well of rock that surrounded the fortress. She strode inside, looking around as more vampires rushed us. She was oblivious to the battle taking place behind her as she turned toward the staircase.

“All you need to do," she said softly, a playful smile touching her lips as she placed her hand on the railing, “is will the stone to do your bidding. You must offer it something, and when it accepts, you will be able to use it in any way you desire."

With that, she was gone, and I knew exactly where she was headed. She was going to the library, to find that ghost of her father.

I took off for the stairs and let Oliver, Kiern, and the warriors finish the job.

I screamed Xander's name over and over. I sent my silver wolves made of mist and starlight rushing down every corridor and shredding whatever vampires they found there.

But then I felt him, barely, but strong enough to give me a clue as to where he was–where he was barely hanging on.

He was in my old room, and the door was shut.

I kicked it over and over again until it opened, flying off the hinges. I gasped in shock as I stumbled over Slate, or what had once been Slate, who was now one of the gray vampire guards. He was dead, at least, as dead as he could be being undead and all.

I didn't even think before I drove a wooden blade straight through his heart, and his body turned to ash around me.

The king was slumped over whoever was laying sprawled out in the bed, his silver hair draped over the mattress. His eyes were open, but unseeing, his long fingernails clutching the sheets as he began to slide onto the floor.

He was paralyzed. He couldn't move. But his eyes flicked to mine as he fell onto the ground, furious and full of death.

“Narcissa!" I screeched.

She wanted to be the one to kill him, but I had a wooden blade in my hand. I could do it. I could do it now.

But then my gaze fluttered to the body on the bed, and I nearly fell to my knees.

Xander was laying there, his eyes closed as though he were sleeping, as though he were dreaming some soft, peaceful dream.

I choked on a sob, unable to move as I waited for his chest to rise and fall, but it didn't.

I was too late.

I was far too late.

His body was cold to the touch, his wounds no longer bleeding. I rushed to him, my hands on either side of his face as I begged him to breathe. I sliced open my palm and dropped my blood into his mouth, but nothing happened.

Nothing happened.

Nothing.

“Xander!" I cried, gathering him into my arms and shaking him.

His body was bent in several impossible angles, covered in bite marks. Rage ripped through me as I screamed, screamed like I myself was being torn to shreds. Not him… oh Goddess, not him.

I didn't notice the people in the room until I heard Narcissa's voice cut through my screaming. She was holding her brother up by his hair, a strange blade made of what looked like polished bone in her hand. She cut his head off in one swing, and his body fell to the floor.

Kiern had her arms around me, and Oliver was at my side, but I couldn't hear his voice. All I could hear was a gentle hum of energy filling the room, and my ears began to ring.

“He's dead," I cried, over and over. “He's dead. Oliver–"

Oliver grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me violently, then yanked the chain that held the sunstone from my neck until it snapped.

“Use it, girl," Narcissa purred behind me. “Bring this castle to the ground. Shatter this realm."

How? What would I offer it? What could I possibly offer it?

I clutched it with one hand as I caressed Xander's cheek with the other.

“We'll see each other again," I sobbed.

Then, I gave myself to the realm of the Gods, in exchange for Xander's life.