Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 818

Chapter 29 : Inside Aeris’s Vault

*Eliza*

This was getting ridiculous.

I rolled over in bed, staring up at the darkened ceiling. This was the second time I'd slept through the day. My sleep schedule was all over the place. I was sure I'd missed out on something during the evening I spent glued to the mattress, especially since I woke to the sound of aggravated male voices whispering just outside my door.

I stepped out of bed, the muted green dress I was wearing now creased and wrinkled from sleep. I padded slowly to the door, leaning my ear against it.

“He'd be at one of the brothels in the city. Aeris wouldn't be a man that… stay here–" Jared's voice broke through the stillness of my room, his words slightly distorted by the door.

I threw open the door, much to the surprise of my murderous comrades, who snapped their necks to look at me.

“What're you talking about?" I asked, stifling a yawn. “What did I miss? You really shouldn't let me sleep like that. I know for a fact that none of you have qualms about just strolling into my room–" I tapered off, noticing the sharp expressions etched into each of the men's faces. “What happened?"

I locked eyes with Jared. He looked… terrifying. My chest squeezed as I held his gaze, willing him to explain what the hell the matter was. But something behind his eyes told me I was better off not knowing. I fought the urge to go back into my room.

Jared broke from my gaze and motioned to Brandt.

“We're going into town. Archer, stay with her. Keep the door locked."

“What? Me?"

Jared shot Archer a dirty look, then walked away without glancing back in my direction even once.

“What the hell is going on?" I bristled as Archer took me gently by the elbow and led me back into my room.

He closed the door, locking it in place before crossing the room and picking up the heavy armchair near the fireplace. I gaped at him as he carried it over to the door as if it weighed nothing, then dropped it soundly against the threshold, sitting down with his long legs outstretched.

“Archer...."

“Aeris is going to force our hands, Liz. He wants to keep you here, use you as his breeder. Jared and Brandt are trying to find a way to get you out of here without causing a war between our people and his pack."

My mouth went dry as I backed away from him and sat on the corner of the bed, my hands folded in my lap. There was no teasing note in Archer's voice, not a single shred of his usual mirth. He was serious. It sent a shiver down my spine as I slowly met his eyes.

“Were you really taken by force from a trading vessel?" he asked softly.

“I don't want to talk about it," I whispered.

I really didn't. A lot had happened to me over the past few weeks, but nothing compared to that night. I could barely think about it without my body freezing up in fear.

“That's alright, we don't have to." Archer shifted his weight, noticing how I was picking at my fingernails. A heavy silence settled over the room. Even the hearth, normally crackling with a warming fire, was silent.

“Tomorrow you… you will be taken to Aeris's vault, like planned. I'll be guarding you, but I can't promise Aeris will let me into his vault, so you'll be on your own for a little while." Archer gripped his knees, fighting a smile. “You'll need to be up to your usual games. Pull out all the stops, okay?"

I felt my own mouth twitching into a smile. “I appreciate your confidence in my ability to play the game, Arch, whatever that game is."

“Survival. No one does it better than you. You were meant to be one of us, I think. We're gonna make sure you're okay, okay? I promise."

Don't promise me that, I thought, my heart squeezing around Archer's words. I was one of them. I was… theirs. And they were mine. They wouldn't let Aeris have me, and in return, I was going to do everything I could to help Jared, even if it meant letting Aeris believe I was in his clutches.

“I fought in Breles," Archer said softly after several long minutes of silence. He seemed to be radiating pent-up energy, and I could tell he was disappointed Jared had made him stay behind with me while they were off doing whatever the hell they were doing. “I was on the front lines with the allied armies. I fought under Alpha Troy of Poldesse."

I bit down on the homesickness threatening to spread across my face at the mention of my uncle Troy.

“That's all I saw of your realm… the war camps, a destroyed city...." He tapered off, sighing deeply. “Did you fight?"

“No," I breathed. “My parents said… my dad and brother fought. I stayed home with my mom, and my little sister."

“I didn't know you had siblings," he said, a hint of sorrow in his voice.

“My brother is older than me. Mated, and has a son, my nephew," I smiled tearfully. “My sister just turned eighteen. She wants to be–to be a teacher–" Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I told him about Beatrix. I still couldn't bring myself to tell him their names. Homesickness hadn't hit me yet, but now I was drowning in it.

***

Archer and I walked in step together through the castle, following close behind Aeris as he rambled about nothing in particular. He was giving me a tour, apparently, no doubt trying to sweeten whatever plot to keep me here that he had roiling through his sick mind. My pale pink dress trailed behind me, long sleeves and high neckline making me feel overwhelmingly claustrophobic as we walked, and walked, and walked.

Play the game, I'd told myself as I let the maid dress me and style my hair this morning. Play the game.

Playing the game also meant pretending I wasn't nearly as intelligent as I was, according to Archer. Sure, I could know a thing or two about history and all of that, but the credit should go to my pretend late father who apparently had a soft spot for his dimwitted daughter.

We descended a wide stairwell into the depths of the castle, the air turning frigid the further we went. I tightened my grip on the crook of Archer's arm as we walked into crippling darkness for a few minutes. The only sound was that of our footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

The warrior walking ahead of Aeris produced a torch, and suddenly the area was bathed in amber light. I stifled a gasp as a huge door made of bronze rose up before us.

Aeris stepped forward with a key, chucking under his breath as he struggled with the lock.

“I haven't been down here in a very long time," he said through gritted teeth as he tried to turn the handle.

I could tell the door was incredibly heavy. I also realized he'd just given away the fact that the scroll was, in fact, a fake. If it was as valuable and old as he said it was, well, it would have been kept in here.

The warrior helped pull the door open and Aeris took a step to the side, allowing Archer and me to step through the threshold, but Aeris rested his hand on Archer's arm, halting his progress.

“Just your… expert," Aeris said in a sickly sweet voice that sent a shiver of unease licking down my back. “You and I are meant to meet up with Jared today, remember?"

Archer nodded but said nothing in return. He gave a quick look that told me everything I needed to know. Be on your guard. Go straight back to your room. Lock the door behind you.

“My warrior will stay with her and answer any question she has," Aeris continued as he turned Archer back toward the stairs.

I glanced up at the warrior, whose eyes were bloodshot and shadowed by dark circles. He smelled heavily of alcohol, too… hungover, most likely, maybe even still drunk.

“Thank you for allowing me access–" I tried to say, but Aeris was already walking back up the stairs with Archer.

Odd, I thought. I glanced at the warrior again, who swayed a bit as he motioned me into the vault. I wondered if he was going to try to lock me in here like some prized possession of Aeris, but he followed me inside, lighting torches as he went.

The room exploded in shimmers of gold. The walls were lined with shelves piled high with treasures and the floor was a mess of books, scrolls, and bags toppling over with jewels.

It was a mess in here, which caught me by surprise. There was no organization at all. Riches beyond belief were just… scattered around. I stepped over a broken vase as I walked further into the long, narrow room.

I heard something hit the ground and turned around to investigate, finding the warrior slumped against one of the columns, his chin tucked into chest as he slept.

“Good Goddess," I breathed, slightly annoyed and entirely suspicious of the situation.

Aeris obviously thought I was bluffing. He thought I'd be more taken by the jewels and gold to pay any mind to the artifacts scattered and broken around the room.

“What a waste," I breathed, nudging a broken icon of some kind that was laying in the middle of the floor, split in two like someone had just chucked it in here before walking away.

I spent at least an hour scanning the shelves. I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking for. I hadn't expected this place to be so chaotic. Finding anything related to the scroll, which I'd tucked into the waistband of my dress, seemed impossible.

But then by happenstance, I saw something peeking out of a pile of dust-covered books in the far corner of the room.

I crouched, careful not to get dust on my dress as I slowly pulled a map from the pile.

“Holy s**t," I breathed, balancing the incredibly fragile length of fabric over my hands.

It was nearly brown with age. The map was hand-painted and so faded it was hard to make out what was on it, but I knew the symbols that bordered the map. I'd seen those same symbols on the stones in the circle. I'd seen them on the Cryptex. I'd seen them roped around Jared's arms.

I sucked in my breath, my hands trembling. “No way–"

A faint ringing filled the room. I turned around, looking down the length of the space, but saw nothing but the warrior still asleep by the open door leading out of the vault. I gently let the map drape over one hand and rubbed my ear with the other as the ringing got louder and louder until it was impossible to ignore.

“What the hell," I growled, closing my eyes.

A chilled draft settled over me, like someone had come up behind me and cast me in their shadow. I opened my eyes in panic, but found myself alone.

A ticking sound filled my ears through the incessant ringing. I turned toward the sound, which was coming from another pile of dust and discarded treasures. I gingerly walked toward it, my breath catching in my throat as I crouched and used my free hand to blindly reach into the pile, pushing against books and artifacts and tangled jewelry.

My fingertips grazed against something solid, its surface colder than the room. A feeling of dread crept up my arm and made me go rigid with a crushing familiarity that had me at a loss for breath.

I curled my fingers around the third piece of Jared's Cryptex and pulled it from the pile.