Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 852

Chapter 58 : Abel’s Games

*Jared*

I knew Abel was following me. I'd seen through his little ruse from the very beginning. It had been confirmed the second Eliza walked into the dining room with nothing but that shred of fabric clinging to her body, her face twisted in a fierce and confident glare.

Abel had always been a master of manipulation.

I hadn't expected him to break Eliza, especially after only a matter of days. She didn't even realize she was eating out of his hands like a wounded bird.

“Drop the act," I said with forced calm as I poured myself a drink, draining it in seconds.

The door to the library closed behind him as Abel entered the room, his heavy footsteps coming to a halt.

“I know what you did to her." I didn't say I was impressed, even though I was. I poured myself a second drink, a stiff one, and downed it like it was water from a freshwater spring.

“She's safe here," Abel said, the bravado in his voice cracking as he removed that metaphorical mask of eternal sunshine. “You have to know who's after her."

“I didn't know until recently," I breathed, closing my eyes as the fine whiskey burned down my throat and numbed the furious roiling in my chest where my power was pleading to be let loose. “How did you find out?"

“Did you allow her to send mail to the capital? Or is she really as cunning as everyone is saying?"

I turned around to face him, noticing the great distance between us. His face was starting to bruise from where I'd swung at him earlier in the day.

“You tell me," I said through gritted teeth before lifting my drink to my lips.

He pursed his lips, shrugging uncomfortably in his fine clothing. He'd really pulled out all the stops for this. I couldn't help but wonder why.

“First of all," he began, taking a cautious step toward me with his intention of taking a seat in a high-backed armchair near the hearth clear, “I did what I had to do to keep my village safe."

“From two women?"

“From a woman who walked into my village smelling like you," he said coldly, wrinkling his nose. “Reeking of you, Jared."

“I don't know what you want me to say–"

“I treated them both as guests, made sure they were cared for and comfortable. Eliza suffered a few injuries during her journey here and they were mended. I didn't… start the game until I realized she brought your artifacts here. I did what I had to do."

“By manipulating her into trusting you–"

“It's not manipulation if it's the truth," he cut in, fire blazing behind his cobalt eyes. “I never took her to my bed. My bedroom, yes, but only to keep her separated from Scarlett long enough to allow Lock to work his… magic."

I could have crushed the crystal glass I was holding in my fist.

“You have some nerve–"

“I have the mark of a Dark Witch seeking refuge in my village, Jared. Tell me, what would you have done? Let me guess–" he slumped into the armchair, crossing his legs. “If she hadn't been your mate, you would have left her for dead long ago, right?"

“You know that isn't true."

“Then you've changed."

“My village is full of women I've rescued–"

“So that the village carries on into the next generation in your absence, just like you planned. So that mates are united, so that children are born, so that those children grow into warriors so they can protect and be protected when you let the curse consume you, I know."

I shook my head, running my tongue along my lip as I stalked toward him. I halted my progress as he sighed, examining his nails.

“Always the hero, aren't you Jar? Never the lover. I would have paid a pretty penny to have witnessed you barreling through a boarded-up window at a f*****g breeder auction and finding your mate curled up against the wall, of all places. How did that feel?"

“I'm not talking about Eliza with you–"

“I saw right through her, you know. She came in here with the confidence of a man who'd seen some s**t and survived out of pure spite. I had her wrapped around my finger in a single day. Do you know why?"

Abel was a spider, and I'd inadvertently walked right into his web.

“Because her love for you is her greatest weakness. I used that against her, making her bargain with me without realizing it. I gained her trust. I sent her that dress to wear to dinner because I knew she'd wear it with little prodding to do so, and you'd see what I'd been able to do with only the truth and a shred of kindness I don't think she's seen since she was torn from the trading vessel."

Of course, he knew how she'd ended up here. He knew everything. He always had.

That wasn't the surprising part, not at all. Abel had spies throughout the realm and elsewhere constantly feeding him information. He would have known her name, her address back in her own realm, her parents' names, and what kind of pets she had growing up as a child.

And there was nothing I could do about it.

“My men intercepted the letters she tried to send. One was addressed to her parents, Gemma and Ernest. One was addressed to Lena." He drew out the nickname of the Luna Queen that only her close family would know, his eyes narrowed into slits. “A massive oversight, my friend. You should be on your knees thanking me for intercepting them before they fell into the wrong hands."

“What does Hestia want with her?"

“You," Abel said before I'd even finished speaking.

I looked down at the remaining amber liquid in my glass, clenching my jaw. “And where is our favorite witch right now?"

Abel gave me a sly smile, his eyes twinkling as he uncrossed his legs.

“Off her trail, thanks to Lock."

“How did you do it?"

“He has your mother's locket. You'll get it back eventually, I promise. But for now, it's in Lock's possession and somewhere far, far west of here. Hestia will assume Eliza made it to the witches and her luck has run out. I bought you time to–"

“To take her home." My words were ripe with finality, but Abel shook his head.

“To break the curse. She's in this now."

“That's not your decision to make."

“It's not yours either, is it? In reality, she doesn't have a choice, and you've known that from the beginning, haven't you?"

f**k, I really hated this guy sometimes.

“You need her to break the curse. She feels it, doesn't she–that power within the artifacts… the Cryptex, or whatever she calls it."

“If she stays, she could die by my own hands if I lose control–"

“So don't lose control–"

“You've met her," I said, my voice dropping an octave as I took three long strides toward him and sat in the chair opposite him.

He shifted his weight, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile as I trapped myself further in his web.

“She is drawing that power out of me, toying with it and enjoying it–"

“How incredibly inconvenient for you," he pouted sarcastically, forcing his mouth into an animated frown. “Your poor shadow wants to play and you're denying it–"

“It wants to kill her, Abel."

He pursed his lips, considering.

“Have you considered whether she's cursed as well?"

A hush fell over the room, broken only by the crackling of the birch logs in the fireplace.

“She's not."

“If you're truly her mate, then she is cursed. Think about it–" he leaned forward, his palms flexed in surrender. “She ends up here, in our realm, and suddenly every evil, unearthly being in our realm is after her before you even find her, Jared."

“You're telling me things I already know."

“I'm telling you what you won't accept, and that's the truth. You're closer than you've ever been to finding a way to break the curse. Your f*****g mate is leading the charge, dangers be damned. She's not going to stop. I don't think my games could persuade her from doing so, even if I… pulled out all the stops."

I glared at him, sending that shadow of power lurching forward in warning.

He rolled his eyes. “Your shadow and I are old friends. I doubt it's forgotten."

“Why toy with Eliza and not just deal with me?"

“Because Eliza got here first, and it's been so long since I've had anything to play with."

“And what exactly did your little games win you this time?"

Abel met my eyes, a smile touching his lips.

There were names for this man around the realm… the Spy Master, the Ghost Courtesan. My favorite was simply “Sleeper," which was probably the most well known within Egoren.

By the time the packs he infiltrated were aware that something was amiss, he and his spies were already gone, stealing away into the night while the wealthy and privileged were safe in their beds.

But Abel's days of charming his way into the beds of both Alphas and Lunas alike were over, at least from what I'd heard.

Lock was his ears and eyes while Abel played Alpha in his fortress of a village.

“You're here, aren't you? You're here, so I finally have the opportunity to talk some sense into you before you let yourself die."

“You manipulated my mate for days just to get a rise out of me so you could get me alone," I corrected, noticing the ruddy gleam to his cheeks as he smiled and nodded.

“You wouldn't have spoken to me otherwise, and you certainly wouldn't have agreed to listen to what I'm going to say next."

“I haven't agreed to anything–"

“You haven't legally wed Eliza. I know that much is true. When I found out about what had happened in Suncrest I knew… I understood why that was something that needed to be done to secure her immediate safety. War is on the horizon. The King can't keep Aeris under his thumb, and Aeris's influence is still too large to ignore, even with my spies out in the field intercepting his calls to action against the King. Aeris will come to you, and so will the other prominent Alphas of the west, and if anyone has doubts–"

“We will sign the marriage contract."

“You will mark her with your name, a ring, and your teeth."

I sucked in my upper lip, shaking my head. “No."

“Her being taken back as Aeris's breeder is the least of your problems. She doesn't have her wolf yet, Jared. You'll leave her defenseless–"

“Yes," I breathed, meeting his eyes. “I'd rather take that risk then put her through the pain of losing a mate to death, Abel."

His eyes darkened for a moment, his expression shifting to one of sudden grief. He composed himself in a flash, leaving me hardly any time to regret my words.

“How long has it been now?" I said, my voice edged with regret.

Abel didn't meet my eye. He looked into the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes.

“Two years."

“I heard what happened," I said as gently as possible. Abel swallowed, his throat bobbing as though he was choking back the sob that was always lingering there, always threatening to burst forth. “I'm sorry for your loss."

He said nothing for several long, silent moments.

“Sometimes I envy you for knowing you're on borrowed time," he said, his gaze still focused on the flames. “The thought of knowing just how long you have with your mate before you lose them is… somehow a blessing." He turned his gaze back to me, his face cast in shadow. “How I would have lived those last months with Sam knowing he'd be gone… that I'd lose him, just like that." He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing around the room.

My own throat tightened around the pain in his voice. I blinked a few times, my eyes settling on the door leading out into the castle.

Hurting Eliza like I had was inexcusable, despite what I believed to be very valid reasons.

I drained the rest of the whiskey in my glass, rising to my feet.

“I want you to ally with me against the Alphas of the west when the time comes," he breathed, still not meeting my eyes. “You owe me. This is what my game was about. You'll live to do it, you'll break the curse–"

“I know," I replied. That was as much of an answer as I could give.

I set the empty glass down on the coffee table and left the library, closing the door behind me.

I felt her presence before I saw her. I turned my head just as Eliza came to a stop, now dressed in a pair of simple pajamas, her bare feet soundless on the tile. She froze, her eyes widening for a split second.

She was fidgeting her hands, picking at her nails.

“I have some things I need to say to you," I said, turning to face her fully. “Please."