Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 97 : I’m Going to Kill Him

*Lena*

I was ushered by two vampire guards shortly after I'd attempted to heal King Nikolas's feeder. I was

thankful for it. I didn't want to spend another second in the room with him, and the place was so thick

with the stench of blood.

I memorized the corridors we walked down, taking stock of every turn and every detail down to chips in

the uneven chunks of obsidian and black granite of which the castle was made. I also prepared myself

for another long stay in my ice palace, but when I was shoved through the door to my room, I was

shocked by the transformation.

It was hot inside the room now, the frost that once lined the floor no longer shining like an icy, greasy

sheen along the tiles. The circular room was lit only by the hearth, which was blazing, and more wood

to feed it was stacked along the curved stone wall. My bed, which had been nothing more than a thin,

soiled mattress on the ground, had been totally removed and replaced by an ornate, solid wood bed

frame and a thick mattress that made my bones sing with relief as I gazed upon it, noticing the thick

quilts and soft sheets.

A plush armchair had been placed in front of the fire, as well as a round coffee table. Vases of flowers

I'd never seen before sat on nearly every surface.

Several platters of food were piled high on the coffee table. I didn't wait for the guards to shut the door

behind me before I darted forward, dropping to my knees in front of the spread, which included steak

dripping with pepper and butter, and a bowl of mashed potatoes sparkling with flakes of coarse salt.

There was another plate piled with vegetables soaked in a rich, wine-colored sauce and sprinkled with

what smelled like fresh herbs. A bowl of meaty stew, and an entire loaf of bread, along with a butter

dish filled with golden, sweet honey butter, finished off the presentation.

I started to cry despite my efforts to control myself as I cut into the steak. I washed bite after bite down

with glass upon glass of milk, which was cold and creamy, fresh.

So, they had cows in this realm. They had farms, agriculture. It wasn't a total surprise. I'd eaten food as

rich and flavorful as this in Brune, along with the rest of Kiern and Costas's court. Kiern had explained

that they did eat, although some favored blood over most meals. Kiern had preferred real food, while

her husband had not.

For King Nikolas's castle to provide a meal such as this, they would have needed a well-staffed kitchen.

I pushed the thought of the king and my situation out of my mind as I finished the steak and moved on

to the rest.

I wasn't hungry any longer, but I continued to eat until every last crumb of bread, every honeyed

shimmer of butter, and every drop of milk was gone.

I crawled into bed and flopped down on the sheets, my hands creeping over my stomach as I held my

palms over the sanctuary where the greatest and most vulnerable part of me lay.

I'd worried about the baby endlessly over the past several days of my ice trial. It couldn't have been

healthy or safe for her.

I turned my head to the door as the knob turned, but my body was too spent to react. A young woman

peaked inside, hesitating for a moment before she fully entered the room. She was dressed plainly in a

homespun gray dress that brushed her ankles and a stained apron. Her hair, mousy brown and thin,

was pulled away from her face in a low bun along the nape of her neck.

She was incredibly young… at least, she looked like it, no more than a teenager. But she could have

been a thousand years old for all I knew.

She didn't meet my eye as she fluttered across the room and began to stack the plates, the porcelain

clanging against the crackling of the fire. She didn't meet my eye as she spoke, either, and her voice

held a hint of what could only be described as fear as she said, “Can I run you a bath?"

I winced, sinking into the bedclothes. The bathroom adjacent to the bedroom had been filthy and

covered in ice so thick I couldn't have run a bath if I tried. I hadn't even looked in there since returning

to my room.

She finally looked over at me, her sapphire eyes lined with dark circles and indescribable sadness. She

looked miserable and exhausted, enough so that I sat up and gathered the covers around my waist.

“Are you alright?" I asked, and she flinched at the sound of my voice as though I'd slapped her.

“Fine, miss."

She turned her back to me and walked along the curve of the wall toward the narrow wood door that

led into the bathroom. Light sprung from the darkness as she lit what must have been candles within. I

heard the sound of running water, and soon steam was billowing through the gap between the door and

the wall, sending wafts of orange blossom and pine through the room.

I rose from the bed and moved quietly toward the bathroom. I could see her shadow moving beneath

the door and I halted, not wanting to scare her.

“You can come in," she said softly, sensing my nearby presence.

I swallowed back the sudden nerves coursing through my body as I pushed open the door.

The bathroom wasn't recognizable from what it had been before. The tub, once covered entirely in ice,

was carved out of obsidian, flush with the wall. The water swirled like ink dusted with bubbles and

petals as I looked down into it, then back up at her.

“Everything was cleaned while you were with His… the king," she whispered, not meeting my eyes as

she turned away and took two of the thickest towels I'd ever seen in my life out of the linen closet.

“There are new clothes in that armoire in your bedroom. I will fetch you something to wear to bed while

you undress."

“Okay–"

The door to the bathroom closed behind her as she hurried out. I took off my shirt and pants, the same

I'd been wearing beneath the armor Costas had supplied us with before the King's winged hybrid

plucked me off the ground and into the sky.

I'd barely lowered myself into the bath when she returned, stopped short in the doorway as her eyes

settled on my stomach. She was looking at the scars that ran across my belly, long, jagged reminders

of the night Xander, Bethany, and I had faced off with Jen.

The water was almost too hot to be tolerable, but I didn't sink into it up to my shoulders.

“Do you want to hear the story?" I asked her as she stood like a statue in the doorway, a white night

dress clutched to her breasts.

She made a soft humming noise, then blinked, lowering her head as she rushed toward the counter

where she laid the towels.

“I didn't mean to stare–"

“I would stare if I saw something like this on someone else," I admitted beneath my breath.

Her shoulders relaxed, and she laid the nightgown over the towels before turning back around.

“Do you need help washing and combing your hair–"

“I have a question," I began, unaccustomed to the force in my voice. She swallowed again and nodded

tightly as I swirled the water with my hands. “What is the difference between you and the gray vampire

with the sunken faces?"

“I am a lower vampire," she answered quickly, “and they are… something else, older than our kind."

“But still vampires?"

“I–" she hesitated, and to my surprise, her skin colored as she searched for the words she needed to

continue. “They don't need to feed."

“What?" I said, a shocked laugh escaping my throat.

She looked as though she were about to shrug, but only lowered her gaze to the floor. “They are so old

they've just.... All that's left of them is what they are, just muscle, just speed. An undying loyalty is all

that's left in their minds." She took a reluctant step away from the counter, turning to face me fully. She

met my eye, only the second time she had done so. “Stay away from them. Do not talk to them."

“Why?"

“Because they are just an extension of the king–" She bit her lip, flushing deeply. She must have

thought she said too much. I needed her to say more.

“What is your name?"

“Penny," she whispered.

“Do you know what the king is going to use me for?"

“Yes, I–"

“How many women have come before me?"

She looked pained, her eyes watering as she looked away from me and toward the mirror hanging on

the wall.

“Many, but you're the only one who has made it this far."

“What happens to them after they fail his tests? The first test is healing the feeder, isn't it?"

“I don't know. I'm only… I'm here to tend to your needs now. I've never had the opportunity to do that

before now."

I vaguely remembered being told that the people who wandered out into the hills outside of Crimson

Creek were always found dead sometime later, months later, mutilated–all but one.

“Carly Maddox," I whispered. “Do you know who that is?"

She shook her head, looking confused.

“Elaine?" I pressed. “Henry?"

“No, I'm sorry."

I began to rise from the bath, and she quickly handed me a towel, stepping out of the bathroom once

again while I dried off and dressed. I ignored my hair, letting it drip onto my shoulders and neck as I

walked out into the bedroom. She was hurrying to gather the dishes, trying to leave.

“What is next for me? What's the next test?"

“No one has ever made it this far. I do not know–"

“Penny," I pleaded, raw emotion bursting forth as the events of the past several weeks, months at this

point flooded forward. Tears blurred my vision as I held my hands up in surrender. “Can I trust you?"

She flared her nostrils, clutching the plates so hard they rattled.

“Can I trust you?" I repeated, more sternly this time.

“My people are slaves," she said in a trembling voice. “I'm lucky to not be a feeder–"

“I am going to kill him," I admitted, only because there was no way this situation could get any worse

than it was.

“You can't kill him," she replied. “Many have tried–"

“They haven't been me," I growled, and the message was clear.

Penny nearly dropped the plates, her eyes going wide and round as she looked into my eyes. I knew

what she saw. I could feel it. My powers, strengthened by warmth and food, were returning. My powers,

which I'd ignored and been afraid of my entire life.

I was going to bring down this realm with them.

“Find out what the next trial is," I said with force.

All she could do was nod.