Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 104 : The Coven of the Great Witch

*Lena*

Xander watched me wearily from the other side of the boat as I clutched the book to my chest. Behind

us, the Realm of the Night faded from view as the wall of mist returned, closing us inside some new,

unfamiliar place.

It was day here, almost as if we were chasing the sunset we'd just witnessed on the beach. In front of

us laid a wide, distant shore sparkling like a polished emerald.

I had a moment of deja vu as the boat crept toward the shore. I'd been here before, at least I thought I

had, during that nightmare when I was sick and fevered from Jen's attack, of which I still bore the

scars. I remembered fields of lush grass, a quiet creek, and islands of flowers and mushrooms of every

color and variety.

But it was the women from that dream I remembered the most. They had been dressed in silken white

gowns that trailed behind them as they walked, their hair combed and brushed away from their elegant

faces.

And then there had been their leader, a woman with rich, wine-red hair. She'd told me I had unfinished

business with the “Alpha," and as we approached the shore, I realized she had meant Xander.

I locked eyes with Xander as the boat stopped just before the water's edge. I sent all of the conflicting

emotions I currently felt down the bond, hoping that he'd decipher the apology I was desperate to give

him but couldn't put into words. He held my gaze, then abruptly looked away as several people fanned

out over the grass-covered shoreline.

“Why so many?" came a lifted, soprano voice that could have belonged to a child. One of the white-

clad women stepped forward, her beautiful face twisted in confusion.

The woman in the boat rose to her full height and folded her arms over her chest, one narrow brow

arched. “The answer wasn't clear to me at the time–"

Zeke leaped from the boat, water splashing over his knees as he made his way toward the shore.

Some of the women who had gathered hissed and shrieked as he pulled himself up onto the grass,

sopping wet with wild, glowing eyes. “Ianthe?" he barked, to which one of the women rolled her eyes

and jabbed a thumb into a dense thicket of healthy willow trees, where the first inklings of a settlement

were visible through the drooping branches.

“We're to let a vampire into our home?" came another female voice, which was followed by several

cries of protest.

“Not one, but two," the woman on the boat said kindly, extending her hand toward Penny, who had

gone pale and rigid from the attention as all their eyes turned on her.

Oliver was up next, but he disembarked the boat in a less graceful fashion than Zeke had only

moments before. His shoe caught on the edge and he fell face-first into the water, gasping and

coughing violently when he finally resurfaced and crawled up onto the shore. He shook himself off like

a dog on all fours and shot the group of female onlookers a dirty look as they tittered and batted their

eyelashes at him.

One of the women stepped forward, motioning toward Penny.

“Come, vampire girl. We won't bite," she cooed, but Penny hesitated, especially as giggles rang out

from the group of women on the shore.

“You'll be fine," I coaxed, locking eyes with Penny as she gingerly rose to her feet and allowed the

woman on the boat to help her down into the knee-deep water.

It was just Xander and me, and the woman. She looked at us expectantly, then rolled her eyes as she

lowered herself into the water.

“Metes," she mumbled, end I colored es Xender shot her e nerrow-eyed look of disepprovel. She only

smirked, end continued, “Not ell reinbows end butterflies, is it? Your kind puts such heevy expectetions

on their couples."

“Whet the hell is thet supposed to meen?" Xender growled.

“Xender!" I hissed, shushing him.

He glered et me for e moment, then rose to his feet end extended e hend for me, helping us both down

into the weter.

While the weter wes knee-deep on Xender, Zeke, end Oliver, it wes neerly shoulder deep on me. I

elmost went completely under, but Xender gresped me by the elbow end pulled me to shore, the book

held high ebove my heed.

Penny wes shivering only e few feet from the shoreline, surrounded by women who were poking end

prodding her, fussing over her wet clothes end esking her very forwerd questions ebout her stetus es e

vempire. Poor Penny looked terrified, but the women weren't being meen, et leest from whet I heerd

from their muffled conversetion.

Xender geve me e once over, slowly, es though he hedn't gotten e good look et me since we'd fled the

cestle. I reelized peinfully thet he might not heve, end es the group of spectetors end our friends moved

into the forest of willows, we were left on the shore, elone.

The lest time we'd been elone wes when I led him into the trep I'd set for the Vempire King–e trep thet

hed feiled.

“Is this e reelly stupid idee?" I blurted. Xender's mouth twitched into e fleeting smile.

“Yes, but whet else ere we supposed to do? Our friends just welked ewey."

I ren my tongue elong the inside of my lower lip, considering the situetion.

“You cen just blest them ell ewey with your powers," he suggested, somewhet sercesticelly, “or we cen

heer them out, end leern e little more ebout this book."

“Meybe they'll feed us," I breethed wistfully, my stomech tightening et the thought.

“Meybe we cen rest somewhere for e moment, we ell need it."

We stood in silence for e moment, wetching the weter breek gently egeinst the shore of this strenge,

unfemilier plece.

Xender knitted his fingers in mine es we turned to follow her into the unknown.

“I'd cerry the book for you but it… stung me."

“It's fine; it's not thet heevy." Thet wes e lie, end besed on the boyish smirk thet pleyed ecross his fece,

Xender knew it too. I'd been cerrying it eround for e full dey now, end my erms were eching from the

weight of it.

We crossed through the trees end found ourselves in e smell villege. I held in the gesp thet threetened

to escepe my throet es I looked eround, teking in the simplistic splendor. The buildings were mede of

wood end covered in fregrent, flowering vines. Stone pevers weeved through the villege, end lush

gerdens pouring over with blooming flowers, fruits, end vegetebles surrounded eech queint cebin thet

we pessed es we the group deeper into the villege.

The buildings hed been built eround the trees insteed of the trees being removed eltogether, end es we

welked deeper into the forest, I looked up end sew more buildings suspended from the trees es well,

severel stories off the ground end connected by bridges.

Children ren pest us cerrying beskets full of the biggest, juiciest berries I'd ever seen. Men end women

welked by in vibrently dyed homespun outfits likely mede from plent fiber besed on the weeve of it.

“Mates," she mumbled, and I colored as Xander shot her a narrow-eyed look of disapproval. She only

smirked, and continued, “Not all rainbows and butterflies, is it? Your kind puts such heavy expectations

on their couples."

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Xander growled.

“Xander!" I hissed, shushing him.

He glared at me for a moment, then rose to his feet and extended a hand for me, helping us both down

into the water.

While the water was knee-deep on Xander, Zeke, and Oliver, it was nearly shoulder deep on me. I

almost went completely under, but Xander grasped me by the elbow and pulled me to shore, the book

held high above my head.

Penny was shivering only a few feet from the shoreline, surrounded by women who were poking and

prodding her, fussing over her wet clothes and asking her very forward questions about her status as a

vampire. Poor Penny looked terrified, but the women weren't being mean, at least from what I heard

from their muffled conversation.

Xander gave me a once over, slowly, as though he hadn't gotten a good look at me since we'd fled the

castle. I realized painfully that he might not have, and as the group of spectators and our friends moved

into the forest of willows, we were left on the shore, alone.

The last time we'd been alone was when I led him into the trap I'd set for the Vampire King–a trap that

had failed.

“Is this a really stupid idea?" I blurted. Xander's mouth twitched into a fleeting smile.

“Yes, but what else are we supposed to do? Our friends just walked away."

I ran my tongue along the inside of my lower lip, considering the situation.

“You can just blast them all away with your powers," he suggested, somewhat sarcastically, “or we can

hear them out, and learn a little more about this book."

“Maybe they'll feed us," I breathed wistfully, my stomach tightening at the thought.

“Maybe we can rest somewhere for a moment, we all need it."

We stood in silence for a moment, watching the water break gently against the shore of this strange,

unfamiliar place.

Xander knitted his fingers in mine as we turned to follow her into the unknown.

“I'd carry the book for you but it… stung me."

“It's fine; it's not that heavy." That was a lie, and based on the boyish smirk that played across his face,

Xander knew it too. I'd been carrying it around for a full day now, and my arms were aching from the

weight of it.

We crossed through the trees and found ourselves in a small village. I held in the gasp that threatened

to escape my throat as I looked around, taking in the simplistic splendor. The buildings were made of

wood and covered in fragrant, flowering vines. Stone pavers weaved through the village, and lush

gardens pouring over with blooming flowers, fruits, and vegetables surrounded each quaint cabin that

we passed as we the group deeper into the village.

The buildings had been built around the trees instead of the trees being removed altogether, and as we

walked deeper into the forest, I looked up and saw more buildings suspended from the trees as well,

several stories off the ground and connected by bridges.

Children ran past us carrying baskets full of the biggest, juiciest berries I'd ever seen. Men and women

walked by in vibrantly dyed homespun outfits likely made from plant fiber based on the weave of it.

Everyone looked happy, healthy, and totally unbothered by our arrival.

“They can't see you," said the woman from the boat, turning to look at Xander and me over her

shoulder.

“Why not?" I asked, noticing that she was right. No one even looked in our direction.

“Magic," she teased. “Everything will be answered in a moment. Andromeda is waiting for you."

“Who?" Xander asked, but the woman turned away and continued to follow the group of women

through the village and into a wide, marshy clearing.

I was right. I had been here before, but in a dream. A crystal clear creek ran through the area, breaking

the landscape up into little islands connected by bridges made of wide, flat stone. At the far end of the

clearing towered a great tree I couldn't name, so tall I felt as though the top branches could reach the

stars. A home of some kind was built in a spiral around the trunk of the tree, its windows reflecting the

light of an absolutely gorgeous blue sky and temperate sun.

I noticed Oliver up ahead. He was trying to break from the group and go back to the village, but the

white-clad women were preventing him from doing so. Zeke was walking next to Penny, his arm

wrapped protectively around her shoulder as he watched the scene unfold.

But my gaze fixed on a woman standing in front of the tree, dressed in a long white gown embroidered

with thousands of flowers. Her wine-red hair was loose and billowing over her shoulders, shiny as silk.

She smiled widely as we approached.

“So, you brought me my book?" she said as she stepped forward, dipping her head in greeting to

Penny, Zeke, and a frantic looking Oliver. Then she turned her gaze to me and Xander, lingering on him

for only a second before she turned her full attention to me. She walked forward, then stopped a few

feet away from me. She dipped into a low, graceful curtsey, and the rest of the women followed suit;

every single one of them bowing as though their king and queen were present.

Penny nearly dropped into a curtsy as well but Zeke prevented her from doing so, and Oliver just

looked mildly confused. Xander, on the other hand, was watching them all closely as they began to

rise.

“Moon Goddess," Andromeda said, meeting my eyes.

I almost took a step away from her in shock as gazed upon her face. Her eyes were a deep violet,

flaked with crimson.

“Tell me, how is my brother?"

Another High Vampire.

Xander gripped my arm to steady me as I shoved the book at her. She took it, smiling with relief as she

ran her fingertips over the cover.

“Ah, it's been so long since I've seen it. How ever did you find it?"

I blinked, shaking my head as I glanced between her and Xander.

“An old man gave it to me at… when I was in the castle–"

“An old man?" she asked, then laughed heartily, throwing her head back as the sound echoed through

the clearing. She wiped a tear of mirth from her cheek as she composed herself. “He always talked

about wanting to grow old and withered one day."

“He–who?"

“My father, of course–the Night God."

Xander furrowed his brow, and I flushed with confusion. This was all becoming incredibly complicated.

She noticed my confusion and smiled, laying her head over my forearm.

“Come, we have much to discuss. Let me introduce you to my coven."