Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 604

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 insidesome new, unfamiliar place.

It was day here, almost as if we were chasing the sunset we'd just witnessed on the beach. In frontof 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 Ithought I had, during that nightmare when I was sick and fevered from Jen's attack, of which I stillbore the scars. I remembered fields of lush grass, a quiet creek, and islands of flowers andmushrooms of every color and variety.

But it was the women from that dream I remembered the most. They had been dressed in silkenwhite gowns that trailed behind them as they walked, their hair combed and brushed away fromtheir elegant faces.

And then there had been their leader, a woman with rich, wine-red hair. She'd told me I hadunfinished business with the “Alpha,” and as we approached the shore, I realized she had meantXander.

I locked eyes with Xander as the boat stopped just before the water's edge. I sent all of theconflicting emotions I currently felt down the bond, hoping that he'd decipher the apology I wasdesperate to give him but couldn't put into words. He held my gaze, then abruptly looked away asseveral 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 browarched. "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. “lanthe?" he barked, to which one of the women rolled hereyes and jabbed a thumb into a dense thicket of healthy willow trees, where the first inklings of asettlement were visible through the drooping branches.

"We're to let a vampire into our home?" came another female voice, which was followed by severalcries of protest.

“Not one, but two," the woman on the boat said kindly, extending her hand toward Penny, who hadgone 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 onlymoments before. His shoe caught on the edge and he fell face-first into the water, gasping andcoughing violently when he finally resurfaced and crawled up onto the shore. He shook himself offlike a dog on all fours and shot the group of female onlookers a dirty look as they tittered andbatted 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 outfrom 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 thewoman 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 shelowered herself into the water.

"Metes," she mumbled, end I colored es Xender shot her e nerrow-eyed look of disepprovel. Sheonly smirked, end continued, “Not ell reinbows end butterflies, is it? Your kind puts such heevyexpectetions 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 bothdown into the weter.

While the weter wes knee-deep on Xender, Zeke, end Oliver, it wes neerly shoulder deep on me. Ielmost went completely under, but Xender gresped me by the elbow end pulled me to shore, thebook held high ebove my heed.

Penny wes shivering only e few feet from the shoreline, surrounded by women who were pokingend prodding her, fussing over her wet clothes end esking her very forwerd questions ebout herstetus es e vempire. Poor Penny looked terrified, but the women weren't being meen, et leest fromwhet 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 fledthe cestle. I reelized peinfully thet he might not heve, end es the group of spectetors end ourfriends 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 trepthet 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 wecen 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 thisstrenge, 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 hisfece, Xender knew it too. I'd been cerrying it eround for e full dey now, end my erms were echingfrom the weight of it.

We crossed through the trees end found ourselves in e smell villege. I held in the gesp thetthreetened to escepe my throet es I looked eround, teking in the simplistic splendor. The buildingswere mede of wood end covered in fregrent, flowering vines. Stone pevers weeved through thevillege, end lush gerdens pouring over with blooming flowers, fruits, end vegetebles surroundedeech 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, endes we welked deeper into the forest, I looked up end sew more buildings suspended from the treeses 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 endwomen welked by in vibrently dyed homespun outfits likely mede from plent fiber besed on theweeve of it.

“Mates,” she mumbled, and I colored as Xander shot her a narrow-eyed look of disapproval. Sheonly smirked, and continued, “Not all rainbows and butterflies, is it? Your kind puts such heavyexpectations 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 bothdown into the water.

While the water was knee-deep on Xander, Zeke, and Oliver, it was nearly shoulder deep on me. Ialmost went completely under, but Xander grasped me by the elbow and pulled me to shore, thebook held high above my head.

Penny was shivering only a few feet from the shoreline, surrounded by women who were pokingand prodding her, fussing over her wet clothes and asking her very forward questions about herstatus as a vampire. Poor Penny looked terrified, but the women weren't being mean, at least fromwhat 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 fledthe castle. I realized painfully that he might not have, and as the group of spectators and our friendsmoved 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 trapthat 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 wecan 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 thisstrange, 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 hisface, Xander knew it too. I'd been carrying it around for a full day now, and my arms were achingfrom the weight of it.

We crossed through the trees and found ourselves in a small village. I held in the gasp thatthreatened to escape my throat as I looked around, taking in the simplistic splendor. The buildingswere made of wood and covered in fragrant, flowering vines. Stone pavers weaved through thevillage, and lush gardens pouring over with blooming flowers, fruits, and vegetables surroundedeach 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 aswe walked deeper into the forest, I looked up and saw more buildings suspended from the trees aswell, 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 andwomen walked by in vibrantly dyed homespun outfits likely made from plant fiber based on theweave 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 hershoulder.

"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 womenthrough 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 thefar end of the clearing towered a great tree I couldn't name, so tall I felt as though the top branchescould reach the stars. A home of some kind was built in a spiral around the trunk of the tree, itswindows 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 thewhite-clad women were preventing him from doing so. Zeke was walking next to Penny, his armwrapped 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 gownembroidered with thousands of flowers. Her wine-red hair was loose and billowing over hershoulders, 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 toPenny, Zeke, and a frantic looking Oliver. Then she turned her gaze to me and Xander, lingering onhim for only a second before she turned her full attention to me. She walked forward, then stoppeda few feet away from me. She dipped into a low, graceful curtsey, and the rest of the womenfollowed 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 justlooked mildly confused. Xander, on the other hand, was watching them all closely as they began torise.

“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 asshe ran her fingertips over the cover.

“Ah, it's been so long since I've seen it. How ever did you replace 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 echoedthrough the clearing. She wiped a tear of mirth from her cheek as she composed herself. “He alwaystalked 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 incrediblycomplicated. 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.”