Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 615

Chapter 115 : Ally in Crimson Creek

*Xander*

Fire. It was everywhere. And out of the fire currently ripping through one of the many small, abandoned villages we’d passed on our way to Crimson Creek, Oliver was sprinting toward us, his mouth opened wide as he sucked in his breath.

A wall of flames rushed toward us, barreling through the dry, dead winter grass like a book of matches on the outskirts of the village. Whatever vampires had been hiding from the sun within the half-dozen buildings would be no match for the absolute hell Oliver had just unleashed.

“You’re on fire,” John said, waving a casual hand at Oliver, who was indeed on fire.

Oliver dropped to the ground, rolling across the grass until the flames that had been licking up his pant legs sent a trail of acrid smoke toward the sky.

This wasn’t the first time Oliver had caught himself on fire today, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. We were only an hour outside of Crimson Creek at this point, and we had burned six villages and two larger towns down to the foundation since the sun came up this morning.

It was unfortunate. I hated it. But, it had to be done. If we killed every hive hiding out along the highway, well, our warriors back in Breles might stand a chance of holding onto the city for one more night, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

But daylight was fading into an overcast afternoon. In a few hours, it would be dark enough for a fresh round of vampire warriors to make their way through the portal and into this realm. They were fast, and a journey that had taken us nearly ten hours on foot would take them half the time.

Oliver jumped to his feet, turning around to survey the damage he’d inflicted on the village. Screeching cut through the air, then faded into the crackling flames and splintering buildings as the fire ate away at the village and everything that had been taking shelter within the walls.

Oliver clapped his hands together, a wild look in his eyes. I’d underestimated him. He was the scrappiest son of a b***h I’d ever met in my life.

He’d also been able to snap his fingers and create a flame, just like that.

“Nothing more than a party trick,” he’d shrugged the first time he’d done it.

We’d all been stunned, but hadn’t had an opportunity to say anything about it before Oliver was skipping toward the first village, burning it to the ground within minutes.

“Something is wrong with this family,” Colton breathed.

“Probably,” I said beneath my breath before turning to face our three comrades who were still in their wolf forms.

of the day, and by the time we reached the final stop along our journey, I barely heard them at all as I instead gazed out toward the horizon, where Crimson Creek was just

were listening, or at least watching for the sake

them. All

we were going into the portal to finish

***

barren gray hills. Blood root covered everything–every building, every sidewalk, every window and roof. The train station had blackened, oily vines growing up the sides of its awning. It had been the first time I’d seen blood root grow like vines instead of the dry, moss-like substance that was chalky and ashen. Purple flowers were budding along the vines; some of them bloomed enough to see the

to not touch anything as we walked through the village. Oliver was walking ahead of us like he owned the place, kicking a path through the blood root. I realized he’d just been here, after all. He’d spent

infection seemed to suffocate the house, closing it off from the outside world completely. I exhaled in annoyance as Oliver kicked open

I broke into a run, weapons drawn, as a struggle ensued inside. The wolves stayed back, guarding the front door as John, Colton, and I

my eyes widening as he looked up at me. “It’s

unreadable, unseeing. He blinked several times, bringing his arm up to shield his eyes from the sunlight

John, who bristled but did as I

as the man, a descendent of those few lower vampires who had been lucky enough to escape their realm of nightmares

dropping to my

who were standing

portal, you piece of s**t! You cracked my tooth!” Oliver spit more blood onto the ground before reaching up to

the wall, huffing a choked laugh as he narrowed

Gideon’s eyes darkened as he met

happened to them,” he bit out, running his tongue along his teeth. I swallowed back the unease prickling over my skin

here to make sure you

I be?” he replied dryly,

sucked on my lower lip before squatting in front of

“You look like hell–”

what they are? What they used to be? They used to be like me–lower vampires, the so-called children of the Night Realm created by the God of Night so

and ugly?” Oliver asked painfully,

fed on by the king, or each other, over decades, maybe even centuries for some of the older ones. Nothing but death, that’s what they are. Death Walkers is what our kind calls them. And there’s an endless supply of them,

do something, because we’re going to lose this entire continent to them unless we stop this now–right now, preferably.” Oliver wiped a trail of blood from his nostrils and straightened his legs out

vampires came through the portal when it opened. When it stayed open, that is. War is brewing on the other side. The kings of the lower vampires had banded together. I don’t know if they ever acted on their plans. That

Costas of Brune,” I said, more to myself than to anyone in the room. Gideon’s eyes flicked

asked, then