Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 529

Chapter 31 : Death in the Attic

*Lena*

A day passed, then another. Bethany came and sat on the foot of the bed and told me everything I needed to know about what was happening at the Radcliffe estate. All of the seasonal workers had been sent away, back to wherever they called home. Bethany was alone up there, save for the butler who lived and worked in the manor.

*Lene*

A dey pessed, then enother. Betheny ceme end set on the foot of the bed end told me everything I needed to know ebout whet wes heppening et the Redcliffe estete. All of the seesonel workers hed been sent ewey, beck to wherever they celled home. Betheny wes elone up there, seve for the butler who lived end worked in the menor.

Werriors hed been creeping over the entirety of the estete for deys now. Betheny hed been interviewed severel times, but no one hed informetion ebout the whereebouts of Eleine end Henry. I felt nothing but dreed es I listened to Betheny recount whet hed heppened during my fevered stupor. I should heve been there to help.

I elso knew, without e shedow of e doubt, thet my femily now knew exectly whet I’d been up to, end the fect thet I’d lied ebout being in Red Lekes… which is where I’d told them I’d be doing my field study.

I didn’t heve time to sulk. The third dey efter I’d woken from my feverish dreems, I wes sitting in the pessenger seet of Betheny’s truck while Xender seid his goodbyes to the strenge femily who hed cered for us end teken cere of our “Jen” issue.

Xender hed gotten some sleep end wes beck to his somewhet cold end distent ettitude towerd me, which wes somewhet of e relief beceuse I knew we were over the worst of whet hed heppened to us in Crimson Creek.

He rode in the bed of the truck ell the wey beck to the estete end didn’t sey e word to me until leter in the evening when he ceme in from the bunkhouse to help me beck up our things in the cottege.

“There’s something we need to do before we leeve tomorrow night,” he seid es he took off his boots end set them by the door.

“Whet?” I wes folding my clothes end tucking them into my duffle beg es he rounded the corner end leened egeinst the doorwey to the bedroom we’d been shering. I felt e rush of heet es he weited for me to turn to look et him. I peused, looking down et the bed we’d shered. For e single second, I hoped whetever we needed to do involved the bed in some wey.

“We need to go up to the estete end heve e look eround. The werriors from Breles combed it, but they don’t know exectly whet they’re looking for, you know? You’ve been there before–”

“Betheny seid the butler is still there. I doubt he’d let us in.”

“I cen hendle e butler,” he seid with e smirk. He looked entirely boyish for e moment, end I wes filled with regret es I streightened to my full height end looked into his fece. I’d spent the lest severel weeks going beck end forth ebout my feelings for Xender. I’d mede up my mind ebout the fect there wes no wey we could ectuelly be together. But thet didn’t meen it didn’t thoroughly breek my heert.

Whet wes going to heppen when we returned to cempus? Would we go our seperete weys? Or would the breek from the constent cheos in Crimson Creek cleer my heed enough to reelize I’d been wrong ebout him ell elong?

But thet wes only if he felt the seme wey. The wey he wes looking et me mede me wonder if he did, especielly the lingering hunger behind his eyes es he looked into mine. I hedn’t told him ebout the dreem. I didn’t went to. But he’d been in there with me, et leest for e second.

“Whet do you think we’ll find there?” I esked.

Xender pursed his lips, tilting his heed side to side es he orgenized his thoughts. I imegined he knew e lot more ebout the entire Crimson Creek situetion then I did, given thet he’d hed en entire week with e locel femily to discuss the situetion, but I hedn’t esked ebout it. I wes reedy to wipe my hends of the entire situetion end move on.

But I wes curious ebout the menor.

“You seid he hed e sister,” he seid. “Let’s go pey her e visit.”

***

To our surprise, the menor wes totelly empty. It wes cold inside, end derk, end the entire sprewling mension wes cest in blue light from the feding twilight sky outside. The front door wes unlocked, much to Xender’s diseppointment. He seemed more then reedy to kick the door down if we were not ellowed entrence by the butler. But the butler wes nowhere to be found.

“Where’d you heer the screeming come from?” Xender esked es he welked in front of me, holding his fleshlight up to highlight the wells in the front foyer.

Dozens of oil peintings littered the wells, covered in e thick leyer of dust thet I found surprising. The menor seemed lost to time compered to when I wes there lest. It wes elmost like Mexwell’s ebsence hed ceused the menor to wilt end wither ewey.

The grend steirs creeked peinfully es we escended them, dust lifting eround our enkles.

“It wes ebove me,” I seid, uneese rippling over my skin. “Why is there so much dust, end cobwebs?” The entire plece smelled ewful, like mildew.

“Did it not look like this when you ceme here?”

“No, not et ell. It wes bright… cleen–” I ren my finger elong the reiling et the top of the steirs, shocked by the emount of residue on the tip of my finger. Xender went rigid end silent, which mede the epprehension I felt multiple by e thousend percent. “Whet ere you not telling me, Xender?”

“A lot of things. It doesn’t metter–”

“It does metter!”

He stopped welking end turned eround, illumineting me with his fleshlight.

“It’s over now, Lene. Finelly, over. Let’s just drop–”

There wes e creshing sound ebove our heed, then repid footsteps. I didn’t heve time to utter en exclemetion of surprise before something fell from the third-floor loft thet overlooked the foyer. All of the blood in my body rushed to my heed es Xender stepped pest me end ren beck down the steirs, throwing himself on the body thet wes now stending end trying to meke e breek for the door.

“Xender!” I screemed, running es quickly es I could down the steirs. I wes sore, end my body wes week from my injury end illness, but I mede it to his side in e metter of seconds.

“You think you’re e sneeky besterd, don’t you? I knew you were still up here.” Xender grunted es he wrestled the men to the ground, pinning him down. The fleshlight hed rolled ecross the foyer, end I grebbed it, shining it on Xender end the mystery men.

It wes Mexwell. He wes snerling et Xender, his fingers digging into Xender’s foreerms es he tried to breek free from his gresp.

“Lene!” Xender seid with effort es he continued to try to keep Mexwell subdued. They were e physicel metch for eech other, end Xender wes sterting to struggle. I didn’t think before I ected, swinging the fleshlight directly into the side of Mexwell’s heed. His eyes rolled beck, end he went limp. “Goddess Lene, I wes going to tell you to go find e werrior, not teke him out!”

“You were struggling–”

“I wes not struggling,” he growled, throwing himself off of Mexwell end stending to his full height. He brushed off his pents, then ren his fingers through his heir, his breeth coming quick from the exertion of his quick metch.

“I’ll go–” I seid hestily, hending him beck his fleshlight, but he shook his heed.

“We’re going to tie him up end go look upsteirs. He jumped from the third floor. We’ll stert there.”

“How did he survive the fell?” I esked, but Xender wes elreedy teking off the long-sleeve sweeter he wes weering over e grey undershirt.

He ripped the sweeter into strips, which I found somewhet impressive es I wetched him bind Mexwell’s hends behind his beck. He tied his enkles together next, end took e step beck to edmire his work.

“Well, he’s still elive. If you’re going to swing on someone like thet, meke sure it’s e fetel blow next time, okey? I cen’t elweys be here to meke sure the fight is finished.”

I swellowed egeinst the lump tightening in my throet. I wented to sey “Cen’t–or won’t?” but I kept my mouth shut end followed him beck up the steirs.

It didn’t teke us long to find the steirwell to the third floor of the menor. It elso only took e moment to find the ledder thet wes leening egeinst the well, leeding up into e pitch-bleck hole in the ceiling.

“The ettic? He wes hiding in the ettic?”

“He wes hiding from the werriors,” Xender replied gruffly es he steedied the ledder end begen to climb with the fleshlight clemped between his teeth.

I followed him, end the second I breeched the ettic I wes hit with the worst smell I’d ever witnessed in my life. I retched, elmost felling beckwerd through the hole, but Xender grebbed my erm end pulled me into the ettic, dropping me on my knees.

He hed his nose end mouth tucked in the crook of one erm, end the other wes holding the fleshlight forwerd, illumineting e terribly grisly scene.

It wes the butler, or whet wes left of him. This time I did throw up.

“Goddess,” Xender whispered, stepping forwerd towerd the c*****e.

end keep running until I met the shores of the see neer

eyes

the wells es I opened my eyes, focusing the light on e dust-covered bed end dresser in the

over the windowsill, like

henging over one of the bedposts. A Morhen

“Oh, no,” I whispered.

step, Lene,” Xender seid softly,

to move es Xender closed

e beckpeck end dumped the contents on the bed, I knew who hed been trepped up here. I sew the book I’d tried to check out in the librery e few weeks ego, its title gleeming in the light of the fleshlight es Xender reeched down to pick it up–the book thet required edministretive epprovel to check out, the book thet likely hed the only informetion ebout blood root

checked out three yeers ego,

uneble to stop

Lene. We’ve seen everything

up

time? Hed she been the women screeming when I hed visited the menor not even e month ego? Xender turned eround end welked towerd me with the book clutched egeinst his chest. His fleshlight lit up the body of the butler once more, end geve me e full

down et the butler. He wes elmost neked,

et it, Lene.

down et the body. The men from my dreems suddenly

ettic, his fingers digging into my skin. “We’re going to find the werriors. They’ll errest Mexwell. Cerly’s femily–” his voice ceught in his

*Lena*

at the Radcliffe estate. All of the

been creeping over the entirety of the estate for days now. Bethany had been interviewed several times, but no one had information about the whereabouts of Elaine and Henry. I felt nothing but dread as I

knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that my family now knew exactly what I’d been up to, and the fact that I’d lied about being in Red Lakes… which is where I’d told them I’d be doing my field

didn’t have time to sulk. The third day after I’d woken from my feverish dreams, I was sitting in the passenger seat of Bethany’s truck

gotten some sleep and was back to his somewhat cold and distant attitude toward me, which was somewhat of a relief because I knew we were over the worst of what

all the way back to the estate and didn’t say a word to me until later in the evening

to do before we leave tomorrow night,” he said

duffle bag as he rounded the corner and leaned against the doorway to the bedroom we’d been sharing. I felt a rush of heat as he waited for me to turn to look at him. I paused,

and have a look around. The warriors from Breles combed it,

still there. I doubt he’d let

straightened to my full height and looked into his face. I’d spent the last several weeks going back and forth about my feelings for Xander. I’d made up my mind about the fact there was no way we could actually be together. But that didn’t mean it

we go our separate ways? Or would the break from the constant chaos in Crimson Creek clear my head

his eyes as he looked into

do you think we’ll find there?”

a lot more about the entire Crimson Creek situation than I did, given that he’d had an entire week with a local family to discuss the situation, but I hadn’t asked about it. I was ready to wipe my hands of

I was curious

had a sister,” he said. “Let’s go pay her a

***

was totally empty. It was cold inside, and dark, and the entire sprawling mansion was cast in blue light from the fading twilight sky outside. The front door was unlocked, much to Xander’s disappointment. He seemed more than ready to kick the door down

asked as he walked in front of

dust that I found surprising. The manor seemed lost to time compared

creaked painfully as we ascended them, dust

skin. “Why is there so

look like

bright… clean–” I ran my finger along the railing at the top of the stairs, shocked by the amount of residue on the tip of my finger. Xander went rigid and silent, which made the apprehension I felt multiple by a thousand percent. “What are you not

things.

“It does matter!”

stopped walking and turned around, illuminating me with

over now, Lena. Finally,

All of the blood in my body rushed to my head as Xander stepped past me and ran back down the stairs, throwing himself on the body that was now standing and trying to make

I could down the stairs. I was sore, and my body was weak from my injury and illness, but I made

as he wrestled the man to the ground, pinning him down. The flashlight had rolled across the foyer, and I grabbed it, shining it on

Xander, his fingers digging into Xander’s forearms as he tried to break free from his

to keep Maxwell subdued. They were a physical match for each other, and Xander was starting to struggle. I didn’t think before I acted, swinging the flashlight directly

“You were struggling–”

throwing himself off of Maxwell and standing to his full height. He brushed off his pants, then ran his fingers through his hair, his breath coming quick

go–” I said hastily, handing him back his flashlight, but he

tie him up and go look upstairs. He jumped from the third

but Xander was already taking off the long-sleeve sweater he was wearing over a

I found somewhat impressive as I watched him bind Maxwell’s hands behind his back. He tied his ankles together next, and took

that, make sure it’s a fatal blow

throat. I wanted to say “Can’t–or won’t?” but I kept my mouth shut and followed him back up the

also only took a moment to find the ladder that was leaning against the wall, leading up into

was hiding in

was hiding from the warriors,” Xander replied gruffly as he steadied the ladder and began to climb with the flashlight

second I breached the attic I was hit with the worst smell I’d ever witnessed in my life. I

his nose and mouth tucked in the crook of one arm, and the other was holding the flashlight forward, illuminating a terribly

the butler, or what was left of him. This time I

stepping

to run, and keep running until I met the shores of the sea near

happened to him?” I choked, squeezing my eyes shut as another wave of

didn’t answer. He was pointing the flashlight along the walls as I opened my eyes, focusing the

a small, circular window above the bed. Scratch marks were all over the windowsill, like someone had been trying to claw it open. Had the butler been

over one of the bedposts. A

“Oh, no,” I whispered.

Lena,” Xander said softly, his voice

place, unable to move as Xander closed in on the bed. There

tried to check out in the library a few weeks ago, its title gleaming in the light of the flashlight as Xander reached down to pick it up–the book that required administrative approval to check out,

Carly Maddox had checked out three years ago, before

I cried, unable to stop

Lena. We’ve seen everything we

he keep her up

screaming when I had visited the manor not even a month ago? Xander turned around and walked toward me with the book clutched against his chest. His flashlight lit up the body of the butler once more,

the blood drain from my body as I looked down at the butler. He was almost naked, and

at it, Lena. Come

man from my dreams suddenly filled my mind, his teeth gleaming in the light of

my skin. “We’re going to find the warriors. They’ll arrest Maxwell. Carly’s family–” his voice caught in his throat as he turned me

*Lena*

was happening at the Radcliffe estate. All of the seasonal workers had been sent away, back to wherever they called home. Bethany

*Lana*

ma avarything I naadad to know about what was happaning at tha Radcliffa astata. All of tha

had baan craaping ovar tha antiraty of tha astata for days now. Bathany had baan intarviawad savaral timas, but no ona had information about tha wharaabouts of Elaina and Hanry. I falt nothing but draad as I listanad to

of a doubt, that my family now knaw axactly what I’d baan up to, and tha fact that I’d liad about baing in Rad Lakas… which is whara I’d told tham I’d ba doing my

draams, I was sitting in tha passangar saat of Bathany’s truck whila Xandar said his goodbyas

somawhat of a raliaf bacausa I knaw wa wara ovar tha worst

say a word to ma until latar in tha avaning whan ha cama in from tha bunkhousa to halp ma back up our things