Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1149 - 60 : Payment with Interest

Chapter 1149: Chapter 60 : Payment with Interest

*Eva*

I turned to face Rion, who suddenly looked stern. “Don’t,” he said firmly. He hobbled over to me and put a hand on my arm. “I won’t lose you again. Let’s get out of here. No one will be able to stop us or hurt us again.”

“You nearly died because of them,” I said, my voice shaking with rage. I could feel my power rising, almost stronger since they had to lie dormant for several days. I felt my hands shaking at my sides. “I can’t let them get away with this. I won’t.”

Rion took my wrists gently in his hands and tugged on them so we were facing each other fully. “I won’t lose you again,” he repeated, in a stronger voice that soothed me since he seemed to be getting his strength back. “Please, Eva. Let’s just go. Forget about them.”

I stared at Rion for a long moment and I saw the devotion and loyalty in his gray eyes. Finally, I nodded. “Very well,” I said. I shook my head. “But you are a fool for insisting we leave those two alive. If we end things now, we can ensure that they would never bother us again.”

“They have no reason to bother us anymore,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me along. “I know that you’ve led them to the treasure.”

“What’s the plan then?” I demanded. “We’re stranded on a tiny island.”

“Thank you for saving me, Eva,” he said, his voice deep and genuine. Then, his expression hardened. “I spotted a lifeboat on the main deck. We can escape on that.”

I gritted my teeth at the suggestion. Carissa no longer had the amulet, which meant that my power was now at its full potential. We had no need to escape. It was the pirate scum who would be running.

Upon seeing Rion’s unyielding expression, however, I nodded seriously and gripped his hand as we made our way through the narrow passageways leading to the main deck.

As I looked at the back of Rion’s head, I wondered if I should tell him about our real parents, or about the dark ritual that had been practiced on us.

***

*Rion*

I grabbed Eva’s hand firmly once we were back on the main deck. I looked around to find Carissa’s large ship was inside some kind of cave. There were shimmering crystals covering the inside of the long tunnel, bathing everything in a magical blue glow. Carissa and her crew were on a large raised platform that was covered in piles of gold coins and precious gems.

“So, the treasure was real all along,” I said in a stunned voice.

Eva nodded, her eyes flashing with rage. “And now those good-for-nothing pirates are going to take it all.”

“Eva,” I started, recognizing the fire that was building in her gray eyes. I reached out to grab her, but she was already sprinting toward the two unsuspecting pirates.

“Eva!” I yelled, but it was too late.

My little sister jumped over the edge of the ship with ease, landing heavily on her feet just yards from Carissa and Kyle, who spun around to face her. They took a step back, realizing that they were in danger. Carissa sneered at my sister though.

“Get out of here, Witch,” she snapped, spreading her arms out as if to hide the treasure from Eva’s view. “Leave us and we will allow you to go in peace.”

Eva just smirked, her hands twitching. “I’m afraid that that’s my line, pirate scum,” she spat before unleashing her powers on the two pirates.

Dark shadows flowed from Eva’s fingertips. They crashed onto Kyle and Carissa like an unforgiving wave, engulfing them completely. I heard the two gasp and sputter as if they truly were drowning.

“Eva!” I bellowed, racing to her side and grabbing her arm. “Wait! Let them go. You don’t want this. You don’t have to kill them.” I was speaking as calmly as I could despite the panic that was flowing through me.

“This treasure belongs to us!” Eva snapped back. “So, we’re going to take it.” She clenched her fists, which seemed to cause the dark shadows to tighten around our adversaries.

“We can take the treasure, but I have to find out if there is more of the antidote.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later. Let them go, Eva,” I said, earnestly. “We can force them to take the lifeboat, and we can still take the treasure for ourselves.”

Eva’s hands shook, but I gripped her arm more firmly until she slowly loosened up, causing the shadows to disappear. Before Eva could make a move, I strode purposefully toward Kyle and Carissa, who were gasping for air on the ground.

“Where do you keep your poisons and antidotes?”

“There is no more,” Carissa claimed.

“Unless you two would like me to let Eva finish you, I suggest you talk,” I told them in a hard voice.

“In the case under my bed,” Carissa said and I had her lead me and Eva to it.

The case contained many different colored vials and tiny artifacts.

“Which one woke me up?”

She pointed to a cluster of vials containing blue liquid.

I looked to Eva, who nodded. “That’s it. What is this about?”

“If I am right, I think this would also wake up Rhys Crimson.” I turned to Carissa. “Where did you get all of this?”

“I bought it from a merchant in Egoren.”

“What’s his name?”

“I gave it to you. Now let me go,” she said, looking frightened.

“No, I have a feeling the king and queen will want a word with you.”

“Wait, Rion–No!”

We put both Kyle and Carissa in the brig and hired their crew to help load up the ship, offering a generous share of the treasure. When we loaded as much as we could carry, Eva cast a spell to put a shield over the remaining hoard to hide it from view.

Eva shielded our ship as well so that we could sail the ship back toward the capital. We docked at night to pay and drop off the crew and sent word for Jasper and the other members of my old crew to meet us at the dock.

His dark eyes widened when they settled on us.

“You’re alive,” my old friend said, clapping me on the back once we were close.

I caught him up on everything and took him to the Carissa’s case of potions.

“I need this to get to the palace with the two pirates we have in the brig. But, I’m not sure what kind of reception I will get.”

“I’ll take care of it,” he assured me.

“Thanks. Meet us back in the old apartment.”

While he did that, the rest of us headed to my old apartment to the treasure.

When he came back, he confirmed that the case as well as Carissa and Kyle were delivered directly to the king and queen. But he looked troubled.

“What is it?”

“It’s about Daphne,” he began.

My eyebrows flew up. “Daphne?” I gritted my teeth together. “What’s happened? Where is she?”

I listened in horror as Jasper told me the news from the palace. Daphne had gone missing after coming to look for me. When the Royal Guard hadn’t reported in, the king had investigated and found that she’d been abducted by her supposed fiance and taken to his pack in the Light Realm.

“Do you know where the pack is?” I demanded, my anger rising.

Jasper nodded, and I knew from his expression that he was going to join me in my quest.

I hurried to Eva. She caught the worried expression on my face.

“What’s going on, Brother?” she demanded, holding my gaze intensely.

“Eva, I need to go on an important mission,” I told her.

“Let me go with you,” Eva said stubbornly. “I can help.”

I shook my head, firming up my expression. “I know you’re not afraid, but for now, I just need you to stay safe. I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

Eva looked away angrily before muttering, “You’re going after the Crimson princess, aren’t you?”

I nodded, guessing that she had overheard Jasper. “Yes, I have to.”

Eva just looked at me stubbornly. “No, you don’t,” she spat. Then, she looked down, seeming to have some internal debate before she looked up at me. “I wasn’t going to tell you....”

I blinked down at her, confused by her sudden change in mood. “What’s wrong, Eva?”

“Our mother...” she started, trailing off. She shook her head hard. “Hestia took us from our parents so that she could experiment on us. She used dark magic on us ever since we were babies, attempting to create powerful beings that could be deemed worthy of being her offspring.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, looking down as I digested that. It very easily explained my uncanny healing abilities as well as all of Eva’s magical abilities.

My chest constricted painfully as I thought about the fact that our real parents were out there somewhere, or the real possibility that they no longer were.

Both scenarios filled me with an overwhelming pain that chilled my bones.

Eva continued, watching my face carefully. “I need you, Rion,” she said in a low but shaking voice. “I need you here with me, now more than ever.”

“Eva,” I said, my voice straining. I took a deep breath. “I promise you that I’ll be back. No matter what Hestia did to us or where we’re really from, I’ll always be your brother and you’ll always be my little sister.”

Eva looked up at me with wide, vulnerable eyes that pulled at my heartstrings.

I gripped her shoulders. “There’s something I need to tell you too,” I said, holding her gaze. “Daphne is pregnant with my child.”

Eva’s eyes widened, and I couldn’t read any other emotion on her round face except for shock.

I forced myself to continue. “I need to go find her,” I said firmly. “Now, I’m worried about what you’ve told me could mean for our unborn child, to your niece or nephew.”

Eva looked at me angrily for a moment, and I was shocked when her expression smoothed out, even though she looked far from happy. “Fine.”

I hugged her. “Thank you, Eva.” I looked to one of my men. “Escort my sister away from the capital and to a safe house. We will be back as soon as we can.” I gave my sister another grateful smile before turning to go.

Jasper and I hurried out of the apartment and headed back to the docks with the rest of the crew.

“Thanks for doing this again, man,” I said. I looked behind us at the rest of my old crew. “All of you.”

Jasper chuckled lightly and nodded as we ran. “It wouldn’t be the first time I nearly died to save your ass,” he laughed.

I smirked but nodded.

As we continued through the dark woods, I couldn’t help the real fear that gripped me as I thought about Daphne and our last conversation that we’d had.

Although I had been unconscious, I remembered the conversation clearly and could picture her face in my mind as she told me that she was pregnant. I could barely even think of the word, unable to wrap my mind around the concept of fatherhood.

And yet, I wanted it more than anything I had ever wanted before.

I was so far deep in my thoughts that I wasn’t seeing much in front of me. I cried out when something firm and warm fell onto my back, knocking me over. There were several shouts as I was grabbed roughly, a thick rope wrapping around my body before I could even process what was happening.

I looked up into Katheryn’s angry eyes. “Did you forget about something?”

Jasper and the others rushed toward us, but Katheryn pointed something shiny toward me.

A gun.

I was completely immobile.

My team froze, glaring at Katheryn, her eyes blazing with impatience and fury.

But I knew that if they took a step, I was a goner.