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  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2019 Sam Crescent and Stacey Espino

  ISBN: 978-1-77339-927-0

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Karyn White

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  BRED BY THE KING

  Breeding Season, 4

  Sam Crescent and Stacey Espino

  Copyright © 2019

  Chapter One

  Ashley’s heart raced as she ran as fast as her feet could carry her. She didn’t know how much longer the group of men would be out, but she was determined to get away from them before they could rape her. No one was taking her against her will. She was thankful that they’d brought her to some kind of house where she’d been able to find the necessary ingredients to knock them out.

  She pressed her body against the brick wall of an alleyway and took a second to catch her breath.

  Her head hurt from being hit, and she felt sick to her stomach from being starved. Considering the population was at an all time low, she would have thought men would cherish the few females that were still alive. It seemed that was a joke.

  Since a deadly virus had struck the world, people who had been weak or too young to make it had died. All of the scientists that had cooked it up, and the leaders who had unleashed it, were dead. In the few months since it had been released, chaos and war had broken out. Groups of men fought for land and survival. The women that hadn’t been killed had been forced to be tagged based on their fertility status.

  Once the virus had been unleashed, Ashley recalled all the women in her apartment block being rounded up. They had to go to a testing facility, and it was there that she received the tattoo on her wrist. It was a band etched into the skin by ink, which told the world who was fertile and who was not.

  Ashley, for all of her luck, was fertile.

  Yay.

  Not.

  In the beginning of being announced fertile, she’d been safe. The women who hadn’t been so lucky had been forced back out into the world where no one gave a fuck. For her, she’d spent the first month in complete bliss and harmony. She’d been told she would be transported to a safe location where she would be put to good use, to aid humankind.

  She knew what good use meant—bred. That was it.

  She’d become nothing more than a vessel for a man’s pleasure. At least, that’s what they intended.

  It never happened.

  Before she even got a chance to be transported, the women had been taken hostage, and while the promise of death surrounded her, she made a run for it.

  Rushing out onto the streets hadn’t been her brightest idea, but at least she’d been able to finally be free. Only, it hadn’t worked according to plan, either.

  Men had seen her, seen the tag, and then she’d had to run for her life. She’d been doing okay until the latest group of men had hit her, knocking her unconscious and taking her to wherever the hell she was when she woke up.

  She didn’t recognize anything, and she kept trying not to freak out.

  Getting away from them had been her lucky break. After the group of men had taken her, they’d told her they were all going to fuck her, to fill her womb so full of cum so that she would breed them more women to take as their own.

  It had sickened her to the core.

  Before the fucking could start though, they had demanded she feed them. So, using the ingredients around her, she’d fed them, but she had put in a few other ingredients as well. Especially the sleeping pills she’d found in the cupboard. She didn’t know if crumbling them into their food would work, but she had used every single one in the hopes of getting away.

  The moment they’d fallen asleep, she took off.

  She couldn’t stop. If she stopped, she’d be taken again. That prospect was not acceptable to her.

  Staring down at the ink around her wrist, she gritted her teeth. At the time, she hadn’t thought much about the fertility tattoo they’d forced her to wear. Now though, it had pissed her off. She felt like cattle. It amazed her how humankind could turn so savage in such a short frame of time.

  Before all media outlets had gone down, a broadcast into what the bands signified had gone out to the world. Any woman found with the fertile band had to be taken to the government immediately.

  Of course, that hadn’t happened. When she saw the broadcast, she should have known something had fucked up.

  Why would women who had the band be out in the world?

  They had the sense to run before it was too late.

  Pushing down the sleeve of her jacket, she shook her head, hating herself for her own weakness. This was not what she wanted to do, but now her life was survival.

  Stepping away from the wall, she began to follow a new path, no real destination in mind.

  She knew it wasn’t safe anywhere, so she was on alert.

  One of the female scientists had sat with her for long hours and told her what was going on in the world. The virus that had been released caused the victims to have seizures and become violent before they died a painful death. They would go mad with a need for killing. The scientist said that they didn’t know who exactly unleashed it, and there was no cure. It scared her to know someone could create something so evil.

  The death toll had risen sharply, and as Ashley looked around the changed landscape of the world, she knew nothing would ever be the same again.

  Folding her arms over her chest to keep out the chill, she made her way along a darkened street when she heard a feminine scream.

  She paused, fear gripping her with its claws.

  “Get off me!”

  “That pussy is mine. All fucking mine. I want it. I want it.”

  Rounding the side of the building, she saw a man had a woman by the throat. His hand going to his pants, trying to pull out his dick. Lying near the wall was a pile of discarded rebar. Without thinking, she picked one up and slammed it against the man’s head. That was all it took for him to go out cold.

  The woman underneath him scrambled out.

  Ashley dropped the metal and stepped away, glancing down at her empty hand.

  “Hey,” the woman said, rushing to her side.

  She stared at her.

  “Thank you,” the woman said.

  “It’s all right. Men shouldn’t be hurting us,” Ashley said.

  “No, they shouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean they won’t. Men have always been a law unto themselves.”

  “I’ve got to go.” Ashley pulled away.

  Just as she moved past her, the other woman grabbed her arm. It was the one that had the band around her wrist. Light cast down by the lamp, and the woman held her hand up.

  “You’re a fertile?”

  Ashley pulled her hand away from the woman, hiding it behind her back. “I said I’ve got to go.”

  “Wait. It’s too dangerous for someone like you.”

  “Someone like me?”

  “I don’t mean it as a negative. I mean that you’re precious. What you can do is precious.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She just wanted to run away right now. Ashley wanted to be safe, invisible, not some precious breeding vessel.

  “You’re not going to make it,” the woman said. “My n
ame is Luanna. Look, I’m not going to hurt you. You think that’s the first man that’s tried to rape me?”

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  “No, he’s the first one that hasn’t succeeded. He’s not the first one to actually try and do it.”

  She saw Luanna’s pain, and it scared her. Tears pricked at Ashley’s eyes for the injustice of it all.

  “I’m trying to get to Draven’s Kingdom.”

  “Draven’s Kingdom?” Ashley asked.

  “Draven’s this guy. Some people believe he’s ex-military. I don’t know what he is, but I know he’s been able to make something out of this shithole. This world isn’t safe for women, but I’ve heard he takes care of men, women, and children.”

  “Children? I thought they all died.”

  “Not all of them. Whatever the virus was, it preyed on the weak and vulnerable. Some kids, they’re strong. I don’t know what happened, but I know there are children living. Please, let me try to help you.”

  “You want to help me?” Ashley asked.

  Luanna grabbed her wrist. “This, it makes you invaluable, but it also means that men will fight for you. They’ll fight to keep you, and some may even use you.”

  “What makes you think this Draven will be any different?”

  “I don’t know, but I have hope. Don’t you have hope?” Luanna asked. “What have you got to lose?”

  Ashley rubbed the back of her head, thinking about the men who’d tried to rape her. There really was nothing to fight for anymore. She had no one. Nothing. The life she once knew was a thing of the past.

  “Can you at least tell me your name?” Luanna asked.

  “Ashley. My name’s Ashley.” She held her arm close to her chest. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Then let’s go together. I don’t know about you, but I’m out of friends right about now. We can take care of each other. It’s better than going alone.”

  “You don’t have one of these bands?”

  “No. Only fertile women get those. I was tested and thrown out on the same day. Like trash.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I imagine it’s not good for you either.” Luanna held her hand out, and they locked their fingers together. They started to walk.

  Ashley had learned that trust had to be earned but, right now, she’d never felt so lost. She was going to take a leap of faith and hope Luanna didn’t turn out like all the others.

  It was the best thing she could do right now.

  ****

  Draven drove his blade into the rapist that had tried to attack one of the females under his care. What he’d created wasn’t much yet, but he had vowed to protect anyone within his walls.

  He’d managed to create a safe haven within an old mansion estate that spread out across numerous acres of land. The entire property was surrounded by twelve-foot brick walls, a security gate, and the house had at least twenty-five bedrooms that he counted.

  The moment the virus was released, he’d set out to make himself a safe place. The world quickly deteriorated to survival of the fittest. He planned to come out on top. This property had been ideal to start his safe haven. It was complete with a wine cellar, storage facility, and fields to grow food, not to mention the surrounding land under his guard.

  The house was almost full, and some of the game rooms had been converted into bedrooms.

  Most of the people who came to the house were alone. He was shocked when he saw his first woman and child.

  He’d vowed to protect them, to keep mankind alive in a world full of death and destruction. Draven had come from a military family. As soon as he was of age, he’d joined. Before the world went to shit, he’d been an active Marine, and he’d seen his friends die. His tours had been in some of the worst war-torn countries, but they didn’t compare with life after the virus.

  Draven was particular about who he let in his walls. Trust wasn’t something he gave easily. When he agreed to offer a man protection, they had to agree to look out for every person in their community.

  He stood at the gate, staring down at the man whom he’d already injured. He was a traveler, just passing through, and Draven had been foolish enough to let him in.

  Draven had been awoken in the middle of the night as this man had wandered into a woman’s room and she’d been screaming for help.

  His place was supposed to be safe. He’d promised the women they would be taken care of.

  This man had nearly made him break his vow, had put his reputation at stake.

  Death was the natural order of life. And he wasn’t afraid to get blood on his hands to support his cause.

  For a long time, he had fought for freedom and the chance for people to grow up in a safe place. He’d worn his uniform with pride. That had all changed when the first virus was released. He’d seen the land he loved so much torn apart. People changed, turned wicked in their desperation. The love he had, it was gone. He’d become hard, cruel, determined not to be a victim.

  The land was a battleground for the strongest.

  Those that couldn’t survive would either die or become slaves to the men and women who captured them. But it didn’t take long for him to realize not every human had turned evil. There were still good people out there, and his focus shifted from blind battle mode to the need to preserve the good left in the world.

  Slashing the knife across the man’s throat, he watched him bleed out, waiting until the life completely drained from his body.

  “Let it be known now, if any of you think to take what is not freely given, you will face the same punishment. Women are not here for your fucking pleasure. They have a right to survive just like everyone else.” He wiped the blade on the man’s shirt and entered the gates.

  He waited as the men who had assisted him stood over the man’s body. Draven’s following was loyal, but he’d never put one hundred percent faith in any man. His strength was only relying on himself.

  Slowly, one by one, they entered the gates.

  “What are you going to do about repopulation?” Luke asked.

  Luke once had a wife and child, whom he’d lost on the same day. They all had a story to tell, and one day Draven intended to hear them all.

  “You know the drill. No repopulation without women who are fertile,” Draven said.

  “But we know some are,” Benjamin said. “That broadcast. It told us what to do if we find a female wearing a distinctive band.”

  Draven laughed. “You think they’re going to allow those women out to anyone? They’re going to be for the rich, the wealthy. The men in high places. They’ll probably be auctioned off to the highest bidder.”

  “Money doesn’t buy anything.”

  “For us right now, it doesn’t. We don’t know what kind of currency there is. Just be happy that right now you’ve got a safe place to sleep, warm food, and someone to keep you company, which is a damn sight more than I can say for a lot of people.”

  With that, he entered the mansion. He didn’t stop to make small talk with any of the women who had been vying for his attention. Everyone was looking for power in one form or another.

  He wasn’t interested in sex, or in anything but surviving. Death would come for them all. But he didn’t intend to go easily.

  He walked up to the loft, pulled down the stairs, and entered the roof through the small door. He made his way toward the edge and looked all around.

  There were a few garden pots lying all around, and he imagined they once belonged to a gardener or maybe a wife in the house, or someone who liked roof gardening.

  The plants were all dying anyway.

  Running a hand down his face, he took several deep breaths and stared up at the night sky. It had been nearly a year since the virus was unleashed.

  He sat on the edge of the roof for the longest time, lost in thought, feeling alone even though the house was full. He watched the sun start to rise, sleep once again failing him. He’d not slept a lot in recent week
s. He didn’t like the uneasy feeling that kept him up at night.

  Having been on the front lines, he knew that more trouble was coming.

  What he wanted to know was how bad and when it was coming. He had to be prepared, to protect what he’d created here.

  With the sun finally up, he got to his feet and left the safety of the rooftop, heading back down to the main kitchen.

  “It could be worse,” Anna said. She was one of the few women who’d come for sanctuary.

  “How could what be worse?” he asked, entering the kitchen.

  He saw at least ten people were already down for breakfast. The coffee was on. The one good thing about this place, there seemed to be an endless supply of coffee and food. He wondered if the person who once lived here was a doomsdayer, the kind of person to prepare for a potential apocalypse.

  “Our situation. I mean, yeah, it’s bad. Our population has dwindled, and a lot of people have died. There’s no active government or head of state, but I mean, at least the people who are dead are not coming back to eat our brains.”

  “She thinks that because there are no zombies around, we’re all good,” Luke said.

  “Hey, it’s not funny. I’m being serious,” Anna said.

  “So am I. There’s nothing about our situation that’s good.”

  “I don’t know, I’m glad we don’t have a couple billion people knocking at the gate wanting to suck our brains out,” Draven said. “That’s a plus.”

  He took a sip of his coffee and tried to hide the disgust. Whoever had made it couldn’t make coffee.

  “See, I told you.”

  “Draven, we’ve got company,” Benjamin said, coming into the kitchen.

  Everyone tensed.

  “What kind?”

  “Two women. They look tired.”

  Draven reached for his gun. The men followed him out, and they all approached the gate. He held the gun up. It wouldn’t be the first time a gang had tried to take his land by using a woman as bait. He had no interest in finding out if that was the case now.