Page 27 of Auctioned for Her Blood
I catch myself. Ember is very attractive and extremely appealing, as humans go, but no chance will I claim her as mine. I don’t believe in the notion of love—it is nothing but temporary hormonal reactions—and she is too important to sully with physical urges.
I have the winning bid. Our dinner will give me time to discuss my research with her, help her to understand how important I suspect she may be—and will keep her away from the pirate.
Ryker steps into view near the side of the stage. Most vampires have the sense to change their clothing to fit with the times, but Ryker’s outfit is beyond outlandish, drawing unnecessary attention. I shake my head at his long leather jacket and tight breaches, his heavy belt and a silk shirt I expect is voluminous under that jacket—not to mention those farcical boots. For a man who denies he is a pirate, he most certainly dresses like one. All that is missing is a parrot for his shoulder.
“Ten thousand,” Ryker calls out, and then smirks at me.
I frown. For a brief moment, I believed he had no additional resources on hand to bid against me tonight. Certainly such a freebooter would have nothing resembling a credit card or local bank account.
I clear my throat. “Twenty.”
“Twentythousand?” The emcee looks at me in dismay.
I nod to her, and then turn my full attention back to Ember.
Her slender body is trembling, her chest rising and falling as she breathes rapidly under the hot lights and attention.
“Fifty thousand,” Ryker shouts, and the crowd goes wild, making me lose the sound of Ember’s heart for a moment, but I can still detect the scent of her blood over that of the other hundreds of humans in the room. She is beyond special.
“Fifty thousand going once!” the emcee calls out.
I snap out of my thoughts. “One hundred thousand.”
Ember sways on her feet, and every instinct in my body wants to leap onto the stage to steady her. But moving that quickly will expose me to this crowd, and while I can defend myself from the hotel security staff’s stakes, I cannot risk exposing myself—or DEFTA—in such a reckless manner.
Based on myths and works of fiction, humans fear vampires, but we are grossly misunderstood. And out of such ignorance, under the human laws of most countries, shoving a stake into a vampire’s heart is perfectly legal. No questions asked. Barbaric.
“Two hundred thousand.” Ryker jumps onto the stage, arms raised, and the crowd cheers. His leap was beyond the athletic ability of most humans, but distracted by his absurdly high bid, no one seems to have taken notice—at least not enough to pull out a stake.
“Three hundred!” I shout, and then head for the stage, taking the stairs in a civilized manner, and striding across to a spot near the center, where I take the opportunity to glare at my opponent.
This auction is akin to a ridiculous duel of the past, the pair of us facing each other with Ember and the emcee between us. Ryker looks determined, but there are no bounds to how much I will bid.
“Four hundred.” Ryker widens his stance and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Five hundred thousand,” I declare.
Ryker turns toward the opposite side of the stage and beckons someone forward. Shana walks up to him, looking dazed but euphoric as Ryker whispers into her ear. From this distance, I should be able to hear easily, but I’m too focused on Ember’s heartbeat, on the rush of blood in her veins, on the whoosh of air in her lungs—all overpowering other sounds.
Shana steps up to the microphone. “Didn’t I promise that a live auction would be exciting!”
The crowd cheers.
Ryker moves toward Ember and I move closer too.
Gasping, Ember raises her palms, stopping us both a few feet away from her.
“It seems we may be at an impasse,” Shana says. “An impasse that I’m pleased to say will prove very beneficial to Sanctuary House, and more importantly, to our clients.”
She clears her throat. “I am calling and end to the bidding, so that these two gentlemen can discuss their final bids in a less public forum. Who knows?” She shrugs. “Perhaps our Ember will agree to have dinner with them both.”
The crowd roars, and I glare at Ryker. But then I coax my competitive side to stand down, calling instead on my intelligence, and on reason.
This auction means nothing. Even if I allow him to win, I can prevent him from actually going on the date and discovering what I suspect are the miraculous features of her blood. I will protect her no matter what.
“Let’s let these gentlemen talk,” Shana continues. “I’ll come back to let you all know the final bid, but for now, please enjoy the rest of your evening. Dance! Drink! And if you’re not staying overnight at the hotel, please have a safe trip home.”
The roar of applause fills my ears, but it still cannot drown the sound of Ember’s sweet, pounding heart.
