Page 11 of Auctioned Mate

“Sold!To the mysterious gentleman from another realm!”

Applause crackled around me. Icy threads laced up my spine as I stared ahead, ghastly sensations rocking my core as I watched the woman on stage watch me. My arm was still in the air. Every inch of me burned while I held her silver gaze, utterly lost to the cosmic swirls beaming from her to me.

Favor for the woman carried me forward. Something about her lured me to the stage. Creatures patted me on the back as I wandered forward almost mechanically, mild utterances of praise and heavier slang meeting my ears but falling to the wayside. None of it seemed to get through the trance I was under.

What are you doing?Izdor projected to me.

We were supposed to head for the door, Galanthia added.

I can’t leave the girl, I argued.We can’t leaveanyof them.

Protests rocked my skull as I kept my pace. I dropped my arm and tucked my hand into my pocket, trying to be as casual as possible while my wings fought against my flesh. Unearthly beats pulsated through my veins as I drew closer. Mr. Mal Vee seemed to materialize out of thin air.

Neat tricks aside, the man was strange. His image wavered around the edges like he was having a hard time existing in reality. Only a moment was spared to observe the creature, and then my attention was pulled right back to the wolf woman, the shifter named Macy. Green apples, a scent so heavenly yet simple, drifted into my awareness, drawing me in like a hungry predator who had just scented blood on the air.

Primality like this hadn’t occurred since the wars. Most of that had been left behind, and now, even as I attempted to crawl through the few measly seconds it took to get to the stage, time stood still. It was a stark reminder of how powerful Elderlings were on this plane.

Illusionary magic would have likely done the same. And perhaps there was something to that tinted liquid handed to us by the barkeep. The stuff had barely touched my lips yet I felt lit from within. Starry eyes like those of the wolf woman named Macy could have catapulted me right into the atmosphere had it not been for the circumstances.

Act cool, Izdor alerted.Try to smile, man. You look awkward.

I let my teeth appear and was greeted with the same from the devil man who floated a couple inches above the stage. Cloudy energy rumbled around his aura. Ugliness resided there that he was desperately trying to keep clear from prying eyes. Though I would normally keep my sight to myself, I couldn’t help seeing his true colors. They were too magnificently evil.

Another glance at the woman nearly shattered me. The look on her face halted me in my tracks. Disgust twisted her features with a strong hint of defiance that told me she wanted nothing to do with me. All the calm energy in the world wouldn’t put her at ease. She was suspicious. And sheshouldbe suspicious of strange creatures purchasing her for such high costs.

What had it been again?

Just where do you think you’re getting that money?Galanthia posed, and understandably so.You really think these creatures will be fooled by your magic?

I kept my expression light, jovial, as I replied,It can’t hurt to try, Galanthia.

And it couldn’t hurt to try convincing this woman that I was here to rescue her. The other women would be carted off just the same as her. Once we got to the rear of the building, I’d have a better gauge on how these activities were organized—and then I could break her free.

“Your prize, my friend,” Mr. Mal Vee said with a flourish of his hand. “We’ll talk payment once we get you settled. Follow me.”

In a flash, the stage disappeared, and I was standing with the wolf woman at the mouth of a dingy hallway. Gray bulbs illuminated our journey past cracked concrete walls and solid crimson doors. The rest of the building showed signs of aging, but the doors didn’t. They seemed to be a new addition.

The devil man snapped his fingers at a large man with dark hair, piercing eyes, and peach skin that reminded me of clay. “Rick, why don’t you take our little feisty wolf to change?”

“Change?” I repeated curiously.

“Yes, sir,” Mr. Mal Vee replied as Macy was ushered quickly past me with the large man. I stared heatedly after them. “She is quite ravishing in that dress, yes?”

I nodded curtly. “Quite.”

“But we don’t want her to bolt on you. We understand that you need to sample your product before you leave, so we have a special bracelet to ensure she only leaves with you.” He clapped his hands once and chuckled. “After our transaction, of course.”

“Of course.”

Mr. Mal Vee continued leading me down the hallway, turning left and then right, and then left again. The concrete tunnel went on for ages, it seemed, until we paused at a standard crimson door with the label4M. He waved his hand over the knob which clicked without so much as a touch, and then the door swung open.

How strange it was to think this place had held stolen goods instead of women. Art would have been far more acceptable. Regardless of the moral implication of stolen art, which appeared to trade hands often in the world of billionaires here on earth, at least it wouldn’t have been living, breathing creatures.

Victims were often made of circumstances here. And in this room, I could sense there had been two already before the one I had purchased. On the surface, the room appeared like any other in a standard high-end hotel. The ceiling was made entirely of mirrors with coral-pink wallpaper hosting paper-white clamshells and sparkling silver pearls. At once, they reminded me of Macy’s eyes. Seeing her tremble on stage had granted my hidden rage a new focus, but I kept it sternly under wraps, doing my best to make my wings behave.

Soon, I assured my wings mentally.You’ll be out very soon.

A fold-out couch of soft teal held folded silk sheets and a white round table to the right was stocked with an assortment of goodies in a woven basket. Snacks and drinks were set up on a table just across from the fold-out couch and plush white carpet decorated the floor to the point where I wasn’t sure if there was wood or tile underneath.

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