Page 5 of Auctioned Mate

“We are,” Galanthia boomed, and then gave him a hard pat on the back to prove her point. “Thank you, Mr. Mal Vee.”

The man appeared rather shocked by her strength, but then he seemed delighted to have approached us. He adjusted his blazer, smoothed his fingers over his thin black hair, and gestured to the stage. “She’s a phenomenal entertainer.”

Izdor wiggled his eyebrows. “That she is, sir.”

“She does incredibleprivateperformances as well,” Mr. Mal Vee continued, “that I can easily set up for one of you.” His smile widened. “Or all of you.”

Galanthia politely declined.

“She’s been known to turn many tricks,” the man went on, “especially for the plumbing. She can fit any of your desires.”

Izdor chuckled. “She looks perfectly human.”

“That’s where your eyes deceive you,friend.” Sinister energy slithered into his aura, replacing the charmer that once lived there. Wasn’t that the true way of devils? “She’s a shapeshifter.”

“She looks drugged,” I pointed out, and then promptly regretted my observation as the devil didn’t seem pleased with my announcement. I shrugged my right shoulder and raised my glass. “My apologies, friend. Your realm and language are still new to me. I mean to say that her motions are fluid.”

His eyes brightened. “Yes, she’s a serpentine shifter. Naturally, she can bend however she pleases.” He gestured back to the stage where the performer wrapped herself around the pole as though on cue with the devil man. “I’m sure you can imagine many ways to enjoy her—” He looked at Galanthia. “Or him, if that’s your pleasure.”

So, everyone here was available for trade. Despite the showmanship and the presentation, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were utterly wrong. The earthy scent was beginning to choke me and the eyes I knew were watching were starting to suck me dry. If we stayed any longer, I feared that I would lose my ability to fight.

I didn’t want to be in that position again.

Galanthia, crack another joke, I instructed mentally.

She elbowed Mr. Mal Vee. “I don’t suppose you have anything boxier. I’m a big woman!” She boomed with laughter while whacking him repeatedly on the back.

The man, annoyed by her comments but attempting to be a gracious host, nodded with a tight smile. He cleared his throat, put some space between himself and Galanthia, and fiddled with his tie. “Well, if you do need anything—literallyanythingat all—our auction is about to begin. Feel free to call on me.”

I smiled gratefully. “We appreciate it, friend.”

Mr. Mal Vee gave a flourishing bow before returning to the stage. After he disappeared behind a curtain, I let my shoulders drop half an inch, doing my best to retain my wings. Alarms were ringing inside my head, quite literally. It was the loudest way to alert my companions of the danger that surely lurked in the darkness of this odd place.

Izdor touched my shoulder and spoke out loud while mentally holding our conversation intact.Don’t lose your head just yet. It seems squirrely, but not dangerous.

I sense danger, I told him as I made light of the dancer on stage verbally.I can’t shake it, Izzy. We need to get out of here.

If we leave now, the devil will know we’re spooked, Galanthia pointed out as she inserted herself into our verbal conversation.Lay low. Play it cool. Keep pretending to drink from your glass. We’ll leave in the middle of the auction.

No, that wasn’t a good plan. My senses were tingling beyond my control, making it feel like my enemies were hovering just over my head.

One of my downfalls was the fact that my emotions were in such great availability in this realm. Back in Estaria, it had been easy to shove them aside. But here? Guilt plagued me like spiritual boils.

I just wanted relief from it all.

Hold on to your head,Izdor recommended.

Galanthia nodded and added a wink.You’re doing great. We don’t have much longer.

At least let us get a plan of escape together, I suggested.

I was relieved when both of my companions agreed. After a few minutes of mental chatter, we settled on our plan. We would wait until the halfway point of the auction, putting on our automatic responses to our surroundings so as not to alert anyone of our suspicions. Using our quick travel power, we would zap to the door and jump outside where our wings could unfurl.

At that point, we hoped nobody would notice our absence. We weren’t making too much noise—aside from Galanthia and her booming laugh—and the people in the front row were starting to get rowdy. Chopper perked up behind the bar when somebody yelled for a different species to appear.

While the mer-person seemed particularly shady as an individual, they also seemed annoyed by the growing frenzy at the other end of the room. Thankfully, the commotion was drawing more attention by the second. As soon as the lights dimmed, I honed my senses, scanning our surroundings mentally to keep tabs on any approaching foes.

This wasn’t a battlefield, but it might as well have been one. Crowds like this could go from restlessness to chaos in the blink of an eye. As a commander, it was my job to recognize when my troops were getting out of hand. The same instinct occurred to me now, and my awareness sharpened as a result.

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