The auction was a bigger event than they thought it would be, held in an area in the huge cabin that was like a large hall filled with multiple covered windows. Everything was dimly-lit inside, and all the guests wore masks that made it impossible for Dean to see anything beyond features and body shapes. He took what he could get, donning a mask himself and eyeing everyone who came in. In no time, he memorized those who looked important, taking note of things like lip shape and body imperfections for Kasper to use later.
Then he settled back to watch the auction.
Mrs. Cortez sat beside him, looking very pleased with everything and dressed up as if she was attending a grand ball. There was a stage set up in the middle of the hall, with a spotlight on it and curtains behind. A quiet chatter surrounded the room, up until the curtain was drawn to slide the first cage inside, containing the first creature to be auctioned.
The chatter died instantly at the sight of the fairy fluttering inside, her wings intact and glittering. Glitter also came from her eyes—tears.
There was a speaker in the background, stating what kind of creature this was and all the special features it had. The speaker paused for a while, letting the guests get a good look at the fairy as the cage was turned, and it was only then Dean realized that there were wheels below.
Then the auction began.
It was clean, organized and snappy, indicating that they’d done this multiple times, and all hitches and flaws had already been polished. The fairy was sold to a thin, tall man who sat with a couple of women fawning over him while he touched them, and there was no doubt in Dean’s mind that this fairy wasn’t just going to be for display. His jaw clenched as he remembered Kasper’s mate, Yeri, as he remembered all the other fairies he helped save when they got accidentally got lost here.
They were too innocent for this world.
The next up was another fairy, one that looked calmer than the first frantic one. She glared at everyone and hissed, saying words in her language that sounded like threats. But it only interested the potential buyers more, and murmurs started up as the speaker introduced her and said she was a fairy from the woodlands, much like Legolas from some fantasy movie that the guests obviously understood. Probably some human reference.
This fairy sold higher than the first one, as the guests went higher and higher at their price bid, their paddles rising more excitedly in the air when the fairy kept shouting her protests. It eventually got sold to a woman, who giggled happily and was already muttering some request to have the fairy gift-wrapped for her.
He didn’t pay much attention to the next few creatures other than to take note of their kind. Instead, Dean busied himself with the guests, watching for patterns: who bid the most, who was the quietest, who obviously had too much money and who was more careful with their spending. He took note of the voices he could hear, filing everything in his head, letting it all sink in even while he attempted the pose of someone who couldn’t care less one bit about being here. Peter was like that—a diamond in the rough who suited bars more than grand parties, radiating a restless energy more than a calm, composed one. It was exhausting to act like someone else, but he did what he could, knowing everything that he was gathering now would be helpful in the future.
There were no lion shifters around other than him—in fact, he couldn’t sense any shifters at all, and he wondered if that was the only role shifters had in this: as the deliverer of goods and nothing else. He supposed he should probe that topic, but he didn’t know how to approach it without letting Mrs. Cortez get suspicious.
Dean watched her out of the corner of his eye, noting her body language. She was as relaxed as anyone watching a show, a small smile on her lips every time the bid went up and a creature got sold. He supposed that meant a huge portion was going to be hers, and she was going to be raking in bigger money than the portion she gave Peter. It was a good investment from a businessman’s standpoint, though he was yet to figure out why the shifters even agreed to this. Did they have a share in all of this?
Trying to recall all the email trails Kasper had managed to hack into, Dean cleared his throat and waited until the woman looked his way.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be this fun,” he said.
The woman nodded. “I didn’t realize your kind considered this kind of thing fun. I thought you were into hunting?”
Dean shrugged, affecting a careless stance. He could see a flash of disapproval from her at the action, but she didn’t say a word—meaning Peter still had power here.
How much?
“Oh, I’m into hunting. There’s nothing like having prey in your teeth and the smell of blood under your nose.” That had Mrs. Cortez blinking, and Dean continued. “But I think I may develop quite a liking to this. I have a question, though.”
“Yes?”
“Is it worth it? What do you get out of this?”
She blinked again, and it was obvious she wasn’t asked that yet—at least, not by him. She watched him quietly, tilting her head. “Like you said, it’s fun. It’s exciting. You don’t get that a lot anymore in gallery openings, and I find that there’s a certain thrill in doing something like this.”
“Didn’t you have that thrill in arms dealing?”
She raised a brow but didn’t deny it. “Weapons are fascinating and all, but any fool can see it doesn’t hold the same appeal.”
“And I bet the money isn’t as big in weapons as it is here.”
A gleam of satisfaction entered her eyes, indicating the truth. “Yes. That, too.”
“Are you satisfied?”
“I’m satisfied with the fifty percent for now,” she murmured. Bingo. So she got half—less than what he expected, actually, and he now had part of an idea why the shifters were doing this. But only part, because human wealth wasn’t very valuable in the shifter world itself.
He needed the rest of the story.
“Well, that’s good. Let me know if you become dissatisfied.”
“Why? Why are you suddenly so interested in my satisfaction in this?”
Dean gave the woman a smirk. “Because you’re one of our most reliable clients. And now that I’ve ranked up, I’d like to make sure our transactions are mutually beneficial.”
That surprised her, but not in a bad way. He watched as she gave him a contemplative look, almost as if assessing him. Then she spoke.
“Can I be honest, Mr. Peter?”
“Peter,” he said roughly. “And go ahead.”
“You’re smarter than I thought you would be.”
Considering the Peter he knew was smart, too, but not entirely resourceful, Mrs. Cortez couldn’t be faulted for thinking that. He tried to think of what to say that wouldn’t give too much away—but before he could speak, a name was called and Dean’s ears perked up.
It was Indigo’s turn.
Understandably, Mrs. Cortez let their conversation die down as she settled back to re-watch the show. That was all Dean took notice of as his eyes fell on the stage immediately, where he saw another cage being pulled up front. Indigo was inside, wearing a similar outfit to the first she had on—still sparkly but black now. She was barefoot, and her hair was a mess, something that looked deliberate as the speaker spoke of a hag’s physical aspects. Her lips were painted black, and her eyes glittered black before a flash of red had the crowd gasping. That gasp turned into excited murmurs when the speaker got to the part of her witch side and what benefits it had in making money for them.
Then the speaker got to the part of her being able to follow orders through a metal bracelet, and the excitement turned up a notch.
His heart raced. She was too beautiful and fierce to be sold like this.
The bidding began, but Indigo wasn’t even paying attention to it. Dean’s body was still relaxed, but his eyes narrowed as he observed her and found that her eyes were roaming around, as if looking for someone. Because he was looking closely, he also began to notice things under whatever makeup they put on her—the dark circles under her eyes, the tick of her cheek that indicated nerves and…
Fear.
She was afraid but trying to hide it.
It clicked as he remembered the same fear radiating from her during her last encounter with the black witch, and he wondered if something triggered her memories all over again. An emotion came over him, and the urge to protect her almost made him leap out of his seat. He struggled against it, trying to hide it as he watched paddle after paddle come up, this time faster than the last ones. Belatedly, he realized that it was taking longer for this one to finish, which meant the bids were the highest so far.
“She sure is a hit,” Mrs. Cortez commented. “Was this the reaction you were expecting?”
“Yes,” Dean murmured, not taking his eyes off the scene.
It eventually dwindled as some guests could no longer afford the bid, and it came down to three men vying for Indigo’s price. Their paddles steadily went up, until one of the men dropped out, too, leaving only two.
Then the second one dropped out, and the last man won her.
Dean studied this man, who didn’t look like the men in the room with him when Indigo danced for them. He was more…reserved, and there was no flash of greed on him when he won the bid. In fact, there was no expression on his face at all, giving Dean the suspicion that maybe he was just a representative for the real bid winner. Indigo’s cage was whisked away. Her eyes still kept raking the area before she took a deep breath.
Then her eyes locked on him.
He kept his face void of any emotion as they looked at each other, and he could tell she was doing the same. She broke the gaze easily enough as if reminded of the fact that they were in public and she was supposedly a prisoner. Then she was gone, and another cage was being brought forward—a male creature this time, pale as they came and his fangs showing. A vampire. He made hissing noises but no other sounds, and he stayed seated in his corner and didn’t make any moves.
Beside Dean, Mrs. Cortez frowned. “That’s odd.”
“What’s odd?” he asked.
“He doesn’t seem to be violent.”
“Is he supposed to be violent?”
She shot him a look. “You tell me. We deliberately made him hungry so he’d go crazy at the sight of the guests here. You know, to up the selling appeal. I’m sure our guests want the vampires they see in horror movies.”
“I don’t know much about vampires, to be honest,” Dean murmured. “We stay as far away as possible from their kind.”
That wasn’t the truth. He knew about vampires, and her guess was correct in that they went wild when not fed. This calm vampire only meant one thing: he was being fed, or at least found a blood source that they knew nothing about.
“How are your cages? Are we sure they won’t get away while waiting to be shipped?” he asked.
Mrs. Cortez gave him a smile, one decidedly more pleasant now. “Don’t worry. Our cages are made from the best materials. The witches have made them. I have to say, the witches your bosses have provided are such a big help.”
Dean stilled, but only for a second. He turned to smile at the woman. “Good.”
Everything was slowly unraveling, and it was getting worse every time Dean discovered something new.
He remembered his phone hidden well in his guest room and decided that now was the time to use it. This information was something the others needed to know.
“Are you worried your prisoner would get away, Peter?”
“Yes,” he said distractedly, his mind already on the list of things he wanted to report. But Mrs. Cortez’s next words brought him back to the present.
“Don’t worry. Indigo is in special care.”
“How do you know?”
Her next words had him going cold.
“She was just bought by one of our black witches. That black witch was so adamant about getting her, and I told him this was the only solution—to buy her.”