Which only proved that he wasn’t quite as stupid as he looked.
In silence they left the cell and climbed the narrow stairs to the back of the stage. Evor paused only long enough to lock her shackles to a pole anchored in the floor before moving toward the closed curtains and slipping through them to face the crowd.
Alone in the darkness, Shay sucked in a deep breath and tried to ignore the rumblings of the crowd just beyond the curtain.
Even without being able to see the potential bidders she could feel the presence of the gathering demons and humans. She could smell the stench of their sweat. Feel the smoldering impatience. Taste the depraved lust in the air.
She abruptly frowned. There was something else. Something that was subtly laced through it all.
A sense of decaying evil that sent a chill of horror over her skin.
It was vague. As if the being was not truly in the room in full form. More like a looming, intangible presence. An echo of foulness that made her stomach clench in fear.
Swallowing back her instinctive scream she closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep, steadying breath. In the distance she heard Evor loudly clear his throat to command attention.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, demons and fairies, dead and undead ... it is time for our main attraction. Our pièce de résistance. An item so rare, so extraordinary that only those who possess a golden token may remain,” he dramatically announced. “The rest may retire to our reception rooms where you will be offered your choice of refreshment.”
Despite the lingering certainty that she had just been brushed by some malignant gaze, Shay managed a disgusted grimace. Evor was always a pompous blowhard. Tonight, however, he put even the cheesiest ringmaster to shame.
“Gather close, my friends,” Evor commanded as the dregs of the bidders were forced to leave the room. To be granted a golden token, a person or demon had to carry at least $50,000 in cash on them. The slave trade rarely accepted checks or credit cards. Go figure. “You will not wish to miss your first glimpse of my precious treasure. Do not fear, I have ensured that she is properly chained. She will offer no danger. No danger beyond her perilous charm. She will not rip your heart from your chest, but I do not promise she will not steal it with her beauty.”
“Shut your mouth and open the curtain,” a voice growled.
“You are impatient?” Evor demanded, his tone edged with anger. He didn’t like his well-practiced act interrupted.
“I don’t have all night. Get on with it.”
“Ah, a premature ... bidder, a pity. Let us hope for your sake that it is not an affliction that taints your performance in other areas,” Evor sneered, pausing to allow the roar of coarse laughter to fade. “Now where was I? Oh, yes. My prize. My most beloved slave. Demons and ghouls, allow me to introduce you to Lady Shay ... the last Shalott to walk our world.”
With a dramatic motion the curtain disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Shay exposed to the near two dozen men and demons.
Deliberately she lowered her gaze as she heard the gasps echo through the room. It was humiliating enough to smell their rabid hunger. She didn’t need to see it written on their faces.
“Is this a trick?” a dark voice demanded in disbelief. Hardly surprising. As far as Shay knew, she truly was the last Shalott remaining in the world.
“No trick, no illusion.”
“As if I’d take your word for it, troll. I want proof.”
“Proof? Very well.” There was a momentary pause as Evor searched the crowd. “You there, come forward,” he commanded.
Shay tensed as she felt the cold chill that warned her it was a vampire approaching. Her blood was more precious than gold to the undead. An aphrodisiac that they would kill to procure.
With her attention focused on the tall, gaunt vampire, Shay barely noticed when Evor grabbed her arm and used a knife to slice through the skin of her forearm. Hissing softly, the vamp leaned downward to lick the welling blood. His entire body shivered as he lifted his head to regard her with stark hunger.
“There is human blood, but she is genuine Shalott,” he rasped.
With a smooth motion, Evor had placed his pudgy form between the vamp and Shay, shooing the predator away with a wave of his hand. Reluctantly, the undead creature left the stage, no doubt sensing the impending riot if he were to give in to his impulse to sink his teeth into her and drain her dry.
Evor waited until the stage was cleared before moving to stand behind his podium. He grasped his gavel and lifted it over his head. Ridiculous twit.
“Satisfied? Good.” Evor smacked the gavel onto the podium. “The bidding starts at fifty thousand dollars. Remember, gentlemen, cash only.”
“Fifty-five thouand.”
“Sixty thousand.”
“Sixty-one thousand.”
Shay’s gaze once again dropped to her feet as the voices called out their bids. Soon enough she would be forced to confront her new master. She didn’t want to watch as they wrangled over her like a pack of dogs slavering over a juicy bone.
“One hundred thousand dollars,” a shrill voice shouted from the back of the room.
A sly smile touched Evor’s thin lips. “A most generous bid, my good sir. Anyone else? No? Going once ... Going twice ...”
“Five hundred thousand.”
A sharp silence filled the room. Without even realizing what she was doing, Shay lifted her head to stare into the crowd jamming the auction floor.
There was something about that silky dark voice. Something ... familiar.
“Step forward,” Evor demanded, his eyes shimmering red. “Step forward and offer your name.”
There was a stir as the crowd parted. From the back shadows, a tall, elegant form glided forward.
A hushed whisper spread through the room as the muted light revealed the hauntingly beautiful face and satin curtain of silver hair that fell down his back.
It took only a glance to realize he was a vampire.
No human could so closely resemble an angel that had fallen from heaven. And fallen recently. Or move with such liquid grace. Or cause the demons to back away in wary fear.
Shay’s breath caught in her throat. Not at his stunning beauty, or powerful presence, or even the flamboyant velvet cloak that shrouded his slender form.
It was the fact that she knew this vampire.
He had been at her side when they had battled the coven of witches weeks ago. And, more importantly, he had been at her side when she had saved his life.
And now he was here bidding on her like she was no more than a piece of property.
Damn his rotten soul to hell.
Viper had been in the world for centuries. He had witnessed the rise and fall of empires. He had seduced the most beautiful women in the world. He had taken the blood of kings, czars, and pharaohs.
He had even changed the course of history at times.
Now he was sated, jaded, and magnificently bored.
He no longer struggled to broaden his power base. He didn’t involve himself in battles with demons or humans. He didn’t form alliances or interfere in politics.
His only concern was ensuring the safety of his clan and keeping his business profitable enough to allow him the luxurious lifestyle he had grown accustomed to.
But somehow the Shalott demon had managed the impossible.
She had managed to linger in his thoughts long after she had disappeared.
For weeks she had haunted his memories and even invaded his dreams. She was like a thorn that had lodged beneath his skin and refused to be removed.
A realization that he wasn’t sure pleased or annoyed him as he had scoured the streets of Chicago in search of the woman.
Glancing at his latest acquisition, he didn’t have to wonder if Shay was pleased or annoyed. Even in the muted light it was obvious her glorious golden eyes were flashing with fury.
Clearly she failed to fully appreciate the honor he was bestowing upon her.
His lips twitched with amusement as he was returning his attention to the troll standing behind the podium.
“You may call me Viper,” he informed the lesser demon with cold dislike.
The red eyes briefly widened. It was a name that inspired fear throughout Chicago. “Of course. Forgive me for not recognizing you, sir. You ... ah ...” He swallowed heavily. “You have the cash upon you?”
With a motion too swift for most eyes, Viper had reached beneath his cloak and tossed a large packet onto the stairs leading to the stage.
“I do.”
With a flourish, Evor banged the gavel on the podium. “Sold.”
There was a low hiss from the Shalott, but before Viper could give her the proper attention, there was the sound of low cursing and a small, wiry human was pushing his way through the crowd.
“Wait. The bidding is not yet closed,” the stranger charged.
Viper narrowed his gaze. He might have laughed at the absurdity of the scrawny man attempting to bully his way through towering demons, but he didn’t miss the scent of sour desperation that clouded about him, or the blackness that darkened his soul.
This was a man who had been touched by evil.
The troll, Evor, frowned as he regarded the man, clearly unimpressed by the cheap, baggy suit and secondhand shoes. “You wish to continue?”
“Yes.”
“You have the cash upon you?”
The man swiped a hand over the sweat clinging to his bald head. “Not upon me, but I can easily have it to you—”
“Cash and carry only,” Evor growled, his gavel once again hitting the podium.
“No. I will get you the money.”
“The bidding is over.”
“Wait. You must wait. I—”
“Get out before I have you thrown out.”
“No.” Without warning the man was racing up the stairs with a knife in his hand. “The demon is mine.”
As quick as the man was, Viper had already moved to place himself between the stranger and his Shalott. The man gave a low growl before turning and stalking toward the troll. Easier prey than a determined vampire. But then again, most things were.
“Now, now. There is no need to become unreasonable.” Evor hastily gestured toward the hulking bodyguards at the edge of the stage. “You knew the rules when you came.”
With lumbering motions the mountain trolls moved forward, their hulking size and skin as thick as tree bark making them nearly impossible to kill.
Viper folded his arms over his chest. His attention remained on the demented human, but he couldn’t deny that he was disturbingly aware of the Shalott behind him.
It was in the sweet scent of her blood. The warmth of her skin. And the shimmering energy that swirled about her.
His entire body reacted to her proximity. It was as if he had stepped close to a smoldering fire that offered a promise of heat he had long forgotten.
Unfortunately, his attention was forced to remain on the seeming madman waving the knife in a threatening motion. There was something decidedly strange in the human’s determination. A stark panic that was out of place.
He would be an idiot to underestimate the danger of the sudden standoff.
“Stay back,” the small man squeaked.
The trolls continued forward until Viper lifted a slender hand. “I would not come close to the knife. It is hexed.”
“Hexed?” Evor’s face hardened with fury. “Magical artifacts are forbidden. The punishment is death.”
“You think a pathetic troll and his goons can frighten me?” The intruder lifted his knife to point it directly at Evor’s face. “I came here for the Shalott and I’m not leaving without her. I’ll kill you all if I have to.”
“You may try,” Viper drawled.
The man spun about to confront him. “I have no fight with you, vampire.”
“You are attempting to steal my demon.”
“I’ll pay you. Whatever you want.”
“Whatever?” Viper flicked a brow upward. “A generous if rather foolhardy bargain.”
“What is your price?”
Viper pretended to consider a moment. “Nothing you could offer.”
That sour desperation thickened in the air. “How do you know? My employer is very rich ... very powerful.”
Ah. Now they were getting somewhere.
“Employer. So you are merely an envoy?”
The man nodded, his eyes burning like coals in their sunken sockets. “Yes.”
“And your employer will no doubt be quite disappointed to learn you have failed in your task to gain the Shalott?”
The pale skin became a sickly grey. Viper suspected that the sense of darkness he could detect was directly related to the mysterious employer.
“He will kill me.”
“Then you are in quite a quandary, my friend, because I have no intention of allowing you to leave the room with my prize.”
“What do you care?”
Viper’s smile was cold. “Surely you must know that Shalott blood is an aphrodisiac for vampires? It is a most rare treat that has been denied us for too long.”
“You intend to drain her?”
“That is none of your concern. She is mine. Bought and paid for.”
He heard a strangled curse from behind him, along with the rattle of chains. His beauty was clearly unhappy with his response and anxious to prove her displeasure by ripping him limb from limb.
A tiny flicker of excitement raced through him.
Blood of the saints, but he liked his women dangerous.
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2008 by Debbie Raleigh
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-3061-4
Deborah Raleigh Page 28
