Dragon Lords Blood Contract

by Rylee Winters

  I wondered how much the gemstones would end up going for…

  The auctioneer’s voice continued to shoot out words faster than it seemed humanly possible, announcing each new bid amount, and before I knew it, he was making the final call.

  “Sold! To the gentleman at the front, for sixty-thousand dollars!” The gavel banged down, and my jaw dropped open in shock.

  Damn, did these people have a lot of money to blow.

  I turned my head left and right, inspecting the people around me, wondering who they were and what they did. My spidey senses were all a tingle, reacting to the auras of different magical signatures, and I could tell most of these people were probably not human.

  “When the hell are they going to wheel the scroll out,” Liam muttered from his seat beside Damien, arms folded, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground.

  Damien shrugged, trying to seem like he didn’t care, but my instincts told me he was feeling just as restless as Liam. “Veron said it should be in the next half-an-hour.”

  Liam sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “This better be the real deal – else, I’m really going to get the shits. And if that happens – Veron better watch out.”

  “What’s so special about this scroll you’re looking for?” I asked, unable to remain silent any longer, nor contain my curiosity. It was an item the guys kept mentioning, but no one had bothered yet to explain its significance to me.

  The boys all fall silent, and I wonder if they’re going to ignore me again.

  “We might as well tell her since we’ve brought her here to sniff out whether it’s magical or not…” Knox said, trying to convince the others.

  Liam sniffed his nose haughtily. “It’s a map that we think can lead us to Merlin’s amulet, an enchanted artifact that once belonged to our family. It’s been lost for several generations, and we’re trying to find it.”

  My mouth shapes into an ‘oh’.

  “And what do you intend to do with this amulet once you find it?” I asked, remembering what Ethan had mentioned about it being a conduit to an oracle in another intradimensional plane.

  “That’s none of your business,” Damien stated, breaking into the conversation. “What Liam’s told you is all you need to know.”

  I pursed my lips, unsatisfied at being walled off, but noticed none of the guys bothered to dispute Damien’s statement. “Fine,” I said, even though it clearly wasn’t. These dragons had too many damn secrets, and it was starting to really get on my nerves.

  Information was the currency of power here; something these dragons possessed, and unfortunately I didn’t. Muttering darkly to myself, I heard my stomach grumbling audibly again, and I breathed out a loud, frustrated sigh. Things were just not going my way today.

  I was about to get up to search for some food, when something was suddenly and unceremoniously dumped into my lap. My eyes widened with surprise at seeing an open packet of chips sitting there, and I recognized the package – it was the same one Drake was holding earlier.

  Before I got the chance to say anything, I was already hearing the sound of a chair scraping back behind me, and I twisted around to see Drake getting up. Gazing at him questioningly, I looked towards his face for an explanation. But one wasn’t forthcoming.

  “This – ”, I pointed at the packet of chips, “is for me?” I almost stuttered from surprise, looking firstly at the chip packet then at Drake, in confusion.

  Drake shrugged. “I don’t like this flavor,” he stated blandly, looking down at me from beneath lowered lids, and I remarked to myself how the shadow cast by his long, dark lashes, made his eyes look dark and smoldering.

  My eyes trailed down to his stubborn lips and his strong, chiseled jaw, set in a firm, tight line. I watched as a muscle began to tic on one side, and my eyes darted back to meet Drake’s gaze to see a glimmer of annoyance, and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on…

  He turned away. “I’m going back to the vending machine to get something else,” he informed the rest of us, and stalked off.

  Weird… I thought as I tried to figure out Drake’s strange behaviour. But hey – I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in its mouth. Without a sliver of hesitation, I plunged my hand inside the bag, and began munching on chips.

  “Hey, get me some corn chips, will you!” Liam called out after Drake, but Drake didn’t respond, despite the fact that I was sure he could hear Liam’s words. The two of them didn’t seem to get along too well, and I wasn’t quite sure whether Drake would be nice enough to fulfil Liam’s request or not.

  It was clear from watching Liam next, he suspected Drake wouldn’t, and this made him mad. Sliding down in his chair until he was leaning back in a slumped position, Liam folded his arms, and then swung out his leg to deliver a small kick to the back of the chair directly in front of him, unable to hold back his temper.

  He looked almost boyish, I mused, as he pointed his chin down, resting it on top of his chest, sulking.

  I guess I wasn’t the only one Drake was a jerk to – and I knew it was bad, but honestly, this did make me feel a tad bit better about myself.

  Feeling faintly sorry for Liam, I looked over at the side of his ashy-blonde head, and cleared my throat to attract his attention. He turned to look at me, and cocked an eyebrow up in my direction, and I extended my hand out to offer him some chips.

  Frowning, Liam looked down at the open packet and tossed his head to the side in disgust, turning his nose up. It was clear from his reaction he did not appreciate my sympathy – not one iota – and as he gave me the cold shoulder, I was immediately flooded with regret.

  I shouldn’t have bothered trying to be nice to him.

  Withdrawing my hand, I sat back in my seat, and deliberately started munching noisily on a handful of chips.

  “Aren’t you going to offer me any?” I heard a cold voice speak up from beside me. The sudden and unexpected request startled me, and I turned in dismay to stare at Damien.

  “Well?” he asked again as I gaped silently at him, his frown deepening when I continued to stare without answering. “It’s common courtesy you know.”

  I blinked at him, because it was the only response I could give him at the moment without being rude.

  Did this dude have a personality disorder? One minute, he’s treating me like a piece of ugly furniture in the background and giving me the silent treatment – the next he’s acting like a self-righteous S.O.B and having a go at me for having no manners.

  I’m almost tempted to tell him to go find his own food, but think better of it – in case he decides it to hold it against me, and it later comes back to bite me in the arse.

  “Here,” I grunted, shoving the bag of chips towards him without ceremony. “Have some.”

  He looked at me for a second without moving his lips, and I was certain he had another comment to let loose about my manners, but he surprised me by holding his tongue.

  His gaze held mine steady as his hand reached inside the bag, and then I watched as he pulled out one chip – one, uno, singular chip.

  That’s when I knew he was mind fucking with me.

  “I can see you’re real hungry,” I remarked sarcastically.

  “This stuff can kill you. Better eat it in moderation and not have too much,” he imparted sagely, looking down at my waist with a meaningful look, then ignoring my expression of outrage, he turned back to face the front.

  What. The. Fuck. The guy was real hot, but also a real asshole.

  Spluttering silently to myself from the side, I decided to give him the silent treatment – not that it made any difference since the jerk hardly ever spoke a word to me anyway.

  I made a big show of it as I pretended to go back to happily eating my chips. Meanwhile, they were wheeling out the next item for sale up on the stage.

  As soon as my eyes caught on the shimmering gray material of the item, I dropped all thoughts about my spat with Damien, focusing my entire attention on the item, which
I noticed somewhat resembled a cloak.

  Weirdly enough, it almost seemed like it was singing out to me, and I squinted at the object trying to work out what it was...

  A sudden realization hit me, slamming into me like a solid brick wall, and I reacted by completely clamming up inside.

  It can’t be… I sucked in a sharp breath and held it there, as the auctioneer banged his gavel onto the wooden sound block to bring everyone to attention.

  “Now, here we have a selkie pelt from the Scandanavian region…” he began, and in my head his voice begins to trail off as my thoughts coalesce together into the painful realization that I was right.

  As the attending staff member on the stage held up the pelt in his hands to give the audience a better view of the item, the lights from the ceiling reflected off the material, making it shine like smooth, rippling, polished silver, and I found myself being hit with its magical essence, full blast.

  The pelt was calling out – crying for its owner. I could feel its voice; how desperate, sad and lonely it was. It wanted nothing else but to unite with the selkie it once belonged to.

  A sickening feeling pierced deeply through the pit of my stomach, and my thoughts started to whirl in a tornado as blood thumped inside my ears. My eyes barely registered Knox’s hand as he waved it out in front of me, as they stared dazedly ahead, his voice coming through like a muffled echo under the dome of silence that suddenly surrounded me.

  “Are you okay?” I heard the question faintly as Knox’s forehead creased in concern.

  I barely had the presence of mind to nod my head, while in actual fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

  There was a selkie pelt up on stage, and they were selling it to the highest bidder. Questions raced through my mind, spinning and avalanching against my skull.

  Where was the selkie then? Was she dead? Or worse, had she been enslaved?

  Any one of these possibilities was a brutal fate, and it made me dizzy just thinking about it.

  “That selkie pelt. You need to get it,” I blurted out in a hoarse whisper.

  “What do you mean…do you want it?” Knox asked, looking at me quizzically.

  The pelt’s voice continued to flitter into my ears, full of despair, ripping at the core of my soul.

  “I just need it…please…” I begged, “I really need you to get it for me.” My voice sounded strained, despite my best efforts to keep it normal.

  Liam snorted, not taking notice of how strange I sounded. “Do you know how much that thing’s going to cost? A freaking fortune. This kind of item is as rare as they come.”

  I shook my head vigorously, feeling distressed. I could barely think straight as the emotions whirling inside of me threatened to topple me over. “Please…” I repeated again, my request coming out in a quiet, breathless whisper.

  And I found I was no longer able to hold it in.

  My heart was thudding loudly at this point, and a dark fog was claiming every thought in my mind, momentarily overwhelming me and blurring my vision. In addition to all this, I was beginning to find it hard to breathe.

  Blinking, an unbidden memory surfaced inside my mind and I flashed back to my own tragic past. Was my mother sold to the Kiang’s at a similar auction? Traded as nothing more than just a commodity to the bidder with the deepest pockets?

  It didn’t seem like Knox or any of the other guys were going to purchase the selkie pelt for me, but there was no time left for me to convince them – I was at my limit.

  I can’t be in this room any longer…I have to leave.

  I faintly sensed my legs moving as I stood up from my seat, and without a word, exited the row and left the room. Reality trickled slowly through, like it was in slow motion trying to catch up with my moving body and my disorientated mind.

  The image of Damien and Liam’s confused faces as I shuffled past them filtered through to my comprehension long after the moment happened, and part of me thought I’d heard Knox call after me.

  But I didn’t pay attention to any of this, too intent on getting out of there, and as far away as possible from the haunted, magical cry of the pelt. I didn’t even care enough to check whether any of the guys were following me – I was that distraught.

  As soon as I was out in the corridor, I paused. I could see people walking up the corridor towards me to my right, so I turned and made a left instead, trying to avoid any and all, as I began to run down the passage, moving deeper inside the building.

  I didn’t know where I’m going, but I knew I needed to be as far away from this room as possible, and ASAP.

  Barely keeping myself together, I was afraid to be caught out by someone in this vulnerable state, so I continued to run further and after a few more twists and turns, I found myself in an empty corner with no one else around.

  My emotions were thick and overwhelming, making my breathing uneven.

  Collapsing against the back wall, my body slid down onto the floor, and I started to hyperventilate until my hitched breathing turned into sobs. I was shaking all over from my head to my toes, as something akin to grief clutched at my heart, squeezing and rending it apart.

  In between the choking sobs, I lamented over the poor selkie who’d lost part of itself – unable to return home to the sea. It made me think of my own mother, who had been bound into captivity – captured and sold to cruel masters, who were only able to do what they pleased because of their insane wealth.

  Burying my head inside my arms that were wrapped tightly around my raised knees, I began spitting out curses at all the filthy rich people in that room. Karma was a bitch and I hoped she came to claim what was her due, and then some.

  While I was still sobbing, my ears picked up on the sound of approaching footsteps.

  Raising my head, I looked up to see through my blur of tears, a stocky man dressed in a white shirt beneath a black suit, wearing a matching bowtie at his neck. He stopped about three feet in front of me.

  “Hello, my pretty,” the strange man said, his nasally voice giving me the creeps, enough to make my breath catch in my throat. Panicking slightly, I quickly wiped away the tears blurring my vision so I could see the stranger more clearly, and I gasped as I recognize the man with the monocle from earlier on.

  Sniffling, I swallowed down the dry sob stuck in my throat, wondering what this man was doing here – and more importantly – what the hell did he want.

  As if reading my mind, his mouth widened into a leering grin, and he took a step forward.

  My eyes rounded, and I scrambled up with my back pressed against the wall.

  “Who are you? What do you want?” I asked nervously, my eyes darting from his face, to his moving feet, and then over his shoulder to the empty passageway behind him. There was no one around.

  If I can catch him by surprise or distract him somehow, and just run past him…

  A squeak of leather shoes broke my train of thought, and my eyes snapped back to the odd man in front of me. He was inching closer, and all my alarm bells were going off.

  “Isn’t it obvious, my pretty?” he said, his eyes never leaving my face.

  It was making my skin crawl – the way he kept on calling me that.

  “You need to leave,” I told him point blank, straightening up my spine and squaring my shoulders in an effort to look tough. But my words only made him laugh.

  Biting my lower lip, I sniffed, scenting him in the air, and I started to panic and feel afraid. There was an odd, peculiar smell about him, hinting at something dark and twisted…something depraved…and it triggered a shudder from deep inside me.

  His eyes gleamed yellow under the ceiling light as he caught my reaction, and it made him grin even wider, revealing sharp, white canine teeth.

  ‘Pull yourself together. You can fight him – just take him on,’ I scolded myself, even as a feeling of horror and shock raced through my veins. This guy was definitely more dangerous than he first seemed.

  But his aura was overwhelming…it
was like he was exerting some invisible pressure on me with his presence, suppressing my insides, making me want to cower all the way down onto the floor.

  Suddenly, he halted on the spot and raised his black cane at me, pointing the bottom of it in my direction. I looked at him, startled at the movement, then with a click of a button, he shot an object out from his cane stick and it came sailing through the air towards me.

  In the brief second before it hit me, I was able to tell it was something fine and delicate, as I glimpsed faint shimmers in the air. Next thing I knew, I felt something light and sticky hitting my body, knocking my back into the wall with its force, and pinning me down like some kind of spider’s web.

  Looking down, I saw thin, barely perceptible threads intersecting across my body, holding me firmly in place. I tried pushing my shoulders against the fine bindings, attempting to tear free, but found the web immovable and it continued to hold tight.

  This must not be some ordinary material. There’s magic laced into this web…

  Snarling, I looked up to glare at the pale, stocky man. “Who the fuck are you?” I growled again, raising my voice in the hopes of scaring him off.

  It didn’t work.

  He walked slowly up to me, only stopping once he was directly in front of where I was, while I continued to struggle away trying to free myself from his sticky bonds. Leaning in, he sniffed me, before letting out a sigh of pleasure.

  “Tasty…” he murmured, his disgusting tongue flicking out to lick the top of his lip.

  The action made me shudder…

  But I was trapped – unable to move even as he raised a freckled hand to stroke my cheek with his wide, stubby finger. It felt dry and rough as it grazed itself across my skin – and it was just freaking gross. I wanted him to stop, and the fox inside me growled in warning as my eyes turned a golden honey from activating my shift.

  I felt my claws extending out.

  “Let me go,” I spat out, and tried to push him away, only to find my limbs were stuck – frozen to my sides. I began squirming harder, trying to break free. But it was no use…