The Mysterious Bidder
Victoria watched in horror as the blonde was purchased by a red eyed vampire for half a million. He snatched her off the platform with an evil grin. The girl kicked and screamed as the vampire snapped his fangs at her and laughed.
A Forsaken.
She didn't want to think about what would happen to the poor girl. From what she'd learned so far Forsaken vampires were heartless creatures who took pleasure in tormenting their prey. They were consumed with blood lust, forsaking pure emotions and eventually falling into madness.
What if she was sold to one of their kind? Her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to run. Clenching her fists she forced herself not to move. She had to do this, she owed her father that much.
A demon won the next bid, offering three hundred thousand and the bones of a virgin witch. As he carried away his prize a group of witches shot him evil looks and one muttered under her breath. The demon hissed at her, but she simply laughed, flicking a hand through her bright blue hair.
She stared at them, transfixed. Surrounded by their familiars they sat in lawn chairs, drinking beer as if watching a soccer game. Each one had brightly colored hair in various styles. One girl had a white rabbit resting on her shoulder, another a small red dragon curled up around her feet.
A pack of goblins sat close by. The stout fat creatures were disgusting, covered in hair with rotted teeth. They watched the witches intensely, practically panting. One got too close, leering at a witch's exposed legs. With a flick of her wrist she set him on fire. The foul creature ran into the bushes, yelping in agony.
The elves laughed, slapping each other on the back. Victoria didn't let their carefree appearance fool her. She knew first hand that they were cruel and cunning. Elves followed their own laws. And if one of their kind broke those laws they were hunted without mercy. Like my mother.
"Victoria O'Hare!"
She jumped. Jeramiah beckoned her forward. Swallowing hard she stepped onto the platform. Despite her fear she forced her head high, refusing to cower in front of these creatures.
"Next we have this stunning beauty," the vampire announced. "A sweet half-elf with all the beauty and none of the power. You can claim her to your hearts content without risk of limb or life."
The elves in the back laughed uproariously. Anger burned in her stomach. How could they find any of this amusing?
"Please look your fill," he instructed. "The bid is half a million."
Victoria cringed as each male eyed her with lust. Some growled openly at her, others running their tongues over their fangs.
After a moment the vampire cried, "Let the bidding begin!"
Vincent was the first to bid. Thankfully, he was not alone. Victoria held her breath as the bids went round and round. She felt her knees begin to quake as the wolf continued to counter bid each offer. Not Vincent, please...
The wolf countered once more against another vampire with bright green eyes, a Pure One. Victoria felt a spark of hope; Pure One's were kind vampires that valued life. The auctioneer looked to vampire in question, but the Pure One shook his head, giving up the bid. Disappointment crashed around her.
Please not Vincent!
"We have another bid!"
Victoria let out a pent up breath, her eyes traveling to the new bidder. The man was tall and lean with dirty blonde hair. He was dressed in all black, the lower half of his face hidden by his cowl, and had a sword strapped to his side. She frowned; he appeared human.
Vincent also eyed the new bidder with menace, but presented another bid. Without hesitation, the stranger continued to counter. Victoria's eyes widened as the price went up and up, reaching nearly one million along with a Dagger of Woe and a Pendent of Transcendence. With each bid the werewolf angered, growling low and showing his fangs.
"Once again, countered by the gentlemen upfront!" Jeramiah announced. "Do you counter, sir?" he asked Vincent.
Vincent's nostrils flared as he glared at the stranger. After a moment he nodded. "One million, plus the Sword of Reckoning." The crowd gasped. "That's my final bid," he growled.
"We have a final bid! Do you counter, sir?" The vampire looked to the stranger in black
eagerly.
The stranger hesitated, looking behind him.
Victoria followed his gaze to a cloaked figure looming in the shadows at the far back of the crowd. She nearly gasped. He had to be at least seven feet tall and massive, his face and body hidden underneath a black cloak.
The stranger raised his brow in question. The cloaked figure gave a curt nod.
"My master wishes to counter. We bid one point five and the Ring of Ruin," the stranger announced immediately.
"What!?" Vincent yelled, his face turning red with anger.
"Excellent!" Jeramiah laughed. "Any counters?"
With a growl Vincent stormed away from the crowd, his eyes burning blue. The rest of the men shuffled their feet but none offered a counter bid.
"Very well, sold!"
Victoria felt her heart sink. She now belonged to this massive cloaked stranger of indeterminable species. What will happen to me?
Just as the blonde stranger moved to take her off the platform a loud explosion resounded towards the back of the crowd.
"Ascended!" someone shouted.
Victoria looked on in horror as a giant fireball fell from the sky, exploding not ten feet in front of her.
******
Sebastian tore through the crowd as all hell broke loose. Fireballs and electric bolts rained from the sky, explosions lighting up the night. The creatures around him were turning on each other, ripping and tearing. He could just barely make out the female on the platform, ducking down and covering her ears as a ball of flames exploded before her.
He roared, his inner demon demanding he protect. Those closest to him bolted in terror, realizing his demon was about to break free.
His eyes stayed fixated on the female as he ripped through the crowd. He gave no thought to who stood in his way. He had to get to her, get her to safety.
Nicholas was closer to the platform, moving swiftly through the crowd. The mercenary unsheathed his sword, dispatching any in his way. Out of the corner of his eye Sebastian caught sight of the werewolf Vincent Shaw stalking towards the platform.
Damn it! Shoving a vampire out of his way a black bolt of energy slammed into his side. He staggered but didn't falter, letting out a vicious snarl. A Forsaken turned towards him. Sebastian gave him a threatening snarl. The foolish vampire ignored the warning, rushing towards him with sword drawn. Sebastian caught him by the neck, crushing it with a sickening snap and tossing the limp body aside.
The crowd was beginning to thin as groups broke off to fight or run, allowing him to see more clearly. Nicholas was nearly to the platform now, slicing the head off a Forsaken with one clean move. The wolf Vincent was close as well, fighting against two demons. One managed to land a good blow to the wolf, sending him soaring backwards. In a flash of black smoke Vincent turned mid-air, an enormous black wolf emerging from the cloud of ash and smoke.
Sebastian felt his gut twist; he'd never seen a wolf that big before. Vincent snatched one
demon in his massive jaws, tossing him aside. The werewolf then bolted towards the platform. Shit! Shit! What the hell did a werewolf want with the female? A part of him feared that perhaps she was his mate.
Nicholas jumped onto the platform just as the werewolf reached it. The mercenary snatched the female to him, tossing her over his shoulder. Bolting back into the crowd Nicholas narrowly avoided Vincent. The wolf let out a loud howl of frustration, before giving chase. But the werewolf was too late. Nicholas handed Victoria to a white haired witch, who quickly shoved her onto a teleportation rune. In a blink the female was gone. Nicholas turned towards Sebastian and gave him a salute, a bloody grin on his face, before he disappeared as well.
Relief washed over him. The woman was safe.
He felt a sharp stab in his side. Looking down he frowned in annoyance at the arrow sticking out of his ribcage. His inner demon rattled the cage, ready for the fight.
Forsaken began to surround him, red eyes hungry.
"You have a lot of nerve coming here, Cursed King," one mocked.
Memories of these red-eyed monsters feeding off his army filled his mind. With a sadistic smile Sebastian ripped off his cloak. His inner demon hungered to kill, and it was time he satisfied it.
What the hell just happened?Eve sat down in a chair, fighting tears. She was torn between fury and anguish. She'd never been so confused in her life.She couldn't seem to get a handle on Vincent. He was so caring and protective one minute, angry and insulting the next. Were all wolves like this?Or was this a Legion trait?That last thought struck her hard. This man could very well be evil. One didn't just join the Legion for a good time. She had no idea who this man was or what he'd done in the past. He could be no better than a savage Forsaken, or Hunter.Oh god.She swallowed hard, panic rising up her throat. It had been over eighty years since she'd last seen a Hunter. Memories of fire and screams filled her mind. Shaking her head she forced the images away, jumping to her feet and pacing around the kitchen.Vincent was nothing like that. He couldn't be. Sure, he was rough around the edges, but he was also so gentle. And last night...Her stomach clenched. Blushing she leaned aga
When he struggled awake the next morning Vincent was both pissed and immediately wanted to punch himself.Firstly, Evelyn was not in the bed with him, nor in the cottage.Secondly, what the fuck did he do last night?He turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, rubbing a hand over his face in agitation. He had to be losing his goddamn mind. Dry humping Evelyn in the middle of the fucking night! What the hell had he been thinking?He hadn't been. He'd let his dick and his wolf do the thinking for him. And he'd loved every damn minute.His wolf let out a growl. It wanted to find Evelyn. He wanted to find Evelyn.Where the fuck was Evelyn?Sitting up he let out a snarl at the empty cottage. That girl was a walking accident waiting to happen. He did not like having her out of sight.His chest constricted. What if she left? She was so innocent and soft. What if he'd frightened her off?Fuck, fuck, fuck!An uncomfortable feeling settled in his gut. He felt like he might be sick.Wh
Vincent gritted his teeth as Evelyn wrapped her arms around his neck and called his name. Her little body stiffened, her back arching, as her hips bucked erratically. He held her tight as her body shook with her orgasm, just stopping himself from spilling his seed between her soft thighs.Tears streamed down her cheeks, shock intermixed with pleasure in her big silver eyes. She's never come before. Fuck!His hands clenched around her waist. His wolf demanded he take her fully, to sink into her tight heat and make her come over and over. Even in its weakened state it took him several long moments to wrestle back into control.Never had he been so fucking turned on. And by a little virgin halfling! He was half-dead and his damn cock was throbbing for Christ sakes. It thrilled him to be the first to give Evelyn pleasure. The dominant wolf in him wanted to be the only man to ever give her pleasure.She stilled against him, dragging in a deep breath. "Vincent," she whimpered."I'm not done
Eve snapped awake to a dark cottage. A heavy arm was wrapped around her stomach, constricting her movements. Blushing she peered over at Vincent's blurry form. The big male had rolled over in his sleep, pinning her against his side with one muscular arm. She could feel the hot heat of his body against her backside.His very naked body.Her heart slamming in her chest she tried to shove away his arm and create some space. He grumbled in his sleep and pulled her tighter, pressing his face against the back of her neck."Vincent?" she whispered loudly, shaking his arm. "Vincent, let me go."He mumbled something incoherently before sliding his hand to her hip. Sighing in relief she made to move away, only to freeze in shock as his hand drifted up over her hip and cupped her breast."Vincent!" she squealed, slapping at his hand. He only gripped her harder, his fingers curling over the top of her camisole and pulling the fabric down over her breast. The cool night air tickled her sensitive s
Eve watched Vincent as he lay on the bad. Even with his eyes shut he looked pissed. The man completely threw her off. She had no experience to fall back on when it came to dealing with his moods or aggressive behavior. Biting her lip she gazed at him from under her lashes. He was so ruggedly handsome, his nose straight and narrow. His thick beard was wild and masculine under his high cheek bones. She found herself itching to touch it.The werewolf frightened her, but to her acute embarrassment he also aroused her. And he knew it! When he'd pinned her down on the bed....her heart had never beat so fast. Her lustful reaction was shocking. She still ached.Swallowing, Eve ran a hand over her mouth. This was crazy. She just need a good night's sleep. The last couple days had been rough to say the least. On top of that she'd spent the night sleeping awkwardly in a hard chair. Her exhausted body was already demanding she lay down in her bed and sleep.Her eyes widened with realization. S
Vincent wanted to throttle the girl. He moaned and rubbed a hand over his face, blinking his eyes repeatedly. For most of the day he'd been in and out of consciousness. At least he was no longer seeing random colors, for a time Evelyn's face had been lavender.Evelyn thankfully kept quiet, popping out of the cottage whenever he came too. At least the woman was intelligent enough to make herself scarce after accidentally drugging him. It seemed he just couldn't win as of late.The door opened with a bang, letting in a brisk cold breeze. Evelyn stumbled inside, her arms laden with firewood. She kicked the door shut with a grunt, nearly falling over backwards. Vincent shook his head as he watched her struggle. The girl was the definition of clumsy. It amazed him that she had managed to survive on her own at all.Dumping the wood by the stove she straightened, her thick glasses sitting crookedly on her nose and long strands of hair falling over her face. His inner wolf found it oddly end