“I don't want to kill other people.”“They're no longer ‘people’, Lei.” The Auctioneer insisted. “These very people I tell you are criminals. Not even worthy to be forgiven.” “I am no different then.” The girl’s eyes narrowed in the dark path ahead of them. “Where are we going to?”“To my crib.” He replied. “You will be staying there along with other girls.”“Won't they kill me in my sleep?” she turned her head to him and frowned. “You said so yourself that these people are dangerous.”“The girls you will be roommates with are well-behaved.” The Auctioneer said.“Are they werewolves too?”The Auctioneer sighed at Lei’s bombardment of questions. “No. But they aren't humans either. Don’t be surprised by their personalities.”The girl nodded meekly and followed behind him. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her jacket. In her mind, she felt hopeless. This time, her life as a vagrant truly begins. She will have to raise a blade at anyone just to ensure her own quality of life. ‘
Upon hearing that, Angela and Casa zipped their mouths. Lei felt like the world crashed on her— as if her ability to make the first two potential friends suddenly vanished the moment those words escaped her lips. She kept her eyes on the picnic blanket and pursed her lips, unable to say anything more. She closed her eyes hoping that the ground would eat her alive. ‘I messed it up.’ She whispered.There was silence, a haunting one. And she knew that to be able to bring back the melody in the room, she had to raise her head and look at them in the eye— and speak. She breathed once, and then shifted her viridescent eyes to the two women before her. At first, she thought she would be met by judging stares— but she was wrong. They looked at her with a concerned frown, one that said they wanted to know more about why it happened. “You must have a reason for doing it, right?” Casa took her hand in her palm. Cateleia’s throat was dry and her stomach was tightening. She was not used to tha
Cataleia woke up the next day and found out it was noon. Something heavy was on top of her and when she opened her eyes, she realized that stacks of blankets were used to cover her. She pushed the heavy fabrics aside and stretched her limbs before grabbing her jacket and went outside. She made her way down the stairs and greeted Ade from the reception table. The blob creature merely waved its hand as a sign of replying.“Sorry… uhm, would you happen to know where Casa and Angela is?” she asked Ade even if she knew she wouldn't be able to talk back.Ade pointed her gelatinous limb to the left where a door led to the rest of the canteen. “Thanks, Ade.” The girl told her, and then entered the path to her left. Upon coming inside, she realized it was just a small dining hall, but with three huge tables. And just like in the tavern, everyone turned their heads to her when she entered. Weres, faes, and other unusual creatures who were compiled by the Auctioneer, stopped eating and looked
“Axel!”The poor boy was in the Auctioneer’s inn, taken care of. Bandages were wrapped all around his feeble limbs, trying to conceal the cuts and bruises he had collected from the thugs. A man enters the inn, and the door flies open. He immediately approached the young child and inspected his damaged physique.Cataleia and the Auctioneer were beside the child, arms crossed against their chests. The Auctioneer shook his head terribly as another headache had been made for him.“My Lord, you should not have snuck away.” He sermoned.“What happened?” the male who came to fetch the boy pulled him gently behind, a protective stance that any family would do. “Who are these miscreants that tried to kill him?“Calm down, Ares. They did not try to kill me.” Axel, the youngest of the Alpha’s sons, replied. “They just beat me up, that’s all.”“They are lucky Father is away.” Ares crouched and turned his brother’s body around to check his wounds. “But Ajax isn’t.”“Please, don’t tell brother!” th
The Were stared at the girl’s challenging emerald eyes. He pursed his lips and his eyes glowered in vain. The human girl merely stared back, frowning and refusing his offer. Did she really hate him that much after their first meeting? Cataleia was petrified in her place, her legs were shaking under the three layers of skirts and she’d never been thankful to wear such thick articles of clothing. When the silence grew on her remark, Lei averted her eyes and moved her head to the side.Ajax, however, thirsted for those irises to gaze at him again. He took a cluster of her shining, silver hair in his fingers and brought it close to his lips. The human girl’s eyes widened as she felt electricity run in her veins. Ajax stared at her rosy, small lips which twitched as he stared at her intensely. The girl wanted to open her mouth to protest, but Ajax’s miraculous touch impeded her senses. Cataleia couldn’t move, the male’s cold but charming stature slowly seduced her heart, but she refused
“Lei! Lei! Wake up! You have a visitor.” The human girl shut her eyes deeper and rotated her body to ignore her waker’s convincing. She tightened her embrace against the blankets and rolled around. “Mmm…”The giant and the elf looked at each other’s faces and shook their heads with a smile. They sat on the edge of her bed and then shook her again. “Wakey, wakey, Lei. You do not want this visitor of yours to be left waiting.”Lei snuggled on her blankets more. “What is a visitor even doing so early… in the morning?” she replied, half-asleep. “Perhaps to see you, Lei.” Angela beamed a smile at Casa as if teasing. “Come down now. The Auctioneer has been keeping this visitor of yours occupied since an hour ago. You won’t want to keep him waiting any longer.”“Ugh…” the human girl opened her eyes and rubbed them with the back of her hand before scratching her nape. “…I don’t recall being acquainted with someone so dearly that he visits me.”“He is a fine young lad,” Casa whispered to her
Ares radiates over the human girl as she slowly took bites from her meal. She ordered three dishes only— ones that she had not tried in her life. Cataleia would glance at the male and she would witness how graceful he was in eating his own meals. One might even say he was raised in a castle. All that nobles ate that way— at least that’s what she had observed. The human girl thought she was staring too much and focused her eyes on her meal as her face turned embarrassed. By the time twenty minutes was over, Ares was finished with his food, but the woman hasn’t. To think that the male ordered five dishes and ate them slowly like a princess— but finished first. That thought somehow made her shy of her performance.She accelerated, but Ares told her to eat slowly. “Shall we order more?” he asked as he wiped the stain off his rosy lips. She peeked for a little bit and meekly shook her head. “There’s no need, m’lord. I dont think my small stomach can handle them. If I had your appetite, I
“Ajax.” His crimson eyes crawled from her head to her toes before he mustered a chuckle of disbelief. Ajax’s huge figure almost covered the entire doorway to the counter. Cataleia took a step back and held onto the knob as she tried to escape the gunsmith’s shop. She pulled the heavy door, but it shuts close as a hand is plastered across the glass, locking the human in place. There was a wall behind her and Ajax had slammed his hand onto the door, so she couldn't get away from being alone with him again. A smirk tugged on the edges of his unmerciful lips. He leaned close and Lei averted her face, pretending to look at the counter.“What brings you to the gunsmith, Miss Reiss?”“The same purpose you have, sir. To buy weapons.”“For whom?” he curiously asked. “For my competition.” Ajax loosened his grip on her when he felt her shivering. He stepped away, but did not take his gaze away from her. “Are we invited to this competition?”“That depends on the Auctioneer, Sir.” She replied.