Page 135 of Sohut's Protection

As her gaze focused back on the beasts in front of her, it took everything within her not to take a step backward.

“Let the auction begin,” the robotic voice announced.

As the beasts in front of her began raising glowing blue cards, one by one, she did take a step back.

Her breath deafened her ears with every inhale and exhale as she watched the cards move.

Bidding.

They were bidding on her life.

And she had no control over it. Gripping the weapons she still held underneath her arms, Cleo focused on controlling her breathing.

Focus.

Restraint.

She couldn’t let her emotions, her fear, mess up any opportunity she had to escape this.

As she stared across the room through the transparent wall in front of her, she saw that the group of aliens bidding was becoming more frenzied.

She couldn’t read the currency they were using on the cards but it was obvious tensions were getting heated as the cards were being lifted at an increasing pace, almost as if the bidding war was getting tense.

Off to the corner, that same toad-man she’d noticed before was still staring at her with the serious expression he’d had when she’d walked in…only now, his seriousness seemed to be slowly transforming into utter rage.

He must be losing then.

That made her gaze drift over the others, trying to determine which one was winning the bid.

Her gaze landed on one in the center—a huge male with a curious scar over one eye. Its other dark eye focused on hers, unblinking.

As soon as it realized she was looking at it, a slow smile spread its lips and Cleo resisted the urge to puke.

It lifted its hand slowly. There was a blue card between its fingers that suddenly turned red as he held it in the air.

Her spine froze.

Somehow she knew what that meant.

He was the winner.

And her suspicions were only confirmed when the beast’s comrades rose and began filing out of the room, leaving the one with the red card in the middle.

It didn’t move, it just stared at her, that disgusting smile still on its lips, and for a few moments, she wondered what it was going to do.

Then it stood, and this time, it did get a reaction from her. Cleo took another involuntary step backward.

It was huge.

She knew it was big, but when standing, it was a whole other version of giant toad.

Fuck!

She took another step backward as the Tasqal came toward the transparent barrier.

It couldn’t get through, could it?

But before that thought could even leave her mind, the barrier in front of her dissolved as if it had never been there.

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