Page 44 of Sold at Auction

My eyes flew open in shock. I twisted my head around as far as I could, straining to see what had happened.

Marcus stood there, his face a mask of cold fury. At his feet lay Delacroix’s crumpled form, his head twisted at an unnatural angle.

“Marcus?” I whispered, hardly daring to believe what I was seeing.

His eyes met mine, softening slightly. “It’s over, Sophia,” he said quietly. “You’re safe now.”

Relief crashed over me like a wave, leaving me weak and trembling. “You… you killed him,” I managed to say.

Marcus nodded grimly. “I had no choice. He knew too much.” He moved swiftly to untie me, his touch gentle as he freed my abraded wrists and ankles.

As the ropes fell away, I collapsed against him, overwhelmed by the sudden release of tension. His strong arms encircled me, holding me steady.

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed into his chest. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to… I couldn’t…”

“Shh,” he soothed, stroking my hair. “It’s alright. You did well, Sophia. Bene, columba.”

CHAPTER 19

Sophia

I clung to Marcus, my body still trembling from the shock of what had just transpired. His strong arms held me close, grounding me as my mind reeled.

“We need to move quickly,” Marcus murmured, his lips brushing my ear. “Delacroix’s guards will be suspicious if they don’t hear from him soon.”

I nodded weakly against his chest, trying to gather my wits. “What… what do we do?”

Marcus gently pulled back, his hands on my shoulders as he looked into my eyes. “I’ve already signaled the Guard with my emergency beacon, but it will take them hours to get here. We need a distraction to keep the guards from realizing something’s wrong.”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to focus. “How long do we have?”

“Not long,” Marcus replied grimly. “Delacroix told them he was leaving early in the morning for a meeting in Legeria City. If we don’t come up with something soon, they’ll start asking questions.”

My mind raced, considering and discarding options. “Could we… could we pretend to be Delacroix? Send the guards a message?”

Marcus shook his head. “Too risky. Jacques, my second in command, would almost certainly want to confirm any change of plans with Delacroix himself. Monsieur has been playing him and me against each other for months.”

I bit my lip, an idea forming. It was dangerous, terribly humiliating, but… “What if… what if you told them Delacroix had given me to them for the night?”

Marcus’ eyes widened slightly. “Sophia…”

“No, listen,” I pressed on, my voice gaining strength. “You could tell them I’ve been naughty, that Delacroix is punishing me by letting the guards… use me.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but I forced myself to continue. “You could say he wants them to be rough with me, to teach me a lesson. That would keep them distracted until the Guard arrives.”

Marcus’ jaw clenched, his eyes stormy. “I don’t like it. It’s too dangerous. If they hurt you…”

“It’s our best option,” I insisted. “And… and you’ll be there. You can go first, to set the tone. Make sure they don’t get too carried away. And…”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. Marcus frowned and waited for me to continue.

“And I… I need it,” I whispered. “I need you, inside me, miles.” My face felt like the surface of the sun, but I had said it.

He stared at me for a long moment, conflict clear on his face. Finally, he nodded tersely. “Alright. But if there’s any sign of real trouble, I’m calling it off, consequences be damned—even if it means Jacques goes to find Delacroix and we have to run and hope we make it.”

I nodded, relief and trepidation warring within me. “Okay. How do we do this?”

Marcus took a deep breath, visibly steeling himself. “I’ll lead you to the guard room on your leash. Just remember you’re terrified: you’ve been punished already, and now your owner wants to discipline you even more harshly.”

I looked into his eyes, on the verge of making it into a joke—how could I not be terrified, after all? The care for me I saw there actually made me feel, to my astonishment, like terrified didn’t in fact describe me. With Marcus to protect me, I might in fact fail to appear sufficiently frightened to the guards. I nodded quickly to acknowledge my miles’ instructions.

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