Page 14 of A Twisted Gift

“Gorgeous,” I hear someone mutter.

“Your own personal toy,” Charles says, making Rose turn again, this time so she’s facing the front. “Yours to train however you’d like. Trust me, she’shighlyimpressionable.”

Disgust roils in my stomach at the wave of laughter that ripples through the room.

“Bidding starts at one million.”

From there, the rest of the auction is a blur of shouts and laughter. I go stone still, not bidding, only focusing on Rose and the horror in her eyes. At some point—probably to drive the bidding higher—Charles has her kneel in front of everyone and open her mouth. She looks confused, like she doesn’t understand why, and it only makes the crowd more enthusiastic.

Only once the commotion stops do I realize that the auction is over. That my Rose has been sold for 1.8 million dollars to a short, stocky man named Ivan. He’s glowing with pride, and when he lays his eyes on Rose, a predatory sneer takes over his face.

He places a hand on her shoulder, making her wince. “You’ll look so pretty with my collar around your neck.”

Over my dead fucking body.

I stay in my seat until Ivan hands over a check and rejoins the party. Rose is still standing next to Charles, tears silently running down her face. The room has mostly emptied by now, and I silently beg her to look at me, toknowme, but she doesn’t.

A serious-looking woman steps into the room, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Do you want me to take her?”

“Please,” Charles replies. “Put her in her room, and I’ll let you know when Ivan is ready to leave for the night.”

Her room.It’s where I assumed Charles would be keeping her after the auction, but it’s good to have confirmation. One less thing to second-guess myself on.

The woman places a hand on Rose’s arm, looking almost sympathetic for a moment. She pulls her back the way they came, and the moment Rose disappears, it feels like my heart is being ripped out of my body. It’s exactly the same as when Charles tore her away from me all those years ago.

“Erik! You’re still in here,” Charles says, sauntering over to me, his expression smug. “What a great turnout, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Quite impressive.”

“I couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t bid at all. Was there a reason?”

“I prefer blondes,” I lie.

Charles chuckles. “Oh, my boy, you have much to learn if that’s all that stopped you. My wife dyed her hair religiously until she passed, all because of a single comment I made.” He taps his temple. “You just have to infiltrate their minds. Or force them to do what you want, if that’s what you prefer.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He smiles, and in this moment, there’s almost nothing I want more than to wipe the satisfaction off his face.Almost.

Instead, I down the rest of my whiskey and stand. “Beautiful party, by the way. I can’t think of anything better to get in the holiday mood.”

“Christmas is my favorite time of the year. It was Lydia’s, too. We go all out.”

“It shows. And now, if you don’t mind, I should get back to my guest.”

“A girlfriend, maybe?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Well, don’t be shy tonight, then. There are plenty of single young women here, and I’m sure you could easily steal one away for the night.”

“Oh,” I say with my first genuine smile of the night, “I’ll be sure that I do.”

Chapter six

Erik

When I rejoin the party, I make sure to keep an eye on the staff, watching their patterns and noting which parts of the house they seem to pass through the most. I was able to find the floor plans for this place in a historical homes database, but that doesn’t solve the problem of getting caught by staff.

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