Page 82 of Wrath's Call

I growled again, my demon brushing up against his confines.

And if you want to borrow it again, you might want to make sure no one else buys it first. Sound good?

Gods but this woman was quickly becoming my addiction. And fuck if I actually minded.

I would enjoy finishing the emissary bonds with her.

“Next up is number sixty-six. Sixty-six is a compliant ashen blond female with class three emerald eyes. Primary specialization is generosity, class four, with secondary class three affinity for loyalty. Her primary talent is healing, but she has a command of empathy, both for human and beast, with a strong affinity for languages. She competed in the healing trails and did not complete her task. As such, bidding will begin with twenty-five thousand dollars. Do I hear twenty-five?”

“Twenty-five!” a scout in a black jacket trimmed with red details called out. Boralis.

“Thirty-five.” came the strong voice of a man I hadn't bothered to pay attention to before.

Ademi, the scout of Xynin.Drew projected me.

“Fifty.” the Boralis scout called out.

“Seventy-five.” Ademi replied.

“One hundred and fifty.” Drew called out, as excited chatter filled the hall. So far, of the entrants for the healing trials, only one healer had received a bid over one hundred thousand, and that was for the man that had placed second overall behind Penny.

The Boralis scout didn’t miss a beat. “Two hundred.”

“Three.” came Ademi.

“Five.” Drew replied.

The scout from Boralis audibly cursed before backing away from the front of the crowd.

“Six.” Ademi.

“Eight.” Drew.

“Nine.” Ademi.

“One million.” Drew called out above the crowd, whose voices had raised to a near fevered pitch.

Ademi studied Drew for a moment, eyeing him carefully. His gray eyes bore into me next, flecks of lavender catching the light as our eyes met and held.

“Do I hear one point one? One point one?” The auctioneer called out. Ademi continued to stare at me, eyes narrowing in silent contemplation.

I simply folded my arms over my chest and stared back.

Finally, Ademi broke contact and gave a subtle shake of his head to the auctioneer.

“One million going once. One million going twice. Done. The contract is sealed. Please submit your bid.”

Drew withdrew a small slip of dark burgundy paper from his pocket and wrote down the agreed upon sum. I took it from him, meeting my Thief’s gaze as I released the paper into the currents that carried it to the cauldron. Immediately the cauldron turned a deep shade of burgundy, as her dress did the same.

That dress said everything.

She was no longer the property of Red Pines Academy.

Now, she was mine.

Chapter Thirty-One - You Win Some, You Lose Some

Aeryn

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