Chapter Seventeen
Lissa: Busting the Auction
I woke to the sound of muffled voices, music playing loudly, and my ears ringing. My heart was racing as my anxiety began to build. Cigarette smoke and different brands of cologne and perfume mixed with body odor wafted through the air, causing my nose to burn. My body felt heavy, as if the effects of whatever drug they used hadn’t completely worn off yet.
Another thing I could determine was that something was covering my eyes. I could feel the knot pressing against the back of my head tightly, and I was sure there would be a bruise there later if there wasn’t one already.
I tried taking deep breaths to calm my irritability, but the mixed smells were too much, causing me to cough and gag.
“I think Little Dragon is awake,” a male voice said.
I hated being unable to see where I was or what was happening. I could hear someone walking closer to me, and I could begin to taste stomach acid as panic began to rise from my stomach.
“Going to be a pretty dragon,” the voice said, and I flinched when I felt him dragging a finger down my cheek and across my jaw.
“Leave her alone,” another male voice called out.
“Come on,” he whined. “Wish we could taste the products. I bet this one tastes sweet.”
“I bet she bites, too,” a deeper voice said with a laugh.
“Sweet and spicy,” the male voice next to me said. “I like that in a woman.”
“Boss will chop your hands off if you don’t back off,” a deep male voice added.
“At least I get to see every bit of the goods before they’re handed off,” the male voice beside me said. I could hear his feet shuffle and sense him walking away.
The leftover drugs must’ve knocked me out again as I woke up with my arms lifted high above my head. They felt as if they were shackled and attached to something on the ceiling. Gooseflesh broke out across my body as I felt a slight breeze brush across my skin. I let out a soft whimper as I realized I wasn’t wearing anything but the mask across my eyes.
Through the fogginess, I could hear numbers being yelled out by a man. It sounded as if it was an auction.
“50, 55, 60 … 75,” a male voice called out.
My heart rate spiked even higher as the number went even higher.
“100, 125, 150.”
I’m being auctioned off . My heart skipped a beat when the auctioneer stopped at 250.
“Going once. Twice. Sold.”
“No, no,” I cried.
The floor vibrated below me as footsteps approached. I felt hands on me as I was being escorted away from wherever I was. The sounds of feet were more noticeable, as if we were walking down a narrow hallway until we stopped, and I heard a door open.
“I finally have you,” said a familiar male voice.
It was Seth. The alpha I had been running away from all this time.
Hands urged me to move forward, but my feet had grown roots. This was not happening. It was as if my nightmares were now becoming reality. I knew what Seth wanted. But we weren’t on the same page, and I didn’t want the same things as he did. Not with him, anyway.
I stood there, shaking. My hands were still bound together in front of me, and my eyes were still covered. I had spent years running away from this alpha dragon, only for me to be handed over to him by a bunch of thugs who were making money off selling their own kind.
“I should leave you like this,” he chuffed as he stepped closer.
I could feel his dragon’s vibrations, telling me he was also pleased. He grabbed my arms and pulled me into the room, and I could hear the door slam behind me.
“I can’t say I have ever enjoyed having my partners tied up, but it may be a new kink of mine with you.”
I could taste the bile rising from my stomach. Let him free me, and I will tear his face off, I thought. My mouth wasn’t covered, so why couldn’t I speak? The moment his hands touched me, however, I gave him a swift kick.
He let out a loud laugh, “Fight all you want. It’ll only make me want you more.”
“You’re sick,” I spat.
“No, I’m an alpha who needs to breed.”
“I’m not the one you want.”
“No? And why is that?”
“I’m already mated to someone else?”
My body jerked when I felt him press his nose against my neck and sniff.
“I can’t smell his mark on you.”
Before I could answer, I heard the door swing open. Footsteps pounded inside the room, and Seth let out a bellowed roar. I stepped away from Seth until I could feel something against my back. A dresser, maybe?
I inched towards where I thought the door was but ran into a wall. I wanted to try and get away from the commotion. I also wanted to try and break free.
I turned my face towards the wall and rubbed against it, nudging the mask covering my eyes off. My attention darted to the two scuffling on the ground. It didn’t look like Vince. This man was much bigger and equally strong as the alpha I had just been sold to.
Seth seemed dazed enough for the male who stormed in to turn around and introduce himself.
“I’m Deacon. I came with Vince to look for you,” he smiled.
It surprised me when I could scent that Deacon was a dragon. However, what caught my attention was when I heard him say Vince’s name.
Seth groaned as he moved a hand slowly to touch his head. Deacon turned around to assess what to do next.
“Don’t have long, so you might want to poke your head out there and find your mate.”
I didn’t wait for him to repeat himself.
“Vince,” I shouted.
“Lissa,” Vince replied from down the hallway, and I headed toward his voice.
This was the first time I could see where I was. I hoped that Vince and Deacon could find the other women I came here with. I also wanted them to set everyone free and would do anything to ensure that.