Aiden
Shirogane Auction House was already packed by the time Milo and I arrived as we had planned.
We wanted to be as invisible as possible when we got there so we didn’t have too many eyes on us, and we could sneak in where we wanted to be toward the back where no cameras would catch us.
I tried my best to subdue my senses, passing on the trays of champagne that were being passed around while Milo happily took one every now and then.
“I envy you more than you realize right now,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Not my fault I don’t have an extra sense to worry about.” He smiled and downed the rest of the glass he held while staring at me. I looked away, rolling my eyes.
I cut my eyes at him. “Well, it’s not my fault I was born and not made, you ass.” Milo chuckled and placed the empty glass on the server's tray as they walked by.
The elite of Noirhaven roamed the room. It didn’t take long for me to spot Talia, the head of the Malmora family, with her partner Celine. I was sure that someone from the demon and werewolf families would be here too.
“Talia and Celine are over there.” I nodded my head in the direction of the nymphs.
Milo nodded, lightly tilting his glass in another direction. “Myq is over there, not sure where his crew is though.”
“Mmm, I see him.” I acknowledged, spotting the werewolf in the back but not seeing any of the members of the pack that he usually surrounded himself with. “That just leaves Beck. He has to be here somewhere.”
“Do you know why Vea rarely comes to things like this? She always sends us, or Des.” Milo looked at me with curious eyes.
Truthfully, I did know, but it wasn’t my place to share the information.
Des had told me years ago, and it was part of why I was hired, but if Des wanted Milo to know, she would tell him.
I shook my head and shrugged, looking at the crowd, continuing to survey the room.
Milo just nodded and sipped another drink.
We spotted Beck about five minutes before the auction began. He had a demon I had never seen attached to his hip, no surprise there.
Ceril walked onto the stage holding a microphone.
His giant white wings tucked tightly behind and around him so as not to knock anything over.
“Good evening everyone!” The crowd erupted into applause.
“I want to thank you all for joining me at this very special live auction tonight.” Applause continued.
The beings in the room fawned over Ceril.
His angelic beauty captured people who didn’t know his true nature.
Luckily, it was easy to spot those who did because we were immune to his charm.
“We have many gorgeous pieces available for you all tonight, but of course, the stars of our show are these five, stunning Senketsu pieces.”
As if on cue, a cloth was pulled off of five canvases that were lined up on the stage, and five of the Senketsu paintings I had been studying the past few days were in front of me.
Squinting my eyes, I looked closely at the artwork.
The golden sheen in the red told me exactly what I needed to know.
The red wasn’t paint at all. It was blood. And not just any blood, Senketsu blood.
Pulling out my phone, I opened the text thread with Vea and Des.
Me
it’s what we suspected. they are definitely the same artist
Des
okay, just keep us informed. If you need backup, we are there
Me
it’s calm now, and we scoped it out. as long as we win the pieces, it should be fine
Vea
you will get the senketsu’s aiden
Vea’s text felt more like a threat than encouragement. I gave her response a thumbs up and put my phone back in my pocket.
Looking around the room, everyone was admiring the art and whispering to each other.
There were conversations about the worth and validity of the art.
Did Ceril have it appraised and authenticated?
Both reasonable questions he better have an answer to, even though I knew the answer to both—it was worth a shit ton, and it was authentic.
“I know many of you may be wondering,” Ceril spoke up again.
“How did I acquire these pieces? Where did they come from? So on and so on…” He waved his hand around in a circle and rolled his eyes.
“None of that really matters, though, does it? What does matter is that each piece has a letter of authenticity, signed.” He held up a framed letter and set it down next to a canvas.
“And the appraisals came back and are listed on each piece. Take some time to mingle and look at these and the other art available this evening. The live auction will start in one hour.”
Ceril stepped off the stage and behind a curtain. The crowd began to chatter, and everyone dispersed to the bars or for hors d'oeuvres.
Walking up onto the stage, I allowed my senses to release a bit, trying to sense what others around me were feeling toward the artwork.
My best way to gauge who would be bidding on the pieces would be to sense their emotion toward it and make my best assumption if they were going to want to buy it if they didn’t outright say they were going to or not.
Not many others joined me on the stage at first, mostly just curious beings who wanted a closer look. A yellow pulsing aura radiated as they took in the brush strokes and did their best to understand the meaning behind the imagery.
“What do you think the artist was trying to represent?” A young vampire turned to the being they were with. “The flowers are beautiful, yet they’re dying. It makes no sense yet somehow makes all the sense in the world.”
The other being, a nymph, tall and lean with muscle.
Their thick dark hair fell as they leaned over the vampire.
A soft pink aura began pulsing from them, and the warm admiration they felt toward the vampire flowed through my chest. “Maybe that’s what they were trying to represent.
That sometimes things can make no sense at all but be absolutely right.
” The nymph kissed the vampire on the cheek and smiled.
Looking down, I turned away, shy but loving that I had just witnessed such a tender moment between these strangers.
Walking over to the next painting, I admired the harsh lines mixed with soft flowers. I remained curious as to how the artist applied the paint so effortlessly, but it always seemed to land exactly where they needed it to.
Outside of the corner of my eye, an orange pulsing got my attention.
Behind the curtain on the stage, Ceril stood with his back to me, six wings spread wide.
The orange aura was coming from another being who stood in front of Ceril.
Over the background music that played for the auction, I couldn’t hear what was being said, but it was clear the other being was incredibly agitated.
Their arms were tossed around in frustration.
Ceril dropped a wing and a blue-haired angel slipped around him, stomping off. Her light grey wings tucked tightly behind her. I didn’t focus on her aura as she left. I was too in tune with the other creature I couldn’t see.
Finally, after a few more moments, I had moved closer, and Ceril had pulled his wings into their resting position.
The orange aura had changed to a pulsing neon yellow.
Agitation had become pure annoyance. The other being shoved Ceril aside, trying to get by, but before he could, Ceril shoved him back against a metal pole.
The blonde being hissed in pain, showing off sharp fangs.
Ceril gripped him by the back of the neck and began dragging him away.
My eyes went wide when I realized what I had just seen. Who I had just seen.