DONOVAN

The car arrived at the auction house, this time it was a mansion in the skirts of Bramville, lots of cars were parked outside and people with masks were entering the building. It was still a mystery to me why people hid their faces when they came to these types of events and even if it bothered me, I also had to wear one. But it was not like it was going to hide who I was, everyone knew me and my family because of our particular hair, skin, and eyes. When it was time to get out of the car I placed my mask on my face and then walked out, wandering eyes focusing on me as I walked inside of the building with Richard following me closely. I heard their whispers, always the same ones about how I was single, about how handsome I was even with a mask, and about my parents. 

It was tiring hearing the same things over and over again, but I made an effort to ignore them because I was not here for them, I was here for the artifacts being auctioned. As a collector, these places were the best ones to acquire particular and beautiful objects. Inside, the room was full of men and women dressed in their finest clothes wearing masks of all sorts. 

“Mr. Howl, welcome. We’ve been expecting you.” Said a woman approaching me, she was wearing a red mask along with a very revealing red dress. “Let me take you to your seat, sir. It was just what you requested.”

The woman extended her hand showing a direction to me and then walked there. Richard and I followed her until we arrived at a private small room that had chairs and the best view of the stage where the auction was going to be held. I took my place and Richard took his, I checked the time and saw it was past the time the auction was supposed to start the woman noticed this and talked before I could ask.

“The auction will start in a few minutes, sir. Would you like something to drink while you wait?” The woman asked but she didn’t answer the question I had.

“Why hasn’t it started?” I asked her, raising my eyebrow, and noticed how she panicked for a moment but kept her calm.

“The main auctioned item hasn’t arrived, it’s on its way.” She explained to me and my curiosity increased.

“Is it that special that you have to wait for it to start?” I asked her with interest.

“It is quite exotic, sir.” She said and then went to a table that was in the room coming back to me with a cup filled with a red liquid. “Wine?”

I nodded, taking the glass she offered, and started to wonder what could the main item be that it was delaying the event from starting, but I knew whatever it was, I was going to get it.

PIPER

Silence…

Only silence and darkness…

Where was I?

Everything hurts…

What happened to me?

The last I remember was getting to my house and then everything went blurry and black. I tried to move, but I didn’t achieve much, I felt something cold in my legs and wrists. Chains. They prevented me from moving much. I heard footsteps approaching me and everything kicked in. I was kidnapped. I was followed from my work to my house and when I was going to enter the safety of my house I was attacked. 

“He looks really exotic, don’t you think?” The voice of a man broke me away from my thoughts.

“Well, he is a reptile. A serpent shifter. An omega.” Another voice answered. “I think they will bid a great amount for him.”

“Do you think he is venomous?” The first voice asked again.

“I don’t know and I wouldn’t want to find out.” The second voice said.

I knew what they were talking about. As an exotic serpent shifter, I’ve always been praised by everyone for my looks, it was one of the reasons my parents sold me to the circus. Specially as a snake shifter people would tend to want us for our venom. It was a great weapon against enemies. Just when I thought I was finally free and had a great life, this had to happen. Going through this hell over again, I was starting to believe I was cursed. Why was the God/dess punishing me this way? I hated this…

“Okay we should put him in place, it’s almost time.” Said one of the men again. 

I felt everything around me move. Where was I? A cage? A box? It was dark and I couldn’t see much so it was probably a box covered with something. It suddenly came to a stop and I heard footsteps walking away and I was alone again…

Alone and locked up…

‘Don’t worry Pip. I know we can make it out of this one as well.’ Priya said trying to encourage me and I appreciated that he was the only one I had with me.

I heard voices in the distance, there were too many of them, I tried to understand what they were talking about, but it was impossible. Those were the moments when I wanted to be a wolf, lion, or any other animal with developed hearing. Again I felt how they moved me, the voice of a man starting to get clearer until I could hear him next to me.

“And now the last item to be auctioned of the night” I heard a man’s voice, the thing covering the box was taken off and light hit my eyes. Huge reflectors blinded me until my sight got used to them and I saw everything…

The room was huge and full of people, people who kept looking at me and that was when I realized that I was naked and only a piece of cloth covered my privates. Looking back at the people, I noticed that everyone was wearing masks and dressed elegantly, I didn’t like this at all…

“A beautiful snake shifter, but not just any type. An exotic one whose venom can kill you with just one drop.” The man said with a big smile on his face. “Oh and fun fact about this item, as you could see from his collar he is an omega.”

Stop looking at me…

Don’t look at my scales…

I don’t want them to see me…

I don’t like this…

I want to get out of here…

Someone help me!

I felt the tears running down my cheeks as I listened to the people bidding over me, putting a price on me as if I were an object. I felt back in the circus…

Eyes on me… 

People mocking me for my looks…

Insulting me…

Somebody make this stop…

I closed my eyes tightly, wishing it would all be over…

“Ten billion dollars.” Said a deep voice somewhere in the room, that voice made me tremble but also made me feel calm. I opened my eyes trying to look at the owner of it and I saw him. A tall young man, with a serious look, his hair was a strange grayish white, and his eyes were what caught my attention the most, they were a strange yellow color. Our eyes met and something moved inside me.