I rose on my toes to see ahead. Even at five foot seven, I couldn’t see anyone on the stage from this far in the back. I tiptoed to the right. Ah, there. A beast man with skin as dark as midnight and a smile showing sharp white teeth as bright as the floors beneath our feet stood on the stage. He lifted his hands in the air, and his deep voice boomed through the hall. “Welcome to the court of Mayhem Senvil Augustus Aurelius Narcissus the Fourth, son of Alpha Victor Aurelius Demetri the Eighth, and Keeper of Earth.” Everyone clapped. I wanted to take a pin out of the girl’s hair and jab my ears. Pompous beast royalty indeed. My name had six letters. His had five words. The beast continued, “My name is Lore, and I’m overseeing the auction. Women forward, men stay in the back.”
Nobody clapped at that one. More than one man looked around confused. In the Pairing Program, community leaders sold and delivered pairs. With this new auction development, it appeared the beasts would choose how and when they’d buy, where the buying would happen, as well as how much. Human men had no say here.
Behind me, Maurice cursed, then whispered into my hair, “See that black beast up there?”
“I see him.”
“If he buys you, I’ll use the money to buy antibiotics for your dad.”
Maurice didn’t know Mike wasn’t my dad, and I didn’t correct him. But Mike’s wound had festered, and the promised antibiotics could save him. I spun around. “What do you mean?”
“Shit happens when you stab people.”
“I did not stab him,” I bit out.
Maurice gripped my jaw. “Watch that mouth, or I’ll burn him at the stake and make that redhead my personal toy.” He dug his fingers into my cheek, then released me.
One night, getting drunk hadn’t been enough to satisfy the Men of Earth who had raided our circus. They’d tied Mike to a pole and made me throw knives at him with a blindfold over my eyes. I’d missed and buried a knife in his thigh. Maurice had just promised to care for the wound. Mike needed medicine, and Maurice could get it.
The world started spinning, and I swayed on my feet. Maurice kept his hands on my shoulders. He shook them. “Do you want him to die?” he asked.
I drew breaths, tried to compose myself. “These beasts will eat me if they find out their enemy sent me.”
“Then don’t let them find out.”
Maurice spun me back around, and I forced myself to breathe and face my future. I didn’t ask what would happen if no beast bought me tonight. I knew. Maurice would take me out and shoot me, then dump my body somewhere in the ditch. Mike would die, and nobody would miss me. Maybe Hanna would ask, but soon she’d have enough problems of her own to worry about.
Women pushed their way forward, some eager to be sold, some not. I better sell for something, anything. I waited, wanted to see how all this worked, maybe try to catch the eye of an important beast, someone I could attempt to entice with eye contact and eyelash batting. Better yet…I looked down at my breasts and unbuttoned one more button. I pushed out my cleavage. Without a bra, I let the cold January weather in the city once known as Louisville, Kentucky, perk up my nipples.
In the front, the group of about fifty women, wearing light sundresses that covered only ass and breasts but not much else, positively vibrated with excitement. Beasts on both sides of the room whispered and pointed, picking out their prized cow. Here, here, beasty man. I moooo the loudest. Pick me, pick me!
Four beasts came from behind the stage. They dragged a wagon piled with everyone’s paperwork. I peeked past the hair ringlets and between people’s shoulders and caught sight of another beast man. I moved the girl’s stray strand of hair so I could see him better.
Oh boy. My heart skipped a beat, and I backpedaled to Maurice.
“There’s a beast on the…throne up there. Who is it?”
“Mayhem the Barbarian.”
“Fuck that!” I whisper-hissed. “He’s like a Halloween nightmare monster.”
“Did you think I would bring you to just anyone? I need a girl inside his court.” He pushed the small of my back. “Get back up there.”
“No way. We’re all gonna end up in his stew.”
“He doesn’t partake in auctions.”
“How do you know?”
“Intel.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
Maurice smirked. “I hope the intel is wrong and he buys you. If you pair with him, I’ll keep only Hanna and release the other girls. I swear on God. And if you manage to return valuable information, I will release Hanna.”
“And Mike?”
“Maybe.”