“Let me see that map,” Cyprian requested of Vintor.
Cyprian examined the layout of the auction house. The area on the other side of the door was shaded, lacking detail. He noted the corridors and rooms were accessible only by personnel, when they held up a hand to the door.
That’s where I’ll find the captives. But there’s no way I’m going to easily gain access, Cyprian groused in frustration.
Cyprian was surprised when Exo came through the door next. He watched as the lanky, pale male was led toward a platform. Exo shook violently as he was goaded in front of the crowd, by the Verrater guard. It didn’t help that the crowd grew noisy seeing the unusual Miran Sona. His large black eyes blinked in the bright lights, as his head swung back and forth in panic.
Exo was a tall, delicate creature, but Cyprian had never witnessed the male act this way. Granted this was a traumatizing situation, however the male had always maintained his composure. Exo kept his head when he first met the fearsome Cadi. More than once, Cyprian admired the male’s bravery for crossing the cosmos with only a few of his kind, in an effort to save the human race.
Cyprian was suddenly worried the Miran Sona was being tortured. There were countless ways to bend someone to your will, without leaving a visible mark. Cyprian knew of at least a dozen.
“Don’t push me, Ratso,” an irate female voice, shouted over the din.
Cyprian spun to see the human, as she was led to the nearby stage. He was surprised when Riley rotated her arm, then rapidly tugged free of her Verrater escort. But rather than running off, Riley stomped up the steps of the platform, without further goading. The guard followed, making sure she didn’t backtrack.
His eyes were riveted to the diminutive female. Riley boldly walked around the perimeter of the stage, rather than cowering in the center, like so many of the other chattel. Her long, black and purple, hair, made her look wild. She tossed the long tresses aside, as she straightened her back, and held her head high. Her full, blood red lips were pursed in agitation as she stared down the patrons closest to the stage, before moving on, only to repeat the challenging posture.
The static image hadn’t done Riley justice. It didn’t begin to convey how spirited she was. What struck Cyprian the most, were the colorful markings decorating her shoulders and arms. Riley was covered in almost as much warrior’s ink as he was. It extended down her back, but was obscured by her dress.
“Look at her. Are we certain it’s a female? Has anyone ever seen a human male?” Gio asked.
Cyprian understood where the young male was coming from. He hadn’t seen a human male. Few on Cadi had seen a human at all, besides what was shown by the commentators who broadcast to the public. It was only because he worked so closely with Daimio Kagan that he’d met Giselle, Providence, and most recently June. Many times, he’d wondered about human males, if the females were so aggressive.
But Riley was most certainly female, despite her ink and demeanor. That much Cyprian knew to be true. Her breasts weren’t obscenely large, like some of her kind, but they were still substantial compared to Cadi females. Riley’s waist was narrow, then flared out at her hips, giving way to a lush ass. It was one feature Cyprian had to admit he liked about the human females. Their full rears, made a male think about mounting.
Riley made it around to their table and paused. Her dark eyes narrowed on the Jurou Biljana, then widened when she saw the Cadi warriors. Her gaze met his, and Cyprian was frozen. Riley’s mouth parted in surprise, then snapped closed again, as she adopted a resolute scowl. Her nostrils flared as she huffed in disgust, before moving on. Cyprian didn’t like the derision, but he couldn’t blame her.
The way Riley paced the stage, like a caged beast, reminded Cyprian of the feral manx cub, he captured and trained as a battle mount. Zilo was headstrong. Cyprian was the only one who could get close to the spirited, striped beast, let alone ride.
Cyprian glanced up at the display screen as it started playing details about Riley.
“Patrons of Distraho, we present to you an extremely rare species. This exotic human has never before come up for auction, and likely never will again. The rare female is physically compatible with class M and H species. She is genetically most compatible with M class,” the display droned in more detail than it had for the other species.
Cyprian’s eye’s widened when a nude image of Riley appeared on screen. Her pale skin was covered in warrior’s ink that trailed down her back to her legs. He frowned when he saw that her nipples were pierced, like her ears.
Who would dare do that to the female?
“You sons of bitches,” Riley bellowed on stage, when she saw herself on screen.