Obsidian - Miranda Bridges Page 0,11
time of the bids but also to not appear as if I’m only interested in Jade. Someone outbids me, so I place another, but that one is bested as well. If I had unlimited funds, I would drive all the bids high on purpose so that everyone would be without credits when it’s Jade’s turn, but there is no telling how much currency is available to those around me. And I can’t afford to accidentally win.
I would be fucked off.
I purse my lips, repeating the sentence silently again and finding I’m really taking a liking to using profane language more frequently.
The second round is complete, faster than the first, and I glance at Jade from the corner of my eye, just in case someone is studying me. She appears no worse off than before, but there’s no denying she is apprehensive. Like the rest of us, she watches the leaderboard with rapt attention as if it’s her master. And in a way, it is. Well, whoever’s name is at the top by the end.
Which will be mine.
The third creature, the least sought after, is sold before I can put in a fake bid. And then my throat thickens with unease when Jade is assisted from her cage and led up the stairs. Even though her fear has her legs trembling, she gracefully climbs onto the pedestal. Once she gains her footing, she straightens her shoulders and stares straight ahead like this whole ordeal is an inconvenience. My admiration for her grows because it’s obvious she is still terrified, yet she is facing her fate head-on.
Hold on, damsel. You may think you’re alone, but I’m here now. Like a shadow, I will be behind your every step, watching over you.
The battle for Jade begins, and it is fiercer than any previously. I don’t allow the others’ interest to disconcert me, waiting to place a bid until there are only five contenders left. My fingers fly over my device, and I scan the room after entering each bid, trying to identify who is fighting me for my mate.
When I don’t see anyone around me typing on their tablet, I wrap myself in shadows and slink along the back wall until I spot them. By this point, it’s only myself and two others. One is a Pulock, and the other is the sadist who hurt Jade. I school my features, but I’m not quite able to keep my gaze from narrowing as I watch the bid rise higher than I ever thought possible. Perhaps Blaze was right. This is a lot of credits for just one cunt.
But Jade is not that to me.
Yes, I desire her with a ferocity that I have to keep restrained, but I’m already anticipating more than the pleasure her body will bring to me. What I’m seeking, besides my true potential, is someone who will value me for who I am.
There is no one who would turn away the Darkblood commander or the elusive male with a ravenous sexual appetite. But just Castien? He has been forgotten, buried alive under titles and shallow relationships that slowly chip away at who he is and who he wants to be.
I repress the satisfied smirk that tries to appear when I see my name at the top of the leaderboard. Jade views it as well, and though I can’t see the green of her eyes, I can make out the loosening of her shoulders. Could it be she actually wants me to win?
“Sold!” the auctioneer says. “To the Jester.”
Like a laser, I run my gaze over the crowd, ready to incinerate whoever outbid me when there was less than half a second left. The sadist nods to those around him who offer their congratulations, and if he wouldn’t enjoy it so much and it wouldn’t draw attention, I’d pour every ounce of my power into his body until his azure skin was covered with nothing but inky darkness.
I turn my head to find Jade climbing into her golden cage and all but collapsing on the floor. Her facade of strength from before is slipping, made worse when her new owner waltzes up to her.
There are not enough fucks to express how pissed off I am.
My power, fueled by my precious mate, pulses as it courses through me, and I silently vow that I will soon release it on my enemy. He should cherish this moment because the next time I see him I will vanquish him.
I am the Dark Knight after