Chapter 93: Sold to the Night
{IRIS}
"The bidding starts at one thousand gold!"
The host’s voice rang through the grand hall, sharp and theatrical, as if announcing a celebration rather than a transaction of flesh.
"One thousand one hundred!"
"One thousand five hundred!"
"Two thousand!"
"Five thousand!"
The numbers climbed with dizzying speed, shouted with eager laughter, punctuated by clinking goblets and the low hum of amusement that spread through the gathered vampires.
Each bid struck me like a hammer against my chest.
My breath came shallow.
That high...?
For a fleeting, shameful moment, a strange warmth bloomed in my chest. Was this what value felt like? To be wanted—fought over—measured in gold and desire?
The feeling sickened me almost as quickly as it came.
I lifted my gaze, forcing myself to look at the bidders. Pale faces twisted in anticipation. Crimson eyes gleamed with hunger barely disguised beneath silken smiles. They weren’t bidding for my beauty. They weren’t bidding for my rarity.
They were bidding for the right to break me over and over because I wouldn’t die. Because my wounds would just close.
My fingers curled against the cold platform beneath my palms. I could almost feel it already—the pain, the cruelty, the amusement they would take in every scream, every tear.
If only—
If only I could free myself from the restraints binding my wrists and ankles.
If only I could reach Caroline.
My eyes darted towards the cage in where she was caged, rigid and pale, a cruel arcane suppressant collar locked around her neck.
The suppressor dulled her magic, rendered her defenseless. Human. Fragile. Completely exposed in a room full of predators.
My heart clenched.
Zephyr’s parchment.
The thought came to me like a spark. If I could tear free—if I could reach her—I could rip the enchanted parchment he had given me. We could escape this nightmare together.
But before I could even begin to form a plan—
"Ten thousand."
The voice was calm. Cold. Unbothered.
The entire hall fell silent.
Every head turned at once.
So did mine.
Sol Evernight stood among the nobles, tall and immaculately composed, his white attire pristine against the candlelight. His crimson gaze was fixed on the stage—not on the crowd, not on the host, but on me.
My heart stuttered.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
He looked as if he had merely commented on the weather. No tension. No emotion. As though placing such a bid meant nothing at all.
The host recovered first, his grin stretching impossibly wide.
"Oh! The future Lord of Evernight himself has entered the fray! Is there anyone bold enough to challenge such generosity?"
Laughter rippled through the hall.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
My pulse roared in my ears as our eyes met. There was no warmth in his gaze—no cruelty either. Only that familiar, impenetrable calm that made my skin prickle.
What are you doing?
Why bid on me—after throwing me onto that stage himself?
Anger flared, sharp and bright, tangling with my fear.
I didn’t understand him. I didn’t understand anything anymore.
"Sold!" the host declared, slamming the gavel down with theatrical flair. "To Lord Sol Evernight!"
The sound echoed like a death knell.
Hands seized my arms before I could react. The restraints were undone only to be replaced by iron grips, dragging me from the platform. The hall blurred as I twisted in their hold.
"Wait—!" My voice cracked as I turned my head desperately. "Caroline! Wait—Caroline!"
Her eyes widened. She tried to move, to shout, but she couldn’t get out or her cage no matter how tried she trashed inside.
The last thing I saw was fear flooding her face.
Then I was shoved forward, down a corridor of black stone and flickering torchlight.
The door slammed behind me with a heavy metallic clang.
I stumbled, coughing as I caught myself against the cold floor.
The room was large—too large. A massive bed dominated its center, draped in dark velvet. Chains gleamed faintly along the walls. Various tools rested neatly on a side table, polished and disturbingly scary to imagine its use.
My stomach dropped.
No.
A cold dread coiled tightly in my gut.
Don’t tell me...
Was this what he intended? Did the stoic, ice-hearted heir of Evernight harbor such indulgences?
No—no, that didn’t matter.
Caroline.
Panic surged through me, hot and overwhelming.
What if she was next?
What if someone else bid on her?
She was human. Powerless. Helpless without her magic.
My chest tightened painfully.
"Damn it!"
I hurled myself at the door, slamming my shoulder into the cold metal. Pain exploded through my arm, but I barely felt it. I hit it again. And again.
The door didn’t so much as tremble.
I gasped, panting, teeth clenched in frustration and fear.
Without my wolf’s strength, I was nothing.
Nothing.
I drew back and charged once more—
The door opened suddenly.
I collided with a solid chest, strong arms catching me before I could fall. I froze, breath caught in my throat.
Slowly, I looked up.
Sol stared down at me, his expression unreadable, carved from ice and shadow.
"What are you doing?" he asked coolly. "Even for you, I didn’t think you were foolish enough to believe you could break reinforced steel with your shoulders."
Shock flared, quickly swallowed by fury.
"Sol!" I grasped at his coat, desperation overriding pride. "I know you don’t care about us—but even as classmates, please. Save Caroline."
My voice shook despite my efforts.
"I don’t care what happens to me," I pressed on. "You can do whatever you want. Just—please. Caroline is human. She could die out there."
For a moment, he simply looked at me.
And in that moment, I thought—hoped—that my words had reached him.
Then he pushed me.
I fell back onto the bed, velvet swallowing me as the door closed behind him with a sharp click.
My breath hitched.
I scrambled backward instinctively, heart pounding violently as he took a step toward me. His presence filled the room, oppressive and commanding.
His crimson eye glowed faintly in the dim light.
"Do you truly believe," he said quietly, "that you are in a position to make demands of me?"
He braced his hands on either side of me, trapping me against the mattress. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t escape. My wrist was tied. He seized my chin, his grip firm as he forced me to look at him.
"I don’t care if you are classmates," he continued, his voice low and dangerous. "I bought you."
The words sliced through me.
"You are mine," he finished. "For the entire night."
