Claiming of the Demon King (ICS Book One)

Chapter Two - The Auction

The Auction

A crisp breeze ruffled her hair, soft brown locks blowing across her eyes. Victoria swallowed hard as she eyed the group of men standing before her. They watched her greedily. These men wanted her. She shivered with the knowledge.

Tonight one of them would own her. Her father's debts had left her no other choice. It was either sell herself to the highest bidder or watch her father suffer.

Still, the sight before her was shocking. Eyes of all colors gleamed up at her in the night, some flashing red, others a brilliant blue, many of them pitch black. These men were not human, but males of various species, each one frightening and powerful.

Not to mention violent.

A large demon with black horns attacked an equally massive shirtless male whom she could only guess was a werewolf. With a deafening roar the two males fought each other, breaking bone and clawing flesh.

The wolf won, spitting blood to the ground with a grin. The demon simply shrugged, as if ripping each other apart were no big deal. She'd been on edge just watching the two of them, while the rest of the crowd cheered them on. A group of witches had even taken bets, their familiars hissing and growling around their feet. It was total chaos.

And now I'm a part of this.

When she'd learned that she belonged to this world, a halfling, she wondered if she'd gone mad. One minute she was a simple human - awkward, poor, struggling to pay her bills - the next she was being thrust into this world of strange creatures and violence.

Her mother, Adora, had been an elf. A freaking elf!

Of course she'd always found it strange that she never got sick, or that cuts and bruises healed in days, sometimes hours, but an elf? She'd chalked it up to good eating habits.

Victoria's eyes fell on several elven females at the back of the crowd. They sat on the hood of a car, laughing and drinking as they watched the festivities. They were beautiful, flawless creatures, with lithe bodies. Each one had a weapon, which looked oddly out of place as they munched on popcorn and chugged liquor straight from the bottle.

Her mother had been one of them?

Victoria certainly didn't look like an elf. She didn't have pointed ears or super strength and speed. She wasn't even sure if she was immortal. Her father had warned her that elven women were seductive creatures and strong warriors, using their beauty to entice their enemies before delivering them a cold death. She was nothing like that, unless you counted killing zombies in first person shooters.

And yet her mother had belonged to this world. When Adora first met her father it was love at first sight. She left behind her world, her kind...

And they killed her for it.

Victoria gritted her teeth, glaring at the elves with anger. How different would her life have been if not for them? How could anyone be so cruel?

She would never be like them.

"Are you afraid, my dear Victoria?" a deep, cold voice interrupted her thoughts.

Victoria cringed.

Turning she glared at the werewolf. Vincent eyed her back arrogantly. She resisted the urge to strike him, clenching her fist. When Vincent showed up at her door, callously informing her of her father's debts - and of her elven blood- she'd disliked the wolf from that very moment.

Vincent and Jeramiah had left that night with the promise they would return, and that a choice had better be made. As soon as they were gone she confronted her dad and finally learned the truth.