Page 12 of His Place in the World (Legendary Shifters #9)

The man had to be in his early fifties, possibly a bit older.

His hair was dark, though, making Angus wonder if he dyed it.

That was probably the case, but his mustache betrayed his age, with the silver strands in it glinting under the light.

The man had a strong nose and was dressed impeccably.

He gave off an air of being rich, which he had to be to be present tonight.

“Is that our host?” Ryland asked.

“I’m sure they’re already on it,” Mercer murmured to him.

“Welcome back,” the man said. “Since I’ve been warned there are new faces tonight, let me introduce myself.

My name is Fulton, as most of you are aware of.

I’m the organizer of this party and auction, and please, if I don’t know you yet, come to me once it’s over.

I want all my guests to be happy with what they find at the auction and with the food and drinks.

Besides, I always look forward to getting to know new people. ”

Someone tittered, and Angus glared around. Ryland’s hand tightened on his, and he leaned forward, expecting what was about to happen.

Angus dreaded it. It would be the hardest part of all of this. He’d have to watch shifters being auctioned without being able or allowed to do anything to help them.

“Programs with the names and details of the shifters about to go on auction are being distributed right now,” Fulton continued.

“Please, take a few minutes to go over them and make your choice. I hope everyone will find something they want and will enjoy, although, of course, the only way to win who you want is by using your credit card.”

A smattering of laughter made Angus grit his teeth. He wasn’t a violent person, but right now, he wished he could kill every single person in the room.

Fulton bowed lightly. “Enjoy your evening, and I’ll see you later, during dinner.”

Fulton left the stage, and the noise level went up again. Angus was relieved—it would hide whatever he and the others had to say—but the anticipation made him sick.

There was a movement behind them, but Mercer stepped in before Angus could see what was happening.

He quietly talked to someone, and when the curtain lowered again, he appeared next to Ryland, holding what looked like a thin booklet.

He appeared disgusted as he held it out to Ryland with two fingers, but Ryland didn’t hesitate to snatch it from him.

He let go of Angus’s hand and quickly thumbed through the leaflet. Angus knew the moment he realized his brother wouldn’t be auctioned tonight. Ryland’s shoulders slumped, and he let out a heavy sigh.

“We knew this might be a possibility,” Angus told him.

“I know. I was still hoping he’d be here.”

Angus understood, so he left Ryland alone. Ryland continued looking through the leaflet, but Angus couldn’t help but notice that he paused at one page in particular. He wondered if maybe Ryland knew whoever the shifter on that page was, but the room fell silent before he could ask.

Someone had appeared on stage, and it wasn’t Fulton. He was still there, standing to the side, holding his microphone, looking like a kid in a toy shop at Christmas, but he wasn’t the center of attention anymore.

“Our first item is a twenty-six-year-old unicorn shifter,” he said, watching a woman being chained to a hook at the center of the stage.

She wore just enough to hide her breasts and her private parts.

She folded her arms around her and looked around, but Angus suspected she couldn’t see much because of the darkness of the room and the brightness of the light on stage.

She was blonde, and her hair hung around her face, making her look like an angel.

Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t.

Angus tuned out while she was being auctioned.

He clutched the arms of his seat, keeping himself anchored there so he wouldn’t do something stupid.

He was glad when the woman disappeared from the stage, but she was replaced by a man who couldn’t be much older than eighteen, if even that, and it was almost enough to send him running to the stage.

A hand landed on his shoulder. He turned around to see that Matt was looking down at him rather than at the stage, and he was grateful that his father-in-law had stopped him from doing something stupid.

“Thank you,” he said.

Matt nodded. His expression was hard, and Angus realized they were in very much the same state. They both wanted to intervene, but they couldn’t.

The next man looked even younger, although Fulton made sure to explain he was in his mid-twenties. It didn’t seem possible, given how tiny the man was.

“Now, this one is special,” Fulton drawled. “I know that by looking at him and how small he is, you’d never think it, but Tyler here is a gargoyle shifter.”

Murmurs in the crowd told Angus several people were interested.

He could understand why. Gargoyle shifters were incredibly rare, and Tyler was adorable to boot.

He was short and slight, and he looked like a fragile cherub with his messy blond hair.

There was something to Tyler’s face that made him look barely adult.

Angus’s stomach churned with disgust at the thought of what the people who bought him would do to him. He wanted nothing more than to protect Tyler, even more so than he’d wished for the other shifters that had been auctioned tonight.

“Let’s start with a hundred thousand dollars,” Fulton said.

The offer was taken up, but whoever had bid wasn’t the only one interested. Angus gritted his teeth, waiting for the auction to be over, dreading what would happen to Tyler when it was.

He was stunned when Ryland raised one of his hands. “Five hundred thousand dollars,” he declared.

Mercer grumbled behind him, but Ryland didn’t seem to care or even hear him. He kept his focus straight on the stage, locked on Tyler, who was trying to hide his body with his arms with little success, since he was only wearing a pair of tight white briefs.

Fulton looked around, squinting as if to find out who was offering so much money for a shifter. “I don’t think I recognize that voice,” he said.

“You don’t have to recognize it,” Ryland snapped. “Is the shifter mine?”

Fulton chuckled. “We’ll find out soon enough. Does someone offer five hundred fifty thousand dollars?” he asked, looking around.

No one did. That meant that Ryland had just bought Tyler, and Angus had no idea whether or not it was a good thing when it came to their mission. He also didn’t care—Tyler was safe, and that was all that mattered.

* * * *

“What the fuck is he doing?” Remi muttered.

His focus was stuck on the screens, and Del didn’t blame him. He wanted to ask Ryland what he was doing, too. Why had he bought that guy? Had he played all of them and gotten a way in the auction for that?

“He’s trying to help,” Doyle murmured.

“By buying a guy?” Remi was angry.

Del didn’t blame him. Ryland was putting the entire operation in danger, even if he was doing this for a good reason. Angus was right there next to him, and Del prayed nothing would happen to him.

“By getting him out of there. Wouldn’t you have done something if you’d been in his place?”

Remi sighed, and his shoulder slumped. “I wish he’d buy all these people, but we can’t draw that much attention to us.”

“Buying one guy isn’t going to do that. If anything, it’ll tell these people that Ryland is serious about all of this and that he has money to spare,” Everly’s voice said. He was back in Rosewood, but he was working the operation with them.

Del understood. As soon as he’d seen the first shifter being auctioned, he’d wanted to help her.

He wouldn’t have been able to buy her or any of the others, but every time one of them was bought, his heart broke a little more.

It was a relief to know that at least this guy would be safe—as long as Ryland kept up his role as a rich asshole.

He watched as the auctions continued, but he couldn’t focus. He was terrified for Angus, and it only got worse when the auction was over. It meant Angus and Ryland would have to mingle again, and Del didn’t know how he’d be able to stand watching that.

He held his breath as Fulton stepped onto the balcony where Ryland and Angus had been sitting before they could leave.

“A new face,” he drawled, ignoring Mercer and Matt.

He didn’t ignore Angus, though. Angus stared at the floor as if he was afraid, but Del could see that wasn’t true. He was angry and possibly afraid of what he’d do if Fulton tried talking to him.

“Where can I retrieve my purchase?” Ryland interjected, placing himself between Fulton and Angus.

Fulton chuckled. “Eager?”

“I paid half a million dollars for him, so yes. I’d like to take him home.”

“And skip dinner?”

Del couldn’t see Ryland’s face anymore, but he could imagine his expression just by his tone of voice when he next spoke.

“I didn’t come here to have dinner with people I don’t know and couldn’t care less about. I came here for the shifters, and now that I have one, I’m ready to head out.”

“I can assure you that the food is perfect, as is the company. Most buyers stay to talk to other like-minded people, and business connections are often formed. Besides, if you’re planning to attend more of my parties, maybe it would be good for you to get to know the others.”

Del’s mouth was dry. He needed Angus to get out of there. His skin crawled as he listened to the conversation and Fulton’s voice. The man wasn’t just an asshole. He sold people and became rich on their torture, and he clearly didn’t care one bit about them.

“Take me to Tyler,” Ryland ordered. He leaned closer to Fulton, but Del and the others could still hear him. “Now. I’ll pick up my purchase and head out. If you want to talk about business, you’re welcome to contact my company.”

“Should I invite you to my next party?”

“Only if you have something interesting to sell.”