Page 19 of Taken by Moonlight

I did have something the other women lacked. A self-deprecating sense of humor, and a willingness to useit.

Confidence filled me. This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my Friday night and certainly not how I wanted to make love for the first time, but damn, it was mybody.

I was not some hapless human offered forsale.

I was in charge of my ownsexuality.

Maybe this was what Carmen and Kelly liked about stripping – commanding the attention of a room filled withmales.

Norm had ordered me to remove my clothing for the bidding, but I ignored that. Part of the mystique was not knowing what lay under the outside packaging. I didn’t have any shifter assets to display and my acrobatic ability was poor, but I wouldentertain.

Kicking off a high heel into the crowd, I purred, “Okay boys, who wants the other shoe? Betcha never scented real human female feet before. Keep it as a souvenir when you feel like chasing Jimmy Choos. Or give it to your pups to gnaw on when they’reteething.”

More hoots and hollers followed. Emboldened, I began to have fun. I slid the robe a little down my arm, showing the barest glimpse ofskin.

The auras in the crowd flashed redder, except for the trio up front. Odd. Was I boring Dante and his friends? Their auras remained coolblue.

If I had anyone in the crowd to choose as my first lover, it would be one of those three. At least I knew them, and sensed they wouldn’t be grunting, inconsiderate inbed.

Gentle,no.

Considerate,yes.

The bidding rose to twentythousand.

“Look gentlemen,” I purred, lifting the hem of my gown up to my calf, “real human skin. Not shifter. No fur in sight on these legs. Unlike the other ladies, Iwax.”

Someone guffawed and bid twenty-five thousand. Relief filled me. At least I’d reached the amount Normpromised.

“Five hundred thousanddollars.”

Staggering backward, I stared into the crowd. Surely I’d heard wrong. No shifter in his right mind would pay that exorbitant amount for me. Not when he could get ten virgins for thatamount.

My gaze dropped down to the center table. Dante stood, not raising his card, his hands folded behind his back, military stance. His commanding presence warned the other malesaway.

“Well?” He gave the auctioneer an impatientlook.

“Going, going, gone.” The auctioneer banged the gavel, wiped hisforehead.

It was over. But apparently not, because Rodney, the tipsy bear shifter, stoodagain.

“Aw hell, sweetheart, you cheated! I want to see skin! Take her clothesoff!”

Time to go. But as I stepped off the dais, the bear shifter raced up the steps. Claws extended from his fingers. With one mighty yank, he tore off my robe and nightgown. Fabric parted, slithered down to the floor, leaving me starknaked.

Frozen to the ground, I couldn’t think. Breathe. All I could do was stare into the crowd, which had gone from flashes of amused purple and relaxed blue to hot, hungryred.

My nipples hardened, not from arousal, but the chill in the air. Fisting my hands, I glared atRodney.

The bear leered at me. “That’s better. Nicepackage.”

Dante leapt onto the stage before I could blink. Even though Rodney was a half foot taller, Dante yanked Rodney by his collar. He lifted him as if the shifter was a package of rump roast, rattled him, and then tossed him onto thefloor.

The crowd roared. Literally roared. They were shifters, afterall. .

Red auras flashed with black. My mind felt numb from the surge of hard male energy, cranked up to two levels. I saw two trains of thoughts amongst the shiftermales.

Fight orfuck.