"Auctioning what?" I crane my neck toward the low stage at the front for some clues. All I see is the singer in her sexy shimmering black dress and the band. "Are they auctioning off art? I don't see the preview anywhere." Normally, people show a preview of the items to be auctioned off before the bidding starts. I don't see paintings or sculptures anywhere in the room.

Deedee scoffs while Dante snatches a glass of champagne from one of the circulating servers and takes a slow sip. He leans in as if he's about to tell me a secret. His smile is definitely wicked when he says, "We're enjoying the preview now." He moves his hand about, indicating the whole room. Then he draws a circle, indicating Deedee, Juniper, and me. "You're one of the items being previewed. We're auctioning off...you."

I hear Juniper gasps. We fall into a shocked silence while Dante blissfully sips his champagne.

Now I'm seeing the way that men are eyeing the women with a new set of eyes. The way men are ogling us, measuring, appraising...now I understand why.

Not all the men here are young and good looking too. Some of them are quite repulsive.

I watch a man in a black tuxedo walk closely past, leering at us, clearly checking us out. His pale skin is flushed and his jowls are fleshy and droopy, making him look like a bulldog. On his arm is a beautiful woman who looks young enough to be his granddaughter. The bulldog gives me a suggestive smile and I turn away in disgust.

Trust Astaroth to organize something like this and to auction off his own daughters too. Am I truly shocked? No, not really. What do you expect of a demon?

"How does it work? Do we get to keep the money?" Darn Juniper! Instead of sounding mad or upset, she sounds excited. It's not like she needs the money. It's the demon of lust in her.

"I never agreed to be sold off," I snap before Dante gets to answer.

"Dear sis, you signed your fate as soon as you entered the room and you agreed when you let them put that bracelet around your wrist," replies my brother.

"Well...I didn't know!"

"Of course you didn't. But that doesn't matter, Danica," snaps Deedee. "You chose to come here, now you must bear the consequences. I swear, it's like you hate living. Sometimes I wonder how you manage to make it to the ripe old age of sixteen."

"Seventeen," I automatically correct her. I'll be seventeen in a few months. Yes, it's quite an accomplishment for me to manage to stay alive this long. I always get into trouble but the luck seems to be on my side so far.

When you're the daughter of Astaroth and you like to defy your father as much as I do, seventeen is a good number. It's like having a gold medal and I'll wear it proudly.

"Uuughh! I give up!" growls Deedee before she stomps off.

Dante grins as he watches our sister storms off. "I think you're the only one Deidra cares about," he comments.

I doubt it. Like all of us, Deedee only cares for herself and she only does something if it benefits her in any way.

Juniper clears her throat, trying to get our attention. "So...Ummm, the auction. How does it work exactly?"

"Well," says Dante, checking out a woman who's giving him a coy smile as she walks past. "All the women wearing the bracelets are available for men to place a bid on. A woman who is already bid on will have a choker around her neck."

I look around us, only now noticing that some of the women are wearing diamond chokers, including both my sisters. Some chokers are bigger than others.

"The smallest and the cheapest choker cost 20k and that allows the gentleman the pleasure of the lady's company for the night. The next step up is 100k which allows him to have her for a whole week, 200k for a month, and so on...you get the idea," he continues before giving a group of women a roguish smile. They apparently like his stupid smile since they giggle, giving him hopeful looks before they walk away.

"What happens if another man wants to bid on the woman who's already wearing a choker?" I ask him, too curious to keep my mouth shut now.

"If another man is interested in the same woman, he's going to have to make a bigger offer which cancels the one before. She'll then be wearing a bigger choker."

Juniper leans in closer, looking far more interested than what's good for her. "What's the most expensive one like?" she asks.

"Big," answers my brother, looking amused. "I believe the most expensive one cost 20 million."

Juniper's eyebrows rise. "And how long would that allow him to have her?"

"That would be for as long as he wants. The arrangement will cease when he says so."

"So, that could be for life?" Juniper sounds excited as if she just found her true calling in life.

"That's too cheap a price for a lifetime of servitude," I can't help but chime in.

"Servitude, pleasure...who knows," says my brother with that annoying smile on his face. "I don't believe anyone ever bought a lady for that price before, though. At least I've never seen it ever happened."

"So, what would the women get from all this?" I ask him.

"The women get 50 percent from the winning bid, sister dear. It's quite lucrative, really."

I snort inelegantly and my brother smirks. "All these women are vetted and only those who meet a certain standard are allowed through those doors. That's why they are among the most beautiful women you've ever seen. These ladies are here on their own accord and unlike you, they knew what they're getting themselves into."

I roll my eyes. The standard must not be too high since Juniper and I were allowed in. "Whatever. Now, how do I get out of here?"

"I told you, once you're here, there's no escape unless you could fight Astaroth's henchmen and win." He nods toward several large Excruciarchs at the door. There's no way I can fight my way through them. "Even if you managed to get out, you'd still be wearing the bracelet that has a traceable microchip. They'd only take it off you once the auction is over or when you manage to exchange it with a choker. Maybe someone will pity you enough to bid on you, little sis." I slap his hand away when he pats my head.

"Hello, Danica," comes an irritatingly sultry voice from behind me. I turn to give the owner of that voice a glare.

Dimitra is standing a few feet away from me in all her curvaceous glory. Her hands are on her hips. A very smug smile is playing on her lips. A line of diamonds is glittering around her neck and it's not a small one. The one around Deedee's neck is big too, bigger than the ones around other women's neck and that's not surprising considering my sisters' beauty outshine all the others in here.

"You planned this. You did this on purpose!" I hiss at her. She's been luring me here with the endless talk about this "party". She said that our father wasn't going to be here. She obviously lied.

She flips her hair back and laughs. "It's not my fault that you couldn't stay away from a challenge and what's forbidden. It's a glorious party, isn't it?"

I should have known. Dimitra makes it her mission to get me into trouble with Astaroth. The older I get, the more driven she seems to want to get rid of me.

"You know damn well this is not a party!" I keep my tightly clenched fists by my sides, fighting the urge to land a punch on her gorgeous face.

"Oh, come off it, Danica. It's not like she held a gun to your head," says Deedee who's back to stand next to Dimitra.

That's true and I would have conceded that I did this to myself if not for the smug, inferior smile on Dimitra's face.

There's a slight commotion at the door and we all turn to look.

"Oh, here comes daddy dearest," Dimitra sings. Her caramel eyes light up with glee.

Astaroth strides in with a few of his friends, including Asmodeus- the demon of lust, and Belial- the demon of lies and guilt. They are all wearing custom made tuxedos.

Both Asmodeus and Belial are good looking, but the demon of vanity beats them all. With wavy dark hair, striking blue eyes, plump lips, and a sharply chiseled face, Astaroth is the definition of beauty. He loves beautiful women as much as they love him. He surrounds himself with them. He indulges himself freely.

He smiles and greets my brother Damien with a pat on the back while his eyes scan the room.

"That's my cue to leave," says Dante but I'm not paying attention to him. I'm staring at Astaroth. Maybe tonight is the night that my luck runs out.

Astaroth's sharp gaze slightly narrowed when it lands on me. That's the only clue everybody gets that he's displeased but it pins me in place, unable to move or to breathe.

His eyes stay on me and it feels as though someone had a hand pressing against my throat. My heart beats fast and painfully in my chest and beads of sweat start to form around my hairline.

Another commotion at the door draws Astaroth's attention away from me and suddenly, I'm wheezing, gasping in much-needed oxygen.

"Oh, they're here!" exclaims Dimitra. She's so excited, she's breathless. "I can't believe it! They came. They're here!"

"Who's here?" asks Juniper.

"The Nephilims," answers Deedee.

******************************

Hello fellow readers!

My next update is going to be on Tuesday evening and if you want to read the next three chapters right now, go to Inkitt:

https://Inkitt.app.link/RA_NicoleRidd3y

Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe, everyone!

Much love,

Nicole♥