I groaned. I felt a throbbing headache as I curled my body into a fetal position. A shiver ran down my body and skin. The metal chains bit into my wrists and the cold shackles against my wings were still in place.
Where was I? Blinking, I glanced around with a moan.
My hand shot up, I hissed in pain as I felt a bump on my head.
Looking around, I was in a room with just a bed, a small table, and a chair. A stark, musty smell permutated the air, making me want to hurl. I kept whatever food I had down, trying my best not to throw up. A cold bite to my wrist jolted me. Looking down, I saw my wrist shackled.
I felt an unnatural discomfort on my shoulders. My wings were on full display, and I could feel at the base of the wings some cold metal ring blocking it from being pulled back into my body.
Shocked, I tried to get up. My head throbbed. I fumbled, unable to get out of bed. Instead, I plopped back down. An icy shiver ran through my body. I looked down; a hiss escaped my lips.
What the hell.
I was naked.
Anger boiled through my body, my wings extending out, flapping once, twice in anger. Creating a small gust of wind. The shackles shrieked on my wrists, clattering against each other. The rings around my wings tighten around my wings. I cursed in pain. I couldn't shake it off. Worse, an energy blocked my full connection to my wings and body.
This had never happened before, except for the time when Daimon had a grip of my wings when I fell asleep on top of him. Whatever these shackles were, I could tell that there was no way I could fly without taking these off.
Who or what kind of sick person kept my wings caged like this? A simmering anger budded in my chest. The better question was, how were they able to take my wings out?
I grabbed the blanket, wrapping it all around my body.
An opening in the door creaked open, sliding a tray of food and clothes wrapped in plastic. I approached, glaring at the food. I stooped to grab the clothes.
I ripped open a sports bra, a shirt, panties, and a short all in black with golden embroidery lining against its line. I slipped into the clothes that fit against my skin, accentuating every part of my body.
I appreciated the simple meal of rice, sautéed beef, and vegetables. Even the cup of water was fresh as I guzzled it down. The thirst in my throat was quenched. I didn't realize I was hungry until I started eating.
It didn't take long for me to finish my meal. I placed it against the table and leaned back. What and how did I end up here?
The last thing I remembered was stepping out of the council and getting whacked on the back of my head. After that, I woke up here, unable to comprehend why kidnappers had taken me. Who or what did whoever want me? The better question is, why take me away when I had no value to anyone that I know except my brother.
I sighed, realizing that my brother would be losing his mind. Wondering where I was.
The door clinked and groaned. It stuttered as it opened with a groan. A tall, menacing man with a white mask entered the room. Two more followed behind him with different plain masks that covered their faces.
"Who are you?" I got up, glaring at them. My hand clenched into a fist.
Before I could even react, the two guards who were following the man with the white mask leaped into action. They reached over, grabbing both my wrists.
I twisted. My heart palpitating.
One step to the right, I slipped out of the first guard's hold. My feet shuffled, moving from one to the other, dodging their grabbing hands.
With a vicious knee, my knee connected to one guard. With a painful grunt, he kneeled over in pain. The other growled in an animalistic growl. I swear I thought they were animals at the way he snarled.
His hands swipe to my neck, grabbing for my throat. My wings snapped open, smacking him in the face. The guard threw back, stumbling.
"Is that the best you've got?" I hissed. The weight of the chain rattled against my wrist, weighing me down. I twirled my wrist, wrapping it.
The two guards snarled, their masks cracked as they dropped. Their eyes were glowing and their faces contorted. It didn't take long for their bodies to shift and change into two massive brown wolves. With a burst of energy, they leaped.
A scuffle between me and the two wolves ensued. My wings snapped and slammed one against the wall. The other bit into my arm, piercing the skin.
I yelped in pain as it shocked my mind.
My body yanked down, falling as my wings fluttered to keep me up but failed.
The other wolf shook off the pain, jumped back up as if being thrown was nothing. It snapped and snarled, taking a bite into my wings.
Pure excruciating pain erupted as I could feel my muscles being chomped on.
"Stop," the man in white voice spoke. The two wolves froze. "We don't want our merchandise damaged."
His words chilled my very bones. Merchandise. He knew what I was and why.
The wolf shifted, going back into their human form. One of them had their knees on my back, while the other was huffing. He spat out blood, glaring down at me with annoyance.
"Are you sure she's worth it?" The guard asked.
"She's worth it. They are almost mythical. We have collectors waiting for one since the last sighting in five hundred years." The white mask pulled out a golden pair of scissors. "We'll need to cut a few of her feathers. Keep her down."
Heavy steps, he squatted down. Heavy, smoky musk of cologne danced against my nose. I coughed a few times, frowning. I shifted my head, looking up at him with an angry glare.
"Why are you doing this?" I seethed. "This is wrong!"
The white mask chuckled, "If you only knew. Not like a fallen person like you could do anything to me." He reached down; the golden scissors reached down.
I could feel the hum of power coming from the golden scissors. The closer it got, the more I felt my gut twisting. My body trembled, screaming at me that whatever that golden scissor bad.
"Stay still." The man hit me once on the head. Sharp pain throbbed at the back of my head. Groaned. I twisted.
The man brought the golden scissors up, pushing my head down. He grabbed a fistful of feathers. With a harsh yank, he clipped one flight feather. A static pain stabbed into my guts, digging into my bones.
A painful scream erupted from my lips. My body shook, trembling with pain.
Another snip followed, another burst of pain. It felt as if someone reached into my soul, forcefully severing parts of my being. They took pieces of me, claiming ownership.
Sweat doused my very body, shaking. My eyes saw white, unable to put two and two together. Pure rage brewed with such ferocity. This was mistaken. I knew it. I felt it. I rumbling in my heart brewed into a thunderstorm.
"Hold her down, I can't get a cut." The white-masked man grumbled, "I'll have your heads if I cut through the feather; it'll be useless."
A light tremor shook under our feet. My cheeks rattled against the cold ground, my eyes blazing with intent to kill. I couldn't move; it was as if I were stuck to the ground, shackled on every end.
"Why not just pluck it off?" One guy, holding me down, was putting his total body weight on me .
Curses fell underneath my breath, tears fell down my eyes. I clenched my teeth.
"Because its effect would be useless, and you can't just pluck it off. These feathers are impossible to pull off unless the person with the wings gives them to you or they fall off by themselves. No mortal beings can take the feathers off their wings." The man in the white mask took a moment, "unless you have the scissors of fate." He pulled up my wings, pulling them up. I felt another rough cut, shocking my very core.
I cried out in visceral pain, shaking my whole body. Heavy breaths, tears rain down my face, and my body bulks. White erupted to my eyes, blinding me for a moment.
"That's the third," the man chuckled, "I'll just need a few more."
"No!" I cried out in fury. A burst of energy swelled in my gut, zipping up my back. It wrapped around my wings, snapping it open. All three were flung back, slamming against the wall. The golden scissors shattered into pieces. This time, the ground trembled even louder, shaking the very room.
"Fuck!" the white mask man snarled. He got up, shaking off the grunt. His hand raised up, fixing his mask. He looked down, clicking his teeth. "That was the last one."
The other guards grunted and groaned, getting up from the ground.
The pain lingered, locking my back muscles and curling across my whole body. My muscles froze, making it almost impossible to get up. My wings were throbbing, dropping, unable to bring them up.
Sweat glistened on my face, dripping down my back.
"Put her in the cage. She's going up for auction after we sell these three feathers." The masked man left the room as the guards came over to lift me up from both sides of my arms.
Dizziness swelled through me, my eyes flickered, and everything went black.
#####
Someone could be heard mumbling. My head throbbed and my wings pulsated from the lingering phantom pain. I rolled my shoulders, I pushed up. The world cleared up, and I blinked.
What the hell.
I blinked, and the world became clear.
The room was lit. My nose tingled with the heavy scent of cologne and perfume that permeated the very air. I blinked again, clearing away the blur.
From left to right, I was in the middle of an auditorium. People in masks and suits and dresses of high class were sitting with their drinks and a paddle, mumbling with one another.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We are at the last major auction." A beautiful lady's voice rang out into the crowd, catching everyone's attention. The light turned on over her and flickered straight over me. "My name is Hilda, who will present you the last auction."
A beautiful lady in a red dress that clung to her body, her voluptuous chest and wide hips swayed side-to-side. She tied her black hair into a bun.
"Legends of the old had come to life," Hilda said with a thrill. "A lineage of the ancient Aeons. Better yet, the humans would call them the fallen angels, messengers, or even the watchers. Stories and myths of many cultures, but the one that we have recorded in our supernatural history is a species from another galaxy with immense supernatural powers. Mixed in with humans, unable to go back, and the last remaining ones left in the DNA of humans. Better yet, one could say a child of their kind would bring you endless power, strength, and magic that outpaces any you know of."
Hilda walked over to the right as a screen appeared. Famous supernatural kings, queens, heroes, and villains posted their faces. "The famous dragon king, borne from the womb of an Aeon, brought the cataclysmic death of the supernaturals. The Elven race was eternally glorified by the birth of their king, which also brought immense wealth and security to their home. The wolf emperor who brought all our wolf kind in the western hemisphere is also from their bloodline. The Nephilim, according to human legend, were giants who were both powerful and dangerous, instilling terror and fear.
The voices of the people mumbled in shock and excitement.
"The next child in her womb would become the next king or queen of their species, holding immense power at their disposal." Hilda chuckled.
One man on the table called out, "How do you know she is of an aeon's race? You stated they were legends; how are they still alive? What proof do you have?"
Hilda chuckled, "Her wings, of course." With a clap of her hands, two guards came forward, grasping me by the shoulder. Their hands gripped me, pulling me up. I turned, showing off my back.
The click-clack of her heels sounded off behind me. Hilda reached out, grabbing one of my wings, pulling it out in full display. It dwarfed her.
"Those could have been made with mechanical props." The man snorted, "Technology isn't far off in making these so-called wings."
"You are mistaken." Hilda grasped my shoulder between my wings. One by one, I unclasped the top two metal wings around my shoulder. It dropped onto the floor with a loud clang.
My pulsing, reverberating wing pain drew inward. It disappeared into my back as if it melted into my bare skin. People throughout the whole room gasped.
"Their wings would melt into their body, as you can see. It's not made with a machine or an illusion. Any illusion in this room is impossible, as spells are impossible to cast. The room uses three hundred different spells and power stones that negate any of that. Hilda spoke with a glee. "Better yet, she has four. Don't you think the children she would bear would be even more special? Their kind only have two."
The people in the crowd leaned in with interest. One woman spoke up, "Aren't there any male aeons? Won't they be better at spreading out more powerful children?"
I glowered, my head craning to the right. The thought of my brother came to mind. No way in hell would I allow these bastards to touch my brother. I swear I would hunt down every single one of these people if they dare go after my brother.
"Ah, yes. Males are just as special, though we have heard they have peculiarities. We haven't found one yet, which is why we have her."
"Will she be able to bear one this month?" Another asked, curiously.
"She's in season. I assure you, you just need to work hard at it."
My stomach twisted. The guards twirled me around. Black hair slicked down the side of my head, I glared down at the crowd. Two black wings still graced my back, unable to be put away. I felt disgusted at the people below, realizing that I was being sold off as a breeder. This world was fucked, and I was standing in the middle of all these sick psychos who were into flesh trades. I couldn't feel my magic or energy anywhere. It was as if my magic was stifled and fully suppressed, even though my first two wings were unclasped.
How long this would last, I didn't know. Every second I was up here, shown like a product on display, made my skin crawl. I could tell that I was being licked over by their sick minds, contemplating on buying me.
"So, shall we start?" Hilda clapped her hands. "The bidding price will start at half a million."
"1 million." One of the men in front put up his paddle.
"We got a million. Anyone else?"
"Five million." An older lady's voice spoke.
"Six million."
"Ten million."
The voices bounced off one by one, raising the price to 300 million.
"We got three hundred million," Hilda spoke with glee.
"Fifty million." A dark voice reverberated out into the crowd, sending chills down my spine, shutting down everyone in the room.
"Fifty million. Going once. Twice. Three times. Sold!" Hilda clapped. "Wow, what a price! It will go to number 748! We will get her ready for you to take home. We hope she will bear you powerful children."
Someone pushed me heavily and took me into the hallway. I looked at the two guards who handled me in the room, and even now. Their stoic expression didn't seem to have a hint of wanting to acknowledge my existence, except to carry me to my next destination. Hilda followed behind, her annoying heels clicking behind us.
"Mr. Rogers wants her in the car now." Hilda spoke; she was on the phone the whole time as she clicked it off.
The doors opened, pushing me through more doors that I could count. Heck, I didn't know where we were. A push brought me out into the open sun, and I squinted.
"She's all yours, Mr. Rogers."
Damn it, what did I get caught in?