THE AUCTION

Renae POV

I hear Lettie and Lee talking to someone. The conversation is calm, and I hear another woman's voice. Who is she talking to? I try to listen. There is a lot of commotion, and I am not sure where it is coming from. I wish I could feel my legs, but there is not a lot I can feel right now. I cannot move. I hope none of this is permanent damage.

“Hey, Tatina is here; she will get us all out soon. She is going to get the key or some explosives. She said to stay away from the door,” Lettie says to me.

“Good. I am ready to get the hell out of here, girls,” I whisper to her. My voice is still hoarse, and my throat hurts.

Lee sits on the bed close to me, watching over me like a hawk. The other women in the room have come over to our corner to stay back from the door. They are terrified. I am too, but I am trying to hold my emotions for later.

“Is that screaming? What is that sound? What the hell is happening?” I ask Lee.

“I think it is screaming, but it sounds like a man screaming or crying or something. I am not sure, but it kinda sounds like Horace,” Lee says.

“I hope it is Horace. I hope that is the sound of him dying a slow horrible death,” I whisper.

“Yeah, me too. That bastard! He deserves anything he gets for all of this,” Lee says.

“Stay back from the door. We do not have the key; we are going to blow the door,” a woman says from behind the cage door. Her voice is familiar. Is that Tatina? Please let it be her.

We can hear talking from the other side. The women grab beds and put them over their heads. Lee takes her bed off the rail. Lee and Lettie pull the mattress over me and hunker down with me. After a few minutes, the door blows into the cage, and all over the mattress, we are covering ourselves with. Pieces of the door are everywhere in the room. Lettie and Lee move the mattress so we can see. Everyone is okay and is happy to see the door open for us.

A woman comes over to me. “Renae, I am here to take you home. Lester is ready for you to come home,” she says.

“Lettie and Lee helped me. They are coming with me. They helped me. I will not hear otherwise. I promised them safety,” I say to her.

“No problem, I need their help to get you out of here, and I do not leave anyone behind, Renae. Everyone gets out,” the woman says.

I try to focus. “Tatina, is that you? I am sorry I can not see. Is that you?” I ask her.

“Yes, love. Lester is here too. He is finishing up with Horace and will be right behind us. I came as fast as I could to help you,” Tatina says.

“Okay, then get me the hell out of here, please. I am thankful, and I will tell you everything I know, but get me out of here, please,” I say weakly.

Tatina, Lee, and Lettie carry me out on the dirty mattress I am lying on; I want off of this thing. They get me through the door and carry me down the hall when I hear Lester’s voice.

“Renae, are you okay?” Lester asks me. It is so good to hear his voice. Tears begin to roll down my face. I will never be separated from him again.

“I have been better, love,” I answer him.

“I am taking you home now. I am not going to let you out of my sight for a long time,” Lester says.

Lester kisses me on the forehead. “Lester, these women helped me; they are coming with us,” I say to him.

He looks at Lettie and Lee. He hugs both of them. “Thank you for keeping my love safe. I owe you everything,” he says to both of them.

“Tatina, I have a car, but that will not work. I will call for a van to be here in a few minutes. Can you stay with her while I get Horace escorted out?" Lester asks Tatina.

“Sure. I will not leave her. Take care of Horace, and I will keep her safe,” Tatina says.

“Wait, Lester, where is Tara?” I ask him.

“We have not found her yet, but I will not stop until I find your friend,” Lester says.

I close my eyes. They are still so heavy. “Tatina, she needs vampire blood to try to flush the drugs out,” I hear him say.

“No worries, I can help her with that,” Tatina says.

I feel movement as I am carried out, and then I am lying in the grass or something. I can smell the grass, I think. I try to open my eyes and focus, but it is too hard. I feel so sleepy. I just want to go back to sleep and sleep forever. I feel heavy, so very heavy.

“Here, you have to drink this, Renae, stay with me,” I hear Tatina say. Her voice is muffled, and my ears are ringing.

“I will hold her head up while you give it to her,” I hear Lettie say.

“I will help too,” I hear Lee say. My ears feel as if they are going to burst, and then it is quiet.

I can feel them working on getting something into my mouth. I can taste it now. It is vampire blood. I try to swallow, but it is hard. They pull me up further, trying to force the blood into me. I can feel some go down.

“This is not working,” I hear Tatina say.

They lay me back, and I feel myself moving again. “We have to get here in the van. I can start an IV when we get her home,” I hear Lester say.

I feel his hand touching mine. He is with me now. I can rest. I close my eyes again. I hear the muffled voices, but I do not know what is being said. I feel like I am dying. I am not ready to die, not yet. I want to live and be with my love. Lester! I try to scream, but nothing is coming out. My eyes are shut and will not move for me. I can hear something but then nothing. I am dying. This is not fair!

I feel movement, and then I feel a prick in my arm. I hear a voice talking again. I think I am home now. I try to open my eyes.

“No, just lie still, sweetie. You will be fine; just let the IV do its job,” I hear Lester say.

“I am trying,” I tell him.

I want out of bed. I want to move again. I want to see my husband. I need to see my husband. I have things he needs to know about what I heard while in the auction house. He is in danger, and he does not even know it.

“Lester, I have to talk to you,” I say softly.

I try to get it out, but I am so weak.

“Tara, Lester,” I try to get out.

“We are looking for her, sweetie; please stay calm. We are flushing the meds out as fast as we can,” Lester says.

“No, No, No, Tara,” I try to scream. It is just a muffle. Can he hear me? I can barely hear myself.

I feel a hand touch mine. “I will stay with her, Lester,” Lettie says.

“I have to go to the authority building. I will be back soon. I have to settle some things that way I can stay with her until she is better,” I hear him say. I feel him kiss my forehead.

“Don’t leave me, please Lester,” I manage to get out.

“I have to take care of a few things, and then I am all yours until you recover. I promise to be back very soon. Lettie is here with you and Lisa,” Lester says.

“Stop, please; I have to tell you something important,” I manage to get out finally.

Lester comes back to my side. “What is it, my love?’ Lester asks me.

“Tara and Samuel, you have to be careful,” I finally get out.

I cannot speak anymore. I close my eyes and fall back into the darkness. The drugs have me once again.

I awake finally with a clear thought in my head. I have to talk to Lester. Lee and Lettie are still with me.

“Get me a phone, please, quickly,” I say.

Lettie runs out of the room and goes to find a phone. “what is it?” Lee asks.

“I need to talk to Lester. I have to talk to him now. I have to tell him what I saw," I say to her.

A few moments later, Lettie comes back with a phone. “I need you to call my husband, but help me sit up first. The three of us manage to get me up in the bed in a sitting position. I look at all of the IVs running into me. One thing that I am sure of is that is Lester’s blood.

Lettie dials the vampire authority for me and hands me the phone. I can move now, but I am not at one hundred percent yet. I am tingling but moving some. Maybe in a few days, I can move again.

“Lester, she is awake and needs to talk to you. She says it is important,” Lettie says.

She hands me the phone.

“Lester, I need you to come home now. Listen to me carefully, I saw Samuel at the auction, and he had Tara with him. You are in danger my love,” I say.

“Are you sure? You were on a lot of drugs. So be sure, think Renae. Was it Tara and Samuel together?” Lester asks me.

“I am positive; please come home now,” I say to him urgently.

“Okay, I will tell Samuel that you are worse, and I need to come home; I am on my way,” Lester says.

“I love you,” I say to him.

“I love you too,” Lester says.

I hang up the phone and hand it back to Lettie.

“I saw him there with a girl. Samuel was looking in on you a few times, and he had a woman with him,” Lettie says.

“Me too. I saw him. He told me he was Samuel from the authority, and he was checking in on you. I thought it was strange, but I did not know what to do. I was afraid of being beaten. I knew the best thing I could do is just keep an eye on you. ,” Lee says.

“That girl is my best friend. She was my best friend until now,” I say to both of them.

“Do not worry. I am sure everything will be okay. She may not have been with him willingly,” Lettie says.

“I need to get out of this bed and start moving. I need to know what is going on and why she was with Samuel and Horace,” I say to both of them.

“We will help you get to the bottom of all of this,” Lettie says.

The two of them help me out of the bed, but my legs are still so weak. I try to walk, and I stumble even with them holding on to me. This seems hopeless.

“Fuck, I have got to get back to moving,” I say as I try to walk.

“You need to let the vampire blood work. You will be back to normal soon,” Lettie says.

“I am a part fairy and part vampire. I could give you some of my blood,” Lee says.

“Will that work?” I ask Lee.

“I think so. Do you want me to ask Lester first?” Lee asks.

“No, the cook. Lester’s cook is part vampire and part fairy. She came here when she was freed from an auction. She is like family. She will know if it will work,” I say to her.

Lee leaves the room to go ask Mia. Mia has been with us ever since Tatina rescued her. She had nowhere to go, and I needed a cook. I begged Lester to hire her. It was right before I left to go undercover for the authority. I wanted someone here to make sure my staff and any guests had good meals. Lester did not need a cook, but I really wanted to help her out. Mia’s story broke my heart.

When Tatina told me everything that happened to her in the auction house and with several of the auctioneers, I knew I had to find a way to help her. Lester rolled his eyes when I said I wanted a cook in the house. I have always been an excellent cook, and well, Lester does not need food. He will eat with me when I ask him to, but he does not require food. He just goes through the motions to make me happy.

“Renae, are you okay?” Mia asks me as she comes into the room.

“oh, I have missed you so much,” I say to her.

“I am cooking all of your favorite foods,” Mia says.

“Thank you. I hope to be able to eat it soon, but for right now, I have a question about fairy blood,” I tell her.

“You think it will heal you, don’t you?” Mia asks.

“Will it?” I ask her.

“My mother always said fairy blood would heal anything,” Mia says.

“Okay, then I want to try it,” I say.

“You can have some of my blood,” Mia says.

“You would do that for me?” I ask her.

“You saved me from being homeless; of course, I will help you,” Mia says.

“Lester has everything you need to drain some blood into a bag in his study; take Lee with you,” I say to Mia.

The two leave Lettie and me while they make a blood donation for me. I hope this works. I need to be able to help Lester if anything goes wrong. I cannot let anything happen to my love.

Lettie looks upset that she cannot help me. "Have you thought about what you are going to do now?" I ask her.

Lettie shrugs her shoulders. "I have no idea. I would love to go to school or just start over. Maybe do something to help women like myself," Lettie says.

"My husband can help you make that happen. I will talk to him about getting you in school and helping you start over," I say.

"Why?" Lettie asks me.

"Because you kept me safe, and you deserve a fresh start. Maybe you can help end all of this," I say to her. Lettie begins to cry. I want to give her a purpose in life. I know Lester will help me.