Page 103 of Let Sleeping Vampires Lie

They underestimated me.

Good.

I met the host’s gaze directly. “One million.”

The room fell into a quieter hum.

This time, no one laughed.

Even the disinterested sorcerer from earlier turned to look.

The host considered. “One million offered.”

He scanned the crowd. Buyers watched one another now, weighing what this might mean. The assistants stayed still, the box closed, the fragment unseen but very present.

I held my posture relaxed. Shoulders back, face calm. The very image of a buyer who could easily afford such a whim.

A shift in the energy across the room drew my gaze.

A woman near the end of the second row uncrossed her legs.

She had been there the whole time, sitting very still, hands folded over an elegant clutch. Her dress was a deep shade of green, cut close to her body, with sleeves that hugged her arms to the wrist. Dark hair fell over one shoulder in smooth waves. Her skin was pale, her features fine, almost delicate.

Her eyes, however, were not delicate.

They were sharp and cold, flecked with an unnatural light. When they met mine, I felt something oily slide across my senses.

Witch.

Valerian’s witch.

Cerise.

She smiled slowly, like someone tasting blood.

“Two million,” she said, voice as smooth as silk.

The words slid through the room like a blade.

I felt my spine stiffen.

Con shifted half a step closer to me. His attention locked onto her with the focus of a predator who had just identified a real threat.

Valerian’s presence pressed harder at the edges of my mind, as if pleased.

Of course he had sent her.

Of course he wanted this piece.

The host’s excitement brightened. “Two million.”

He did not say her position number. He did not need to. Everyone saw her.

I forced myself to relax my jaw.

She watched me, smile still in place. Not mocking. Not yet. Just interested.

She wanted to see what I would do.