Page 24 of Let Sleeping Vampires Lie

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means if a piece is documented to belong to someone, if there’s a record, an owner, a lineage, I won’t sell it for anyone but them.”

Isra’s expression wavered, torn between disbelief and disappointment.

“But,” I said slowly, “if there’s no provenance…”

Marcus nodded. “If I can’t prove who it belongs to, then it belongs to whoever hands it to me. That’s the rule in my business. If ownership can’t be verified, it’s free trade.”

Jana sat forward, nose wrinkling. “So… sketchy.”

Marcus winced. “It’s not ideal, no. But it’s legal. And common.”

“Common doesn’t make it safe,” Raven replied.

“No,” Marcus admitted. “It doesn’t.”

He looked at Isra then, really looked, his expression raw, remorseful, stripped of the smooth charm he’d worn like a second skin.

“But I swear I had no idea anything I touched could hurt Rene. I wouldn’t do that. Not to him. Not to any of you. Especially not to you, Isra.”

Isra didn’t speak.

His eyes glistened, shimmering with a heartbreak that made the entire room feel smaller.

And as Marcus watched him, a new tension crept into his posture, a resignation, maybe even fear.

Because the truth wasn’t finished yet.

And he knew it.

Marcus stood a little straighter, the tension gathering in his shoulders like a man preparing to face something far bigger than he expected.

“I can use my contacts to find the piece,” he said. “If it’s in circulation, someone in my network will know who’s handling it.”

“It’s already for sale,” I replied.

He blinked. “Already?”

I nodded. “The listing went up a few hours ago.”

Marcus pulled his phone from his coat and began typing quickly. The screen’s glow reflected across his features as he navigated several protected channels. His fingers hesitated once, then moved again with growing urgency.

After a few seconds, he looked up at us.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “It is. And you’re right… it’s active. High-value. Unlisted seller. Anonymous bidding pool. Very private.” His jaw tensed. “I am not the broker, but I have contacts who can tell me who is. Someone in the chain will talk.”

Con hovered a step behind me, his presence constant and imposing.

“I want to buy that piece,” I said.

Marcus looked almost relieved. “That will be easier than trying to seize it. But… it will be expensive.”

“We don’t give a fuck what it costs,” Con growled.

The temperature in the room seemed to shift. Marcus’ gaze flicked from Con to Raven, then to Isra, then finally to Jana, like he needed to see all of us to fully grasp the gravity of the situation.

“Is this realm really at risk?” he asked quietly.