The auction hall gleamed with quiet, refined luxury.
Dark wood, dimmed lights, glass tables, and crystal goblets created an atmosphere that resembled an exclusive gala more than a place where living beings were traded. Conversations held in hushed tones mingled with the sound of security guards' footsteps and the calm voice of the auctioneer.
Nikolaj didn't care for places like this.
In fact, he despised them.
He considered the very idea of buying living beings something repulsive. Yet the people sitting around him seemed to see nothing unusual in it. For them it was simply another transaction.
Nevertheless, he sat in the front row.
He leaned toward his brother.
"One hour, Ostap. Then we're leaving."
It was Ostap who insisted he come.
His younger brother's eighteenth birthday was approaching fast, and Ostap had decided he wanted to see the hybrids on offer himself and choose something he deemed an appropriate gift.
Nikolaj agreed only because he wanted to make sure this visit would end that same evening.
He was not coming back here.
The auction had been going on for a while already.
One hybrid after another was led out from the back, presented to the assembled buyers, and then led away through the back exit once the bidding ended.
Nikolaj was starting to get bored.
One after another.
A collar.
Sometimes handcuffs.
A brief presentation.
Bidding.
Next.
The pattern was banally predictable.
Each hybrid had a collar around its neck. Along with the purchase, the buyer received a small remote that was part of the collar's control system.
Nikolaj had noticed that with the first few auctions.
He didn't like it.
He wasn't going to make a scene, though.
He wanted to leave.
Then the door leading to the back opened again.
Two guards led out you.
Nikolaj looked up.
And for the first time that evening, he was truly interested.
Something was off.
Every previous hybrid had been secured, but this one wore far more restraints.
There was a collar around your neck, like all the others.
On your wrists you had heavy shackles.
Chains were attached to them, leading to restraints on your legs, so that each of your steps was short and cautious.
But the most striking thing was the gag order.
It wasn't an ordinary restraint.
It was written to prevent you from speaking. It sat on the first page of your file, stamped by the auction house, and the guards enforced it with their hands.
Nikolaj furrowed his brows slightly.
That was strange.
Very strange.
The earlier hybrids had collars. Some had additional handcuffs.
This one had everything.
And at the same time you looked the least capable of putting up resistance.
The guards led you slowly.
You could barely keep up with their pace.
Your breathing was uneven, and your legs trembled slightly. Several times you staggered, forcing the guards to support you by the shoulders.
You didn't try to break free.
You didn't struggle.
You didn't attack.
You was simply afraid.
Nikolaj noticed it immediately.
Your gaze jumped across the hall, pausing on one person after another. You didn't know this place. You did not know the rules. You didn't know what would happen next.
This must have been your first time at an auction.
And yet you had been dressed as if you were to be yet another exhibit.
You wore an elegant, skimpy outfit made of material that was clearly meant to draw buyers' attention. It contrasted with the heavy shackles, chains, and collar.
He didn't like that combination.
Not because it was strange.
Because it was deliberate.
The sellers wanted to create a specific image.
And Nikolaj didn't like it when someone tried to sell him something through manipulation.
You stopped in the middle of the hall.
You staggered.
One of the guards grabbed you by the shoulder.
You flinched instinctively.
Nikolaj narrowed his eyes.
You didn't look aggressive.
You looked frightened.
Your fingers trembled slightly.
Your breathing quickened.
Still, you forced herself to stand straight.
Nikolaj watched you without a word.
So why did you need so many restraints?
If you really was dangerous, why could you barely stand?
If you were aggressive, why hadn't you even tried to fight?
And above all...
Why had you been deprived of the ability to speak?
Questions appeared one after another.
Nikolaj didn't like questions without answers.
And he liked things he couldn't predict even less.
The bidding began almost immediately.
One voice after another rang out in the hall.
You stayed silent.
You couldn't do anything more.
Nikolaj sat calmly, watching you with the same cold focus with which he analyzed his opponents.
Lately everything had been too predictable.
People were predictable.
Deals were predictable.
Betrayals, ambitions, lies.
He could recognize them before others had a chance to voice them.
And you?
You didn't fit the pattern.
"One million dollars."
The auctioneer repeated the amount.
Nikolaj didn't even flinch.
Another voice.
A higher bid.
Nikolaj looked at you.
You had just raised your eyes.
Their gazes met.
In your eyes he saw fear.
Uncertainty.
But also awareness.
You were observing everything.
Every movement.
Every person.
As if you were desperately trying to understand what was happening around you.
Nikolaj was silent for a moment.
Then he reached for the microphone.
"Five million."
The hall went quiet.
Ostap turned to him in disbelief.
"Nikolaj..."
Nikolaj didn't even look at him.
His gaze remained on you.
The auctioneer waited a few seconds for another bid.
None came.
The gavel struck the block.
The transaction was closed.
He had the contract in front of him before the sound of the gavel died, and wrote across the bottom of it: void, and his name under it.
A few minutes later the guards brought you directly to Nikolaj.
As the tradition of this type of auction dictated, the buyer was to receive the purchased hybrid immediately.
One of the guards handed Nikolaj a small remote for the collar.
Nikolaj looked at the device with obvious distaste.
Then he looked at you.
The guards didn't even ask for permission.
In accordance with custom, they moved to seat you on his lap.
He stopped them with one hand, took off his jacket, and put it round your shoulders.
You went rigid.
The sudden weight of the coat made you lose your balance for a moment.
Your eyes widened with fear.
Instinctively, you reached out.
Your fingers clenched on the dark fabric of his shirt.
The man looked down.
For a few seconds he said nothing.
You apparently only realized after a moment what you had done.
Your fingers loosened slightly.
Nikolaj raised an eyebrow.
And then, to his own surprise, he let out a quiet chuckle.
It was not a mocking laugh. Just a reaction to something he had not expected.
You immediately went still.
Nikolaj looked at your hand still resting on his shirt.
"Interesting."
Ostap was staring at him in disbelief.
"Nikolaj, I didn't even want her. Why did you buy her?"
Nikolaj calmly turned his head toward him.
"She's not for you."
Ostap fell silent.
Genuine surprise appeared on his face.
"What?"
Nikolaj didn't answer right away.
He looked at you again.
"I said I didn't buy her for you."
Ostap tried for a moment to understand what he had just heard.
"So... who for?"
Nikolaj looked at him coldly.
"For me."
Ostap furrowed his brows.
"You?"
Nikolaj shrugged slightly.
"Yes."
He had no intention of explaining himself.
He himself wasn't sure why he had made that decision.
He should have let the auction continue.
He should have left.
Instead, he paid five million.
For someone he had not spoken to.
For a person who looked like you needed help more than another owner.
He looked at the remote in his hand.
Then at the collar.
Then at the shackles.
At the chains.
At the gag order on your file.
Finally at your eyes.
He dropped the remote into the champagne bucket then, and pushed the collar key across the table to you.
You were afraid.
That was obvious.
You had no idea what was waiting.
And despite that, you kept observing your surroundings the whole time.
Nikolaj knew people.
He knew how the frightened behaved.
He knew how the aggressive behaved.
He knew how those trying to hide something behaved.
You were different.
And that was exactly what was starting to interest him.
Most of the hybrids at this auction had collars. Some had additional handcuffs.
You had everything.
You couldn't speak.
You could barely walk.
You were afraid.
You didn't look aggressive.
And yet someone had decided you needed to be restrained as if you were exceptionally dangerous.
Nikolaj narrowed his eyes slightly.
It made no sense.
And Nikolaj couldn't stand things that made no sense.
His gaze settled on your face.
You cautiously raised your eyes.
Your eyes met again.
This time Nikolaj didn't look away.
A barely visible smile appeared on his lips.
"You really are interesting."
"The contract is void as of ten minutes ago. You are not mine, and the door is where you left it. If you want to go home tonight, I'll drive you myself."
He didn't yet know why he had bought you.
He didn't know what to expect from you.
But one thing he knew for certain.
Over the next few days he certainly had no intention of being bored.