CHAPTER 6: THE DEVIL'S AUCTION
1050 Words
The Velvet Mirage Casino shimmered beneath crimson neon lights like a beautiful predator waiting to feed.
Music thundered through the massive glass structure while wealthy elites laughed beneath chandeliers made from real crystal and holographic fire. Dealers flipped glowing cards across velvet tables as dancers moved through clouds of perfume and cigarette smoke.
To ordinary people, it looked like paradise.
To spies—
It smelled like death.
Vaelora stepped through the casino entrance beside Kaedrin with deadly elegance. Her crimson gown flowed around her like liquid fire, the slit along her thigh revealing just enough to distract from the weapons hidden beneath it.
Every eye turned toward her.
Exactly as planned.
Kaedrin leaned slightly closer as they walked through the crowd.
“Too noticeable.”
“You’re staring too.”
“I’m assessing threats.”
Vaelora smirked faintly.
“Of course you are.”
Armed guards watched them carefully from every corner of the casino floor. Facial scanners glowed discreetly behind decorative mirrors while hidden cameras tracked movement overhead.
This place was a fortress pretending to be luxury.
A hostess in a silver dress approached gracefully.
“Invitation, please.”
Kaedrin handed her a black metal card engraved with a serpent wrapped around a crown.
The woman’s expression changed instantly.
She stepped aside without another word.
Vaelora noticed immediately.
“That symbol again.”
Kaedrin’s jaw tightened slightly.
“Draven Mordaine works with dangerous people.”
“More dangerous than you?”
“Debatable.”
They crossed the casino floor toward a private elevator guarded by two massive men wearing earpieces and tailored black suits.
One guard scanned them silently.
Then nodded.
The elevator doors slid open.
As they descended underground, the music from the casino slowly faded until only silence remained.
Cold silence.
The doors finally opened into another world entirely.
The underground auction chamber stretched beneath the city like a hidden kingdom of corruption.
Gold lights illuminated rows of masked buyers seated around a circular stage. Some wore royal jewelry. Others military uniforms beneath dark cloaks.
Crime lords.
Politicians.
Assassins.
People powerful enough to buy nations.
At the center stood a glass display platform surrounded by armed security.
Vaelora’s instincts sharpened instantly.
Escape routes: three.
Hidden snipers: at least six.
Cameras: everywhere.
Kaedrin stepped beside her quietly.
“Stay close.”
“That’s adorable.”
“I’m serious.”
Before she could answer—
A deep voice echoed through the chamber.
“Ladies and gentlemen…”
The crowd fell silent immediately.
A man stepped onto the stage wearing an immaculate white suit.
Draven Mordaine.
Tall.
Silver-haired.
Sharp-eyed.
His smile looked carved from poison.
“Welcome,” he said smoothly, “to the Devil’s Auction.”
Soft applause spread through the chamber.
Vaelora studied him carefully.
Draven moved like a man completely unafraid of death.
People like that were always the most dangerous.
The auction began immediately.
“First item,” Draven announced, “encrypted military access codes from the Northern Coalition.”
Bidding erupted instantly.
Millions exchanged hands within seconds.
Next came experimental weapons blueprints.
Then assassination contracts.
Then classified intelligence dossiers.
Each item more dangerous than the last.
Vaelora kept scanning the room.
Searching.
Waiting.
Finally—
Draven smiled wider.
“Now,” he purred, “for tonight’s special item.”
The lights dimmed.
A holographic screen activated behind him.
Vaelora’s pulse slowed dangerously.
Because her own face appeared on the screen.
Gasps spread across the chamber.
GHOST ORCHID
STATUS: ACTIVE
Kaedrin glanced sideways at her.
She showed no reaction.
Inside—
Ice spread through her veins.
Draven walked slowly across the stage.
“The woman known as Ghost Orchid has become the most hunted operative on the planet.”
Images flashed behind him.
Dead agents.
Explosions.
Classified kill reports.
“Tonight,” Draven continued, “the highest bidder will receive something priceless.”
The screen changed.
A sealed black file appeared.
REAL IDENTITY — GHOST ORCHID
The room erupted with whispers instantly.
Vaelora’s fingers tightened subtly beneath her gown.
Somebody truly knew.
And if that file opened—
Her life ended.
Draven smiled darkly.
“Bidding begins at fifty million.”
“Seventy.”
“Ninety.”
“One hundred million.”
The numbers rose violently around the room.
Vaelora stayed perfectly calm.
Kaedrin leaned toward her slightly.
“Any brilliant plan yet?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“I’m deciding who to shoot first.”
Before Kaedrin could reply—
A voice suddenly echoed from the upper balcony.
“One hundred fifty million.”
The room fell silent.
Everyone turned upward.
A man stood alone in the shadows above.
Black gloves.
Black coat.
Face hidden.
Only his pale silver eyes visible beneath the darkness.
Draven’s smile faded slightly.
Interesting.
Even he looked uneasy.
The mysterious bidder spoke again.
“Open the file.”
Vaelora’s heartbeat sharpened instantly.
Draven tilted his head carefully.
“Payment first.”
The stranger slowly removed one glove.
Burn scars covered his hand completely.
Then he placed a small black device onto the balcony railing.
Kaedrin’s expression changed instantly.
“Vaelora,” he said quietly.
“Down.”
The device beeped once.
Vaelora moved immediately.
BOOM.
The entire balcony exploded.
Fire ripped across the chamber.
Screams erupted everywhere.
Masked buyers scrambled in panic while glass shattered from the ceiling.
Gunfire exploded instantly.
Not random.
Coordinated.
Professional assassins stormed into the chamber from hidden entrances firing automatic weapons into the crowd.
Blood sprayed across gold marble floors.
Chaos consumed everything.
“MOVE!” Kaedrin shouted.
He grabbed Vaelora just as bullets tore through the place where she had been standing seconds earlier.
Draven vanished from the stage instantly.
Coward.
Smoke flooded the room while security forces opened fire wildly.
People screamed.
Bodies fell.
The auction had become a m******e.
Vaelora pulled a knife from beneath her gown and slammed it into an approaching assassin’s throat.
Kaedrin disarmed another attacker with brutal efficiency before firing twice into the smoke.
More operatives poured into the chamber.
Too many.
And then—
Vaelora saw the serpent symbol again.
The black crown.
Soryn Kade.
This attack belonged to him.
A grenade rolled across the floor toward them.
Kaedrin’s eyes widened sharply.
“RUN!”
The explosion tore through the chamber.
Fire swallowed the auction hall as the Devil’s Auction descended into hell.
- Writer
