Page 107 of Let Sleeping Vampires Lie

“The process is complex,” he said. “The results are not. One injection, one transformation. Side effects manageable.”

He did not specify what that meant.

No one in the room cared.

Cerise sat forward, her eyes on the case now. Alert. Interested. For the first time tonight, she looked fully engaged.

Con leaned down slightly, voice barely more than breath. “We cannot let that leave this room.”

“I know,” I murmured.

“You cannot own it,” he added. “Not here. Not like this. Whoever loses will come for you.”

“They were always going to come for me.”

“Cass.”

“I hear you,” I said. “But if I can get close enough to see details, we increase our chances of finding and destroying every copy.”

He went silent, the kind of silence that meant he hated my logic and saw no better option.

The host lifted his hand. “Bidding will begin at five million.”

No nervous laughter now. No testing bids. The number fit the room, and everyone knew it.

Cerise’s hand rose at once. “Ten.”

She did not waste time.

Gasps scattered through the crowd. The host’s eyebrows lifted.

“Ten million,” he echoed. “An enthusiastic opening.”

Another buyer, a heavyset man with a gold ring on every finger, raised his voice. “Eleven.”

He looked like a man accustomed to private armies. This was a business expense.

A third voice, smooth and accented, followed. “Thirteen.”

I let them move once more before I entered.

“Fifteen,” I said.

Every gaze nearby shifted toward me.

Cerise turned her head, eyes narrowing slightly. A hint of amusement touched her mouth. “You enjoy paying high prices for things you clearly do not understand.”

I smiled. “I understand perfectly. I have seen the prototypes in action.”

Her lashes lowered, thoughtful. “Then you know they work.”

“Yes,” I said. “Which is why I am here.”

The host let the exchange sit for a moment, enjoying the tension.

“Fifteen million,” he said. “Position Five.”

The man with the gold rings snorted softly. “Nineteen.”