I swallowed the lump in my throat.

Hogo had been a lot more skittish when I'd seen him. That may have been because Rix had just killed one of his friends, or it could have been because he was afraid of what my father would do to them if he caught them. Or it could have been because of those nasty River Arms that tried to drag us into the water and eat us.

There were lots of things to choose from.

Thankfully, he hadn't been with the Bronze Cobras, but things change a lot in a month, so I didn't know where his loyalty was.

"Bronze Cobras?" The Bandit clicked his tongue. "How did you get one of their tokens when they have a bounty out for your head?" He grinned at my reaction. "Yes, they learned about little Rix being on your team and decided that putting out a bounty for you as well might allow them to trade for her." He looked around. "She's not going to try to kill me, is she?"

"She's not here." I blinked to get my eyes back from the surprised expression I'd been wearing. "If you're not going to kidnap us, then you're going to do what? Turn us over to Therus?"

"Please." He chuckled as he waved his hand. "Those earrings that your girls are wearing each cost more than what he's offering." Hogo scoffed. "And if they're openly displaying that much wealth, you have to have much more that you're looking to spend."

The silver man looked at the demi-human host. "Fay, I'll handle them myself."

"As you say." The Rhastan bowed and returned to his post behind the counter.

"If you'll follow me..." The Bandit looked over my group. "Would you like to keep these escorts, or do you have a taste for something else?" He rubbed his chin. "I have quite the selection." There was a glint in his eye. "Anything is possible for the right price."

I took another look at the Anubis women when they lowered their heads. The flowery chokers were accessories, but there was a keyhole on the back. These women were enslaved and judging by the way he was making the offer, not being treated well.

For a moment I entertained the idea of staging a jailbreak and freeing them, but Hogo was Tier Five. There was no way that we were going to be able to overpower him. I swallowed the bile in my mouth and smiled. "I already have plenty of companionship." I motioned at the women around me. "They are more than enough to hold my attention."

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"Yes, you do!" Hogo let out a deep laugh, then winked. "But you should try a demi-human at least once. It'll change your world!"

Before I could respond, he twirled his finger and began marching down the hall, leaving the door open.

"Follow me!" His voice was almost sing-song.

I looked over at Kara. I could tell she didn't like the idea, but our other option was hanging out with the Bronze Cobras, and that was definitely going to lead to a fight.

I grabbed Ren's arm and headed for the door.

Kara hurried to get ahead of me, putting herself in between Hogo and myself. Considering that she was openly displaying her weapon, the Bandit must not have seen her as a threat.

As soon as Oz was through the door, it closed. Jenne and Aelin were in between us, and both of the women had lost their bubbly exterior. Aelin's face was a mix of curiosity and apprehension, while Jenne had removed any emotion from hers. Oz was busy looking around while Ren was mumbling something under her breath so softly that I couldn't hear her even with our arms linked.

The hallway was basically bare, save for the numerous doors that lined it. Each one was numbered and had a console by the door. Like the black door that we'd just walked through; there wasn't a handle on any of them, or anything else that might be a lock.

There was a cart by one of the doors that looked like one of the ones I'd seen used in a library. I had a feeling that was what they used to transport the goods that they were auctioning off.

"So…" I tried to get closer to the beaming man. "How long have you been doing this?"

Hogo paused after we'd passed over twenty doors. "Today is our second. It's very popular." There was a twinkle in his eye. "And very profitable."

He pushed a button on the console. It beeped, and the door pushed open just enough that he was able to grab it and pull it open.

"How did you find this place?" I glanced into the door to see a set of stairs going up and another set going down.

"I don't know all the mumbo jumbo that happened." The silver man shrugged as he headed up the stairs. "I've been here about two weeks. Not sure how long it's been standing."

Kara glanced at me. I nodded, and she followed after the Bandit with the rest of us behind her.

When we reached the second floor, it was a large open room, and the wall facing the inside of the warehouse was a solid glass window. The rest of the room had multiple couches, some plush, others leather. There was a bar on either side of the room and more trophies than I could identify adorning the walls of the purple room. Aelin wasn't able to hold back a short laugh when she saw the massive gold throne in the middle of the room. It was facing the stage down below and had a ridiculous amount of gems fastened in it.

"Atlas Vowler." Hogo gave me an exaggerated bow, then sat sideways on his throne. He spread his arms wide. "Welcome to my kingdom!"

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