Not What He Seems

Chapter 11

Riot waits until everyone's out of the car before sneaking into the trunk to grab some of Dean's clothes. He slips them on as quickly as possible, ignoring the judgemental looks he gets from people walking by. God, so what if he's naked when he shifts? Can't people keep their eyes to themselves?

He heads in a couple minutes after the Winchesters, hands clasped behind his back nervously. He's not sure where he is right now. He's vaguely aware this is an auction and that his owners are woefully unprepared for it, but they're gonna try to memorize the tablet, and Riot wants to make sure that doesn't go south. He still thinks this is a trap, but he's not entirely sure how.

"Invitation?" The doorman — bouncer? He's not sure what terminology is used in supernatural auctions — asks.

"Oh, um..." Riot chuckles awkwardly. "Actually, I'm with someone else. They're already in here, so if I could..."

"No invitation, no entrance," he says firmly.

"But —"

"Them's the rules."

Riot sighs. Now what? Is he supposed to just head back to the hotel and wait for them to come back? He doesn't even know if they're going to come back. If this is really a trap like he thinks it is, he's not sure they'll make it out of here alive.

"Let him in."

Riot looks behind the bouncer to see none other than Beau — who, he's decently sure, was not standing there a few moments ago.

"But, sir —" the bouncer begins.

"The prophet has his invitation," Beau says. "But he's definitely welcome."

The bouncer hesitates, then lets Riot through. He's fully expecting Beau to disappear by the time he gets through the metal detector, but, to his surprise, he's still there, waiting.

"What?" Riot snaps.

"You're not still upset that I kicked you, are you?" Beau asks. "It was either that or get mauled to near-death, and I certainly wasn't going to let that happen."

Riot glares at him.

Beau chuckles. "Well, you're welcome for the invitation."

"How do you know who I am?" Riot demands.

Beau shrugs. "I'm the right-hand man of a god, and I've been keeping tabs on the prophet the best I can. I was bound to hear he was traveling with a skinwalker at some point."

Riot doesn't know what to say to that. Apparently, he's not doing as good of a job blending in as he'd thought if the guy heard it through the grapevine.

"What are you doing to Kevin?" Riot asks.

"Reuniting him with his prized tablet, of course," Beau says.

Riot eyes him skeptically.

"Well, the tablet's practically worthless without him," Beau says, "seeing as no one else on the planet can read it."

Riot hadn't actually put that together until now. So he's just going to scam them out of their money. It's a dick move, but at least no one gets hurt.

"I take it you're just here to watch," Beau says. "You're welcome to go take a seat and wait for the bidding to start."

"I'm good, thanks," Riot says, his eyes darting around the room for his owners. They just need a quick glimpse and then...

"Oh, we covered the tablet, if that's what you're thinking," Beau says. "Your friends are going to have to watch and wait. You might as well join them."