Page 10 of Contract Marked (Interdimensional Beings #1)

Chapter Ten

Erin

“G ood morning, love.”

At the sound of Dez’s voice, I shot out of bed, stumbling onto my feet as sleep was quickly traded for adrenaline. He sat on the edge of my bed wearing a gray shirt and faded jeans instead of his usual suit or button-down. Was it because he knew my preference for men in jeans, or was I overthinking things?

“Oh please, I’m not here to hurt you. I came to offer you food.”

I crossed my arms over my shirt and put a few paces between us. I was grateful I had been sleeping in my jeans until now, waiting for a moment like this. “Unless you want to discuss moving up my date with the Council or seeing Megan, I’d rather we avoid each other.”

His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Tell me how you left my dimension, and you have a deal.”

“I already told you.”

He ran a hand through his blonde hair, perfectly mussing it, either by accident or on purpose. “So stubborn. Maybe some hot coffee and breakfast will soften you up. Come along.”

He snapped his fingers and we were now in a dining room, but not one of the several I passed when roaming his mansion. The table was much smaller and more intimate, with plates of steaming eggs, bacon, pancakes, and a carafe of coffee. A fire crackled in the fireplace in the center of the room, glowing off the black marble. Through the tall windows lining the back wall, the morning sun rose over the autumn trees and glinted off the lake. It would’ve been romantic, something out of a rom-com—if it’d been with anyone else. Preferably human.

To my horror, Dez had changed me out of my comfortable white T-shirt and jeans into lacy silk pajamas. The pale lavender shorts barely covered my ass.

“Put me back in my clothes.” I tugged at the silk bottoms, but they wouldn’t cover any more than they already did.

Dez sat down at the table, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “But you look way more lovely in those. Now sit.”

“This is ridiculous.” I tried hard not to huff like I was throwing a fit. “I’m not even hungry.” My stomach chose that moment to betray me with a loud growl.

“Sit and eat, Erin.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You know my name?”

He sighed, setting down his coffee to shoot me an expression I couldn’t read. “I know a lot more about you than you think, Erin Jay Williams. Maybe if you sit down, I’ll indulge you in whatever questions you have to ask.”

I matched his sigh as I sat across from him, the sleek black chair cold against the back of my legs. I reached for the coffee first. “How do you know my name?”

He leaned back, the shirt tightening over his chest in all the right places, and crossed his legs. As much as I hated him, Dez looked damn good in casual wear.

“Megan told me a great deal about you. Honestly, I couldn’t care less at first, but now that you’re here, actively ruining my life, those bits of knowledge have become quite useful.”

It was as if someone had punched me in the gut. Why would Megan trust this jerk with important information about me that could be used to hurt me? I took a deep breath. Megan was friendly to a fault. She was likely just making small talk or bragging about me as she liked to do to new friends. It was sweet when she did it then, but not now.

“Actively ruining your life? That seems a bit dramatic.” I poured some more creamer into the coffee and took a swig.

Dez grew quiet, and I risked a glance up to find his jaw tight, eyes narrowed into slits. My stomach flipped and I recalled Cal’s words, what Dez gave up in order to satisfy our contract.

“I may not be able to physically harm you, but nothing is stopping me from locking you in a dark room until your meeting with the Council. Tread carefully, human.”

I set down my coffee to prevent the liquid from sloshing, hiding my trembling hand beneath the table. He was right. I needed to remember who I was dealing with and the position I was in. “I’m sorry,” I forced the phrase out.

“Your friend also said you were smart and had a knack for talking your way out of things.” He took another drink. “I wonder if she knew how much trouble that mouth of yours would get you in.”

“I’m sure sitting here, talking to you, is the last place she’d expect me to be.” Wherever Megan was, I just hoped she was okay. That she wasn’t injured or suffering. Did she know I was actively trying to save her? “Is there any way I can see her?”

Dez set down his coffee, filling his plate with eggs and bacon. “It’s not my place. She’s within the Council’s domain now.”

“But is she safe there? Comfortable?”

He took a bite of his eggs, slowly chewing as if he’d never had them before. Then I wondered if this whole meal was meant for me and not Dez’s usual morning routine. What did he normally eat? Did he even have to, considering he wasn’t human?

“Who knows, but maybe you can ask your new friend, Cal. He works for the Council, you know.”

I froze.

“What do you mean?” I avoided his eyes as I made my own plate of food.

“The being you spoke to in my study? Don’t pretend you already forgot. I almost locked you away permanently that day, but I didn’t because I’m oh so merciful.”

“He works for the Council? He knows where Megan is?” Cal hadn’t said any of that to me. Then again, he hadn’t said much at all. “Is it possible to meet with him?”

He grimaced. “As if I’d let him back in my dimension. Once was enough. And no, you don’t want me sending you to his. He’d probably kill you outright anyway.”

Dez wasn’t too off the mark there.

“But if he killed me, you wouldn’t be bound by our contract anymore.” The eggs were delicious, fluffy, and cheesy, just how I liked them, and a great distraction from my potential death.

“It’s a little late for that. I already wasted a favor for you; now I want to reap the benefits of this. Well, as much as I can.” He smirked and my hand tightened on my fork.

“If you hadn’t taken my friend in the first place, none of this would’ve happened.”

“Your friend agreed to this.”

“She didn’t know what she was agreeing to. Not really.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Is that so? Your friend seemed to know a lot about our world. More than a Lower Realms’ being would know for their first time here.”

I frowned and met his eyes. He had to be lying. Megan would’ve told me if she’d been here before. If she’d gone to a whole other dimension . Right?

Dez finished his coffee and pancakes but left the rest of his eggs and bacon untouched, meanwhile I ate everything. I wasn’t picky when it came to food and had a bad habit of eating everything that was put in front of me.

“Thanks for the food,” I said, trying to be nicer. I hadn’t forgotten his earlier comment about being locked away. Though, it was odd he hadn’t done just that, considering how much I was actively ruining his life . It seemed he was more bark than bite, but I wasn’t going to call his bluff.

“So, she does have some manners. Shocking.” He wiped his hands on a linen napkin that appeared out of thin air. “As a reward, maybe I’ll take you shopping for some new clothes.”

I frowned. “Can’t you just do this?” I snapped my fingers like he often did when teleporting us or manifesting things out of nowhere.

“Yes, but it’s all limited to my imagination. That gets boring. I want to see what others have created.” He stood up and offered his hand, though I knew he didn’t need to touch me for us to warp.

I had to admit I was curious. I wasn’t very imaginative myself, so I couldn’t visualize what a shopping district would look like here. Unless …

“Are we going back to Earth?” I slid my hand into his. It was pleasantly warm and completely engulfed mine.

“Don’t get your hopes up. Until my end of the contract is fulfilled, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” His grip tightened, but it wasn’t painful—more as if he was reassuring himself.

“I hope you plan to change my clothes back before we go out.”

His smile was mischievous. “Only if you ask nicely.”

I glanced up at him. “Please, Dez.”

I expected him to reprimand me for using his nickname versus ‘Master’ or reply with an equally annoying comeback. Instead, he stared at me with an unreadable expression before saying, “Let’s go.”

The shopping district in Dez’s world was nothing close to what I thought it would be. When we first arrived, I clung to a nearby lamppost with a yelp. We stood on top of the sky, or what looked like one, with puffy clouds floating through its blue depths, the exception being the falls of water that spilled out of stone spickets attached to pillars. The waterfalls poured into a seemingly vast, never-ending space of blues.

Dez chuckled and my cheeks warmed when I realized we stood on top of a glass platform. It still didn’t calm my nerves, and I refused to let go of the lamppost until Dez peeled my fingers from it, clasping my hand in his firm grip. Dez ignored my protests as we walked across it, an unusual smile on his lips.

Bastard, he could have at least warned me.

After I warmed up to the fact we were walking across a glass sky, I appreciated the smattering of different architectures sprawled around us. We walked through the center of the shopping district, where shops and restaurants all branched out in various directions. There were multistory buildings made of stone and large mosaic windows with engraved doors that belonged in an art museum. In contrast, others were made from the darkest woods with exaggerated pitched roofs and handwritten signs, both across from towering pagodas and red shrines with gold-painted dragons affixed to their entrances.

I had only been to Epcot, Disney once in my life for one of Megan’s birthday parties, but this place oddly reminded me of the theme park. Megan and I had eaten and drank different foods and alcohol at different ‘countries’ all set up with distinct architecture and built next to one another in the park. A way for people to travel the world without ever leaving Orlando, Florida, I guessed.

However, instead of seeing tourists in flip flops, fanny packs, and ballcaps, there were people too beautiful and graceful to be human next to creatures that resembled more of an animal straight out of a fantasy film, with a gleam of intelligence in their eyes that showed more wisdom than my university professors.

Something whizzed by me, shocking my arm where it brushed my skin. I winced, and Dez pulled me closer to his side, his hand still uncomfortably gripping mine. “Watch your step; not all of us move at the same speed here.”

Vanilla and sandalwood teased my senses, and I reactively flinched away, tugging at his hold. Dez yanked me back to his side, a warning in his gaze.

“I’ll be careful. I don’t need to stick to you like glue.” I glanced away, acutely aware of how close he was.

“What if I want you to, though?” Dez started forward again, guiding us through the wave of various animals and humanoid creatures, past colorful storefronts selling everything from food, home decor, books, and clothing. Another irritating smile crossed his features. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the shadow demon so happy before. Then again, he was trying to seduce me, to get me to reveal the only secret I had to getting Megan and me back to Earth. He could try all he wanted, but I would never tell him the truth.

“Dezmandaro, is that you?” A masculine figure wearing a pinstripe suit with combed-back hair approached us. Two other figures with long silky hair and dresses that fell in turquoise and magenta waves (the material was ethereal and reminded me of a pair of fairy ballgowns) appeared behind him. They all towered over me, looking like ancient gods and goddesses.

“It’s been a while, Savenellus.” The two embraced. “Jaslynne, Henrietta, good to see you both as well.” The two fairy-like princesses brushed Dez’s arms with the familiarity of a lover.

All three of them completely ignored me. Dez’s hand tightened on mine when I tried to pull away.

Savenellus’s smile seemed calculated, and if being flat-out ignored hadn’t already put me off, the way he sized Dez up did. “I heard the Council has requested you to fill the vacant spot. What an honor to be asked to join them.”

My jaw slackened, my skin prickling before heat rushed my cheeks. Dez planned to be a part of the Council? No wonder why he wasn’t so concerned about a trial.

I squeezed his hand, painfully so, but he didn’t even flinch, let alone acknowledge it.

“But that’s no surprise, given your background,” one of the princesses in magenta said.

The other, dressed in turquoise, whispered something in her friend’s ear, staring at Dez.

As if it was common knowledge, her friend said, “Dezmandaro descended from Ragnus, the one who founded the Council itself. It’s no surprise why he’s the Council’s favorite.”

Dez bowed his head. “You flatter me, Jas.”

Henrietta stepped past me as if I wasn’t standing right there and leaned her head against Dez’s shoulder. “We were worried you would be a shut-in forever after the incident …”

I felt Dez tense up beside me, but he flashed her a polite smile. “Life goes on, I suppose.”

Savenellus was the first of the three to look down at me, his eyes appraising me as if I were livestock. “Do let me know if this one becomes too much for you. I wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened to prevent you from claiming your rightful title.”

Dez tugged me closer, my shoulder bumping into his side. His jaw was tight as he shot pinstripe a cool smile. “Thank you, Savenellus, but she’ll be returning back to The Lower Realms once her contract is settled.”

Savenellus shrugged. “A shame. There aren’t many calls to go around nowadays since it started trending.”

I hated this man, or whatever he/it was, and if I wasn’t severely overpowered and outmatched here, I would’ve given him a piece of my mind.

“Well, we won’t keep you, but I do hope to see you at Tatianna’s gala.” Jas’s slender fingers adjusted Dez’s collar, lingering longer than was considered friendly.

With his free hand, Dez took Jas’s and kissed it. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Jas’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile before the three of them bid farewell, walking a few paces away and teleporting out of existence altogether.

I yanked my grip from his grasp and stepped away. This time he let me. “So, when were you going to mention that you would be on the Council yourself? Before or after I pleaded Megan’s case?” The heat now scorched my cheeks, surely splotching my fair skin. I was furious. He knew all along he would be a judge for Megan’s case, and probably held enough power to reject it altogether. Was all of this just a waste of time?

Dez sighed as if the livelihood and safety of my friend were no more than a scuff on his newly polished shoes. “I do not wish to discuss the matter with you.”

“Well, too bad because I do.”

His response was to snatch my wrist, ignoring my shouts as I tugged at my arm and cursed profanities his way. My efforts were in vain when he pulled me in front of a multistory building that showcased mannequins in all sorts of different clothes in the front of it. Or what I thought were mannequins until the figures moved into different poses as Dez forced me inside. I was temporarily distracted from my anger as I swallowed a gasp.

The place appeared to be a normal funky clothing store, except the ceiling faded into a night sky on the brink of sunrise with realistic-looking stars twinkling above us. The floor was thankfully not glass but a solid pink continuing the overall girly teenage dream sort of aesthetic that I had adored nearly twenty years ago. They even had bean bags and blown-up tables that sat currently empty.

“Pick out some outfits you want, otherwise I’ll choose for you. I’ll be back to pick up the tab, so to speak.” Without explaining why, Dez disappeared.

I wanted to scream.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight, my ass,” I muttered to myself. Knowing he’d be true to his word and probably force me to wear something off the rack next to mine with pink blazers, silk blouses, and miniskirts, I grabbed a couple of outfits.

My anger dimmed the more I browsed though it didn’t extinguish entirely. Dez had looked distant, almost sad when talking to his … friends? They weren’t like any friends I’d personally hang out with, but I wasn’t Dez. Cal had mentioned he ran in certain social circles and I got the impression they were as full of themselves as Dez was. Not that I cared, Dez had purposefully withheld information that would’ve made me reconsider our entire contract.

I searched the almost normal clothing store for a changing room and settled for a stall in the back. Next to it was a hanger rack with a note stating that clothes put there would automatically return to their place in the store.

I opened the door and sighed in relief when it appeared to be a normal changing room until I closed the door behind me. Darkness descended and I screamed as it engulfed me completely. I reached for the door handle that had just been behind me, but the entire door and changing room itself were gone. Nothing but a void of darkness expanded for seemingly miles around me in every direction. The clothes I had been carrying dropped to the floor at some point as I stood frozen. Some people’s instinct was to fight or run, mine was to always freeze, my own mind playing my own worst enemy in these situations.

When you find yourself stuck inside your own head, try counting down from a hundred, my therapist once told me. It didn’t always help, but was better than a panic spiral.

I reached number fifty-four when I decided to throw out my hands and walk around the surrounding abyss. It didn’t expand for miles like I originally thought. An invisible barrier blocked me on all four walls, and when I touched the fourth wall, a mirror appeared with an orange cat that stretched up to my size.

The cat’s eyes opened to green orbs, its mouth opening in an unnatural way. “Welcome to the wardrobe dimension. Please select your setting by placing your hand here and imagining your ideal scenario for an optimal wardrobe experience.” A familiar three-leaf clover with a line through it illuminated the top left corner of the mirror, like the symbol on my silver coin and the slates within Dez’s estate.

It was embarrassing to feel tears in the corner of my eyes when I realized I was fine. This was just another crazy Alice in Wonderland moment for me that was a normal experience to others who lived in this world.

I touched the illuminating symbol. Like the speaking cat said, the room shifted based on what I imagined, the darkness beaten back by sunny skies and a meadow in full bloom. Ignoring my trembling hands, I grabbed the clothes off the floor and hung them on a tree branch that was perfectly curved into a hook. I kicked off my jeans and yanked my shirt over my head, feeling weird about being seminude with the sun beaming down on me and fake grass tickling my feet. A light breeze caressed my skin as I stood there in my white bra and yellow thong, urging me to quickly reach for the black turtleneck top when a door opened behind me.

I yelped and used the black shirt to shield the front of me. I turned to yell at Dez but faltered at the sight of someone tall, dark, and dangerous. Cal.