Page 12 of Contract Marked (Interdimensional Beings #1)

Chapter Twelve

Erin

T he blinding sun and yellow tulips looked at odds with the dangerous being who had now taken up all the oxygen in this weird wardrobe room. Cal wore the same dark jeans but had traded his black short sleeve for a long sleeve one that outlined his defined muscles. His dark hair was pulled back in his usual man bun, showing off a clean-shaven face and a silver dagger earring I hadn’t noticed previously.

“You shouldn’t be in here, get out.” I had wanted to sound stern, but the sight of him made my words come out in a rasped whisper.

“Then you should’ve locked the door.” To prove a point, he turned to said door (that had now materialized) and shifted the lock in place with an audible click. My lower abdomen clenched at the sound, liking the idea of the two of us locked alone together, even if my brain was screaming at itself to get a grip. It’d been a while since I had gotten laid and it didn’t help that both Cal and Dez were the most gorgeous beings I had ever seen, but didn’t my body have any sense of self-preservation?

“At least let me change in peace.” I clutched the black turtleneck to my torso, blocking my plain bra, which I only wore with my white shirts. I wished I was wearing the purple and black lace set Megan had convinced me to buy when I was with my ex, even though he never ended up seeing them since I broke it off before it got horizontal between us.

Cal crossed his arms and leaned against the invisible wall showing no signs of turning around. His gaze roamed down my body, pausing on my hip where his ‘C’ marked my flesh. “You saw me wearing far less. It’s only fair.”

“It’s not fair at all,” I said, but my voice lacked conviction. “That was an accident. What you’re doing is an invasion of privacy.”

“I don’t think you have any right to talk about one’s privacy after you invaded mine.” He sighed. “I’ll close my eyes. Happy?”

“I’d be happier if you left.” But the words rang false in my ear. I ignored that train of thought as I shimmied into a pair of dark-washed jeans and threw on the black turtleneck.

“I don’t understand why you Lower Realms’ beings care so much about your true form. It’s how you are, how you were born. It’s not something to be ashamed of.”

“You mean being naked? Well, I guess you have a point, but society doesn’t see it that way,” I said, zipping up my new jeans. I felt a pang of disappointment when he didn’t open his eyes to peek even once. What’s wrong with me? I needed to find a way to get Megan and me back home before I did something I regretted.

“Another reason why I dislike Lower Realms’ beings,” he said, eyes still closed.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re all so horrible,” I mumbled. “You can open your eyes now.”

The weight of his gaze made me flush and I turned around to admire the outfit in the floating mirror that hovered in the middle of the meadow. As much as Cal scared the daylights out of me, he was surprisingly accommodating to a Lower Realms’ being he hated so much.

“Are you here to interrogate me again? Force the tree branches to tie my wrists and ankles like you did with the chair?”

“Don’t give me any ideas.” His tone turned husky, but I could have imagined it. Cal made it clear he didn’t like humans.

An image of me tied up naked and at the mercy of Cal’s heated gaze as he touched himself beneath the band of his jeans shot through me. I bit my tongue. We needed to wrap this rendezvous up so I could get out of this room and breathe.

“I sensed you left Dezmandaro’s dimension and followed you.”

Cal can sense me, too? I resisted scratching at the two branded marks on my body. Was it because of the contracts that they were able to sense my location? But then how was Cal able to find me here, but Dez couldn’t locate me when I left his dimension? Is it because Cal’s dimension is protected and this one isn’t? I bit my lip; this was not good news. If I planned to escape with Megan without fulfilling the contracts, Cal and Dez would always be able to find us.

“Stalker much?” I poorly joked.

“I was curious how your time with Dezmandaro was going, but instead of causing him trouble, I see you’re going on shopping sprees with him instead.”

Still needing to try on the other two outfits, I told Cal to close his eyes again. He stared at me for a long moment, to the point I thought he wouldn’t when his lids closed shut.

“Give me a break; it’s only been like, what? A day?” Who knew in this weird world? What day was it back on Earth? Has anyone noticed me, or Megan missing?

I reached for a pair of jean shorts that went just past my butt. I didn’t have much of a chest, but I had a behind to make up for it. The only problem was that it caused issues when finding decent shorts; my ass usually hung out the back of them. “He’s been particularly clingy, not letting me out of his sight—well, except now, I suppose—which hasn’t given me much time to find his weaknesses. Or what pisses him off the most.”

“Clingy?” Cal’s lips thinned, but I didn’t think it was out of jealousy. He sounded almost … worried.

The bottoms were shorter than I preferred, but they looked good on me and would be nice to wear when I needed more leg movement. The gray knitted top was also perfectly oversized, covering my hands with its sleeves and making me feel like I was wearing a blanket. I was sold.

“Don’t worry, it’s because he doesn’t trust me, not out of any true affection. I think if we didn’t have a contract, Dez would’ve tossed me in his lake to drown.” However, that wasn’t entirely true. While I hadn’t known Dez very long, I was starting to get the impression he made more threats than he acted on, as if he truly didn’t want to hurt me. Again, too soon to tell, but very different from my initial impression, where I thought he was going to kill me and Megan outright.

He’s still a bastard, though, especially for tricking me into a contract he knew he would win.

“Besides,” I added. “You didn’t specify a time limit on when I had to break Dez’s protective barrier. Just that I had to. Eventually.”

He opened his eyes to pin me with a fierce look that made me regret mentioning that tidbit. His lips curled into a smile.

“I thought you wanted to see your friend? I can’t help you if you won’t help me.”

I gritted my teeth. He and Dez were like two peas in a pod in the way they liked to play games and toss out threats. I’d have to work on mine. “You know damn well I do. It would’ve been nice to know that you worked for the Council, too. Is it too much to ask how my friend is doing?”

He stayed quiet.

I glanced down at my feet, my heart sinking. If Megan was hurt, it really would be all my fault. She would’ve been back home by now if I hadn’t torn out those damn pages that Dez ended up stealing back anyways.

Cal gripped my chin, his fingers digging into my skin as he forced my head back up. “You should worry more about yourself.”

My stomach churned, and bumps grew on my flesh. This wasn’t Dez. Unlike him, I got the impression Cal followed through on his threats.

I stepped back and swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’ll do it. I just need more time.”

Cal didn’t move; he just continued to stare at me as if debating his following words carefully. “Dezmandaro has always had a weakness for Lower Realms’ culture. He’ll act like he doesn’t care, but tell him stories about your life to win his trust. Maybe then, he’ll let you into places not many others have seen. I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for there.”

“Why do you want me to break Dez’s protective barrier so badly anyways?”

Cal went silent again and I didn’t bother trying to get any more answers out of him. “Fine, I’ll do what I can on my end. I just hope you’ll be able to get me a meeting with Megan when I do.”

“You mean to educate you.”

“What?”

His smile was unkind. “I only promised to teach you our ways, nothing more. Which might I add, a time limit also wasn’t specified for.”

I spun away from him and scowled into the mirror; any lingering sadness chased away. I told him to close his eyes again as I changed back into my normal clothes, but he slid closer instead, the heat of him brushing my back.

He dipped his head, his breath tickling my ear. “Do this for me, and I’ll consider letting you see your friend, Megan. For another contract.”

I met his gaze in the mirror, his long dark lashes falling over half-lidded eyes, matching the playful set of his lips. If I hadn’t lost the ability to speak, I would’ve told him where he could shove it.

“See you soon, Erin.” He disappeared once more.

I never asked him how he knew my name, but if he knew where Megan was, I could only guess.

Dez returned just as I managed to exit the bizarre changing room. All I had to do was touch the invisible door for it to appear. It was clear this place wasn’t designed with humans in mind.

“Nice of you to finally return.” I avoided his gaze, hoping he didn’t see the flush in my cheeks or that I’d just plotted with his nemesis.

His hair was messier than when I last saw him, with a bit of color in his own features. Maybe he had paid one of the fairy princesses a visit while I was busy getting stuck in changing rooms. I was surprised to feel a pang of jealousy at the thought. Why did I care? It wasn’t any of my business, and it wasn’t like I planned to do anything with Dez—or Cal, for that matter. They were both horrible beings.

“I had some business to take care of. It’s been a while since I’ve … been out.”

And why is that? I didn’t ask.

Dez ‘paid’ for my things. In his arms appeared a collection of clothes the clerk accepted in exchange for my two outfits. I thought I peeked a mini skirt and a pair of silk pajamas in the pile of new clothes that were for me (a lot more than two shirts, jeans, and shorts I had originally picked) and guessed Dez took it upon himself to add to my wardrobe. Not that it mattered since I planned on finding a way to cut my trip short.

He teleported us back to his mansion where Rowan, Saya, and Lucille greeted us in the foyer entrance. Lucille shot daggers at my hand, still clasped in Dez’s, while Saya frowned, a wariness in her eyes I hadn’t seen before.

As much as I wanted to return to my room and reflect on what Cal had told me, Dez had other plans. He dragged me to lunch at the same intimate dining table we sat at that morning, then enticed me into a game of billiards and darts afterward. Dinner was held in one of the rooms I’d seen previously in the mansion, the elongated table big enough to seat Rowan and the others who had joined us.

I stayed silent as a comfortable chatter was passed back and forth as if this had happened a thousand times before my arrival. Lucille had admitted she’d joined Dez willingly, but could the same be said for Rowan and Saya? Why was it that Saya couldn’t return home? Did she fail her contract and now she was stuck here with Dez for the rest of her life? Those questions kept me from completely relaxing into the velvet upholstered chair as I picked at my smoked salmon and, later, chocolate mousse.

By the time night fell, I was too tired to process much of anything, let alone write down any new bits of information. I’ll figure it out tomorrow , I told myself as I tucked myself into bed wearing a pair of new silk pajamas.

“I can’t believe you enjoy this stuff.” Dez frowned at his plate of eggs. It had been several days, and Dez hadn’t left my side except to sleep. Like the past few mornings, I had awoken to him sitting on my bed, forcing me to join him for breakfast. Some days we ate inside at the small table, other times in the dining room. Today, we were outside on a balcony overlooking a vast ocean with a lighthouse fixated on a cliffside. The trees looked more golden or maybe it was just how the sun hit them.

I pushed back the sleeves of my gray sweater, easily plopping a full bite of eggs into my mouth. I wasn’t particular; I could eat the same meal every day, much to Megan’s disbelief.

“Nobody is forcing you, unlike me,” I said lightheartedly but I felt anything but. Dez wasn’t giving me any time to think. Even if I tried to use the coin again to find Megan on my own, I would have to sacrifice a night of sleep with Dez acting as my second shadow, and even then, I was suspicious of a new door that had appeared in my room nights before, suspecting it led directly to Dez’s. Like a looming threat even while I slept.

The one night I did leave my bedroom to explore the mansion, searching different rooms for information I could use against Dez, I was suddenly teleported back to my bed with an updated rules list on my lap. Rule number thirty-four: No snooping in the halls at night—specifically speaking to you, Erin.

“You act as if I’ve treated you poorly.” Dez waved his fork at me. “I should be the one complaining, putting up with this terrible food and wearing these unstylish clothes for the sake of my guest.” He was wearing a tight-fitted shirt and light-wash jeans this morning.

I raised my brows. So, he only wore casual clothes for my benefit. “But I like you either way, jeans or no jeans.”

His smile turned flirtatious. “Don’t try to flatter your way out of this.”

I immediately avoided his gaze, realizing that’s exactly what I just did. At some point, I had become too comfortable with Dez, and I knew that was dangerous. As the days went by, the more I didn’t want to go back to my corporate job, paying bills, and staying stuck alone in my small apartment in Georgia, but getting complacent like this when Megan could be somewhere worse wasn’t fair. Not when it was my fault that she was stuck here.

I wonder what Megan would say if she knew I’d been spoiled with fancy dinners, a five-star hotel bedroom, and beautiful views. That I’ve made friends with Rowan, Saya, and Lucille (when she wasn’t making catty comments out of misplaced jealousy.) She’d probably say something along the lines of, Who are you, and what have you done with Erin?

“Still not enough to get me a meeting with the Council earlier, though?” I polished off my coffee. “Not that it matters since you’ll be sitting on the Council yourself and can just reject my case.” I had no idea how it worked, but it sounded plausible that Dez would have some say in how my case went if he was on the damn board himself.

Whenever I brought it up, Dez either changed the subject, ignored me, or spouted off some threat of locking me away that he never acted on. This time he ignored me, his jaw tight, eyes focused on nothing in particular. I hated it when he got this way, but I also wasn’t going to give up until I knew Megan was safe.

“How about I tell you a little bit about myself.” Cal said to talk about my life on Earth, not that my boring life was very exciting, but if it helped to get me into these ‘places’ Cal mentioned, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Dez waved his hand, and I wasn’t sure if he had even heard me, but I continued anyway.

“I didn’t know my parents. They could’ve died tragically, missing a life they could’ve had with me as their daughter, or random drug addicts who dropped me off at the nearest shelter.”

I set my fork down and sat back in the iron chair, turning my face into the cool breeze, the sun warm on my cheek.

“At first, I was told I bounced back and forth between different distant relatives, but I was too young to remember. Later, it was different foster parents. Some nice, others not so much. I felt like a traveler, always on the move but never with one solid home base. It wasn’t until I landed a scholarship and went to college that I started to feel like I finally found a place to call home, mostly because my roommate was Megan. We were polar opposites, her extroverted, pretty, and easy-going; meanwhile, I preferred being alone, was average at best, and had a bad habit of overthinking things to the point I wasn’t very fun at parties. But she stuck by me, eventually opening up to show me her occult books, tarot cards, and creepy bones she kept in her closet in the dorm. Not going to lie, it freaked me out a bit but I didn’t dare say anything to ruin the one good friend I ever had.

“After that, we did everything together, from staying up late watching movies to eating in the dining hall and choosing our class schedules to overlap as much as possible. We even lived together for four more years after that, but we still stayed in touch after college, hanging out when we could. She was the first person I’d call whenever I felt lonely or wanted to get something off my chest, and even with her large circle of friends, I was always hers. Well, after her mom, I was always one of the first people she’d reach out to when in need.”

“How touching.” Dez’s tone was sarcastic but his eyes had lit up, and at some point, he had leaned forward in his seat. Cal was right; to anyone else, I’d probably have put them to sleep, but Dez looked interested. “Were there other kids like you? Without parents growing up in this … foster system?”

I nodded, surprised at his question but not offended. “Of course. In my early teens, I was grouped with other kids at different foster homes, but I didn’t get along with most of them. The few I did were either adopted or turned eighteen, and I never saw them again. It was odd, that the moments I felt most alone was when I was with other kids just like me.” I paused, my fork of eggs hovering midair. I hadn’t expected to admit that out loud and was too embarrassed to meet Dez’s eyes. “Then again, I was an odd kid, so maybe I just gave off weird vibes.” I forced a hollow laugh.

Dez didn’t laugh, and I risked peeking up from my plate to find him frowning. Whether he was upset by my admission or had grown bored of the conversation, I wasn’t sure. Knowing Dez, it surely had to be the latter.

“And this … dining hall you and Megan ate at, what was that like? Did you also eat eggs there every day?” He set his fork down, despite his plate still being half-full, turning his full attention on me.

I sighed in relief at the change in subject, even if I was more than a little unsettled by his new unwavering focus. “It was a large room filled with tables and various food stations. It was often packed with students and was loud and not the cleanest.” I smiled. “But I did eat eggs every single morning. I guess you could say I’m consistent.” Which this world was severely lacking in.

“I’d say you’re a lot of things, Erin.” He tilted his head, his eyes still fixed on mine. “Also, to refer back to your earlier comment, I think you’re far past average, my dear.”

A gentleness had settled in his features that wasn’t there before, and for a moment, I leaned in, soaking up that feeling. Of feeling wanted, that someone cared about me and was interested in me.

I then squashed those feelings and repeated his earlier statement. “A flatterer yourself, I see.” A pause. “And you? Why don’t you tell me something about yourself?”

A mask fell across his features, eclipsing any gentleness I’d just seen. “There’s nothing about me worth noting that you’d understand.” And just like that, we were back to being strangers. It made me wonder if this had all been for show. If Dez had only humored me to get my guard down; to garner any information he could.

I ignored the way my heart sank at the thought. This was Dez. Of course, he would do whatever it took to get what he wanted.

“If you’re finished, let’s reconvene in my study,” he said, not waiting for my reply before warping us.

I stifled a groan as I was shuffled through another day of trailing after Dez. At one point over the past few days, he stopped asking me where I went the time I stumbled into Cal’s dimension. Did he still care? Or was he used to playing the long game in getting what he wanted? I had no idea about Dez’s lifespan (or much of anything for that matter since he wouldn’t share), but I got the feeling he had plenty more time on his hands than me. I did manage to open him up with a few more stories, some a bit more scandalous of me and Megan’s college party days. He consumed them with silent interest, and oddly, it was nice to share my life with someone else, even if it was Dez.

Before I retired to my room for the night, I walked past a hallway I hadn’t noticed before with a red door at the end of it that stuck out in a house of muted grays.

I turned to it when Rowan rounded a corner, wishing me a goodnight on his way to his own bedroom for the evening. When I looked back down the hall the door was gone.