Page 17 of Contract Marked (Interdimensional Beings #1)

Chapter Seventeen

Erin

D ez didn’t make an appearance until four days later. He didn’t look any different, dressed in an immaculate cream blazer and dress slacks, his hair combed back, and his face clean-shaven. I’d been with Saya and Lucille in the sunroom, ignoring the spot where Rowan would usually be when the front door of the estate opened and closed. I trailed after Saya, not bothering to catch up to Lucille, who sprinted to the foyer entrance of the house, which also always remained in the same fixed location.

“Welcome home, Master!” Lucille cheered, bouncing into his arms.

Dez smiled down at her, but his embrace was loose and half-hearted, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. I wasn’t conceited enough to think it was because of me, but had he thought about me since that night?

Saya bowed her head. “Welcome home, Master.”

I wished I could follow suit to feel like I was part of the group. Instead, I remained silent with my arms crossed, a few feet behind Saya. Dez’s eyes met mine, and for a second, I forgot to breathe.

“Not going to welcome me home, Erin? I’m hurt.” His smile vanished. He stepped away from Lucille, cutting short just inches from me.

I didn’t move, not out of any stubbornness but because I was at a loss. I hadn’t expected him to confront me here. Now.

“Welcome home,” I muttered, more so to get him away from me. With the smell of him this close, scenes from that night replayed in my head. His fingers tracing the skin along my upper thighs, his words making me feel hot and cold as he pinned me against the door.

Then it shifted to Dez’s head tilted back in climax as another woman’s mouth cupped his length, and I instantly switched the channel to static, blocking it all out.

Dez leaned closer. “Welcome home, what?”

He didn’t seriously expect me to say it, too? He never reprimanded me for calling him Dez, but maybe he was angrier than he looked. Or was he aiming for petty revenge after the other night?

I opened my mouth, heat rising in my face, but the words didn’t come.

His hand landed on the wall behind me, the band of his arm shielding me from Saya and Lucille as he leaned even closer, his words low and demanding. “Say it.”

“Welcome home, Master,” I whispered.

“Louder.”

This time, I scowled. “Oh, come on—”

“Louder,” he cut me off, his jaw tight. Oh, he was definitely angry about the other night.

Sucking in a deep breath, I said it loud enough so Saya and Lucille could hear, “Welcome home, Master.” There? Happy? I didn’t say because I wanted this to be over quickly.

A smile slid back in place as if nothing had happened. “I think I’ll join you ladies for tea today.”

Lucille tossed me glares for the remainder of tea time while Saya was withdrawn. Despite the tense atmosphere, Lucille continued to fill the silence with idle conversations about the lovely views, the tea, and the scones, carefully avoiding anything relating to Rowan. I’ll take Lucy’s glares any day if she could stay with me whenever Dez was here. She was like a chatty shield that protected me from my rambling or descending into an awkward silence that would drive me equally crazy.

Throughout most of it, I avoided speaking altogether, and my eyes focused on my tea or plate of bite-size sandwiches that I barely touched. The few times I looked up, I found Dez’s eyes on me and I was suddenly interested in my plate of uneaten food once more.

After a few more moments of passive conversation, Lucille paused, and I looked up to see Dez’s face pinched. He sighed and a second later, a familiar woman appeared with silky hair and high cheekbones similar to a fairy princess minus the blue and pink dress I initially saw her wearing.

“Hello, love.” Henrietta had materialized behind Dez, her hand sliding along his shoulder like the silver snake ring that curled around her middle finger. She only had eyes for Dezmandaro, pretending we weren’t there.

“A house call, how rare.” Dez arched an eyebrow, taking a sip of tea.

“Oh, stop.” She playfully swatted his shoulder, her laugh like wind chimes. “You know why we didn’t visit you, but now you’re back to your old self.” She leaned down to his ear and whispered, “We’re glad for it.”

Dez reached up and covered her hand, his thumb grazing the skin on her wrist. Henrietta’s smile widened. I felt uncomfortable, but it wasn’t until I glanced at Saya that my insides became pins and needles. Her face had gone sheet white, her eyes wide as she stared at her empty cup, which she held in a vice grip.

Knowing Saya’s history, I got the feeling Henrietta was like her previous contractor that didn’t treat humans too kindly. Thankfully, Lucy didn’t point any glares at the beautiful being, becoming suddenly docile. Like prey sensing the presence of a predator and trying to blend in with their environment.

“Is there a reason you’re here in person that couldn’t be said telepathically?” Dez asked.

Telepathically? That was mighty convenient.

“Maybe I just wanted to see your face.” She sat on his lap, her sharp nails wrapping around his neck. Dez didn’t shove her off but didn’t seem super pleased either. I couldn’t be too sure. Lucy tensed beside me and continued to nibble on her scone while I ceased trying to eat, my appetite completely gone.

“Out with it, Henri.”

One nail pushed back a wave of his hair. “Tatianna’s gala is tonight. You’re going, right?”

He pondered for a moment. “It’s a possibility.”

“Don’t be like that.”

“You’ll have to wait and see.” His voice lowered; his lips curved in a sensuous smile. It was similar to when Dez flirted with me, and I wondered if it was all an act, a tool Dez used whenever it seemed convenient.

Henrietta pouted but continued to whisper something in his ear that I couldn’t hear. Then, just as quick as she came, she was gone. Dez’s charming persona instantly vanished, solidifying my earlier thoughts.

Silence descended despite a few chirps from nearby birds and water rushing from the neighboring lake. Not even Lucy, my chatty shield, filled the silence.

When I thought the quiet would consume me, I said, “Gala? If it’s held in this world, I’m sure it’ll be nothing like the ones on Earth.”

Dez blinked as if pulled from his internal thoughts. “Says who? A lot of inspiration comes from the Lower Realms.” He gestured with his hand to the land around us as if it was obvious.

“Are you going?” Not that I cared, but it kept the conversation moving. Then again … if it was the same Tatianna that had been in Cal’s room that night, the odds of Cal being at the gala weren’t improbable. Perhaps he could tell me more about this Angelica and what I saw.

Dez leaned forward on his forearms. “Why are you so interested in my whereabouts?”

I took a breath of courage. “I want to know if we can join you.”

Saya tossed me a stricken look while Lucille’s eyes lit up.

“Humans that attend these types of galas aren’t always treated the best. Are you sure you’d want to go to something like that?” His gaze focused on me and I had the feeling he was trying to figure something out. I needed to choose my words carefully.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather not go, but this isn’t for me. It’s for Megan.” Which wasn’t a total lie.

Dez opened his mouth when Lucy said, “I’m sure if we stick together, no harm will come our way, right? A party, goodness, it’s been so long. The food, the drinks, the dancing, and the drama. Oh, I’d so, so, so love to go!”

I only felt a little guilty for using Lucy to further my own agenda. “Like Lucy said, I’m sure if we use the buddy system and stay out of trouble, there shouldn’t be any issues. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little curious about how you all party.” Saya still hadn’t spoken, but with how shaken she looked, I answered for her. “It would only be Lucy and me. Saya can stay here.”

A slight nod from Saya was the only confirmation we got.

Dez ran a hand through his hair. “If you two can behave, I guess I can allow you to accompany me. But you have to promise not to leave my sight.” It was directed at both of us but Dez’s eyes narrowed on me. He wasn’t wrong to be concerned. The first thing I planned to do when I saw Cal was get him alone.

Lucy and I got ready in her room, with Saya as a silent tagalong. The silver symbol by Lucy’s door wouldn’t transform us into two young ladies fit for an alien gala but provided us the dresses and tools to make ourselves into one. I didn’t have a lot of practice in the hair and make-up department, but I learned enough through Megan to make myself somewhat presentable. However, the make-up provided was nothing I’d ever used before, and judging by Lucy’s look, she hadn’t either.

“I can help,” Saya said, finally speaking up. We both shot her grateful smiles as she easily navigated the strange tubes of make-up and applicators that looked to belong in a jewelry box, not a make-up bag. I sat on the edge of Lucy’s bed while I watched Saya work her magic on Lucy’s hair and face.

Lucille’s room was a mix between mine and Saya’s. The two currently sat at a pale pink vanity that matched the bedspread I sat on with sewn textured hearts and white lace, but the floors and walls remained a bare gray with white marble, which Lucy said annoyed her no end. It seemed Dez was only content to let Saya do a total room makeover, but no one else.

Saya finished curling the last ringlet of Lucy’s blonde locks when she called me over next. As Lucy worked her way into the pile of fabrics on the bed, Saya started painting my face. “I’m assuming there’s nothing I can say to convince you two not to go?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Lucy exclaimed behind me, a rose gold satin skirt halfway over her head. Saya chided her, saying she’d ruin her curls.

“There might be someone there who can help my friend, Megan.” I closed my eyes in Saya’s direction and felt something cool glide across my eyelids.

“Are you sure about that?”

I paused. I didn’t want to say yes, in case Dez was somehow listening in, so I settled for, “I’m not sure, but I have to try.”

She sighed. “I’m worried about you two. These beings, they’re … well, just be careful. Please.”

“Yes, mother,” Lucy teased before walking into the adjoining bathroom.

In a lower voice, Saya said to me, “Please don’t leave Lucy’s side, and make sure to stay as close to Dezmandaro as you can. Henrietta, Tatianna, and that group … they were the friends I told you about, of my former contractor.”

I nodded even as my stomach flipped. Cal or no Cal, maybe this was a bad idea.

“Lucy …” I whispered, glancing at the closed bathroom door. “What is her and Dez’s relationship?” The question had been nagging at me for a while, but I’d never found the right time to ask. And I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer.

Her voice was still pitched low when she said, “Rowan had told me when he first arrived here how quiet and reserved Master had been. I think it’s why he took Rowan and me in, and eventually Lucy. He was … lonely.” She tapped a tube, placing a thick gloss on my lips. “Master had always been civil with Rowan and me, but he was warmer with Lucy. We thought she would be the one to ease his loneliness, but his heart wasn’t fully in it. And then you showed up, and everything changed.”

I frowned at her. “What do you mean by that?” But the bathroom door opened, and Lucy emerged while straightening her dress. Saya and I exchanged a look and changed the subject.

Saya finished my make-up, and I admired myself in the vanity mirror. My eyes were a smoky dark green with a delicate winged liner at the tips of my eyes, but when I turned my head, it changed to a shimmering gold. My lips remained a dark red, plumper than I’d ever seen them. I actually looked pretty, maybe not quite the beauty that Henrietta, Jaslynne, and Tatianna were, but Megan would’ve been proud.

Saya and I helped Lucy tie up her gown with rose gold silk, white lace, and a skirt that billowed more around the rump. The corset looked painful but emphasized her curves. A pair of white gloves and small-heeled boots completed the look.

My dress was a lot simpler, a satin green spaghetti strap gown that layered in the front, making my chest look bigger than it was. It was an open back, the long skirt hugging my ass before flaring out. A slit in the dress traveled up to my mid-thigh, allowing me to move properly. I strapped on a pair of gold heels that were far too steep for my liking and glanced in the mirror. Something familiar about my reflection tugged at my consciousness as I twirled left and right, admiring myself.

I froze when it hit me.

Angelica had worn the same dress in those photos.

I shook my head. It had to be a mere coincidence, or perhaps Dez just had a limited selection of dresses on hand.

Then why would he also dress me in the same silk pajamas Angelica wore?

I clenched at the satin material as a wave of different emotions consumed me. Had Dez only said those things and acted that way because he needed information from me or because I resembled his former lover? Did it even matter?

“Alright, it’s time for me to retire for the evening,” Saya said, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts. Please be safe.” She gathered us in hugs, and I wondered if Lucy felt Saya’s arms trembling like I had.

When it was just the two of us, Lucy shot me a scowl. “No more flirting with the Master. He’s my dream husband, so go find your own tonight.”

I rolled my eyes, putting on a simple gold chain and emerald earrings that dangled clearly with my hair wrapped in a high updo. Even if it was the same dress Angelica wore, I still looked stunning. “He’s the one flirting with every female he sees.” Me, Lucy, Henrietta, Jas. Was any of it real?

Her cheeks reddened, eyes shifting away. “That’s not true.”

I turned and gave her a serious look. To anyone else, I wouldn’t have bothered or just kept quiet, but these past couple of weeks, Lucy has felt like a younger sister to me—one who had lived a sheltered life and needed protection from herself.

“Lucy, do you honestly think Dez—Master—would choose to be tied down to anyone?” Except maybe Angelica , I didn’t say.

She floundered. “You don’t know that.” But her tone lacked conviction.

“You’ve seen how he acts with me, how he was with Henrietta at lunch. You deserve better.” Not to mention someone human and who wasn’t an asshole.

She turned away from me and pretended to tighten the white bow that kept a pile of curls back from her face. “I guess he is a bit of a rake, isn’t he?”

“A bit?” My lips twitched.

“Okay, more than a bit.” She was smiling now.

“You said it, not me.” I matched her grin and offered my arm. “Let’s go get this party started.”