Page 19 of Contract Marked (Interdimensional Beings #1)

Chapter Nineteen

Erin

M y body was on fire, every inch of my skin sensitive. I fought against my restraints but only succeeded in tiring myself out quicker; the devious toy Dez inserted worked on bringing me to the edge once more, scattering my thoughts. I squeezed my eyes closed, blocking out the pleasure, and focused on Lucy, the danger she was in, and how my night would get worse if I didn’t figure out how to escape by the time Dez returned.

My gold purse was still strapped to my side. If I could manage to free just one hand, I could grab the silver coin. I twisted my wrists again, the skin painful where it rubbed against the bark, but my right hand was slightly looser than my left. I needed some kind of liquid to try and shimmy my hand out.

The toy started to buzz, and I bit my lip against the surge of heat it brought. Focus! How could I wet my hand and escape?

My eyes widened with a thought. It wasn’t the best, but worth a shot. I gathered a bit of saliva in my mouth and aimed at my wrist. I succeeded in spraying my entire arm in spit versus my wrist, but I hit some of my target. I attempted a few more times while wriggling simultaneously. It was tedious, and at one point, my wrist started to bleed, but the pain cut through the pleasure, helping me concentrate.

I almost cried when I slipped free. I snatched at my gold purse, diving inside until I felt the ridges of the silver coin. I wanted to be free of my restraints, but then I remembered my experiment with the cup of coffee. I needed to be very specific lest the branches go up in flames or my arms turn hulk size. I instantly curbed my thoughts to break free in the way I wanted, holding the coin tight.

The branches withdrew, melting back into the walls, freeing my other wrist and ankles. I fell to my knees, catching myself with my hands before I landed face-first into the dirt. I ripped out the toy Dez had placed inside me. It was black and felt plastic, but when it moved in my hand, I squealed and tossed it against the wall, where it fell still.

“Lucy, need to get to Lucy,” I panted, wiping the sweat from my brow. Gold and green glitter rubbed off onto my hand.

Considering more than half of the party attendees tonight were nude, I didn’t think anyone would care if I wasn’t wearing heels. I popped the three-inch gold heels off with a sigh of relief. Coin in hand, I touched the bark, imagining it peel back like it had for Dez when he first brought us here. When it peeled back, it would reveal Lucy, wherever she was at the party.

Like my vision, the bark wall obeyed, rolling down like the entrance to a camping tent. I stepped out into the grass, the air cooler with the smell of flowers and rain-soaked soil on the breeze. I was in the woods along the outer parts of the party, one of the monstrously large white pillars still behind me, which I assumed were the boundaries of this dimension—if there were any. I ducked and pushed through branches, some bare, others with hanging glowing fruit.

Screaming, followed by a resounding crowd of cheers, shot through the night.

I ran in the direction of the noise, branches swiping at my arms and neck, feeling the burning pain of what would be countless scratches and cuts I’d see tomorrow. If I lived to see tomorrow.

I almost stumbled off a steep cliff into what looked like an arena. Onlookers sat and cheered on the surrounding chairs, a mixture of hammocks, velvet upholstered armchairs, and recliners on the other sides. I would’ve laughed at the ridiculous sight if Lucy wasn’t in the middle of the dirt-packed arena, surrounded by white granite walls on all sides and a three-headed lion stalking closer toward her. Spotlights, fixed to the top of the walls, focused on her crumpled form, and adrenaline speared through me as I ran toward the arched entrance.

“Halt, you need to pay before you can watch.” A female-looking humanoid with green skin and a rhino horn blocked me from passing through the marble arches and down into the arena’s sea of heads. She said something else, but the cheering and stamping of feet were deafening.

“What?” I shouted.

“Pay or get lost!” A trident appeared in her hand, the tip aimed too close to my throat.

“Pay with what?” I peeked around the creature’s massive frame, only feeling a tad of relief when I noticed the three-headed lion was chained, but judging by the bloodthirsty faces, it wouldn’t be for long.

The rhino-looking beast smiled. “If you don’t know that, you don’t belong here.”

I cursed under my breath, reaching for my coin, when a hand came down on my shoulder. Fear shot through me. Dez found me.

“She’s with me.”

Cal . I sagged in relief.

The creature looked … scared. They bowed their head, muttering apologies, and let us pass. What did that mean?

Cal’s hand on my back guided me through the crowd, who gave us a wide berth when he looked their way. I hadn’t noticed others’ reactions to him before, but I had been a little distracted and blocked by Cal’s large chest the last time. It gave me hope. If others feared him, maybe he held enough leverage to save Lucy.

“You look a bit worse for wear. I take it Dez wasn’t too happy with you?” Cal said, close to my ear.

Images of what transpired inside that tree made my hands curl into fists despite the opposite response in my lower stomach. I would never make the mistake of trusting Dez again. “That’s putting it mildly. I don’t plan on seeing him anytime soon if I can help it.”

Cal smiled, the callous bastard.

He guided us through the rows of seats up a set of stairs to a private box that wasn’t so private. The floor was covered in a scaled rug that bit into my bare feet, like the pelt of a skinned snake large enough to eat a human whole. A singular chair sat in the center—though a more apt description would be a throne—that looked more intimidating than comfortable, with pitch-black spikes protruding out the back of the red velvet seat.

Sitting on the throne, with one leg crossed over the other and holding a glass of wine, peered a familiar-looking face. One I had seen in the throes of pleasure last time.

Tatianna’s long, deep red hair landed in waves over her shoulders with golden pins dressed in curls that sparkled, almost blindingly so. At first glance, I thought she was naked. The diaphanous material of her dress hugged her voluptuous curves and a silver snake wrapped around one thigh and up and around her hips before sliding up to cover her breasts, the head of it resting on her shoulder. I thought it was fake until I saw its tongue move. I stepped back and let Cal step forward.

“Caliphiste, I thought you weren’t privy to these kinds of events.” Her pale green eyes shifted to me for a fraction of a second, then dismissed me altogether. “Did you find another to join in the tournament?”

I bristled but wisely kept my mouth shut.

Cal shrugged. “Ask her.”

My brows rose. Some help he was.

I stepped forward, hoping my voice didn’t shake. “That girl down there. Do you plan to kill her?”

Tatianna ignored me, a glass of wine materializing in her spare hand before offering it to Cal. “Care for a glass? Only the finest for you.” Cal nodded, slipping the glass from her hands and taking a drink. The red stained his lips, making him look vampiric.

“Is she going to die?” I raised my voice, staring at Tatianna with a manufactured confidence. I had never been so thoroughly ignored in my entire life, and it was a feeling I didn’t want to dwell on, lest my self-esteem plummet even more so.

“You might want to answer her. She won’t shut up until you do.”

I glared at Cal. Whose side was he on? Then again, I had made the same mistake with Dez. These beings weren’t human, and they weren’t nice; I needed to get that through my thick skull.

Tatianna sighed. “If I must.” She refused to look at me, focusing on the three-headed lion that was fighting against the chains wrapped around its monstrous torso, roaring at Lucy, who was curled up on the ground and looked to be crying. It was hard to tell for sure from this distance as we sat higher than my twelve-story apartment building on this side of the arena. “Yes, it is most likely the Lower Realms’ being will die. Unlike us, you have no power to manipulate this dimension and yourself, even when faced with peril danger. You are all truly insignificant creatures.”

I didn’t ask for the added insult. “You’re going to kill her for what? Just for the fun of it?” My rage burned hot, melting away at my self-preservation as I confronted this being who could just as easily kill me with a snap of her fingers.

“As always, you pathetic beings like to point the blame before knowing the full story.” She finished off her wine before handing the glass to the snake head that expanded its mouth, fangs dripping, and consumed it in one bite. “The Higher Realms is all about fair exchanges. Lucille Owens wanted beauty, enough so to lure a Higher Realms’ being into marriage. In exchange, she had to win the tournament.”

“She never would have agreed to this,” I snapped.

Tatianna rolled her eyes. “Yell all you want; it’s not going to change anything. Are you joining the tournament or not?” Her eyes finally slid to mine. “If you’re taking suggestions, beauty would do you some good.”

“I’ll agree to enter the tournament if I can take Lucille’s place.” I could win, would win using my silver coin. My ace card would be revealed, but I’d do it to save Lucy.

She shook her head. “You can’t interfere with another’s agreement prior to entering.”

I gritted my teeth, staring back down at Lucy’s hunched figure. The crowd cheered louder as one of the chains snapped, leaving only two left to hold back the lion from its prey. I squinted. It was barely noticeable, but a transparent barrier surrounded the arena, like the outside of a bubble, hints of it reflected only in the light. Was that why I didn’t warp directly to Lucy? Or why I hadn’t teleported straight to Megan when I tried? Were there barriers in place to prevent the power of my silver coin? But I had been able to get past Cal’s barrier unless there were levels of protection to the barriers or loopholes I didn’t know about. The thought was giving me a headache; there were too many things I didn’t understand.

I walked over to the balcony of the private box and reached out my hand. As expected, my fingers were blocked from extending further past the transparent bubble. Even if I jumped down and tried to save Lucy, I’d be blocked right away.

“Is there a barrier around the arena?” I asked.

Cal’s gaze fell on me, but I stared at Tatianna.

“Of course, I can’t have our watchers interfering. Now, enough of these boring questions. Either you’re joining, or you’re not. My patience isn’t endless.”

Watchers. She couldn’t have the watchers interfering. But what about participants?

“I agree to join.”

“Erin,” Cal started. Then, as if realizing himself, he shook his head and took another sip of wine. His fingers were tight around the stem of his glass.

Tatianna’s grin was victorious. “How exciting. Maybe you’ll be more entertaining than this husk of a girl.”

I stood a few paces away by the balcony as her arm extended, far past what was normal, and snatched my wrist. I bit back a yelp.

“Now, what will it be? Beauty? Love?” She licked her lips. “Riches?”

“How is this different from any other contract?”

She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “It’s not. The only difference is your implicit agreement to fight three rounds in my arena and win all three to achieve the prize of your choosing.”

“If I somehow fail to participate in the tournament or fail to win all three rounds, what happens?”

“There’s no time limit for your participation, unlike a normal contract. It’s more of a proof of purchase. As for failure to complete all three rounds, well, each round is life or death, so if you fail, you die.”

No time limit. That’s all that mattered. “I agree to enter your tournament. In exchange, I want the ability to pass back and forth between this dimension and my apartment, in my current calendar year, on Earth.”

Both Tatianna and Cal froze.

Tatianna was the first to speak. “How … interesting. The price is a bit steeper than what we grant to participants, but since it’s very unlikely you’ll win, I’ll allow it.”

I didn’t plan on entering her tournament, but if I needed another way to get out of this world, it was an option. Though, Tatianna was partially right. It was unlikely I’d win, even with my silver coin, but that’s something I’ll dwell on later if I run out of all other options.

One sharp, black nail sliced my palm where Tatianna had my wrist snatched in her abnormally extended reach. Blood welled from the cut, and I repeated after Tatianna the words similar to the binding ones of a contract but slightly different if I remembered correctly. I still couldn’t understand the words, even with the communication powers The Higher Realms possessed, and I wondered if that was intentional.

It didn’t sear into my skin like a normal contract, but instead, a tattooed snake encircled my middle finger. Proof of our agreement.

“Done. Now you may choose a tournament slot of when you’d like to participate, just ask the front attendants.” She flicked her hand as if to dismiss me, but I ignored her and turned to Cal.

“If you want me to uphold my end of the contract, I need you to watch my back.”

Tatianna laughed as Cal’s jaw tightened. The cheering got louder. The three-headed lion was now being held back by only one chain. Lucy had moved, running as far as she could, but her back was to the far wall, with nowhere else to go.

“Oh goodness, she expected you, Cal, to be her knight in shining armor. My darling, you chose so, so poorly.” Tatianna stood, gliding over to Cal. Her manicured talons slid down his back. “Cal would sooner watch you get mauled to death within these walls than help you win the tournament. Also, he’s unable to interfere, even with his level of power. The Council monitors and maintains this arena; I just host it in my dimension.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, still falling short of his full height even with the insanely high heels she wore.

Well, that explained why I could invade Cal’s dimension but not the arena. I had a good inkling now that Megan was also under the same protective barrier monitored by the Council as well, meaning I needed to follow through on Cal’s contract even more. “I’m not asking for your help in the tournament,” I said, staring at Cal. “I’m asking for your help now.”

Cal’s eyes narrowed, but my hand was already in my purse, clutching the silver coin. The barrier should no longer affect me, but I’ll need the power to get to Lucy in time and tackle a three-headed lion that was more than ten times my size.

Red boxing gloves covered my hands, the silver coin safely tucked in my fist, just as the beast broke free from its final chain with a loud snap, the crowd going wild. Tacky red and blue boots replaced my dirty bare feet, like a cheap superhero costume, as the lion pounded toward Lucy. I needed to be fast. I needed to channel every superhero movie I’ve ever seen and live to tell the tale.

“How—”

I didn’t have time for Cal to finish or for myself to have second thoughts as I jumped over the balcony and pushed off the wall with all my might. The wind rushed my face, ripping my hair out of its updo, my lips flapping open from the sheer force at which I flew—straight for the three-headed lion.

My scream was lost to the wind as I approached its head, all six eyes moving away from Lucy, straight at me. I struggled to get my arm up, the wind forcing my limbs to its side. I don’t know if it was my willpower, the power of the silver coin, or some deity somewhere looking out for me as my red boxing glove connected with the muzzle of the middle head.

Warm blood pelted my face as the creature was propelled backward with my fist still lodged into its now smashed head, a tunnel of dust and dirt whirling around us. Its other heads snapped at me, fangs the size of my forearm reaching for my exposed arms and head as we flew through the air, its claws trying to dig into the dirt for purchase.

Shield, shield, shield!

I lifted my left arm to block the snarling teeth with a metal shield that never appeared. The coin. It wasn’t working.

Shit, shit, shit!

A fang pierced my skin and I screamed. My vision blurred. The now blurry shadows of the other two heads reached for me right before we made an impact against the arena’s wall, my body slamming into its bloody furred mass. Blinding pain radiated through me, and for a moment, I couldn’t move. Whether from the pain, the shock, or the possibility I had broken something on impact, I didn’t know. My ears rang, the world spun, and something painfully bright illuminated my whole body. I would’ve thought I was dead if it wasn’t for the aching, throbbing and stinging. I needed to move. I needed to get to Lucy.

I staggered to my feet as quickly as I could, my head pounding and my vision still unfocused. I got up only to fall several times, blood darkening the sandy dirt beneath me. My vision solidified enough for me to see the three-headed lion’s body smashed against the granite wall, a splatter of blood branching out in all directions like that horrible painting that’d been in Dez’s room.

I turned my head and vomited.

“Erin! Erin!” Lucy shouted, holding her ripped and dirt-stained dress in her hands as she ran toward me. My hearing came back in sections. First, it was her shouting, then the roar of the crowd. It was hard to see with the spotlights blinding me, focused on both Lucy and me. I needed to get us out of here and to safety before chaos ensued. I’m sure I broke all sorts of rules and didn’t want to stay and find out.

“Stay there!” I yelled, but it came out in a hoarse whisper, blood filling my mouth. Fuck, this wasn’t good.

At least my legs didn’t feel broken, that or the adrenaline hadn’t completely worn off yet. Either way, I was getting us out of here. I bent down like a track star, though I had never run seriously in my entire life, and pushed myself toward Lucy. My legs pounded into the dirt, and it was a lot harder to keep my momentum when my legs were struggling to keep up with my inhuman speed. My ankle rolled, unable to keep up, and I fell, tumbling at the same speed.

“Erin, Erin! Oh God, please don’t be dead!” Lucy’s shouts were closer than I remembered when I finally came to a stop, my whole body thrumming in a pain I hadn’t thought possible.

Someone grabbed my hand and when I managed to open my eyes, it looked as if I’d shove my arm in a bucket of red paint. It dripped against Lucy’s pink dress and stained her white-gloved arm where she clasped my hand. She was shouting something and it took a second for the words to catch up.

“How did you do that? Why would you do that? Oh God, there’s so much blood.” She was crying in earnest, her make-up beyond repair.

I howled as I tried to sit up, my body refusing to listen. “We need to get out of here.” I still couldn’t see beyond the spotlight that insisted on shining right in my eyes.

“How? We’re surrounded by walls on all sides. I don’t even know how you got in here, how you … how you …” She hiccuped on her words. “Is Dez here? Is … is he here to rescue us?”

If he’s here, it’s to finish me off , I didn’t say. The coin was still clenched in my fist as I envisioned a cart, lifting both Lucy and I into the air, out of the arena.

Nothing happened.

I tried again, cursing when I still remained on the ground with Lucy crying over me. Just like when I tried to conjure up a shield, nothing happened.

Now that I was inside the barrier, the coin wouldn’t work.

I wanted to cry, to shout, but both of those weren’t going to help us. Logical. I needed to be logical about this.

While I couldn’t manifest anything new, my superhero gloves and boots prior from entering the arena, still functioned. “Take my boots. They’ll give you the power to jump over the wall.”

“What? No, I’m not leaving you!”

The roaring crowd was quieting, which didn’t bode well.

“Lucy, we don’t have time. Take my damn boots.”

She finally nodded, yanking off her boots and replacing them with the red and blue superhero ones. “I’m still not leaving you.”

“You’re not strong enough to carry both of us.”

She put her hand on her hips. “Don’t tell me what I can or can’t do. Now help me get yourself on my back.”

I didn’t argue as she maneuvered me onto her back, pain radiating throughout every inch of my body. She bunched up my dress and looped her hands through my legs. She shook as she tried to stand.

“Just leave me here and go,” I croaked. Goodness, it felt as if I was in an actual superhero movie too.

“Shut up!” Lucy yelled and before I had a chance to brace myself, we flew into the air.