Page 28 of Contract Marked (Interdimensional Beings #1)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Erin

I wanted to sleep for the next century, but nightmares chased me into the waking world sooner than I wanted. It was embarrassing the number of times I woke up and thought Cal’s quilts had come to life to strangle me or that the shadows in the corners of the room were Dez coming to drag me back to his dimension now that Cal had no hold on me. I rubbed my face, the bags beneath my eyes the worst they’ve ever been. Even worse than when I pulled all-nighters in college.

Maybe I could talk to Dez and work this out. If I tell him this was all Cal’s doing, would he finally let me sleep? I laughed, half-delirious. That’s what Dez wants, for me to crawl back to him and beg for mercy. Mercy, he already promised he wouldn’t give.

It had been roughly a day since I saw Megan and Llewyn. Since Cal’s mark faded from my hip and my life flipped upside down.

Like Llewyn suggested, I needed time to process but I also needed answers and a way to protect myself. Cal sure as hell wouldn’t tell me anything, considering he neglected to tell me that Megan was fine in the first place. But why was I still in his bedroom? What’s stopping him from dropping me off at Dez’s doorstep?

Speaking of the devil, Cal entered the room wearing a black shirt and jeans. His hair was wet and brushed back, and his jaw was clean-shaven. He held a tray of steaming eggs and a hot cup of coffee.

“Where’s Saya?” She’d come with food yesterday, but I hadn’t been in the mood to talk, pushing my food around instead of eating it.

He ignored me and set the tray down in front of me on the bed. It felt like so much effort just to lift the mug.

Cal’s gaze fell on my face as I stared at the insanely heavy cup of coffee. “He’s a petty bastard. Always has been, always will be.”

I frowned. “Who?”

“How long has Dez been inside your head?”

My mouth peeled open, then I closed it. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

He sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m trying to help you.”

“If you wanted to help me, you would’ve told me the truth about Megan.”

He didn’t respond. After Dez screwed me over by a technicality, I’ve been reviewing all of my conversations. Dez led me to make my own conclusions without him ever saying anything incriminating, while Cal kept quiet.

“I can block out Dez so you can get some rest.”

It sounded too good to be true, but damn it if I wasn’t willing to risk it all for a decent night’s sleep. “You’re telling me this now?”

He raised a brow, then ripped the silver dagger earring from his ear. It transformed into a silver blade the size of his forearm with a hilt made of encrusted rubies. He brought the blade to his palm, blood welling up from where he cut himself. “Drink.”

My nostrils flared. “Absolutely not.” Well, I guess I wasn’t willing to risk it all quite yet.

“Don’t be stubborn, Erin. Drink.”

“So you can get in my head, too? Fuck off.”

His eyes glittered dangerously, and I cursed myself for not being more cautious. My wrists throbbed in remembrance of what he could do. Exhaustion was making me cranky and reckless.

I rubbed a hand over my face. It was far from ideal, but slowly dying from sleep deprivation wasn’t great either. “Please tell me it’s not going to add another hundred years to my lifespan or something.”

“You’d have to drink much more than I’m willing to give you for that. You’ll gain a couple years at most.”

“How much? Blood, I mean, would it take to increase my lifespan significantly?”

“A lot more than what Dez gave you if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

Relief swept through me. At least there was some good out of all this. It quickly turned to fear when I realized Dez would have the power to force more of his blood on me if I failed to break our contract. Like Wyll, Saya’s former contractor had done to her.

“Fine, but only a little.” My stomach revolted at the idea. Maybe if I plugged my nose, it wouldn’t be so bad?

Cal squeezed his hand, the blood running more freely down his arm when he turned to me. “What in all the realms are you doing?”

I had my nose pinched between my pointer finger and thumb. “I’m ready.”

His lips twitched as he leaned forward. The tray moved to the side of the bed on its own as Cal’s knees hugged either side of my hips. My spine straightened, my lips parting unconsciously. The zipper of his jeans was at eye level, and I ignored the explicitly vivid image of Cal’s cock thrusting into my mouth at this angle. His gaze met mine, and a smirk teased his lips as if he had read the direction of my thoughts. Fire scorched my cheeks down to my core, making me more alert than I had felt all week.

His fingers were softer than expected as they slid along my cheek, down to my chin, before tilting my head back. Gray eyes peered down at me, something unreadable in his expression.

The moment felt incredibly intimate, but I didn’t let that sway me. This was Cal, the being who was going to let Lucy die. Who let me think my friend was in danger and threatened to kill me on top of it all. However, it was hard to reconcile those facts with the being before me, cradling my face like a cherished lover before slowly pressing his bleeding palm to my mouth.

It was tasteless, thanks to pinching off part of my senses, but the tanginess of his blood still hit the back of my throat. I tried to pretend this was all completely normal, but I wasn’t fooling myself.

When he pulled back, a bit of blood fell from the corner of my mouth. He traced the trail with a finger, catching the spare drop before sliding the digit into my mouth.

Our eyes met.

“Lick it clean, Erin.”

I clenched my thighs together at the sudden surge of heat. I knew I’d question my choices later, but in my sleep-deprived, delirious state, I relished how his gaze darkened as I curled my tongue around him, how his fingers tightened on my chin as I glided up and down its length before flicking the tip of it. I stopped pinching my nose at some point; the iron taste of blood was pungent and strong but not nearly as bad as I’d been expecting.

“Suck it all up.”

I pulled his finger further into my mouth before sucking it clean.

His smile was slow and confident as if he was used to being obeyed. “Good girl.”

If I already wasn’t incredibly turned on, that smile and those words would have done me in.

Oh, my therapist was so going to have me locked up if I ever saw her again.

He withdrew to his former perch on the bed, the cut on his palm already gone. “Dezmandaro is dragging me in front of the Council again today. Our contract has been resolved, so he’ll have the right to take you back into custody.”

The shift in conversation was like a whirlwind from what just happened. “What?”

The dagger retracted back into an earring as he pinned it to his ear. “Our contract is finished, so Dez has the right to take you back.”

“I’m not a child, I should be able to go where I want.” It felt like I was back in the foster system, being shuffled from stranger to stranger.

Cal stared at me. “Not as a con-bond slave. You gave up that right when you failed your end of the contract.”

I didn’t have the energy to shout. I didn’t have the energy for much of anything at that point. Cal better not be lying when he said he could block Dez from getting inside my head. “Dez tricked me, and because I agreed to burn that fucking room for you, I couldn’t finish my contract.” I was going to end up back at Dez’s crumbling estate, suffering under his hand for the long arduous months until my appointment with the Council. Even then, my chances of winning my freedom were slim. “Must be nice for you to see the Council whenever you want, unlike me.”

“This concerns an active case—not to mention it involves Dez, the Council’s favorite. Megan’s contract is no longer active and besides, you requested a meeting, not an official hearing.”

It would’ve been nice to have realized that before. “You never did tell me: how were you able to get me a meeting with the Council in the first place?”

Cal didn’t reply immediately, and I thought he wouldn’t until he said, “The Council respects Dezmandaro, but they fear me. The Council works with the universe to govern The Higher Realms, and I work with the Council to govern themselves—checks and balances. I asked for this small favor in exchange for my continued services.”

That sounded ominous. “Continued services?”

He flicked his dagger earring. “I’m their executioner, Erin.”

I swallowed. It explained why those people at the arena looked so scared, except for Tatianna. She also had free access to Cal’s realm, which meant she had to be important. “So, you kill people.”

“That’s generally the definition of an executioner, but we don’t die. We’re … recreated, so to speak. I’m the only one in all the realms with the ability to ‘kill’ another Higher Realms’ being.”

My eyes widened. That seemed like a lot of power and responsibility for one being. “What do you mean by recreated?”

He crossed his arms. “I promised I’d bring you to see Megan, not teach you our laws and history.” The corner of his lips curved. “You’ll need to make another contract for that.”

“No, thank you. I’m trying to get rid of the one I currently have. Which I still have yet to figure out.”

“I don’t think you heard me, Erin. I’m meeting with Dezmandaro and the Council today regarding your contract.”

I fought through the fog of exhaustion when it clicked. “Are you suggesting I join you for the meeting to fight against my contract with Dez?”

He smiled. “That’s an option.”

I yawned. “Why even help me in the first place, Cal? What do you get out of it?”

He stared at me, giving me the damn silent treatment again. Well, I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Fine, when do we leave?”

“You have time; get some much-needed sleep. I won’t let Dez bother you. I’ll wake you up before it’s time to go.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice as I sank back into bed. It was the most restful sleep I had all week.

The courthouse, or what Cal called The Council’s Sanctuary, was made up of black and white checkered floors, red velvet walls, and white pillars that separated the massive foyer into sections, bordering the mahogany double doors that led to different parts of the courthouse.

Cal led us through the double doors closest to the entrance we teleported in front of and into another expansive space filled with people, music, tables of food, and a fully serviced bar. This was … interesting.

“Someone’s hosting a party here ?” At least we looked the part, Cal in a matching black suit and me in a full-length blue jumpsuit and white heels.

“No one hosts it. It’s a place where people from all over The Higher Realms can gather and watch the trials, no matter how big or small.”

“Why? Is it for information? Or because they’re bored?”

“Both.”

I followed Cal to the bar, where a furless cat with nine tails whipped out drinks faster and more efficiently than any bartender I’ve seen on Earth. Various beings sat at the counter but even more gathered around the red high-tops throughout the checkered room. The tables were angled toward the large circular balcony in the center, overlooking the floor below us. I thought we were on the first floor, but considering I hadn’t gotten a good look at the place outside and we weren’t on Earth where normal physics worked, I had no idea if it led to a lower level or another dimension.

I accepted the glass of red wine from Cal. Pinot noir is my preferred drink of choice. Either it was a lucky guess, or Dez hadn’t been Megan’s only astute listener when it came to stories about me.

Cal tipped back his glass of scotch as I tried not to grimace. He raised a brow. “Not a fan?”

“I’m happy with my red, thanks.” I raised my glass and took a couple of large swallows. Nerves were eating at my stomach. Cal had given me the CliffsNotes on how things would play out, and while some things were similar to how the justice system worked on Earth, the rest was entirely new territory. I didn’t have enough time to take a whole Higher Realms’ law class before today’s trial and I hoped my intuition and limited knowledge led me in the right direction.

“What’s the balcony overlooking in the center of the room?” I asked.

“Where the public trials take place. Dez requested our trial be private, so we’ll be in another area.”

I didn’t have to ask what was stopping people from interfering with the public trials from above. If it was anything like the arena or the prison, I’m sure there was some protective barrier here limiting everyone’s power, or ‘realm manipulation’ as the Council had called it.

We navigated to one of the high-tops by the gold ornate balcony railing. Beings of all kinds gave us a wide berth, avoiding Cal’s stare and scurrying, trying to get out of our way fast enough.

“You sure strike fear into the hearts of others.” I sat my wine on the table, glancing over the balcony. The trial room looked more like the set of Alice in Wonderland than any actual courtroom I’ve ever seen. Two thrones faced one another, surrounded by an audience of chairs that belonged to the Queen of Heart’s dining room. I didn’t see a stand or pedestal for the judge or Council to oversee, which I found odd.

“All except you.” Another glass of scotch appeared in Cal’s hand as he leaned against the railing. The black suit hugged his body as if it was hand-tailored to him, his thick hair pulled back into a tight bun, showing off the silver dagger earring. He looked like a casual bystander (if you could ignore the fact he was drop-dead gorgeous), but his gaze was calculating, as if he was tallying everyone currently in the room. Checking to see who was on his hit list.

“Oh, trust me, I’m plenty scared,” I admitted. I’d be a fool not to be.

“Not nearly enough.” His eyes met mine, and I was the first to look away.

Heels clicked across the checkered tile floor, turning heads around us, including my own. Tatianna walked our way, the curves of her body emphasized by the tight-fitting black skirt. It stopped right beneath her breasts that spilled over the top, filling out the crimson silk blouse that matched her insanely high heels. She was stunning. Too bad she was also an asshole like Dez and Cal.

Her deep red hair hung loose and swayed, and she stopped beside Cal, her manicured fingers resting on his forearm. It was brief, but his eyes flashed, and she flinched back for a split second before resuming her confident posture. If I hadn’t been watching them closely, I would have missed it.

To no one’s surprise, she ignored me, eyes only on Cal. “I’m assuming it’s too late to have you reconsider?”

Cal glanced at his scotch, his face unreadable. “I told you my answer, Tatianna. I won’t repeat myself.”

She stuck out her lower red lip. “All for an insignificant Lower Realms’ being.”

I raised my hand, showing the snake wrapping around my middle finger. “Yes, insignificant Lower Realms’ being here. Question: is my ticket still valid for your arena?”

They both turned to me. Cal looked amused, while Tatianna looked downright terrifying. Her green eyes narrowed like a viper before they struck, her nails lengthening into sharp points that could pierce my extremities with ease. At least I now had her attention.

“I’d sooner chop off your limbs and toss you into a pit of maggots to eat away at your flesh slowly.”

She had the power to back that up, too, but I couldn’t dwell on that right now unless I wanted to vomit on her shiny heels and ruin my whole ‘fake it till you make it’ exterior. “Is that a yes?”

Her smile put all the other villains to shame. “You’re welcome to come back to my dimension any time and find out.”

That wasn’t a no, so winning my freedom via a vicious, deadly tournament was also an option. I’d have to survive three rounds against beasts like the three-headed lion and avoid not being killed by the biggest one of them all—Tatianna—before I even stepped foot into the arena. Totally easy.

“It’s time,” Cal said, setting down his drink. He reached past Tatianna and grabbed my hand. Tatianna’s eyes widened at our interlocked fingers as Cal led me out of the party room. Her heels clicked closely behind us. I thought I caught a glimpse of a woman who looked a lot like Saya, but I shook my head. She wouldn’t be here.