Page 9 of Contract Marked (Interdimensional Beings #1)

Chapter Nine

Erin

“W ant to tell me where you were yesterday?” Dez’s narrowed blue eyes glared at me, matching the color of his tie that hung loosely around his neck. He opted out of a blazer today, only wearing a white collared shirt and tan slacks that looked tailored to his physique.

We sat in a room resembling an office. A large glass desk expanded most of the room alongside an oversized white chair with silver rollers, which Dez currently sat in with his legs crossed and arm propped up on its armrest. Behind him, more floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the front of the estate with its ever-falling red and gold leaves, golden fields, and its stone and glass gate that I had been in front of seconds ago before a red-faced Dez flashed in front me and warped us both here—to where I was now being interrogated. The plush white loveseat I sat on across from Dez, however, was certainly a better arrangement than being trapped in a kitchen dining room chair. My toes curled inside my sneakers, remembering the way Cal’s eyes had dissected me, making my insides churn with a fear I’d never felt before.

Based on Dez’s question and reaction, I learned two things: 1) Roughly a day (in this dimension) had passed, meaning either time works differently between Cal and Dez’s dimensions or time had passed when I entered through the portal. 2) Dez, as far as I currently knew, was none the wiser of my whereabouts or what power I now held in the pocket of my purse that was still strapped to my side.

“In my room,” I said, keeping a straight face. While Dez could certainly still make my life hell, per our contract, he couldn’t harm me physically if what Cal had said was true. Dez also promised my price wouldn’t involve harming me or Megan, which gave me a lot more confidence in this situation than when I had stumbled into Cal’s bedroom. At least now, I was somewhat assured, knowing these two powerful beings couldn’t hurt me, but I still had to play it safe.

“Funny, you weren’t there when I checked. Let me try this again: Where. Did. You. Go?” For a moment, Dez almost looked panicked, but was that because of his inability to find me or something else?

“I don’t know why it matters.” I mirrored him, crossing my own legs. “Based on what Rowan told me, you didn’t have any intention of speaking to me after announcing my date with the Council. Which, by the way, I disagree with. There has to be a way for the Council to hear my case before then.”

“Don’t change the subject.” He leaned forward and propped his chin on his folded hands, his full gaze concentrated on me. I tried not to squirm in my seat.

“Fine, I wasn’t in my room. I was snooping around your mansion.”

“Don’t lie to me. I didn’t sense your presence in this dimension.”

He can sense that without looking? I suppressed a frown, keeping my face blank. There goes my idea of coming and going as I pleased. “I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe you don’t know this dimension as well as you should.”

“Sweetheart, I created this dimension. I know its ins and outs as much as I do my own being. It’s a reflection of me.”

Well, it makes sense why there was such a large estate—it was to match Dez’s ego. My lips twitched.

The smell of vanilla and sandalwood assaulted my senses as Dez materialized beside me. His thigh felt warm against mine and his arm snaked around my shoulders to pull me closer to him. I gasped and jerked away, but his hand dug into my shoulder, forcing me still.

“You can’t hurt me, our contract …” I started lamely, my throat suddenly dry. My skin felt inflamed everywhere his body touched mine and I tugged against his grip, wanting to put space between us. Dez had other ideas.

He leaned closer, my heart ratcheting against its ribcage as his lips hovered inches away from my face. It was the closest anyone had been to being intimate with me in a long time. I stared into his eyes, silently pleading for him to let me go since I’d suddenly lost the ability to speak. His pupils expanded, the black islands expanding to eclipse the hint of greens and yellows that branched out into a fierce blue. He inhaled deeply, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“I don’t have to hurt you to get what I want, love.” His fingers slid across my cheek to tuck back a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch gentle.

It was too much.

I surged to my feet, clambering away from him, and he let me. “Don’t touch me.”

He remained in the same position, arm propped on the back of the couch, his eyes half-lidded with a lingering smile. “Oh, but you want me to, dear.” His smile grew. “You can deny it all you want, but you desire me. I’ve been alive long enough to read the signs. The subtle hints your body gives away even if you refuse to acknowledge it. You know, this extended time we have together doesn’t all have to be awful.”

Cal’s words came to me. Pawns. Playthings. That’s all these beings saw me and other humans as, Dez being no exception.

I curled my fingers into fists. My nails bit into my skin, bringing me back to reality and away from the stinging truth in Dez’s words that I refused to acknowledge. “Stay the hell away from me,” I spat.

In the same instant, he was back behind his desk, legs tossed up on the glass with his arms resting behind his head, looking all too pleased with himself. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Until you tell me how you left my dimension, you’ll be seeing a whole lot more of me.”

Dez teleported me back to my room after I refused to say anything more, but I knew he wasn’t done toying with me. The room was exactly as I left it, except the bed was now made, and the windows were back to overlooking a lake that housed a sailboat in the middle of it. It wasn’t until I kicked off my sneakers and jumped into bed (a day might have gone by in this dimension, but I hadn’t slept yet) that I noticed the empty space beside the door where the silver slate had once been.

I had a suspicion that meant I would now be forced to seek out food and other accommodations from Dez in person versus through a magical symbol. As if I wanted to see anymore of him, but I couldn’t risk telling him my only means of escape from this world. No matter what, I couldn’t let him or Cal know of the only ace up my sleeve.

I flipped the pillow over none too gently and blew out an aggravated breath. Just like that, the dynamic between Dez and I changed, and I much preferred the angry, annoyed Dez to this new one. Whereas before, I was worried for my safety, and now I was more concerned about my sanity.

The outline of Cal’s mark felt rigid, like a scar, along my hip, but it didn’t hurt when I traced it. Either way, I had another bargain to fulfill. Looking back, it wasn’t the smartest decision, but I didn’t have many options at the time, and at least this way, it guaranteed my safety from Cal. The hard part will be lowering Dez’s protective barriers, considering I didn’t even know what that meant. I’m sure I’ll figure it out. It was that or be stuck in this world as Cal’s servant if I failed my end of the contract. I wonder if that’s what happened to Saya and the others? If I want answers, I’ll have to apologize to Rowan and hope to make amends at the next tea time. I just hoped Dez wouldn’t be there, too.

Call it stubbornness, but I refused to seek out Dez this morning, even when I desperately wished for a clean pair of underwear and a plate of steaming hot food that the odd symbol would usually take care of for me. Instead, I settled for washing my clothes in the sink using the hand soap on the side and taking a hot bath to replace the cup of coffee and plate of eggs that would magically appear at my bedside as the sun began its ascent.

While I waited for my shirt and jeans to dry a bit more (I endured putting my damp bra and underwear back on so I wasn’t completely nude if Dez made a visit), I pulled out the scraps of paper in my purse, hoping to review those laws I’d torn from Megan’s ancient textbook and jot down some of my own, when my eyes skimmed the unfamiliar blurb of words. I felt my cheeks warm as the paragraph went into explicit detail about a woman getting fucked by two men at once, but nothing regarding the Laws of the Higher Realms. I crumpled the pages and tossed them at the wall.

“That bastard.”

Dez must’ve swapped them out when I wasn’t paying attention. My heartbeat quickened as I double-checked my purse, breathing a huge sigh of relief when I spotted the silver coin still tucked safely in the side pocket. An idea came to me then. It seemed like this coin acted in the same way as the symbol on my silver slate had, manipulating my environment based on my desires. But whereas one was controlled and monitored by Dez, this one wasn’t. Holding it, I envisioned hot coffee, dark roasted with a splash of hazelnut creamer.

I yelped when something hot scalded my bare legs. I sure got some coffee alright, but instead of manifesting it in a cup, the liquid itself had poured seemingly out of nowhere all over my thighs and legs. Cursing, I quickly cleaned it up, staining the white towels that were stacked on top of a metal rack in the bathroom. Now that I thought about it when I had wished to see Megan, the coin had led me to Cal’s room instead. Maybe I hadn’t been specific enough? Or was there more to this than I currently knew?

I put aside those thoughts for now, fishing for a pen out of my purse. I wanted to write down everything I knew up until this point. I unscrambled the erotic excerpt when I realized there weren’t any other bits of paper to use and flipped the pages over to write my own Laws of the Higher Realms. Or at least what I remembered and what I learned so far, along with a few notes:

Laws of the Higher Realms

~Calling Contracts (does this apply to normal contracts too, ones not involving salt circles and rituals?):

~Caller cannot make a request that interferes with persons involved in pre-existing contracts (Dez said this, not confirmed).

~Caller will not be blackmailed, deliberately misinformed, under any sign of duress, or in a state of heightened influence, before agreeing to a contract (from book).

~Exchange between Caller and Callee must be of equivalent value decided upon the two parties involved (This is my guess, not confirmed).

~Exchange of goods and/or services can be transacted immediately upon finalizing one’s contract or transacted at a later date when one of the initial requests is fulfilled (Dez said this, not confirmed, but I believe him).

~Caller and the callee cannot physically hurt one another during the length of their contract (Cal said this, not confirmed, but I seriously hope he’s telling the truth).

~The caller is allotted as much time as needed when negotiating a new contract, within reason (from book).

After I finished writing, I got dressed, wincing as I put on my still-damp clothes. It was close to noon; the sun hung high in the sky. I wondered if Rowan would come and find me again like last time, but I didn’t wait to find out as I left in search of the sunroom.

It took me a bit longer than expected to find a room encased in only windows toward the back of the mansion. The layout of the place had changed again, causing me to walk in circles until I heard a low thrum of chatter and felt a cool breeze as if from an opened window. Following it led me to a rectangular room off the back of the mansion with green tiled floors and windowed walls. Rowan, Saya, and Lucille sat together at an ornate white table that was made up of ceramic flowers and twisting vines. A three-tier tray filled with bite-sized pastries and two floral teapots rested between them. All were engaged in conversation, friendly, and familiar with one another until I walked through the opened door.

Saya’s eyes widened in surprise before she turned her gaze to the half-eaten sandwich on her plate. Lucille looked borderline hostile while Rowan shot me a strained smile. Well, this was off to a grand start.

“Hello,” I said, more nervous than I thought I would be. Then again, I hated the awkward initial meet-greet I used to do with Megan’s new friends. Except this time, I was all alone. “May I join you?”

Rowan and Saya nodded while Lucille sipped her tea, ignoring me. I pulled out the vacant iron chair between Rowan and Lucille, the legs scrapping across the textured tile as I sat down. Saya offered me a cup of tea, a lavender earl gray blend, and I gratefully nodded. We exchanged names (I stuck to my fake name, Lynn) and pleasantries while Lucille remained silent. One of the windows was cracked open to allow airflow, the sound of birds chirping in the distance breaking up the sudden awkward silence. While there was still a stunning view of the lake and colorful leaves, half of the glass was covered in vines, the fragrance of jasmine wafting in on the faint breeze. I had no idea if jasmine was a seasonal flower or not, but the laws of the Earth clearly didn’t apply in this world.

“Um, I’m sorry,” I fumbled after another moment of heavy silence. “About the other day.”

Rowan nodded, but his smile was still tight. “Master was quite … stressed.”

Saya stayed quiet, nibbling on a second sandwich. Lucille looked like she had plenty to say, but Rowan shot her a warning look.

“I told him what happened, but he doesn’t believe me.”

“And what exactly happened? “ Rowan asked, his puff pastry forgotten on his plate. “When I opened the bathroom door, you were gone. At first, I thought Dez had teleported you, but he was furious when I returned, saying you had gone missing.”

I sighed, preparing my preplanned lie. “I thought that too. One moment, I was in the bathroom, the next, I wasn’t, but it didn’t look like I was in Dez—the Master’s,” I corrected, mentally cringing, “house anymore. I couldn’t see much; the place was dimly lit, but I kept walking and opening doors until one led me to the estate’s front gate.”

Saya covered her mouth, her eyes showing pity, and I felt a tinge of guilt. Rowan frowned, unsure, but ultimately swallowed the lie. Lucille had other plans as she tossed back a wave of blonde locks and pinned me a scathing look. “You think we believe that bullshit?”

“Lucy,” Saya started, but Lucille dismissed her.

“You can believe what you want; it’s the truth.” I sipped my tea but quickly set the floral printed teacup down when I realized I was shaking. I hated lying. It’s one thing to fake it till you make it at corporate meetings where it felt like nothing really mattered, but sitting face-to-face with people whose lies could hurt them made me feel ill. I made a deal with Cal to cause trouble in this dimension, but at the time, I hadn’t really considered what that would do to the people living here. What it would make Dez do to the people here.

“Well, I’m just glad you’re okay, and things have gone back to normal.” Rowan finally took a bite from his pastry, making my stomach growl audibly.

Saya smiled, telling me the chocolate scones on the top tier were her favorite. Some of the tension faded as I grabbed two scones, more than a little hungry. I told them the silver slate in my room had been removed, and I hadn’t eaten in who knows how long. Saya and Rowan offered apologies, even though it wasn’t their fault, and put more pastries on my plate.

“Serves you right after causing the Master to stress out like that,” Lucy sniped, pouring herself another cup of tea.

Being an excellent bullshitter and a chronic people pleaser, I said, “You’re right; I shouldn’t have caused trouble for the Master—and you all.” The last part I did mean sincerely.

Lucille looked taken aback but quickly recovered. “Well, yes. You’re right about that.”

“Oh my goodness, these are delicious.” The chocolate scone melted in my mouth, the perfect balance of cream and chocolate blending together in one bite. “I could get used to this.”

Saya hummed in agreement while Rowan insisted on trying the quiche. The conversation devolved into our favorite foods and drinks; even Lucille joined in. I learned Rowan preferred curry, while Lucille had a wicked sweet tooth. The most shocking was Saya, who had a fondness for liver and cabbage. I can’t say I agreed with her on that one.

When the conversation lulled, I asked, “So, why are you all here?”

Tension filled the air again, and I mentally kicked myself for asking.

Rowan was the first to speak. “I know it was a lot, so you probably don’t remember, but one of the rules is to refrain from asking other humans about their … relationship with the Master.”

I tapped my forehead. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m a bit of an airhead and completely forgot. It’s no problem—”

“Well, speak for yourself, Rowan,” Lucille surprised me by saying, “I’ve been bloody curious since she’s got here. Master’s not present. If we’re careful, I’m sure there’s no harm in a little gossip.”

Rowan frowned, but Saya looked downright scared, and an uneasiness gathered in my stomach as I remembered Saya’s words when I had first arrived here. Something awful happened to her, but was it because of Dez or something else?

I was hesitant to continue when Lucille leaned closer toward us, her voice hushed. “I’m here of my own accord. No contract.”

I raised my brows in surprise, mirroring Rowan and Saya’s expressions. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know that.

“I had an arranged marriage,” she continued, “the guy was twice my age and couldn’t hold a conversation to save his life, but it was either marry him or lose my inheritance. I absolutely didn’t want to marry him, so I tried everything I could to get out of it. I pretended I was sleeping with our gardener, but before my fiancé found out, my parents had fired the poor man and locked me in my room. I then threw horrible fits at dinner, acting outright deranged, but the bloody man still wanted to marry me. Though, with my looks and my family’s money, I was a catch. Who could blame him,” she said casually, but I did have to admit she was quite stunning, even if I thought Megan was prettier.

“I started to get desperate. Before my wedding night, I purchased this old book from a certain shop that was always whispered about among us ladies, but no one ever sought it out. Until me, of course. Little did I know that doing that ritual would save me so much trouble. I’d have done it sooner if I’d known I’d find the man of my dreams. I’d never met someone more beautiful than the Master.”

Dez’s warm thigh against mine as he pulled me closer, his icy blue eyes tracing my face as his mouth hovered inches away, intruded my thoughts. I shoved another scone into my mouth, nearly choking as I tried to block out the memory.

“Are you okay?” Saya asked, and I nodded, hoping my face wasn’t scarlet.

“I told him to take me with him, and he did.” Lucille looked wistful, but I had a sneaking suspicion that Dez had asked for something in return. Even if a contract hadn’t been officially made, I didn’t see Dez helping Lucy out of the kindness of his own heart. Right?

“I never knew,” Rowan said, pouring us all more tea. “I do agree, though. Master is quite beautiful.”

Jealousy flared in Lucille’s eyes, but she didn’t say anything.

“I can’t imagine,” I said. “An arranged marriage in this day and age.”

Lucille gave me an odd look. Rowan opened his mouth and closed it. Saya spoke up, her voice gentle, like someone did right before they told you bad news.

“What year was it when you … joined us here?”

It was my turn to give a puzzled look. “2023. Why?” Then it dawned on me. Time worked differently here. But the gap in years shouldn’t be that different, right?

Judging by the stunned looks on all three of their faces, I would assume that wasn’t the case.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone here with such a late year,” Rowan finally said. “To us, it’s like you’re from the far future.”

My mouth hung ajar. “Wait, are you all from different time periods?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t quite remember the year, but it was definitely well before you,” said Rowan.

“It was 1866 when I left with the Master, but I swear it wasn’t that long ago. It hasn’t been more than a few weeks since I arrived here.” Lucille frowned. “How is that possible?”

Saya remained quiet as if she wasn’t there. Was she remembering her life before meeting Dez?

“I couldn’t tell you.” Rowan shrugged. “This world isn’t bound by Earth’s sense of time, but our physical bodies still are. Just remember, while time may seem like a distant concept here, we still have human life spans. I hope I can finish my contract in time to still see my family before they die. But not all of us are able to return home.” He glanced at Saya, who was looking down at her folded hands. I didn’t dare ask further.

Another heavy silence lingered before I broke it by offering my story. Without going into detail, I mentioned my friend Megan, who was supposed to return home within twenty-four hours, but when she didn’t, I enlisted Dez’s help to bring her back. I didn’t mention that I was pleading my case with the Council to accuse Dez of foul play. Aside from Rowan, I didn’t know if the others knew about my meeting date, but no one spoke about it.

“I believe we met Megan,” Saya said, breaking from her earlier trance, and my head jerked up. “She was lovely, but we didn’t have much time with her before she disappeared with Master. I’m sorry about your friend. I hope you two are able to be reunited once more.”

“Me too.” I gave her a genuine smile.

Our time together grew short after that. Not once did Rowan or Saya mention how they came to meet Dez.