Chapter 7: Erin

It was nothing like when Dez warped us to his world. Instead of feeling light and weightless, it felt as if I had walked through a layer of glue with sticky remnants trying to drag me back. Thankfully, it only felt that way. My jeans and shirt were dry and as clean as possible from whatever magical detergent the silver-engraved symbol used when it returned my clothes, smelling like the wash.

The room was darker than I thought, and it took a while for my eyes to adjust. I tucked the coin back into my purse for safekeeping, the floor cool and firm beneath the palms of my hands where I crouched on all fours. Reds, oranges, and yellows danced across the cherry wood planks, along with the sound of fire crackling and ... was that moaning?

I let out a soft gasp. My eyes had finally adjusted, locking on two figures engaged in a very intimate moment. Standing beside the king-size bed was the familiar dark-haired being from Dez’s mansion, completely naked. My mouth went dry as I took in his tight abs and muscular form, his waist narrowing with two groin divots gliding down to where his...

A woman’s bare back blocked my view as she stretched across the quilted bedspread, arching her voluptuous ass toward him. The woman opened her mouth to say something when he took a fistful of her unnaturally red hair, yanking her head back. The woman’s vibrant green eyes widened, and her full lips twisted in pain. Her back curled into a crescent shape as he gripped her throat with his other hand before abruptly slamming into her from behind.

I clasped a hand to my mouth. Should I help her? Was there anything I could even do? But as soon as those thoughts entered my head, the woman let out an audible groan, her eyes rolling back as he thrust his hips in a steady motion, his grip tightening around her throat to cut off her moans. As much as I wanted to look away, I couldn’t, struck by how unearthly breathtaking the two of them were. Her, with fiery red locks and a body the goddess of love would’ve been jealous of, and him, who looked like a statue come to life, power and unwavering strength etched into every muscle. Where the woman was curvaceous, soft, and feminine, the dark-haired being was sculpted, hard, and purely masculine. It was as if the two had walked out of a Renaissance painting.

My gaze slid back up toward the dark-haired being, and I froze when hardened steel eyes met mine across the bedroom. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he gripped the woman’s hair tighter, thrusting himself deeper into her. His eyes never left mine as she climaxed, the tight band of his fingers at her throat cutting off her shriek of pleasure. His lids lowered slightly as he met his own release.

I looked away, trying to backpedal as quietly as I could. My sneaker tapped the glass, but to my horror, the portal had closed up, leaving nothing but a normal mirror in its place. Did I have enough time to make another one going back? What if Megan was here somewhere?

“That’s enough for tonight, Tati,” he said.

“So soon? I’ve never known you to stop while things were getting good,” she said casually, but it came out with a musical lilt, like a siren who lured sailors to their deaths.

“Then I guess you don’t know me very well. Goodbye, Tatianna.” A pop cut her reply short, which I assumed meant the woman had teleported—willingly or not.

I remained crouched and hidden behind a giant armoire. The standing mirror I crawled out of leaned back against the wall beside it. Even when nothing but the crackling fire filled the room, I remained still, my heart pounding in my ears.

“Did Dezmandaro send you here just to sit in the corner of my room all night?” he said, his voice coming from across the room as if he hadn’t moved. “If his intention was to annoy me, then he’s already succeeded.”

I remained behind the armoire. “Dez didn’t send me.”

“Nice try, but no one except him would’ve been able to get past my barrier.”

I frowned, but didn’t bother correcting him. I tucked that bit of information away to reflect on later. “I’m going to assume my friend Megan isn’t here?”

“Look and see for yourself.”

I peeked around the armoire. The room itself was a lot smaller than my temporary guest room, with worn cherry wood floorboards, matching walls, and a small wood stove. Fire, leather, and the lingering smell of sex clung to the air like a thick coat. The fogged window hid my view of the outside, but told me it was much warmer inside than it was outside. Below the double-paned window was a wide set bed piled in blankets and quilts, and next to it stood the dark-haired being—still blatantly naked and staring right at me. My gaze slid down his length and lingered a second longer than I wanted before I whipped around.