The Devil's Masquerade: The Poison (30 page)

Chapter 38

Kayla

I woke up from a terrible dream and am too afraid to go back to asleep. When I go downstairs to force myself away from these nightmares, Franky comes in the house after being gone all night.

“Where have you been?” I ask her.

“Out, I do have a life outside of this house you know.” She smiles mockingly. She steps away from me dropping something from her bag. I pick it up as she turns to try and take it from me. “That’s not yours, Kayla.”

“No but it is my husbands. What are you doing with Nick’s wallet?”

She sighs looking away from me, “He left it in my car.” I stiffen and face her straight up. “We both told you that we are old friends and he trusts me. He has been very conflicted about what has been happening.”

“Happening? What’s happening?” I snap.

“You know he is … well he finally feels like he is at home now. He is too afraid to tell you. I told him that you and Eli are becoming quite close and although he is not happy about it he does feel that maybe it is for the best.” She pauses with a deep sigh. “Nick and I were each other’s first loves, and that is just something that can’t be broken easily, Kayla.” She inhales deeply stiffening her back in front of me. “I hate to tell you this but Nick is meeting with lawyers to divorce you so he can marry me. I am sorry to tell you this way but maybe it is much better than hearing it from some attorney. He still cares for you deeply but you have to know that you two are just not right for each other. You are not right for him.”

“I don’t believe you.” I say shaking my head.

“You don’t have to, Nick is arranging for me to move in with him and Dennis is making arrangements to announce our engagement at the Masquerade. I would encourage you to embrace your relationship with Elijah, I know Nick does not fault either of you for what you have done.”

“We haven’t done anything!” I yell at her.

“Calm down, your children are nearby. I will start packing my things but if there is something you would like to share with Nick, let me know and I will be happy to pass it on to him.”

“You will pass it on to him? I want to see him, you tell him I want to see him.”

“I don’t …”

“You tell him I want to see him or else.” I demand.

“Okay, I will tell him.” She shrugs with a mocking expression.

I leave her and run to my room, our room and release the frustration I could not let her see.

It is only a few days later that I get divorce papers from Nick, along with a letter telling me how sorry he is. How much he appreciates the time we have spent together but wishes me the best in my new journey without him. I destroy the papers and refuse to believe it. They come again with a more forceful letter and again I destroy them. I finally get a call from Savage asking to meet with me and though Ryan has forbid me to go anywhere near him, I have to go.

Savage awaits me at fancy café in the city, his bright smile shining in the afternoon sun. I was hoping Nick would be with him, but I am still hopeful for some kind of explanation of what is happening. I walk up with a scowl and have a hard time sitting down next to him. He breathes deeply looking over me with accomplishment.
I hate him.

“Kayla, you are being too stubborn for no good reason. Nicholas has moved on, and he would very much like for you to do the same.” Savage says as if I should have no problem doing this.

“I am not moving on until I talk to Nick.” I say to him.

“He doesn’t want to talk to you, you have disgraced him by having another man in your bed. You are lucky that he is forgiving enough to allow you to stay in his house, that he isn’t forcing you to give up your children.”

“I am not sleeping with Eli, he has been nothing but a friend to me.”

“So you say, however, it really doesn’t matter. I have made arrangements for him to be happy with another woman. She is more suitable for him, you understand.”

“No!” I demand slamming my fists onto the table.

He leans in towards me growling his anger, his swirling eyes sit me back on the edge of my seat in fear. “I don’t care what you want, or what you believe, I am giving you one chance and one chance only.” He concentrates hard telling me of all the horror he wants to inflict on me “
Leave.”
He says with a fiery breath. “Leave and never come back. Never come near my grandson. If you do not listen and follow this warning then I will not only torture you to death, but I will kill your son Brayden, take young Nicky for my own use and make Ryan my prisoner until he is transformed into a loyal follower.” I try to speak but he hushes me quickly, “Choose your words carefully, my dear. You have a lot to lose, and I have no problem taking it from you. Nicholas is now mine, and he has no desire for you any longer. Be happy with the man you have before I take him, too.” He finishes his drink and waves his hand to a man who nods in his direction. His car pulls up across the street. “You have a choice. You can go home now and rescue the man you have or you can chase after the one you had. I assure you, Mr. Stevens only has minutes before he succumbs to his untimely death.” Confused, I stand, watching him go towards his car. The door opens, and Nick steps out and allows Savage to step in before getting in himself. My mind begins to spin out of control. Nick glances my way but seems to look right past me before he gets into the car and leaves.

“Nick,” I say, not even having the energy to scream for him. “Eli?” I rush out of the restaurant and home.

When I arrive home, Elijah’s car is there. I run into the house, searching and calling out his name.

“Kayla?” Ryan yells at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Where is Eli?” I ask him.

“Upstairs taking a shower I think. Why?”

I run upstairs and bang on his door, screaming for him, but there is no answer. Ryan takes it upon himself to beat down the door, and we both rush into his bathroom where he lies in the shower, bleeding profusely.

“I’ll get the doctor,” Ryan says.

“Oh Eli, I’m so sorry.” I drag him to me and hold his head out of the water. “What happened?” I ask him, but he is too dazed to respond to anything. We get him to a hospital and wait as they repair the deep stab wounds he endured. He never saw it coming. He never had a chance to defend himself. To make matters worse, I find Brayden with a bloody blade lying on his chest and a note predicting that he would be next. He was sound asleep, and I would have thought dead if I hadn’t scared him awake with my cries. I hold him and Nicky close, afraid to let them wander more than a few inches away from me.

I don’t know what to do. I don’t know where to go. I am lost, lost and alone. The ragged breaths escaping my lungs give me no reassurance or strength. Once Elijah is strong enough to come home, I make a decision that we have to run. I have to protect my sons, and I can’t allow anyone else to be harmed by that man. I can no longer be stubborn for my own good when it effects so many others.

Chapter 39

Savage

Nicholas is coming along quite well. He remembers nothing of his past except what we tell him. “Good Nicholas!” I yell as he fights off another attacker with ease. “He’s getting stronger by the day, Rabbie.” Rabbie nods, enjoying the show along with me. When Galena comes in with a sour face, I instantly groan. “What is it now?”

“The bunker has been attacked.” I turn towards her, forcing her to step back in fear.

“When?” I yell at her.

“A couple of weeks ago,” she says, cowering in front of me.

“Weeks ago? Weeks ago! Why am I just now being told?” I scream at her.

“I was hoping to have answers for you. I was hoping to have the culprit in hand before I told you. I knew you would be upset, so I decided …”

“You decided,” I growl at her. “Since when is it your responsibility to think and decide anything?”

Nicholas runs up on us, out of breath and taking a stance in front of Galena. “What is going on?”

His protective ways have not diminished any I see. “Galena was just telling me that we have been attacked at our safe house, which must be a mistake since no one but she and I know where it is.”

“Also, Gideon is missing,” she says, cowering further behind Nicholas.

“What!” I yell, raising my hand at her, but Nicholas stops me before I can strike her. I push him aside and strike her several times before he stops me. “Nicholas, do not stop me again.”

“I will stop you every time. There is no need for that. It doesn’t accomplish anything.”

“Nicholas, you don’t understand. This is our family’s safe haven. It holds our secrets, our interests, and … And she let someone find it. You must have been followed, Galena!”

“I wasn’t followed. There is no way. And if someone did follow me, you know they could still have never found it or even knew what it was,” Galena yells back.

I pace away from her, trying to understand how this could happen. “Gideon, he must have gotten free. He would have called Luvis. It must be him, but why hasn’t he rubbed it in our faces already. Why is Gideon remaining hidden? There is something else about this, there is someone else that we don’t know about.” Then, it hits me. My biggest fear, Rein. If he is behind this, then we need to step up our efforts. If it is Rein, he will use everything he has gained to go to the High Council and have me banished. It will ruin us, it will ruin everything I have worked for. The only chance we have is … I look back at Nicholas as he looks over Galena and helps clean her face. I need to hand over the realm before Rein can bury us. If I make Nicholas the controller then Rein has nothing to gain by going to the High Council. I just need to make sure if I step down as head of the family that I have complete control of Nicholas. The way he sticks up for Galena, I am not sure I can yet. His protective nature is still managing to come through. He should be craving blood by now. I need to get him more kills. No, no, I need to get him some
powerful
kills. Some kills that will feed his hunger on a higher, more addictive level. “Galena, you find out who is behind this, and do it quickly.”

“Grandfather, if you trust me, why don’t you let me handle it? It might be good for someone with fresh eyes to take a look at the situation, and it might give me a good opportunity to learn more about the family?” Nicholas asks.

“Very well, Nicholas. Handle it from here. Galena you back him up. I want to know who did this, and I want them taken care of as soon as possible.”

I send them on their way and send out word that I would like to see Ryan. I would have liked to have saved him for a better purpose, but now, I think he can best serve me as a casualty for Nicholas and a great test of his loyalty to me. I send out word that Nicholas wants to see Ryan at a secure place. I give Ryan every reason to believe his brother is in grave danger and needs his help to survive. That should be enough to lure him into the lion’s den.
Now, to deal with Kayla.

Ria comes in, cowering to me already. She is such a disappointment. “Tell me what I want to hear.”

“She is scared and packing. I believe she is going to leave. It worked. Now, can I go back to being me and getting to know Nicholas?”

“No. The only value you have supplied so far is stabbing that friend of Nicholas’s and putting the fear into Kayla by putting a target on her child.”

“I also organized the attack on Ryan’s house!”

“Oh, you did that, did you?” She nods, avoiding my glare. “No, you didn’t. You had your lover do that for you. You would never do anything that might cause you to break a nail.”

“Still, Marius would have never done it if I hadn’t of asked him,” Ria says with a calmer tone. “What do you want me to do? Kayla is leaving. There isn’t much else for me to do now.”

“I don’t want her to leave anymore. I want her dead. If she is busy running, she will never see you coming.” I hand her a blade to strike her with. “You only need a second to strike her. All you need is a scratch, and she is done. You can get out of there before they realize what is happening. If you do this for me, I promise you will want for nothing for the entirety of your life. I will even grant your father a permanent position as Lord. He will not have to worry about attacks from any other Lord as long as I back him.” She stares at the blade in her hand with a shaky grasp. To ease her mind, I pull out a large diamond ring and place it on her finger. “Ria, do this, and I guarantee you that Nicholas will be yours and you can have the satisfaction of eliminating the one competition you have, and with this beautiful ring on your finger.” Her eyes rise to mine with a sparkling smile.

“All I have to do is kill Kayla?” she asks.

“All you have to do is scratch her, and she is dead,” I say with a smile as she beams with excitement.

With the anticipation of Nicholas killing his brother and Kayla being removed from this world, I move forward in meeting with The High Council. I walk in front of them with respect. They each nod towards me with suspicion but do not seem to be ready to pass judgment, so it would seem I have beaten Rein to the punch which pleases me. “My dearest Council members, I am here today to ask that my grandson, Nicholas, be allowed to take over my realm.” They each sit back in shock. “I understand this seems sudden, but as you all know, I am not getting any younger. It is time for me to step down and enjoy my retirement while I can. I assure you, Nicholas is everything you could hope for in a Lord. He will be a symbol of leadership. He will be what the realms have needed for centuries. Nicholas is all that of the Lord’s passion and strength put together. He, my grandson, is the answer to the battling and wars between the realms; he is the answer to all that you have been searching for,” I say, stepping back to wait for their anticipated questions. It doesn’t take long. They ask me about Nicholas’s ability to serve properly which I assure them he will have no problem, especially with me to show him.