The Devil's Masquerade: The Poison

by Jennifer Loren

  I shake my head, trying to console her without encouraging any further judgment from Savage. “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault. I am going to take care of it. I think it is best I move my mother out of the facility for everyone’s safety.”

  “No, you can’t do that. She is happy where she is. She doesn’t handle change well, Nick. She is just starting to make progress. You can’t to take her away now,” Franky snaps back at me.

  “I don’t have a choice Franky! She is badly hurt. She wouldn’t handle another attack. I am not even sure she is going to make it through this one!”

  “Nicholas, I think all this disagreement could be handled simply by you joining me sooner than anticipated. I can teach you what you need to know to protect your family. In the meantime, I am happy to help you move your mother safely to your home and hire this beautiful young lady full time to be your mother’s personal physician.” A quick glance in Franky’s direction, and I can already see a smile beginning to form. I guess she is agreeable to that idea, but I am not sure I am.

  “I don’t think that is a good idea,” I say, shaking my head.

  “Why not?” Franky asks.

  “Because I don’t think it is a good idea to have my ex-girlfriend living in my house with my wife,” I say to her with a hard glare. Surely she remembers our last argument that Kayla caused by investigating Franky. There is no way those two can stand to be in the same house together now.

  “Oh, now I remember! Yes, Franky. My, how you have grown into a beautiful woman,” Savage says. “It is too bad you two lost each other so early in your relationship,” he continues with a smile until I glare at him.

  I turn back towards Franky, “It is a bad idea, and there is no way Kayla …”

  “Why, is she threatened by me?” she asks, and I instantly laugh.

  “Kayla? Threatened? That is hilarious. You don’t want to mess with my wife, Franky, and that is why I don’t want you there.”

  “You’re scared of her?” Franky asks as Savage now laughs.

  “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” I ask him.

  “Nicholas, this is foolish. Let me help you, and then we can help each other. Your family will be safe with Nicky and … your other trustful guards. I can have one of my men come in and watch over them, too. However, I think you should have this young woman move in with your family since she has obviously been labeled as a target for them as well. They are all safer together under one roof, and more easily protected.”

  “Why would Franky be a target?” I ask.

  “She is connected to you, and you are here with her. That alone tells them that she obviously means something to you. All that they want is to take from you until you break and show yourself to be vulnerable.”

  “Who are they?” I ask since he seems to know.

  “Our family’s enemies. Since Adair’s departure, they see me as being weakened, and they think it is a good time to strike me. However, my connection with you has them worried. So, they are out to destroy any possible allies I might have, but they are starting to realize you are more than just an ally.”

  I can’t listen to him anymore. “Just shut up please! I can’t deal with this right now.”

  “It is your decision, but I warn you, they will not stop. You need me, Nicholas, your family needs my help,” he says, causing me to feel as if I have just been punched hard in the gut.

  I don’t bother arguing with Savage any further. My main focus now is my mother and getting her better. Kayla kindly doesn’t argue with me when I tell her I am moving my mother, along with her physician into our home.

  Within a day after arriving at my home, my mother falls into a coma and stays there for days. I stay at her side the entire time. I keep everyone out of her room except for her caretakers, but somehow, Eey wanders in unnoticed. I didn’t even notice him until I feel him at my feet. I open my tired eyes as he lays his head on my mother’s hand. I don’t know if he is concerned about me or her, but the damn dog does seem to care. For some reason, no matter his reason, it makes me feel better. My mother looks weaker every day, and I begin to believe that the pain of losing her is better than the pain she is going through. Kayla checks on me periodically, sharing a kiss and a loving touch, all I need from her, and she doesn’t hold back giving me more when she sees that I need it. I even cradle Brayden in my arms and read to him until he falls asleep. Nicky always tries to be patient and wait his turn with me. Kayla says he pretends to be me some days when he is playing; she says he thinks of me as stronger and better than any superhero there is. He wants to be just like his father, Kayla says. So how can I deny him when he looks up at me with a pitiful expression from my mother’s doorway? “Come here, son,” I say, motioning to him. Nicky instantly runs to me and climbs into my lap to hug me and give his grandmother a kiss on the cheek.

  “Feel better, Gillian,” he says sweetly. He doesn’t say much else; he just holds onto me and lets me feel some peace for a few moments. Even Franky gives me peace and does her best not to cause any issues with Kayla, at least none that either of them bother to tell me about.

  My mother seemed to be getting worse, and I nearly give up on speaking to her ever again when her eyes open. She seems confused and scared when I take her hand to reassure her. “Mom? Mom, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that you were cursed with me. I’m so sorry that my father walked into your life,” I say to my frail mother. Her eyes are still swollen, her body still broken, but her eyes focus on me for the first time.

  “Nicholas, why are you rambling apologies?” She squeezes my hand weakly. “You obviously don’t know much about my life before your father, otherwise you wouldn’t be so apologetic now.” She coughs roughly, and I try to hush her, but she waves me off in frustration. “Your father saved me from the neglect and abuse I was enduring from my parents. I had never known love until him.”

  “That was love?” I huff.

  “It was more love than I had ever known which is probably why I didn’t know how to love you. Honestly, I was afraid to. To find love and to lose it is pain I didn’t want to know. It is easier to pretend that there is no love at all.” She starts coughing horribly, so I get up to get her some water. Franky walks in and smiles.

  “You are awake. Good. I hope you are not tiring her out talking too much Nick? She needs her rest.” Franky checks her tubes while my mother eyes her funny. “Maybe you should go get some rest, Nick. I’ll sit with your mother for a while.” My mother grips my hand, triggering a smile to form on my face. She obviously doesn’t want me to leave, so I look up at Franky and shake my head. “Okay, well do you mind if I join you two. What are we talking about?”

  “None of your business,” my mother says sharply.

  “Mom.”

  “I want to only talk to you, not her. Why is she here anyway?” my mother complains.

  “She is here to help you.” My mother tenses, looking away from us both. “Franky, go ahead and go. Thanks for the offer, but I am fine here by myself.”

  Franky reluctantly leaves as my mother watches her exit, wide-eyed. “I need to tell you something,” she whispers.

  “It’s okay, you just rest, Mom.”

  “No, I need to tell you now before it‘s too late. A man came the other day to see me and your father.”

  “What man?”

  “I don’t remember. He was an attractive man. A friend of your father’s, but he acted strangely. He kept calling everyone by the wrong name.” I shake my head, knowing her delusions cannot be trusted. “Listen, she is not who she says she is. She is an alien, and that man had her take over Franky’s body to kill me. I just know it. Don’t let her near me or anyone else we know.” I shake my head. “I’m telling you Nicholas. She is a spy. I bet she wants my company’s secrets.”

  “Okay Mom, I’ll look into it,” I sigh, trying to get her to calm down.

  “And there is something else …” she pauses and starts to cry. “I messed up. I know it. I just know I messed up
terribly. I’m sorry. Tell Dante I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay Mom. No one is angry at you.”

  “You will be when you find out what I did. I didn’t mean to, but your father was right. I told …” she says, beginning to choke again. I try water, but her throat begins to swell. I scream for help while she grips my shirt to stay with her. “He knows about them.” She whispers through her tightening throat.

  “Who knows? Knows about who?” I ask she fights to stay with me, but the nurse jerks her away to try and open up her throat. It only takes forty-five seconds, forty-five seconds for my mother to go from breathing to death. The apologies come immediately from her caretaker, but all I want is to be left alone. Everyone does as I ask, except Franky who tries to console me.

  “Leave me alone, Franky.”

  “Nick, you shouldn’t be alone right now.” She wraps her arms around me and kisses my cheek when I suddenly tremble and feel a warm calming feeling come over me. I slip out of Franky’s arms and find Kayla in the doorway, waiting for me with open arms.

  Chapter 17

  Ryan

  Our new house was just completed a few months ago, and Sam has been working nonstop to make it perfect. I gave her free reign to do as she wishes along with some experts to help her shop for just the right things, anything to keep from having to be part of the decision making process and to keep that beautiful smile on her face. Every night when I get home, I find her and pick her up so she can tightly wrap her arms around me and kiss me the way she wants to, and tonight is no different. I walk up behind her knowing she knows I am there, and kiss her neck. She turns and jumps into my arms, entwining me in her arms and legs with the excitement I love feeling from her.

  “I thought you would never come home,” she says, kissing me ecstatically.

  “Silly, I am home at the same time every night, and you know it. Do you think I’d spend even one unnecessary second away from you? Crazy girl, I can’t wait to have these arms around me, those lips on mine, or these great legs around my hips.” I laugh, carrying her to our new bed. “I certainly wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity to get you naked and in bed.”

  “All you care about is sex,” she sighs with a smile.

  “No, that’s not true. All I care about is you. It just so happens that having sex with you brings you even closer to me, and I love having you as close to me as possible. Not to mention, it feels really nice, too,” I say, taking hold of her lips with mine.

  “It’s that good huh?” she whispers

  “You’re that beautiful. I can’t believe that I get to stare at such a beautiful woman every day,” I say, making my way in between her legs and letting my erection out of my pants to breathe.

  “You know what would make me smile?” she says suddenly. “I would gladly give up on that puppy I have been bugging you about if you let me have something else,” she says as I groan my happiness against her bare breasts. “I would like to have a baby with you. You‘re the love of my life, Ryan, and I can’t think of anyone else I would want to do this with.”

  She has been hinting her desire to be a mother for some time, but until Savage is gone, I worry about what a child of mine would be subjected to. My brother is going through hell right now, and Kayla the same. I don’t want that for Sam. “Don’t you want that big wedding that you have been working on for months first?” I ask, trying to divert her to another subject.

  “I would, but you keep putting the date off because of work, so screw it. Let’s run away tonight. Let’s get married and get pregnant all at the same time,” she pleads with me.

  “Baby, I will give you whatever you want, but let me talk to Nick first.” Her smile instantly fades. “Only to let him know that we are leaving tomorrow night for a few days. I will take you wherever you want to go for however long you want to go. No need to pack too much clothing though…” I take in one lip after the other in between mine, “you won’t be needing anything but me to keep you warm. We can have room service and sex for days.”

  “Alright!” she says, happily jumping on me and ripping off the rest of her clothes. I love the way she feels down my chest. She knows every spot on my body that makes me squirm. I reward her thoroughness by spinning her back onto the bed and sliding my growing respect deep inside of her. Her wetness envelops my cock so warmly that I groan my excitement. Her breasts bounce against my lips, and her legs wrap tighter around my waist while my dick swells deep inside of her. My movements inside her are smooth and precise, provoking a whimper from her lips to mine. Sam grips my arms and lets her head fall back, moaning and climaxing to ecstasy before her exhaling breath releases her gorgeous smile. I come hard and with energy to spare that I use to cover her naked body with zealous kisses.

  Sam hums her enjoyment of my touch with her eyes closed and her head rests comfortably back onto her pillow. “Ryan, what if I asked you to never leave me, to never stop touching me?” she asks, reaching out for my hand.

  I take her tender hand in mind, and reply, “Well then, my love, I would say you have a dutiful shadow for life.”

  She smiles, feeling my face for mine, and continues, “And what if I asked you to run away with me and hide from the world. What if I wanted you all to myself forever?” I delicately kiss her before running my hand through her hair.

  .“I wouldn’t bother packing before I swept you off your feet and carried you far away from here to your angel’s castle in the clouds, away from it all and away from the judging eyes of everyone who would doubt my dedication to you,” I say, enjoying her giggling joy.

  “Really? A castle? And why do I need such extravagance when I cannot see it?”

  “Oh, my love, don’t you know, as your consummate shadow, it would be my pleasure to lend you my eyes so you could see all the beauty and wonderful luxuries I would build for you, find for you, and attain for you. There would be no end to proving my love for you.”

  “Well then, my dutiful shadow, if there is no end to proving your love, does that mean there is no end to your love for me?”

  I lean in close to her, wrapping my arms around her and making sure my strong hands reassure her that I am here by her side forever, before whispering, “Sam, my love, there is not a champion warrior brave enough to destroy my love for you. There is not a drug strong enough to cure my love for you, and there certainly is no place far enough for you to run that would keep my heart from ever giving up searching for you. Forever, my love. Forever, I will love you and only you.”

  “You will never have to worry about running after me because, like you, I am your humble shadow and your forever pride-filled light that will shine brightly upon you day and night. No woman deserves a man like you,” she says, sinking deep into my arms with a soft sigh.

  “Wrong, my bright shadow … you are more than deserving.” Her eyes open, and her smile spreads across her face. For a moment, I believe she can see me fully. Her blindness has never bothered me, but sometimes, I wish she could see how happy she makes me.

  Sam makes a wonderful meal and has me look at a million different baby furniture pieces for the house on the internet, forcing me to describe them all to her while she sits in my lap and lays her head on my shoulder. I hate shopping for furniture, but I love every second of this. It is amazing how much my day can stress me out, but the moment I have this woman next to me, everything becomes perfect. After the hundredth crib, I shut the computer down and take Sam to bed. “It’s time to sleep my Shadow. We can design our future children’s rooms tomorrow if you want.”

  Sam falls asleep in my arms, and I fall asleep breathing her sweet scent in, but I awake abruptly in the middle of the night with an odd feeling. I sit up straight in bed, listening and waiting. Sam wakes and begins to become frightened as she grips me for answers. “Stay here. In fact …” I take her by the hand and hide her in the bathroom with a gun. She does better than most, and I would rather her shoot me than risk her life. I step through the house quietly, watching the darkness. I see a blur cr
oss the window outside, so I run to chase it down. The blond haired man runs through the yard and into the trees, and I follow. He turns on a dime and smiles at me, his eyes swirling with anticipation.

  “I have seen you before, on the rooftop, wanting to kill my brother,” I say to him, preparing for any attack he may have in mind.

  “Your brother, huh. I guess that’s why,” he says, backing off slowly from me.

  “That’s why what?” I yell at him.

  “That’s why Dennis wants you dead. If I were you, I would be running and not bothering with me,” he says calmly.

  “Who are you?” I ask, looking him over quickly to find anything that might clue me in to who he is.

  “A friend if you want it or an enemy if you prefer to come at me now.”

  “I prefer you leave my family alone!” I stand my ground, ready to attack.

  “Your family came after mine first.” He stands straight up as if he hears something I don’t. “He really wants you dead doesn’t he?” I have no idea what he is talking about. “Run young one, run far and hide before it is too late. I would stay away from your house, too because it is about to go up in flames.”

  I turn and watch my house blow up into the air, brightening the night sky in full glow. “No!” I scream and run towards the house. “Sam!” Before I can reach the house, it explodes again. I fight to get inside, but Nick comes from out of nowhere and holds me back. “Let go of me! Sam is in there!” I scream at him.

  “It’s too late Ryan. It’s too late. She’s gone.” Nick yells back at me, holding me tight while Eli jumps in and holds me down, too.

  “Sam!” I cry out to her over and over, but the flames overtake everything. “Sam!” Nick grips me tight to his chest until he sees attackers coming. While he goes after them, I fight to get to my flaming house and to her.

  “Ryan, she’s gone. She is gone, Ryan. There is nothing you can do now,” Elijah says, grabbing hold of me and forcing me to the ground again. I fight him, screaming out for her. I plead with the night that she, somehow, left the house before it was too late. Elijah grips me tighter and holds me, and all I can do is cry and wish I was dead.