The Devil's Masquerade: The Poison

by Jennifer Loren

  “Was this made for me?” I ask, and he nods. “How? I don’t remember giving my measurements.” He glances my way, but gives me nothing more. Not that I expected anything different. Once I am dressed, I look over myself in the mirror, and for a moment, I feel … pride. I quickly push that out of my mind. There should be no pride for who I am, what I am.

  Savage, dressed in his dark family uniform, leads and has me follow him while Galena is forced to follow me. No matter her length of history in the family, she is always last. I am not sure where we are going, but we arrive at a secluded place by car before we enter a tunnel that dives deep into the earth. We finally step out, and Savage enters with pre-eminence carrying him in. I follow Savages orders to project my family heritage and look powerful, not vulnerable. I do my best, but the odd surroundings and the people staring at us as we walk in catch me off guard. Nonetheless, I try to hold back my amazement of it all and follow orders to stand tall next to Savage’s side while Galena remains behind me. Once we enter, everyone makes a nod towards Savage. The first to sit and the most important it would seem, is Savage. He waves his hand, and soon after, he takes his seat. The others follow and the discussion of business begins. I have no interest in their discussions, but I do pay attention to the room and make an assessment of the others. Galena must notice my curiosity and taps my shoulder to point out the first man to our left, a tall athletic-looking man. His concentration on matters seems unbreakable; he hasn’t wavered in his stiff posture since he sat down.

  “Bade Keel, Lord of the First, he rarely speaks and has little power, so he keeps to himself. He is more of an all-out warrior, a champion warrior actually, and quite admirable in his skills,” she moans. “However, he is nothing for us to worry about. Father made him what he is, and his loyalties lie with us for the long haul. Not to mention, he is too self-involved to care about anyone else’s issues,” she says with what seems to be disappointment in her voice.

  “He has no interest in you? Clearly the man is a fool,” I say to her instant smile.

  “Oh no, Nephew, it isn’t me. Unfortunately, I think he would find more interest in you than me.” I look back at the Greek god-like man and wonder until he winks at me. The second man looks as if he will turn to dust at any time he is so old. “Daijiro Tallian, Lord of the Second,” she sighs, shaking her head. “He is a crotchety old man, but don’t be fooled by his feeble appearance. He is stronger than he looks, strong as steel actually. Punch him, and he won’t feel it, but you will break into pieces. His body cannot be penetrated with the usual weapon. He must be frozen, frozen solid, and then broken. The man won’t even drink ice water out of fear for the possibilities,” she laughs, and I smile at her. I immediately sit forward when my eyes move to the next seating area. I recognize him, and I hear Galena sigh. His charm is noticeable, only because he seems to be charmed by his own self. He looks upon others as if he waits for them to admire him, and my aunt, as beautiful as she is, seems to be one of his biggest admirers. “Lord of the Third, Marius Cane,” she hums. “Father can’t stand him, but I find that he has a lot of potential and a whole lot to offer.” I glance her way, but she doesn’t even notice me as she is still eyeing at him. “Marius has a lot of followers and a huge army. It is amazing what he can do. Marius is able to provoke greed and hatred between people, blinding them to friendship, loyalty, or even love. He detours people away from what he wants and takes it while they are busy fighting amongst themselves. A master thief you could say. Father would usually find those traits worthy of recognition, but for some reason, he continues to push him to the side. It is disappointing.” She inhales and smiles wide again as I move on to the next. “Fagan Aherne, Lord of the Fourth. He is determined to win favor with Father. He has even offered up his daughters for your pleasure.” I look back at her as she smiles. “They will be very accommodating to you Nephew. I would consider it if I were you. Audra, Ria, and Catriona. The interesting thing about them is they can make you see things that aren’t really there. They can become what you want most, or who you fear the most. They can make you see what they want you to see. You become blind to who they really are until it is too late. The oldest is Audra, and she is … well, let’s just say that you don’t want to ever see her naturally and certainly not after just eating. She got into a fight with Twila, a wife of one of the other Lords. They were both after Bade, and being the sick bastard that he is, he encouraged the fighting between them. It was a game for him and his men to enjoy. Twila won out, and Audra suffered terrible scars. If she had surrendered quietly, she may have not been scarred so horribly, but Twila had the help of her sister, Mirette, her husband’s other wife who struck Audra from behind. She nearly died. If Bade hadn’t stepped in, she would have. She is bitter now and shows little happiness for anyone. Her father keeps her home and hidden from everyone. The middle sister, Ria, is the one that is most apt to please, although she is also the most ruthless.” The moment Galena mentions her name, I cringe. “She will take whatever she can from you and use her skills to get whatever she wants. She rarely fails. Believe it or not, she is a friend of mine. We have been friends for a long time, actually. I haven’t seen her in a while, so I can only imagine what kind of trouble she is getting into. She is also the most beautiful of the three sisters. Every man wants her, and my father has even been tempted to bring her to his bed, but he has held off since she has shown an interest in bedding you.”

  “Me? How does she know who I am?” I ask.

  “Father has been on the lookout for the best mate for you for a long time. Ria not only shows the most potential for strong offspring but also comes with a connection to another Lord, which gives you an even stronger position.”

  “But I am already married. I am not interested in another wife. I can barely handle the one I got,” I joke.

  “You can take as many wives or lovers as you want. Ria is more than willing to be behind the scenes.” She continues on as if I should have no issue with fucking another woman other than my wife. I wonder if Galena has ever truly been in love. “Now, the youngest sister of the family is Catriona. Cat tends to be a bit bullish and mouthy; she is young and impossible to deal with. She insists on befriending the wrong people. Trust me, Ria is your best option within that family.” I glance at Fagan, remembering the woman that I thought was Kayla, and wonder maybe that was the younger sister causing me trouble. I am not so sure this family is one we should trust. I wonder if they are not the ones after my family. Galena leans in and whispers, “Ria has amazing power. She can become anything, anyone. She can become your perfect fantasy.” Her wink does nothing to sway me. “Now, their father, Fagan, is even more powerful than his daughters. Father admires his abilities, which is the only reason he listens to him at all. That and Father sleeps with Fagan’s new wife on a regular basis. She is also apt to please, in the most sickening of ways. She is a creative fuck from what I hear, which pleases every man that beds her. She is also able to get information about the other Lords since she fucks most of them. She shares the information with father in return for expectations that, one day, she we will be made his wife. The whore has no boundaries.” Her expression leads me to believe she doesn’t approve so much of her father’s exploits. If I had not already seen her cower to him every time he looks her way, I might believe she could be encouraged to help me take him out. She looks up and eyes the next, and he eyes her with just as much ferocity. “Amery Luvis, Lord of the Fifth. The one that killed my mother. He is cocky. His lover, Haile, tempted Father and was disgustingly bragging about his love for her. A disgusting whore that got her due. Father said she was too beautiful for someone not worthy of her, right in front of mother. She refused him, said she wouldn’t leave Amery for him. Not that it mattered what she wanted, Father was set to have her brought to him. He was going to fuck her in our home and force her into marriage by getting her pregnant. Do you know what that did to my mother? Father’s exploits were always causing controversy in our home, not that he cared. Mother coul
d go mad right in front of him, and he wouldn’t give it a second thought. I was sure that was what was going to happen when Haile, sadly, met a tragic end before Father could have her brought to him.” Galena smiles wide. “She was found buried deep in cement with her perfect beauty set forever. I, of course, have no idea who would have done such a thing, but Amery swore that Mother and I were the culprits. He got approval from the High Council to go after her, without any of us knowing. He lured her out into public and captured her. He sentenced her to death and tore her head off in front of his massive army, like it was a festive event. I begged Father to make him pay for it, but he says we have to wait until the time is right. The High Council adores Amery at the moment, and we can’t risk angering them.” She looks me dead in the eye. “It will be your task, Nephew. Amery is out to kill you and your family because he knows that your destiny is to have his head.” I eye him and his anger as she whispers his bloodlust for me and my family.

  “I know him. I have seen him following me and my men,” I say, eyeing him down.

  “I am sure you have, and I am sure you will again,” Galena says as Amery makes a motion that dismisses us. I instantly begin to feel a twitch within my veins. She begins talking about the Lord of the Sixth, Gideon Stark, an honorable Lord and Savage’s most trusted ally apparently. He has strong connections with the High Council and has helped Savage out of trouble more than once; however, his true loyalty lies with his duties as a Lord and will not go against the rules set by the High Council. As a result, we have to be careful what we say around him. No matter what Galena says, I cannot take my focus off Amery until she mentions, “Bastien Trog, Lord of the Seventh.” I know him. “I believe you two have met. He didn’t even know who you were until he tried to double cross you. Father and I enjoyed watching that meeting.” I look back at her in shock. “Oh we have been watching you for a long while, Nephew. And your abilities are quite something. You didn’t even know who he was, but you put him down with little effort. Scared the shit out of him! One meeting and he tried to best you. The moment he thought he had you, you turned his men against him. I had to hold back my laughter so no one would know we were there. Father was afraid you might need us, but you didn’t. How did you know he wasn’t trustworthy?” she asks as I recall the meeting early on in the building of my own territory, the building of my business.

  I thought I was powerful enough to deal with him, but when one of my informants brought back pictures of him during his day to day, I saw Kayla. It was the first time I knew where she was. She worked at one of his clubs and the more images that entered my head, the more I hated him and the more I wanted him dead. He didn’t know her or care to, but everything about him made me angry, and all I could see was him hurting her. I wasn’t about to let that happen. It had nothing to do with me or what he thought he could do. The moment I changed the tactic and ordered the attack on him, he attacked me. I felt his sharp assault, even though no one could see it. His problem was that it barely fazed me at that point. My anger built around me like a shield, and I was able to turn to him, grab him by the neck, and smile, saying, “I can kill you so easily right now or you give me what I want.” He willingly signed over all of his clubs to me, and as a result, I had Kayla on my payroll from the beginning. I had my eyes on her once again. That satisfaction is the only reason I didn’t kill him at that moment. I had found Kayla again and that was all I cared about. I could protect her, see her, and watch out for her. As much as my mind tries to focus, all I can do is go back to those days of watching her struggle to survive and making sure no one could hurt her. I killed many that attempted. She attracted a lot of losers. Some might have had a chance with her, but they never got past me. None of them had any idea of my undying love for her. Kayla became so bold at times because of her supposed luck that I had to laugh. Once, she dared anyone to attack her as she walked down a dark street alone. She was on her way home after someone gave her a tip of a few hundreds for doing nothing more than getting their drink right. She was a perfect target with so much cash, but the moment she was spotted, I grabbed the two men on my own and did them in. She never knew that she had their dying breaths against her back. She had a mission in her mind, and she thought God was on her side. She was ultimately determined to kill me; the one she decided had ruined her life. Maybe I did. Maybe I still do. To me, it doesn’t matter. I will never give up trying to make sure she is forever happy. Sometimes, I wonder if she is not some kind of demon that controls me, that makes me love her so much that I can’t breathe without thinking of her. Maybe Kayla is the one that helps me breathe period. I miss her so much it hurts.

  “Nicholas!” Galena shakes me. “Are you paying attention? You will want to know this.” I look her way and focus on the next Lord who looks strangely like, “The Lord of The Eighth, Rein Lorid, the one that looks strangely like Father in almost every way. He tries to outdo him, but he always falls short.” He could pass for Savage in almost any light. “Doesn’t he make you wonder?” I nod in amazement. “You are not alone. We have all wondered if they are siblings. Father will not say, but obviously they are closer than either will admit. Rein desires Father’s power and tries to emulate it at times, which makes Father laugh. Rein, however, does not find any resemblance funny. The fact that Father has bested him at every angle only makes him angry.” She laughs, and I begin to drift off and away to my own memories of sibling rivalry.

  Savage suddenly glances my way with a stern look and a deep sigh. I eye him impatiently. I do not care for being treated like a child by him. Despite my annoyances, I try to pay more attention to what is being said. The discussions are nothing more than political politeness towards each other, a mere following of obligations and duties spread amongst them. Then, the start of what they call, “The Decision Upon Souls Ceremony.” A parade of lifeless people appear in front of us as it is decided what Lord will punish them, or rather torture them, for eternity. The images of pain and screaming by these souls are haunting; however, Savage sits with no emotion, no feeling whatsoever. The leftover souls from the others are brought in front of us, and Savage stands. The first one steps forward as it is made known why he is been brought to the lowest and most powerful level of hell. He killed a child with no remorse. Shot by the child’s father in court, he now stands before us, waiting with attitude but not for long. Savage doesn’t speak; he simply raises a hand towards the man and instantly sets him to an eternal blaze. His outer layer melts from the heat as he screams in terror and is pushed into a pit with others. There are men, women, and even teenagers brought before us, and all leave with tortured screams the likes I have never heard before and never care to hear again.

  I become anxious for it to all be over when Savage looks my way. “I have saved one for you, Nicholas. Enjoy.” I look towards his outstretched hand and instantly stand with hunger.

  “Billy Earl Maynard, how? I killed him already,” I say before I realize where I am.

  “Of course you did, but was once enough for you? Considering the pain he caused your wife and her sister as children? Considering the pain he caused many children over his life? The disgust he spread was …” I hold my hand up to him as my jaw begins to vibrate and my hands twitch. There is nothing more he really needs to say. I step in front of Savage with clenched fists and stare down the man that suddenly recognizes me and begins to protest his sentence with vigor. “It is in your blood, Nicholas. Do what feels natural to you. Sentence accordingly.” With that, I smile, and with a sharp glare, Maynard begins to tremble so fiercely that his bones crack and his eyes bleed. With his last inhale, his nose seals up and his mouth opens, exhaling screams so sharp that I don’t hear a single syllable. I inflict pain on him, an eternal pain one hundred times worse than the worst pain he ever inflicted. I hold my head up high, watching him fall to his marked prison and look up as the other Lords look on with fear. Savage beams from behind me. The feeling rushing through my veins evokes a roar of confidence from deep within my core as I feel a sense of pride
for who I am.

  I feel so good when we get back home that I almost forget to meet up with Elijah. “What’s up with the uniform?” Elijah asks, snarling at my appearance.

  “Part of the job,” I say, shaking off his attitude towards me.

  “Is that so? Is being late part of the job, too?”

  “I had a meeting that ran late. Don’t fuck with me today; I am in a good mood.” His judgment does nothing to change my excitement about the day, but the moment she steps out, I want to do nothing but tell her all about it. “Kayla, oh Princess, if you could have seen me today.” I continue to talk about the day and the things I saw and heard and did until her smile disappears. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’re different. You are happy about being with Savage?” she says with a smug attitude.

  “I am not with him. I can’t believe you would say that to me. Am I supposed to be miserable every day I am away from you? I thought of nothing but you and the boys. I did what I did for you! That man suffers for eternity because of you.”

  “I didn’t know convicting someone to eternal damnation was something to be proud of, Nick. It’s sad that the world had a man like that in it. It is sad to me that I hear you speak of nothing but destruction of others. Revenge. Revenge for what, Nick? We have a great life. Get out of there and come home.” She puts her hands against my face and kisses my lips, and a trembling dizziness takes over me. “Nick? Eli!”

  I wake up in Kayla’s arms with Elijah hovering over me with concern. “Hey Nicky, how many fingers am I holding up?” he asks showing no hands at all in front of me.

  “Fuck you,” I say.

  “Well, he seems to be himself, but you are not looking too good, Nicky.”

  “I think we should take him to the hospital,” Kayla says, running her fingers through my hair and kissing my cheek.