The Devil's Masquerade: The Remedy

by Jennifer Loren

  “Maybe I could help though,” Lena says.

  “Absolutely not!” Brady demands. “No, Lena, I am not having it. This is not a good time to test yourself.” I watch him tense and protectively hover over her at the same time. I sigh as do they. “Lena is pregnant,” Brady says which makes us all smile briefly. “I don’t want her involved at all. I don’t think she should even be in the city, the state, or anywhere near.”

  “Actually, if I may,” Amery says, stepping forward. Amery volunteered to watch over me and the boys while Gideon goes through Dante’s research with Ryan. My recent mysterious absences have Ryan worried more than usual. “If your wife is pregnant, that alone makes her safe. We are forbidden to act against the innocent, the more innocent, the more severe the punishment would be from The High Council. Acts against babies send you straight to the ninth for eternity, no matter who you are. Savage would never risk it and certainly never risk his empire. It would be better for him to wait until after the birth. Although, tortured for eternity in his own fiery hell would be a nice justice for him.”

  “So, that makes her safe for now, but then what?” Brady asks.

  “Then, she is fair game, as well as the child. That is, unless the child is determined to be of value to him,” Amery admits.

  Brady looks at me with a disgusted expression I have seen many times before. Ever since his Aunt fell for Dante, his family has been cursed with a connection to this family, and now that he is married to Lena, he is even more involved. “Okay, so we have to get him before Lena gives birth in a little over seven months. Is that possible?” Brady asks.

  I look up at Amery in silent questioning, and he answers, “Well, the Masquerade is in seven months, and if we don’t get him before it is over, then I would suggest changing your name and hiding out in the coldest place possible, until… well – forever,” Amery says with his usual lack of emotion or concern.

  “That’s reassuring,” Brady says.

  “We do have a plan, and with Amery and Gideon, we stand a great chance to …” Brady shakes his head at me. “Fine. I was never good at lying to you. We have no idea, but …”

  “But somehow, we have to believe that it is going to work out, right?” Brady asks. “Somehow, I have to put my hopes and faith into Jayzon? Of all the damn people that I have to depend on, it has to be him.”

  I look up at Amery who seems to find humor in Brady’s statement. “He’s funny. I don’t completely understand why, but that desperate, disgusted sound in his voice makes me laugh for some reason,” Amery says, showing humored emotion for the first time since I’ve met him.

  Amery ends up spending a few days watching me and the boys, but he does it silently. He barely makes eye contact with any of us. He clearly doesn’t trust anyone, and I am not even sure he likes us. It shouldn’t matter, but I feel like someone would protect us better if they wanted to rather than had to for the sake of bringing down his biggest enemy. I am still not sure if he feels it is necessary to protect us or if he is studying us for some reason.

  Nicky senses Amery’s reluctance to befriend him and seems to have the same insecurity as I do, “Are you a friend of my Daddy’s?” Nicky asks him.

  “Someday, maybe we can be.” Amery steps towards him and Eey blocks him from getting any closer. “This dog, where did you get him?”

  “I found him in the alley by the ice cream shop. Daddy and I brought him home. He was hurt, but we made him better,” Nicky says proudly.

  “Oh really, and how did you do that?” Amery asks, prompting Nicky to eye him suspiciously. Amery smiles and leans down to eye him directly. “Wow, you are a lot like your father.” Amery looks back at me, “And too valuable for Savage to ever give up on.”

  “Nicky why don’t you take Eey outside?” Nicky agrees and runs outside laughing as Eey follows after him. I turn back towards Amery.

  “That was another reason Nick left, to keep Savage from taking Nicky. So you don’t need to tell me how much danger my son is in.”

  “He was fooled. Nothing is going to keep him from taking your son whenever he feels like it. The only reason he hasn’t done so is because he is too busy with your husband. Once Nick is fully trained and impregnates another woman with the proper child he needs, Savage will move Nick into his position as a Lord. Then, he will bring in Nicky and train him to be the same.”

  “Why would Nick need to …”

  “Be with another woman? Not just any other woman, but one from the proper family. I assume he wants to set him up with Catriona’s sister, Ria. Ria was requested by Savage to help him in some special secret venture he had plans for. Originally, she was supposed to be our eyes and ears on Savage. She would help our cause by reporting back to us on anything and everything Savage was doing. She hasn’t said a word to us in over a year. I think she must have fallen for your husband because we didn’t know anything about him until recently, and it wasn’t because she told us.”

  “Over a year? Savage has been planning this for over a year?”

  “Oh, he has been planning this for a lot longer than that. I don’t know exactly how long Nick has been involved in his plans, but I assume it has been since the moment he found out about him. From what I understand, Savage’s initial plans were to have Dante put in charge, his next in line. My father said Dante was strategic and highly intelligent; he was a strong leader, one of the strongest he had ever seen. He wasn’t as strong physically as his brother, Saldean, apparently, but his intelligence more than made up for it. From what my father told me, Dante should have been infected with Savage’s poison, but he escaped it. Do you know how he did that? My suspicion is that he was never actually infected because, otherwise, how could he have left? Even if that’s the case, just having the Savage blood coursing through your veins consumes you. With every kill, you become more focused on killing, not saving your own children.” Amery continues asking me questions, becoming more determined for answers with each inquiry and with every step I take away from him. “But Dante had to have been infected. No son of his has ever not been. Most died from it, but those who survived were under his control for good. Dante was proven to be under his control when he destroyed Ash’s stronghold. So …”

  “Amery, please, I don’t know. I don’t know anything about Nick’s father. Nick rarely talked about him, and what he did say was not something to brag about. Nick had no idea who he was until recently. This whole idea of who he is and who his family is has taken us all by surprise,” I say, suddenly feeling exhausted.

  “You love him. You truly love him. I assumed it was …”

  “Because of who he is? Because of what he can do?” Amery nods with a smile. “No, he has no effect on me. He claims I have all the power over him.” I smile, fondly remembering Nick’s teasing.

  “Really? So, if I try to bring you under my control, you would be able to easily turn me down? Or is it just him that you can turn away?” Amery asks curiously.

  “You don’t believe me? You think I am really under Nick’s control and don’t realize it? Do you

  think I love Nick and am loyal to him because of his bewitching eyes?” I ask, laughing at the idea. If only mine and Nick’s relationship was that simple, then maybe, just maybe, we wouldn’t be so pained during the times we are away from each other.

  “Well, I have never heard of any of us being turned down when we want someone,” he says, closing in on me. I admit, I am nervous, but I stand up to him anyway and stare him straight in the eye, his beautiful crystal greys eyes, and take in his alluring scent with a sigh. His hand sweeps across my cheek, and I feel an instant tingle through my body. His smile is warm as he nears my lips with his … I push him away and smile wide.

  “Don’t even think about it. I am happily married.” Amery’s wide eyes are enjoyable. I turn, smiling as I nearly trip over Eey. “Oh hello boy, you are awfully close. Is Nicky okay?”

  “What are you doing?” Nicky asks, staring hard at Amery while Eey sits down against me and begins to
growl.

  “I don’t think he likes me too much,” Amery says.

  “No, he doesn’t,” Nicky strongly agrees.

  “Nicky! Go check on your brother.” Nicky eyes Amery his entire journey up the stairs and to his brother’s room. “Sorry. Nicky is protective over me, but Eey is protective of us all,” I say, calming Eey down with a stroke of my hand over his head.

  “He certainly is, and he is very observant for a dog. He seems to anticipate my move before I even make it. It’s like he has studied me enough to now understand my habits. There is something odd about this dog.”

  I look down at Eey as he lies quietly next to me but keeping an eye on Amery. “You sound like Nick. He is a sweet dog, and grateful to us for saving him. That’s it, nothing more.”

  Chapter 6

  Elijah

  Ryan and I walk into the house as Amery seems to be moving in on Kayla. For some reason, neither of us speak up. We are both stunned by the scene until Kayla laughs in his face and Little Nick tells him off. Ryan and I smile at each other, both feeling relieved. We wait for Kayla to go upstairs before we walk into the room and gloat. We have a hard time hiding our pleasure in front of Amery when he turns towards us.

  Ryan smacks him on the back with a large smile, “Have fun hitting on my sister, did you? I guess I should have warned you that you don’t stand a chance with her.”

  “Are you two enjoying yourselves?” Amery asks.

  “I know I am,” I laugh at him. His instant frustration with me is enjoyable.

  Ryan shakes his head, laughing, “Alright, alright. Sit down, both of you, and let’s discuss what we know so far.” Ryan begins laying out information that he and Gideon have been discussing all day. “Dante’s notes are complicated, and in some cases, we believe they are coded.”

  I look over their shoulders with mild interest. None of this tedious paperwork interests me at all. Besides, I can’t imagine that I could add much more insight to it. I barely knew Dante other than I thought he was cool. The man was my idol for a time or he was until I realized my father was who I preferred to model myself after. The fucking twisted reality of it all is that Nick became more like my father, and I have become more like Dante. Wait. “Wait! I yell out, moving in to get a closer look at their notes and pictures. “I know this. I know this formula.” I pick up Dante’s old notebook and look over it. “This isn’t Dante’s. This is my father’s.” I look over all the notes, realizing it isn’t in some kind of super secure code. It’s just my father’s horrible handwriting in his own special shorthand. “He wasn’t telling you how to battle Savage. He is telling you how to build undetected bombs to take down Savage’s house. See, right here it is telling you where to place them, where he sleeps, and where the entire estate’s security is run.” Ryan and Amery squeeze in closer, looking it over with their mouths open wide.

  “And this will kill him?” Ryan asks.

  “No, it’s too easy. However, this could severely damage his control and give my army plenty of time to overwhelm him,” Amery says with a wide smile. “If we can get Galena, we can surely convince her to turn against her father if we have control of his army. Dante must have thought if he took it down, he could team up with one of the other Lords and takeover for his father.”

  “Was there a Lord named, Anson?” I ask Amery.

  “Yeah, my father. I guess I know now why he and Dennis had a falling out. He was teaming up with Dante,” Amery says with a sigh. “We have to finish what our fathers started.” We all agree and move on to planning how to get Galena.

  Today, I wake up feeling pretty good. We are on the right track to get Savage. We have a plan, and it actually seems like a good one. As I walk downstairs and plop down into Nicky’s plush chair, I realize even this house feels better. Franky is gone, and Ryan isn’t walking around like a suicidal zombie anymore; however, as soon as Kayla walks into the room, I sit up a little straighter and feel dizzy with emotions. I don’t know what it is about her that makes me so crazy! I need to get laid … and soon. I can’t spend this much time with the woman and not want to try and seduce her somehow. The moment Kayla turns and smiles at me, I feel a twinge pull me towards her. I have to get out of here. I have to get away from her before I do something I might regret.

  “Where are you going?” Kayla asks me.

  “I need to take care of some business of my own. Don’t worry, I will be back later,” I say, rushing out the door before anyone can stop me. My fast exit turns into a hard takedown. “Fuck!” Catriona hits my chest dead on and falls back onto her ass. The force even knocks the wind out of me.

  “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” she snaps at me.

  “Me? You ran into me, and nearly took me down,” I say to the angry ball of fire. She jumps up off the ground like she has springs in her ass.

  “I was trying to walk through the door. You are the one that came running out of it like some kind of big goon with no sense.”

  “A big goon? Just because you’re short, that doesn’t make me a big goon. Listen, I’m sorry I ran into you, alright?” She stares at me as if she is trying to bore holes into my skull. “What is it that you are doing there?” I ask, squatting down to her size and peering into her green eyes. “I know you can’t take your eyes off me. I get it, but I have some things I need to take care of. You can undress me with your eyes when I get back later. Until then …” I take her phone from her hand, put on a handsome smile, and take my picture. I save it as her wallpaper and hand it back to her. “Enjoy,” I say, relishing in her stunned reaction. As crazy as that girl is, she was able to erase Kayla from my head, so I can go home and relax properly.

  My home is so much more peaceful and relaxing than the Jayzon nuthouse. My Jacuzzi is set to the perfect temperature. I have my drink, my cigar, and total silence all around me. I don’t know why I ever leave this place. I relax, peacefully sitting back in the steaming water until the sudden stomp of feet ruins it all. I look up at the ball of fire and roll my eyes.

  “I wasn’t trying to undress you. I was trying to overdress you so I couldn’t see you at all,” Catriona huffs with pride. I look down at my watch.

  “Have I gone back in time? I swear I left this conversation more than an hour ago.”

  “I had to come here to tell you that. I hope you have learned your lesson,” Catriona says, crossing her arms and smiling wide. I barely know what to say.

  “You spent more than an hour and drove over to my house … wait! How do you know where I live?”

  “I followed you.”

  “You followed me here and have been sitting in your car until you came up with that comeback? Then, you, somehow, broke into my house? All because you wanted to tell me you want to dress me? Wow. I can’t believe you spent that much time thinking about me. I’m flattered Short Stuff, but I don’t even know what your sharp comeback means.” Immediately, she jumps into trying to explain it to me, but I shake my head and continue smoking my cigar. She abruptly stomps her feet again with an angry growl. I laugh at her entertaining display. Cat squats down so we are at eye level, and she hastily grabs my cigar out of my mouth and tosses it into the water. “Are you crazy? That was a perfectly good cigar that you just ruined.” She smiles as she knocks my drink out of my hand. My drink! Son of a bitch! I jump out of my Jacuzzi and bare down on her. “Now you have gone too far!”

  “Oh really? Did that bother you? Good!” she says with a cocky pride. I pick her up, drop her into the water, and walk away. “Eli! Damn you! You come back here,” she yells. The nutcase runs after me, squeaking the whole way. I can hear her every step which makes me laugh. I decide it might be fun to lead her around the house just so she will continue making that cute squeaking noise with her wet shoes. She finally catches on and grabs something to throw at me. She misses, of course.

  “That wasn’t even close. Try again, but this time, release before your hand goes forward,” I say, demonstrating.

  “Ugh! You are the most infuri
ating man I have ever met,” she cringes while standing in front of me, completely drenched and with a scowl on her face.

  With her clothes all wet and sticking to her body, you can tell more about what is underneath, and I have to say, it’s kind of nice. “You’re soaked and getting my floors wet. The least you could do is take those wet clothes off and grab a towel to dry off.”

  “I am not taking my clothes off for you.”

  I quickly move against her, backing her up to the wall. I look down at her with an assured smile. “Why not? I’ll get naked with you, and we can get covered up together under my sheets.” I lean in towards her lips but decide it best to walk away. Catriona runs out of the room, squeaking the whole way out of my house. I’m starting to really like her.

  Chapter 7

  Savage

  Ryan still has not responded to my request to see him. I am beginning to get impatient, and after seeing what killing Timber did for Nicholas, I can only imagine what killing Ryan would do for him. Ryan is ten times stronger and more powerful than Timber was. Nicholas needs this. Something is keeping his heart from hardening completely, and if I am going to keep that woman from him for good, then I need him to make the full transformation. I can’t have her finding her way into his view and doing whatever it is she does that prevents him from becoming the Savage he should be. I have done everything possible to encourage Ryan to respond. I’m not sure what else I can do. I have had enough of these niceties, sweet invitations, and proper letters. I send another man out, not to ask but to tell Ryan this time. My man is to deliver the message that Ryan will be required to meet with me or never see his brother again. A mere hour passes before my man returns with a note. Rabbie walks the man and his defeated expression into my study. My man never looks me in the eye. Instead, he immediately drops to his knees with his arm outstretched to me, holding a message. I take it from his trembling hand just before he forces his own blade into his heart. I look towards Rabbie who ushers in servants to clean up the bloody mess.