“I am ready to go to my room. Then I will go workout and train with whoever you think best, but I don’t want to talk to anyone. I don’t want to be welcomed or made to feel I belong here,” I say, trying to avoid looking at his happiness. Savage’s smile changes slightly as he graciously points the way. Rabbie helps me get settled in my new room and provides whatever I want. Rabbie never looks directly at me or says a word. The only instruction I get is from Savage who insists that I join him for breakfast the next morning since I seem so determined to spend my first day away from him.
By the end of my first day I am exhausted, but I can’t sleep. All I can do is think of my family and how I can get back to them. By the time the sun comes up, I am wide awake and ready to get this day over with. I manage to find my way to breakfast, not that I am hungry for food.
“Good morning, Nicholas. Are you ready to begin your real training?”
“I am, more than ever.” My grandfather leads me to a large room where I come face to face with Galena. She stands tall and lean with her long dark hair tied tight behind her. She is of excellent proportions, of course, but it is her eyes that catch me off guard. With a smile, a golden spark ignites within her eyes just before swirling fire begins to form.
“Nicholas, meet Galena, your father’s half-sister and your Aunt,” he says. Apparently Galena never told him that we have met already. I don’t know why, but I assume she has a good reason, so I go along with it.
She leans into me with an awkward hug. “I certainly don’t look old enough to be your aunt. Do I?” Shaking my head, I look at her with a questioning expression, but I keep my mouth shut. “Your father was my brother. I looked up to him. I loved him so much. The day he died was heartbreaking for me, but I certainly understand.” She grasps my face with tenderness. “You poor dear, you must have been so scared, not understanding a thing about yourself. Your father, I loved him dearly, but his stubbornness always got in the way of his best judgment,” she says as I back away from her tenderness. “Well, you look so much like him Nicholas. I am so happy to finally get a chance to spoil you like I should have gotten to do when you were younger.”
“Trust me, Nicholas, Galena will drive you crazy doting on you like you’re her child,” Savage says.
“I don’t need to be doted on. I am not a child anymore. I thought I was here to learn, not for a family reunion?” I say, backing away from them both. “I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to be.”
“Very well. Let’s gets started then. There is one more person you need to meet though, Nicholas.” I look over and see a large man coming towards us with nothing close to a smile. “Delin, my personal assassin. He can kill anything without hesitation.” The man grabs two swords and begins twirling them like they are as light as feathers and no more dangerous. His ruthlessness is obvious, and I have no interest in getting anywhere near him. Delin turns and begins tossing the swords towards Savage, following with knives. Savage moves from one place to the next, knocking them down and away from him. He’s fast for an old man. “Weapons. You don’t need any weapons, Nicholas. You have all you need to defend yourself. Now, let me show you how to control your ability. How to predict what your enemy will do before he actually does it. How to move swiftly through the most ruthless attack,” he says, stepping up and squaring his shoulders with mine. “Are you ready, Nicholas, to become who you were born to be?”
I breathe in deeply and look him in the eyes, “Yes.”
Chapter 26
Kayla
I rush out of my room and down the stairs ready to scream, but the moment I come face to face with Ryan, I know. “He’s gone Kayla,” Ryan says. I slam into his chest, furious, but the tears fight their way through anyway. “I am sorry, but he felt he had no choice, and for once, I think I have to agree with him.” I shake my head, but Ryan holds me tight. “Those people are after something, and Savage is the only one that can help. He knows about me now and is supportive of helping us. As much as I distrust him, right now, we need him.”
I look up at him in shock, “You talked to Savage?”
“I met him with Nick, and he agreed that I am more than capable of watching over you all, while Nick …”
“While Nick seeks the revenge that you want so badly.”
“And that you want, too. Don’t deny it. I heard you say the same things I did about wanting to destroy Sam’s killers. Besides, with Nick on the inside, we can be assured of Savage’s every move. He can learn more this way, Kayla, more than we could have ever learned in that shelter that our father built.” I pull away from him, shaking my head when I see that woman come down the stairs. I look back at Ryan, and he instantly begins to squirm.
“Why are you still here? I thought you were supposed to leave yesterday?” I snap at her.
“Kayla, Nick still wants her protected, too. She was attacked because of her connection to him. Until he feels she can be safe on her own, she needs my protection as well. I can’t watch everyone from their own homes, so I need everyone to stay in one place.”
“I don’t need you to watch me!” I yell back at him. Ryan comes back and wraps his arms around me.
“Kayla, don’t express your anger here. Let’s do it in a more private place. No one here is the cause of this.” I push away from Ryan and go towards Franky.
As I pass Franky on the stairs, she, for some reason, feels the need to open her mouth. “Good morning, Kayla. It is so nice of you and Nick to allow me to stay with you.” Something about her sugary sweetness makes me ill.
“You’re welcome, please make yourself at home. Excuse me, I need to go check on my sons,” I say, forcing a smile to appease Ryan’s glaring eyes.
“Oh, no need to worry about them, Kayla. I checked on them myself a few minutes ago. I made them breakfast. I made breakfast for everyone, actually,” she says, smiling wide. I glance towards Ryan as he shrugs. She walks down towards Ryan and grazes her hand across his chest. “I am sure you need a good meal to start the day, Ryan, especially with all the protecting you are going to be doing.” Franky goes to the kitchen while Ryan pleads with me to make peace.
“I won’t be a total bitch to her, but don’t expect much more. And you stay away from her,” I say to him.
“Excuse me?”
“Suddenly, she is sleeping in your room and flirting? This is not a good time for you, and she thinks you need that from her? She is using you for some reason, and you are too caught up in your broken heart to see it. Don’t fall for it, Ryan.”
“It is actually kind of nice to have someone who is friendly around here. You know, someone who is not always telling me to what to do. I will do as I please, and I will fuck who I want. I am here to help you and the boys. I am not here, however, for you to judge and take your frustrations out on,” he says, shutting me up instantly. “Come on, breakfast smells good, and you will eat it and be pleasant about it. Otherwise, I will lock you in your room for the remainder of my time here,” he says with a typical Jayzon-strong stance.
Elijah walks through the door with his usual annoyed attitude.
“Don’t look at me that way,” I say to him.
“What did I do? I just got here. You called, and I am here. Why? I don’t know because you weren’t exactly nice about it. Eli, get your ass over here. You know, Kayla, you could really use some brushing up on that sweet talk I hear you are so good at.”
“I need you to help me, please. You owe me,” I say, smiling forcefully.
“I do? Since when?” I grab him and pull him into Nick’s office. “Baby, if you are going to grab me like that, at least moan a little bit.”
“Eli that woman is here.”
“What woman?”
“Franky!”
“Still? Alright, so? What do you want me to do about it?”
“I want you to get Nick back.”
“How the hell do you expect me to do that?” I look down at the floor and have nothing to say to him, no ideas at all. “Oh, well that’s
a good idea, Kayla.”
“I want you to stay here. I know Nick wants you to look after us, and I know you feel obligated to do so no matter how much I get on your nerves. And I feel … I want … I want you to stay here with us, too,” I say with innocent eyes and a soft touch to his chest.
Elijah is silent for a few minutes before standing back and laughing, “You are something else woman. I have to hand it to you. I almost believed you.” I continue to look up at him innocently. “Oh don’t give me that face! Getting me to move in here is not going to get Nick to come running back here. He trusts you too much, and worst of all, he trusts me … damn him. So you can stop the act. Good try though.”
I try to hold my hurt expression on my face, but another mocking expression from him convinces me that it is no use. We walk back out to the living room when Franky comes in, smiling.
“Elijah, so good to see you again,” she says, running up and hugging him. She smiles back at me before nodding my way and running upstairs and out of sight. Elijah watches her curiously.
“What?” I ask. He shakes his head. “No, what? You are curious about something what is it?”
“How do you know that?” He asks looking at me in shock.
“I got paid to know how to read a man, remember?”
“Huh,” he says, looking me up and down. “It really wasn’t anything. I just don’t remember her liking me too much. Really, it wasn’t that she didn’t like me … Franky was shy. She barely spoke to me. She wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. Now, she is so outgoing. That is some transformation over the years.”
“I used to be shy,” I say, causing him to laugh. “Shut up! I did! I wouldn’t talk to anyone.”
“No, you were stubborn and protective of yourself. Franky was different; she was insecure, simple, and not much for the makeup and shoes. And those are some really expensive shoes she has on. I guess she is trying to impress Nick, but it is still interesting how someone can transform over the years.”
“Isn’t it?” I say, considering the idea.
Elijah stares off, thinking about something before turning back to me. “You know what? I will move in here. Why not? It could be fun. This house is always entertaining, much more so than mine ever is. Now, do I bunk up with you? I should warn you though, I sleep naked, and I am impossible to resist when I am naked.” I roll my eyes and walk away from him.
“Oh Kayla, don’t deny your love for me,” he yells back at me.
Dinner time is interesting, with the crowd that we have now. If nothing else, it distracts me from the absence of Nick for a little while. My sons clearly miss their father, and Ryan is not his usual fun-loving self, the uncle the boys love to hang on. I do my best to fill in, but I know I am not what they really need. When Nicky approaches me to play one of his games, I try to figure it out in my own manner and not how Nick would usually do it.
Nicky looks up at me with a frustrated sigh, “That isn’t how Daddy does it, Mommy.”
“I bet I know how it works,” Elijah says from behind us. He sits down and starts talking to Nicky, and apparently, he does know how the game works. “Your dad and I invented this game.”
“You did?” Nicky asks him.
“Yep, we spent hours playing it. I won constantly, but every once in a while, I would let your dad win,” Elijah says, and Nicky laughs. “Don’t laugh. I am a genius.” Nicky laughs again, only louder. “I am starting to get a complex kid,” he says with a wink back in my direction. I mouth “thank you,” and he nods with a smile.
Chapter 27
Elijah
I don’t know what I was thinking moving in. Maybe a part of me really wants to believe this is my family. Kayla is my wife, and little Nick and Brayden are my sons. Nicky certainly has a good life. I don’t know why in the hell he would ever give this up. I would fight like hell to keep it, and I hope like hell that’s what he is doing. Kayla passes me with a smile and my knees begin to buckle. Oh what the hell am I doing? I should leave.
“Eli!” Little Nick runs up on me, carrying his favorite car. “Eli, my car is broken. Will you fix it?” I nod, and he climbs up next to me, watching me as I repair the broken toy.
Before the end of the night, Brayden begins to get tired, crawls into my lap with his blanket, and falls asleep against my chest. Nicky eventually falls asleep next to his mother who is curled up near me, asleep. I pull a blanket down and cover them up. Looking around me, I have to take a second to remember to breathe. Oh, Dad, if only you could see me now. In this moment right here, right now. This is all I wanted for you, for me.
“You look good with them,” Franky says, looking over us all.
“I look good with my best friend’s family. Yeah, I don’t think so,” I say.
“Well, he’s not here anymore, and they are going to need someone. His loss could be your gain?” Franky says with an encouraging expression.
“What are you doing here, Franky?”
“They want me here so I can be protected from those horrible men, too. I have no idea how to defend myself against such ruthless killers.”
“The ruthless killers are after Nick and his family, not Nick’s dead mother’s physician.” She looks confused by my words. “I don’t think so, Franky. I’m not buying the innocent girl needing protection bullshit. Why are you really here? Why are you encouraging me to steal Nick’s family? You have no chance with him anymore. He loves them. He loves her. No one else is going to break that.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. I am over Nick. I am perfectly content with my life. My only interest is helping Nick any way I can. Even with his mother gone, I can still help. In fact, Nick is very encouraging about me helping Ryan through his tough time. The poor man has lost his love, Elijah. He needs me.” I roll my eyes, laughing at her absurd reasoning. “And what about you Elijah? What are you doing here?” she asks with a sudden attitude. I stand up with Brayden still in my arms, and look down at her.
“I’m here to figure you out, whoever you are.” She looks me up and down with a scowl.
“You are a disgusting individual,” she says with a snarl.
“See, it’s things like that, Franky. I have always been a disgusting individual, everyone who knows me knows that, but you, whoever you are, seem to be shocked by it.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. I have changed over the years. Sure, I assumed you had grown up some over those same years. My mistake, I guess. You apparently don’t have the ability to progress past a young child’s mind.”
“Ooh that hurts. Tell me. How does it feel to be in the house of the man you love but not be in his bed? Instead, he puts you in the guest quarters way in the back and away from the family he shares with another woman. How does it feel to walk around seeing pictures of them together, celebrating their happiness and love? You’re nothing but a memory, girl, a distant one at that.”
She leans in with a tense expression, “I am fine Elijah. How do you feel about it?” She steams, and in that instant, I see it, a flicker of something change about her. It is brief, and I am not even sure she realizes that I saw it.
For now, I back off and let my suspicions rest. “No reason to get bent out of shape Franky. You know me. I just like to mess with people.” I laugh it off and watch her stomp away.
“What was that about?” Kayla asks.
“I thought you were asleep.” She sits up and cocks her head, waiting for me to answer her question. “I don’t know yet, but I will let you know when I do.”
Later in the night, I see Franky sneaking into Ryan’s room. Oh gross. I groan at the horrible images in my head. Damn you, Nick. I suck it up for friendship and knock on Ryan’s door. He finally opens with a disgusted expression. “Hey sunshine, I think you need to see something I discovered earlier.”
“What’s that Eli? I am a little busy right now.”
“I understand, but it is extremely important I show you right now.” He rolls his eyes and follows me out of his roo
m to a private place for us to talk. I smack him in the back of the head as soon as we are alone.
“What the fuck Eli! I swear I will …” He yells, standing toe to toe with me.
“What is wrong with you? You need to stay away from that woman, not fuck her every night.”
“What is with everyone telling me what to do? I can make my own decisions, and if you don’t like it, then fuck you” Ryan snaps at me.
“Ooh are we angry now? Good! You’re being a jackass. I understand your grief Ryan, but she is using you.”
“She is helping me. You don’t know what you are talking about. She hypnotizes me, and I get to be with Sam every night. I don’t have to miss her so much.” Nick was right. He does need someone to keep him from doing something stupid. I feel for him, his broken heart is written all over him.
“She’s not helping you, Ryan. She’s helping herself. I don’t know what she is after, but she is using you to get it, and worst of all, she is using Sam.” His hardened expression turns to shock. “You know it. There is something about her that just isn’t right, and she just volunteers to pretend to be Sam every night to the point that you fuck her. Who would do that?” He steps away from me, pretending he stopped listening. “You’re right. You can make your own decisions. I won’t bring it up again, so you go ahead and fuck her. Hell, marry her for all I care. You can pretend she is Sam forever, but at some point, I would think you would realize that she isn’t Sam. Then what? Are you going to grieve all over again? You’re just prolonging the inevitable. Ryan, Sam is gone, and I guarantee you that woman is not going to ever be able to replace her.”
“I am not trying to replace her!”
“Yes, you are! You feel guilty, and if she isn’t actually gone then you don’t have to feel guilty. I can tell you though, the guilt never goes away, even if it isn’t your fault. The best you can do is go on and be the man Sam loved. She wouldn’t want it any other way. You are only disgracing her memory this way.” He turns to face me, ready to tear me apart. “Fall in love with another woman that is up to her standards, then, you’re honoring her. Fucking a woman that isn’t even close to who Sam was and pretending she is her, well, I can only imagine how she would feel about that.” I shake my head and leave him alone. Ryan passes by me quickly and walks straight into his room. Within a few seconds, Franky is escorted out of his room and the door is shut behind her. I smile wide, much to Franky’s displeasure. “Have a good night.” I wave happily to her frowning expression before going into my room.
The Devil's Masquerade: The Poison Page 16