The Devil's Masquerade: The Remedy

by Jennifer Loren

  “I get the feeling I am not going to like what I read, Rabbie.” I take in a deep breath and open the letter, allowing pieces of Nicholas’s divorce papers I sent to Kayla to fall out all over my floor.

  Dear Dennis,

  I received your invitation to have Ryan join you for dinner; however, he will not be able to make it. As much as he would like to see his brother, I need him here. That said, you are more than welcome to send Nick, my husband home to join us for dinner. You, however, are forbidden to step foot anywhere near me or my sons, and you will no longer be allowed through the door of our home. You see, I petitioned to the High Council to make my home off limits to you and all of your men. Without permission from the High Council, you cannot come anywhere near my home or any member of my family. So, my dear Dennis, will you kindly stop sending invitations and messages to my home? My brother will not be coming to your home or anywhere near you, and neither will my sons.

  By the way, you can take your phony divorce papers and shove them up your ass.

  Yours sincerely,

  Kayla Jayzon

  “This woman is the bane of my existence! I have had enough of her!” I scream, causing the whole house to rumble. There must be a way to get rid of her.

  Ria struts in with her usual flirtatious style. I am in no mood for her today. If I didn’t need her, I would strangle her right here and now just to ease my frustrations. “You beckoned?” she says with an obnoxiously full bow to the floor and an innocent look up at me between her eyelashes.

  “Stop with the dramatics. I am not in the mood. I invited you here to have dinner with us. I believe it is time for you and Nicholas to get to know each other.” Her excitement is evident as she jumps up and down and immediately begins to question what she should wear. “Prepare yourself. Nicholas will be here shortly.” The woman rushes out to her car and brings in two suitcases full of makeup and clothes. She is an odd one for sure.

  Once Nicholas gets home, I bring out Ria in her made up sweetness and present her to him with great respect and a lot of lies. “Nicholas, I would like you to meet Ria, a wonderful young woman who I think would make an excellent mother. She is of excellent bloodlines and is very excited to meet you. ”

  Ria walks up to him as he takes her hand. “Hello, Nicholas. I am so honored to meet you. I have been waiting a long time for this. You look so handsome tonight.”

  “Thank you. You look very beautiful yourself,” he says, glancing my way.

  Ria gushes while Nicholas seems indifferent towards her. I have Galena join us so she can talk up Ria and help keep the conversation going since Nicholas doesn’t seem to be too talkative these days. I do wish I could figure out what he is thinking. Ria does her usual thing flirting and trying to entice him.

  I begin to gain hope for them when Ria whispers in his ear, and he whispers back. “Well, you two seem cozy. What are you whispering about so sweetly over there?” I ask.

  “She asked if I would fuck her from behind, and I told her maybe when we finish eating, I don’t want to mess up the table setting as it is now,” Nicholas confesses bluntly. I sigh, rolling my eyes.

  “You cannot consummate your relationship until it has been approved, until it has been presented to all the Lords. I would think you could wait a little longer to … fuck however you want, but please, not ever on my table.” Nicholas nods as Ria giggles. I go back to eating and notice something unsettling. “Ria! Stop rubbing his cock under the table.” The woman has no control. She is completely useless. Can I not find one valuable woman to assist me anymore?

  When we finish dinner, we exit to the sitting room, but Nicholas seems anxious. “Is there somewhere you need to be Nicholas?”

  “Actually, yes. I was starting to get some important information about who penetrated our bunker. I would really like to get back to that if I am no longer needed here, Sir.”

  “Very well. Feel free to get back to your work,” I say to him, walking him towards the door. “Are you not interested in my choice for you?” He looks back at Ria and sighs.

  “She’s alright, but honestly, she is not all that exciting. She bores me. Is she always so open with her feelings and interests?”

  “We can always find someone else for you if you would prefer.” His response is nothing more than a shrug. I send him on his way and realize this woman holds no value to him. She is entirely too easy.

  “So will Nick be back soon?” Ria asks excitedly.

  “No. And stop calling him Nick. His name is Nicholas. “Nick” is what those degenerates call him.” I look down at her as she continues into her dreamy eyed fantasies of my grandson. “So, I assume you like Nicholas?”

  “Oh yes! He is so handsome. The way he speaks to me. The way he looks at me. Not to mention, he has the biggest dick I have ever played with. His brother’s is nice too. This family has some great genes,” Ria says excitedly.

  “I am so happy to know that. You really must come out of your shell more, my Dear,” I mutter under my breath as I lead her back to my study. I take out a small blade and hand it to her.

  “What is this?” she asks, looking down at it with shaking hands.

  “Your opportunity. Your one and only opportunity. The tip of this blade has been dipped in poison. All you need to do is draw blood with it. I want you to kill Kayla Jayzon with it. You don’t have to display much force. Just get close enough to her to drive it into her neck, and then, she is done. If you do this, I assure you that Nicholas will make you his wife, and you will bare his children. Otherwise, I will find another. One that is more interesting to him.”

  “But I thought I was already assured of the position?”

  “You were until you bored him and made yourself an annoyance. It is going to take a lot of work on my part to convince him otherwise at this point. From now on, I suggest you speak less and keep your hands to yourself. Actually, just don’t speak at all. That should work much better.”

  “I don’t live in that house anymore. How can I get Kayla vulnerable?” she asks.

  “I don’t care how you do it! All I care is that it is done. Simply cut her. The poison will do the rest,” I say motioning for her to leave.

  Chapter 8

  Elijah

  Sometimes, I find it to be a nice break to hideout in Nick’s office. He has set this room up perfectly to allow you to think clearly. Tonight, I don’t get much time to myself though before Kayla finds me.

  “Drinking by yourself in the dark? That’s not healthy Eli,” she says softly.

  “You’re more than welcome to join me,” I reply, holding out a glass for her. She takes it happily and slides in next to me, resting her head on my shoulder with a sigh. My emotions always get the best of me when she touches me. “Do you want me to hold your hand again tonight?” She smiles and nods, causing an instant excitement within me. She leaves to get a shower before bed while I try to calm my cock. What the fuck am I doing? The images in my head are absolutely … oh so good. Fuck! Stop it! By the time Kayla crawls into bed and takes hold of my hand, it is all I can do not to reach over and kiss her.

  Laying my head down on the pillow, I watch her drift off to sleep. I brush her hair from her face, grazing her cheek and her lips with my fingers, and then, I let my mind go. I take advantage of the moment and enjoy it. It would be perfect, simply perfect, if there was no Nick, no best friend to betray. Only us. Her lips would be mine. The moment I would look into her eyes, I would rip my shirt off and let her run her fingers through my hair. As she courses her fingers through my tresses, I would pull out her breasts, seeking her hardened nipples with my tongue. My dick would harden and anxiously await her, but first, I would pleasure her in every way. Tearing off every piece of fabric on her body, I would enjoy Kayla’s naked form like I have thought about over and over.

  I would kiss her ass, her thighs, and everywhere in between until she couldn’t take it anymore. Until I couldn’t take it anymore. When I pull out my dick, she would swallow it deep into her mouth, ne
ver allowing her sex-filled eyes to leave mine. My hips would move my dick against her lips and her tongue while I slip my fingers inside her. She would become so wet that I would have to stop her and seek out that wet, pink, and oh so tight throbbing pussy that would be waiting for me. Aughhh! It would feel so good fucking her with everything I have, holding her against me and hearing her moans of pleasure as she holds tight to my ass, begging for more. It would all be so incredible to feel her come against my dick and me erupt, deep inside of her. As my smile overtakes my face, I take a quick glance to my side and make sure she is still asleep while I try to calm myself down before it is too late. Damn I really need to get laid soon.

  “You know, you’re not that good looking,” Cat says to me as we drive to check on Gideon.

  “Exactly why is it that you had to come with me? I am only taking him some food.”

  “I wanted to make sure you don’t screw that up,” she says. I don’t bother to respond to her. “You should park in the back where it is dark, but closer to the building,” she barks. I park away from the building and under a street lamp before getting out and grabbing the bags for Gideon.

  Cat follows behind me in a huff. The club is busy, and the girls are looking better than ever. “Hi Eli,” Danielle says to me in her end-of-routine outfit, which really is next to nothing and incredibly wonderful to look at.

  “Hi Danielle. How late are you working tonight?” I ask, looking her over with every muscle in my body ready to pleasure her.

  “I get off in a half hour. Why? Are you going to finally treat me to a night out in that fancy car of yours?” she asks, running her hand across my cheek, down my arm, and over my chest with a hum.

  “Baby, I will treat you to whatever you want,” I say, taking her hand and kissing it.

  “Excuse me. What about me?” Cat says, poking me in the back. I roll my eyes and smile back at her.

  “Don’t worry. I will take you back and drop you off before I take Danielle out.”

  “I thought we were going to get some work done? Ideas and plans with Gideon, remember? Galena is not going to be easy for you to handle tomorrow. You better get some rest and not spend a lot of time playing around with this woman,” Cat says with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

  “Who is Galena?” Danielle asks.

  “The woman he is supposed to meet up with tomorrow,” Cat graciously volunteers.

  “Oh, tomorrow’s date huh? Well enjoy that, Eli,” Danielle says, dismissing me before I have a chance to explain.

  “Danielle, it isn’t really a date. It’s just business,” I yell after her, but she is already gone. Damn it! Cat stands next to me, looking innocent. “Thanks for that.”

  “I don’t think she is your type anyway.”

  “Oh, trust me. She is definitely my type,” I say, finding Gideon and setting him up with some new supplies and gathering information to give to Ryan. Cat never says a word, and I almost forget she is with me until we get back to the car. She stands outside my car, waiting by the passenger door and tapping her foot. “Are you getting in or are you going to run alongside?” I ask.

  “I am waiting,” she says abruptly.

  “Waiting? Waiting for what?”

  “I am waiting for you to open the door for me. I am a lady after all.”

  “You are? Since when?” She ignores my remarks and continues standing outside the car. This is ridiculous. “I didn’t open the door for you when we left the house. Why, all of a sudden, do you require it now?” I yell as she continues to ignore me and wait with her chin up in the air. “Oh for the love of … Fine.” I get out of the car and walk around to open the door for her. “Your Highness,” I say, motioning for her to get in.

  “Thank you.” She slides in without any more trouble. As soon as I get back in the car though, she smiles at me, and that can’t be good. “So, where are we going to go eat?”

  “What? I don’t have time to eat. I have to get back.”

  “You were going to take that girl out to eat.”

  “That was for a date, and I guarantee you we weren’t going to be eating food.”

  “You were going to have sex with her on a first date?” she asks in shock.

  “Yes. Several times,” I say with certainty.

  “Well, I am hungry. I know this great place around the corner that is open late.” I start to tell her no, but when she turns to me and smiles, I, for some reason, don’t bother to argue. I just take her to the restaurant of her choice. We don’t do a lot of talking at first, then, she just can’t help herself. “What I don’t understand is why you like that girl? You could pretty much see everything. Yes, she has big breasts and a nice body maybe, but don’t you think it is better to leave something to the imagination? Don’t you think she would be more attractive to you if she covered herself up more and …”

  “No,” I say, simply shaking my head. “No.” She goes back to eating in silence until I accidently look up and catch her eyes on me again. “What?”

  “How come you let your hair grow so long? It’s not even long enough to pull back, and it keeps getting into your eyes. Doesn’t it bother you? And how come you don’t shave more often? Ryan shaves, and he keeps his hair nice. I think you would look much nicer if you would do the same. You might not have such a hard time getting a woman if you did.”

  “I …” Grimacing in frustration, I try to regain my composure. “Listen. I like myself. I like the way I look. It’s comfortable to me, and I have never had a problem getting women. Trust me, no woman has ever complained to me about any of these things when I get a hold of her. In fact, once I get a woman into bed, she never wants to leave. Now stop with the absurd questions. I got you dinner, so eat and let’s go.” She sighs and looks back down at her food. “If you don’t like me, then why did you insist on spending more time with me? You could have stayed at the house with the clean-cut Ryan and admired his shaving skills.”

  “I find you fascinating. You’re different than most men I have met. I most certainly don’t like you or want to spend time with you. That is absurd. I am simply … studying you, like a science project,” she says, unable to look up at me.

  “Why don’t you follow Amery around? He seems to like being worshiped.”

  “Amery is the most genuine and respectable Lord there is. He is amazing at what he does,” she gushes.

  “Oh, I’m sure.” I roll my eyes.

  “You could learn a lot from him. He could teach you how to dress, to speak, to negotiate …” She goes on and on about Amery.

  “I have to tell you. I don’t care for the guy. So, if you would, please stop talking about him. I am starting to get nauseous over here.”

  “If you would give him a chance, I am sure you would come to respect him too.”

  “Are you in love with him or something?” I ask, and she sits back, instantly in shock. “Oh, so you are. Then why are you here with me? Go find Amery and follow him around.”

  “I am not in love with Amery. I respect him and care for him, as he does me.” I nod, mocking her and mumbling things she would like to do to him. “You are so disgusting! I don’t know why …”

  “Why are you with me? You obviously can’t stand me, so why don’t you just stay the hell away from me?”

  “You don’t want me to be around you?” she asks suddenly with a sad expression. “I was only trying to help.”

  Oh this fucking woman! I swear I am going to put her in her place. Who the fuck is she? She attempts to pulls her hair back, but it’s still a mess. Half of it is hanging around her face. I don’t even think she wears makeup, not that she has to with her features, especially those full, kissable lips. Nevertheless, her clothes could fit me, and those horrible boots. Did she sign up for military duty or something? Her fucking attitude is the absolute worst, and she is nothing but a huge pain in the ass. “Cat … Catriona,” I say until she looks up at me with her big green eyes, and for some reason, I smile. She smiles back with ease, causing me to
laugh. “Never mind, Short Stuff, let’s go. I have another errand to run.”

  “Can I go too?” she asks.

  “I would miss you if you didn’t,” I say, glancing down at her beautiful smiling face and feeling a strange twinge within me.

  Chapter 9

  Elijah

  Today we received word that Galena is going to be alone for a short time, making arrangements for a flight for her and Nick to go to a meeting out of state. There is little discussion on whether we should wait. The only discussion concerns how we will go after her. Kayla, refusing to be left out, leaves the boys with Gideon, but I demand she not come anywhere near the fight, and Ryan agrees with me. They will seek her out to kill her for sure. Amery volunteers to guard her, from what we perceive to be a safe distance, while the rest of us go after Galena and her guards. It isn’t going to be easy, but if we concentrate on getting Galena before Nick gets there, then we should be good. We have to act fast. She isn’t expected to be alone long. Catriona suddenly steps in between Ryan and I as we discuss the best way to enter the airplane hangar.

  “I should go in first,” she says confidently.

  “And why is that Short Stuff?”

  “Because I know her tactics better than any of you. I can direct everyone to the right places so we strike her weakest points,” she says.

  Ryan and I laugh. “Okay. I’m sure you can, but I think it is best we let Ryan go first since he is the strongest, and then me, and then … well you can come in with us but be sure to stay close to me so you don’t get hurt.”

  “You foolish ass. I am much stronger than I look. I can take you down with little effort,” she snaps back.

  “I would let her do what she wants if I were you. Catriona has been a valuable asset to my army.” Amery floats into the discussion while lounging on top of his car.