The Devil's Masquerade: The Remedy (The Devil's Eyes) (13 page)

“Well, I don’t like getting fucked without it,” I demand.

He grabs my face and looks down at me, “You do what I say.”

“No! I do what I want, and if you don’t like it, then leave.”

“I will leave when I want to,” he demands back.

“No, if you are not going to remember your own wife and children and treat me like I deserve to be treated, then leave. I don’t want you here.” He stands back, looking at me in shock. “That’s right. That’s why your grandfather doesn’t want us together. He took that memory from you, and he wants to keep us from you so you never remember us. So you never remember who you really are.”

“Lie!” he seethes back at me.

“No, he lies. Go back to him if that is what you want. I don’t want you here.” I stand up and shove him. “Go! You don’t deserve your family. I don’t want to see you ever again. I don’t want to even remember you exist.” I shove him again, “Go! You’re not the man I love. I love Nick Jayzon! Not you, not Nicholas Savage, an emotional drone who does only as his grandfather tells him.”

Nick grabs my arms and looks down on me. “He looks out for me only, but I do as I want. I command as I choose. I am the leader of an army, and you are nothing but a woman.”

His swirling eyes are already trying to control me again. I laugh, “You have tried that before, my husband, but it never works on me. I love you because I want to, not because you force me to. I loved you when you were your own man and not your grandfather’s minion.”

“Stop saying that! I don’t know who you are. I don’t know these children you keep saying are mine. I don’t understand why you are trying to fool me with such lies. What do you want from me?”

“What do you want from me, Nick? You’re the one that came to my bedroom. You are the one following me and seeking me out. What is it? Are you starting to doubt what your grandfather tells you? Or are you feeling something for me that you don’t understand?” He releases me and leans down to gather his clothes. I jump on him and force him to the floor, straddling him completely. Forcing my lips to his, I feel that twinge within my heart again. “A woman trying to kill you would never make you feel like you feel right now. I’m no ordinary woman, Nick, and you know it.” I remove my body from his and put on my robe. “You should probably go. Someone will be up here to check on me soon.”

“You need people to check on you like you’re a child?” Nick smiles.

“No, not like a child. The people who check on me are men who worry about a woman.” I move close to him, and now he stands near me, calm and wanting more of me. I graze his lips with mine, trailing my fingers down his manly body and waiting for him to take hold of me. The moment I feel his strong hands grab my waist and hold me to him, I move in again, pressing my lips against his and tasting them with a soft sweep of my tongue. He responds perfectly, and powerfully. He lays me back onto the bed, still fighting his desires. I sweep my hand through his hair as he tears my robe back and takes hold of my breasts with both hands. He sucks on every part of them, enjoying their fullness against his lips and feeling the edges of my nipples against his cheek. He moves in further, kissing up my neck while wrapping my legs around his waist. His penetration is tight but deep and full. His once swirling anger looks down on me again, but this time, it is muddled by a spark of something I haven’t seen since he was poisoned. He kisses every part of me, enjoying every touch and every whimper from my body. He comes, gripping my hands and with his lips pressed against my skin, whispering his pleasured emotions. He lies naked with me for a few moments before he begins to get nervous, and so do I.

“You should go. It’s not safe for you here, right now,” I say, cradling his face. I watch him carefully as he dresses and prepares to leave. “Nick?” I say just before he moves back out the window. “I love you.” He doesn’t say it back, but the moment the words leave my mouth, I hear his heart beat again. I immediately shower after he leaves, wiping any precious scent of him off my body and keeping his presence here a secret. My body is still trembling by the time I reach my bed. I am so restless that I have to get up and pace before finally stopping in front of the window and noticing a shadowy figure looking up at me from the distant street.

“You are still up? I thought you were long asleep by now. Are you okay?” Ryan asks. I look over at him and smile but return my focus back to the shadowy figure that watches me so intently. Ryan moves across the room and hugs me from behind, kissing the back of my head trying to comfort me as he believes I need right now. “Everything is going to work out Kayla. I promise you. You know Eli and I will do everything we can to get Nick back home.”

“I have every faith that you will, Ryan,” I say, looking down at my husband as he disappears into the rainy night.

Chapter 17

Nick

I start towards my car but run back to her window, look up, and wait until she steps in front of the glass and smiles down at me. I don’t know why I’m having so much trouble leaving this place. I don’t know why I desire this woman so much. She’s so maddening, frustrating, and yet, I can’t take my eyes off of her. The rain drenches my body, but the sight of her warms me within. There has to be a reason. There has to be something drawing me to her. There is no reason I can see that I should defy my grandfather this way and still keep her alive. I should kill her, but the moment I see a man step behind her and touch her, breathe against her, a new rage consumes me, and something inside me wants to kill like I’ve never felt before.

I return back to the restaurant as it is closing up, and even though I brought a long coat, my head and part of my body is still drenched.
Umbrella next time Nick!
How am I going to play this off? I walk up to Ro and Delin as Ro is telling him about the time he had to sneak out of a house he broke into through the roof.

I sit down, and Delin looks me over with concern. “You are not well?” he asks.
Oh, that will work.
I begin to go with my apparent feverish look and move stiffly and slowly.

“You don’t look too good Nick,” Ro says.

“I don’t feel so good actually,” I say weakly. “I am tired, and I would like to go home now.”

Luckily, Ro realizes my plan and helps me pull it off. He drives me home and helps me up into bed. Unfortunately, Delin worries about my illness, and as soon as we get back home, he immediately reports to Grandfather that I am sick.

When I hear people coming down the hall, I begin cringing as if I am in pain as Ro throws some water on me. “What the hell are you doing?” I snap at him.

“Just look sick, feverishly sick,” he whispers back to me.

I curse him under my breath as I bury myself deep into my bed before Grandfather rushes in to my room. “Nicholas? What is wrong? Delin said you became sick at the restaurant.” Ro starts to open his mouth but instead motions to me like a girl, and luckily, I understand what he is trying to tell me.

“Ria showed up at the restaurant, upset and beat up pretty badly. She tried to talk me into helping her kill Kayla. I told her no because I know how you feel about me being around that woman. And I guess she didn’t take it well. She must have slipped something into my drink, some kind of poison I guess. I went to the bar to flirt with some woman and became sick soon after. I can’t think of anything else that could have happened. I barely ate, and I didn’t drink heavily,” I say with a groan. Grandfather looks towards Delin who nods back in agreement.

“That woman is an absolute disaster. No more of her, Nicholas. I promise. We will find you another match.” He looks me over closely, “You worry me. You do not look well at all. Are you sure I do not need to call for a doctor?”

“No, I am fine. I only need a little sleep, and then I will be as good as new,” I say, trying to reassure him.

“While I have your attention, I want to address the issue of that woman, Kayla. I should not have dismissed you and your loyalty to me. I know you are more than capable of handling yourself; however, this woman is someone I have desired to deal with for some time, and I am going to have to insist on you letting me be selfish and take this one on myself, for my own pleasure.” He seems to want to stop there in his confession, but I want more from him, and he knows it. “She hates us because I had her husband killed. He was a warrior that was set on taking power back for … Rein.”

“I thought Rein and our family were in agreement to stay peaceful towards each other,” I ask him with more interest.

“Outwardly, we are, but it doesn’t stop him from hiring others and making side agreements to support our demise. Kayla’s husband was one of those people. He came in here to attack us and nearly killed you and Galena all at the same time. I had to fight him on my own to save you both. It was a terrible battle.”

“Is he why I can’t remember much?” He nods. “What was his name?”

“That doesn’t matter now, Ma Joie. All that matters now is that you are safe, and Galena is safe. All that is left is to take care of this woman, which I promise, I am handling as we speak.”

“She doesn’t seem that harmful to me,” I say.

“She is out for blood, Nicholas. She is a highly skilled temptress who will do everything she can to lure you into her bed. Once you are there, she will suffocate you in your sleep. She will do and say whatever she can to lure you to her. I can’t express to you enough how badly you need to stay away from her. For your own good, Nicholas, forget about her and let me handle it,” he says, laying his hand on my shoulder before exiting my room.

I hide in my room for the rest of the night, pacing and cursing my thoughts and feelings. I loved watching her move. I loved touching her. I loved being inside of her, and most of all, I love feeling her warm lips pressed against mine. I didn’t want to let go of her … if I thought I could have been able to, I would have tied her up and brought her home with me or taken her somewhere where I could keep her just for me … just for me and no one else. I finally crawl into my bed and try to forget her, but my deep sleep dives into a dream that confuses me even more:

“I was a stupid kid, Kayla. Yes, I wanted to fuck her, but I didn’t love her.”

“Shut up! I hate you! I wish you were dead!” she screams at me.

I take hold of her tense arms. “You hate me?” She nods assuredly. “Then, kill me.” I take out my knife and hand it to her. “Here, take it. Kill me if that’s what you want.” She takes it, and I hold out my arms so she has clear access to my heart. She comes at me but not with anger, so I stop her. “Not like that, Princess. That was too light. If you want to kill someone, you have to go at them with all the hate you have inside. Now, try again.” We battle back and forth until I finally give her all that she needs to come at me and kill me. “Try again.”

“No, Nick,” she says, trembling.

“Try again. Come at me and mean it!” I yell at her.

“I don’t want to,” she whimpers.

“Come on, right here!” I say, smacking the area over my heart. She steps back, and I take hold of her face to force her to look at me. “What’s wrong? You hate me, remember? Stick it in my heart, Kayla. Teach me a lesson. You said yourself that I’m going to kill you. You might as well get me first. Do it! Do it, Kayla!”

I twist in my bed, picturing it all so perfectly that I can almost feel her, taste her. The craving for her intensifies, and I have to force myself awake to break free of her. I’m almost afraid to close my eyes again. At the same time, my erection is anxious to go back to dreaming of her.

I spend all night dreaming odd and indiscernible things until she steps in again. The woman haunts me throughout the night. The images of her are so real, so powerful that, when I awake, I almost believe that they were real … very real. I can’t imagine what she did to me, but there has to be a cure. The only person that can tell me what that cure is, however, is her.

The next morning, I can barely think of anything other than the time I spent with Kayla last night. Ro has to remind me to snap out of it several times before I see my grandfather. Before my grandfather has a chance to say anything to me, Galena catches site of me first and looks me over with a curious expression. I simply shake my head, and she leaves me alone.

“What are your plans for today, Nicholas?” Grandfather asks me.

“The usual, nothing terribly exciting today,” I say, trying to hide my deepest feelings from him.

He looks at me with suspicion when Galena speaks up and begins discussing things that distract him from me. I just want to crawl into bed and dream of her next to me. Ro kicks my chair, and I jump up with wide eyes. “I do need you to take care of something for me Nicholas, if you don’t mind?” Grandfather says to me.

“Of course, whatever you need me to do,” I say with my thoughts still miles away.

“There is a man who has stolen from me, and I believe he needs to be dealt with. I cannot have anyone stealing from me and getting away with it, so I would appreciate if you would go down to the seventh dock and find the man in charge of processing the incoming shipments,” Grandfather says.