“I am sure she would want to meet you. I am willing to help you do that, if you want?” I offer.
“Why would you do that for me?”
“Because I see the pain in your eyes, and I can’t imagine someone taking my child away from me or having to give them up so they can be spared from a tyrant. I will help you, Galena.”
She sighs with tears and cringes with emotion. “I just want you to know Kayla, that he, Nick, is clearly fighting to remember. He is fighting to come back to you. I just hope he is able to in time.” I smile.
“I know he will. I know. Nick always finds a way, he always has a plan,” I laugh. She looks at me with disbelief, but I ignore her doubts and hold my head up with confidence. “For now, let’s arrange for you to see your daughter.” I call Lena and Brady and have them come to the house. Galena, understandably, is on edge about entering our house with all the opposition to her father gathered in one place. Tensions are high, but once I introduce Galena to her daughter and explain the history, tensions around them quickly ease. Lena, however, is in shock.
“You came to my house, why?” Lena asks her.
“I was sent to verify if you were Dante’s child,” Galena confesses.
“And if I was?” she asks but quickly realizes the answer. “You were going to kill me.” Brady tenses, protectively hovering in front of his pregnant wife.
“No need to worry about me. I couldn’t do it when you were a baby, and I certainly can’t do it now. I only wanted to tell you that I would have never given you up if I had thought that there was any way that you could have been spared.” Lena looks down at her growing belly and sighs, burying herself into Brady’s arms.
“What does this mean? We were worried before when we thought she was Dante’s child, and now that she is yours and is supposed to already be dead? Savage will be furious and come at her with a vengeance. Why tell us this now? What do you expect to gain from this?” Brady looks up at Galena as do we all.
“You’re going to help us aren’t you?” Ryan says with hope in his voice.
Galena looks down at the floor, breathing in deeply before looking back up at Lena. “I am going to help you. I can’t do a lot, but I can get you in safely. I can get all of you in undetected. I don’t know what plans you have, but if you have your own invitations to the Masquerade, you will come in with the other guests and be able to blend in without a problem.” I look at Ryan, and he smiles back at me. “It’s your only chance. If it doesn’t work out, then we are all dead.”
“I need one of those invitations,” I say. Galena shakes her head, obviously recalling the viciousness towards me her father spoke of. “He won’t show any mercy towards you, Kayla. Please don’t come to the Masquerade. You and your children need to stay a safe distance away. Nick would want that,” she says to me.
“I won’t give up on him,” I say, not caring about any of the eyes that are focused in on me.
Galena sighs with worry before turning away. “I will do my best to keep you all informed and protected, but that’s about all I can promise right now.”
“Wait,” Lena says, suddenly standing and walking up to her mother. She hugs her, bringing a peaceful smile to Galena’s face. “I have had a wonderful and happy life thanks to you.”
Before she leaves, Galena hugs Brady too. She walks out of the house with such a smile that even Amery’s tense posture loosens up a bit. Ryan kept a close eye on him the whole time Galena was here, and Amery never took his eyes off her until she began to talk about giving up her child.
The group planning the attack will not allow me to be a part of the meetings anymore, out of fear that I might somehow figure out a way to get myself involved. No one trusts me to do what they want me to and that is to stay put. Amery’s deep bruise on his face is humorous, especially to Elijah, but it doesn’t help me and Amery’s relationship any or change his attitude about killing Nick. I warn Ryan to watch Amery carefully for betrayal; he will do whatever he has to accomplish his goal.
Even if I figure out a way to get into the Masquerade and to Nick, I still have to find a way to escape my own home. Gideon has been assigned Kayla-duty during the ball, and he is not to let me out of his sight for a second. I need one of them to trust me. I need one of them to help me. As the days go by, everyone I consider cuts me off before I can even speak. Damn Ryan. He has already warned everyone not to give me a chance to sway them; however, one does need me for her own concerns, and she is the one I need the most if I want to touch Nick’s handsome face at the Ball.
Chapter 28 – The Masquerade
Kayla
The day of the Masquerade, everyone wakes up on edge. However, I wake up ready to fight and cause a whole hell of lot of fucking trouble. Now, where do I begin?
I smile at everyone as the day goes on, and not one of them smiles back. Elijah actually yells at me to quit smiling at him because it’s creeping him out. “Did you drink all the liquor or something? Stop looking at me like that or I will hide any alcohol that is left from you.”
When I smile at Ryan, he just rolls his eyes and moves on. Catriona, though, excitedly accompanies me to my room and allows me to help her prepare for the party.
“It’s hard to get too excited about getting dressed up for this ball, but I am anxious to see Eli’s expression the moment he sees me.”
“I understand how you could feel that way; you certainly have Eli’s attention now. I am sure he is just as excited about seeing you dressed up tonight,” I say, smiling at her and her dreamy-eyed expression. She nods happily. “I can see how he watches you. Eli tends to say dumb things sometimes to women, but be patient with him, and he will find a way to make up for it.”
“I would love to go on a real date with him, to have the opportunity to … have my first time be with him,” she sighs with sadness, and I feel for her.
“Yes, I can only imagine how he would take you out to the nicest restaurant and shower you with flowers. He would probably even wear a suit for the occasion and maybe even shave for you,” I say, causing her to laugh. “If Eli is willing to wait for you, then he is willing to do anything for you. I am sure he is upset about not being able to prove that to you,” I say, erasing her smile.
“I am sorry you have to stay here. I can’t imagine how nerve racking that would be, not knowing what is happening. And wondering about Nick, and if he …” She looks up at me, biting her lip.
“No, I can’t say I am excited about you being my husband’s new wife. And I will certainly be nervous, but not just about that. I’m concerned about everyone’s safety.” I pause, brushing out her hair. “Ryan is strong and strategic, but he is still impulsive, and I worry he won’t think before he acts, especially when it comes to his brother. And Elijah, he is smart and he typically acts intelligently when it comes to business and territory battles; however, it’s Nick, and all it will take is Amery aiming for him to cause Ryan and Elijah to forget and change their focus. I don’t care what they say, they won’t be able to kill Nick, and they won’t be able to stand by and let anyone else do it either. He is their family, and they are his, and nothing and no one is going to change that.” Catriona looks off silently. “Well, they are all strong and determined. I am sure they will find a way to survive, or at least try. I can’t imagine how Elijah is going to do it though. You might be better off focusing on being with Amery.” She looks up at me with wide eyes. “Oh please, you can’t tell me you haven’t considered the possibility. There is no way Eli is going to let you leave with Nick. He is going to run after you and do everything he can to keep you from being taken away. And, you know as well as I do, he doesn’t stand a chance against Nick. Nick will tear him apart right in front of you. I don’t envy you, watching someone you love die is the worst kind of pain.” Her eyes float down to the floor.
She suddenly jumps and turns to me. “But you can stop him. Tell him that he needs to come back for you,” she says. “He would do that for you, Kayla. Eli cares so much about you,” Catri
ona begs, gripping both my hands. Wow, she really does care about him. I feel really guilty now for doing this to her but not enough to stop. Besides, my quest is just as much for her as it is for everyone else.
“Possibly, if he stops to think before he acts. As much as I think Eli cares for me and the boys, I am positive we won’t enter his mind when he sees you being taken away.” Her silence gives their plan away. “But, I am sure you guys have thought about everything and have a plan that will work perfectly.” Her eyes rise to mine. “I didn’t think so. They have assumed losses haven’t they?” She nods. “And you never considered that, out of everyone, there is a strong possibility that Eli would be one of the ones to be lost. Elijah is stubborn, and he feels as if he has nothing to lose most of the time. His wild abandon is attractive at times, but it mostly gets him into trouble.”
“I didn’t want to consider it, and I asked my father to watch out for him.” She crashes her face into her hands. “Oh, I don’t know why I did that. He could care less about what happens to Eli, or me obviously, as long as he wins favor with Savage. He will probably even turn Eli over to Savage just for extra favor from him. But what can I do about it now?”
“I promise you, Cat, I can bring Nick to our side and help us. I just need to get near him and you …”
“Oh no. Noooo. I can’t Kayla,” she says, backing away from me.
“It is the best way. Do you think I would risk it if I didn’t think I could? Do you think I would risk hurting my kids?”
“That’s exactly why I can’t. You are a mother. If something happens to you, and it is my fault … ugh, there is no way I could live with that, Kayla.”
“Cat, please, I know I can do it, if you will just listen to my idea.”
“No. Ryan said you would try this. I should have known you didn’t really want to help me prepare. Thanks anyway.” She grabs her bag and heads for the door.
“Cat? How much are you going to miss Eli when he is gone?” I ask her before she can walk out. “Cat!” I yell, desperately and then calm when she turns with tears in her eyes. “Come back and let me help you. You don’t have to listen to me. I don’t even have to talk. If I say one word, you can leave.” She walks back to me slowly, and I help her get ready without any conversation at all but with a lot of glances towards each other.
Chapter 29
Ryan
Galena pulls through, and we receive our invitations via a special courier
The invitations come decked out in the finest of papers and wrappings, with Savage’s logo embellishing the front in brilliant gold lettering. These invites give us opportunity, and some hope. I have spent a lot of time trying to decide the best way to handle the Masquerade. Everyone has an opinion on how to go about it, but I have a strange feeling that nothing is going to be as it seems, and I can’t shake it. I want to believe that we will be fine and I don’t need to come up with an alternate plan, but experience and intuition tell me otherwise. There is only one way to kill Savage, and I have to find it while I am there. That blade has to be with him, maybe in that cane, maybe that aide Rabbie carries it for him, or maybe he surgically implanted the damn thing within the man. I certainly wouldn’t put it past him; however, there is another way to be rid of him, to maybe not kill him but sentence him to a life in hell. From what Kamini told me, Savage can’t be touched by the High Council unless he is proven to be guilty of a crime, but once he is, his Lordship is revoked and everything he has ever done will come into question. His sentencing will be severe, and his punishment will be to face Kamini, much to her pleasure. She explained to me what I need to do to be a Lord. The process is long and nearly impossible to get approval, but it gave me the opportunity to plead my case and to gain protection as a Lord in waiting. If one Lord is found to be unable to fulfill his duties, then I can step in if they approve me. Approval, though, is not my goal; it is the protection. No other Lord can attack another without cause, or at least not without approval from the Council, even one in waiting. I have made arrangements with Kamini to be there, hidden among the crowd as my witness. If Savage kills me without just cause, then we have him. His army will come for us, and we will have to defend our efforts, but I won’t go after him until he comes after me. One of us will have to die, and either way, he will be done. That is all that matters. As far as Nick, I don’t think I can kill my brother. I keep thinking maybe if I get rid of his tormentor, I can give him a chance to find his way back to his family, but I know that is foolish thinking. Amery is intent on killing Nick, and I trust him to not hold back any when it comes time to do so. I am not sure I can watch the anticipated horrific battle, but if he acts too soon, I can’t hesitate to block him from my brother and hopefully I don’t have to keep Nick from killing me in the process. I will have to let Amery go if that becomes the case, Savage has to be the one to kill me, not Nick. I can’t kill my brother and I certainly can’t sentence him to an eternal, unforgiving hell for killing me.
I walk into the house with the invitations in my hands; everyone instantly looks at me full of restless nerves. “This is probably not going to go well, so if anyone wants to back out, I understand. I have enough of these for everyone, so if you are willing and want to still move forward, then step forward and get yours,” I say, looking at old and new friends. Amery steps forward with a roll of his eyes and takes his, which prompts Dwayne to growl and step forward for his. Terrence, Bo, Reginald, and even Brady step forward to claim theirs as well. Eddy wants to go, but we need him on the outside. We need him to be our eyes and ears.
“You sure they won’t just let me in based on my looks? I look damn good in a tux,” Elijah says, taking his.
“No, your face won’t help us any. You will probably get us all killed before we can even get started, so keep your mask on, Jackass,” I laugh. “Cat already has her own. I gave Kamini one earlier, Kayla isn’t allowed, and Gideon is supposed to stay put and watch her. He has orders to protect her and the boys at all costs. He is the only one that knows how to do it properly. Running isn’t a choice for them anymore. They need to use the Council against Savage. If he has plans to take them over, then they will be desperate to save any power they can to use against him, and Nicky is their best chance.”
Getting ready for this event is a tedious project. No weapons are allowed, so I carefully scope out my tux for any possible places to hide a knife or anything else I think might be of help. Galena gave us special invites which allow us to get in without much scrutiny. I find odd places here and there to hide things, but I know they’re useless unless I can get Savage. Nothing else matters. I must kill him. To come back without doing that is simply failure on my part. I tie Sam’s fire-damaged engagement ring around my neck and let it hang in front of my heart.
Suddenly, Nicky runs into my room and sits on my bed, looking over my mask. “This is cool,” he says, trying it on with funny expressions.
“Yeah, it is, little man,” I say to him, enjoying watching him play with it. Kayla had my mask made. I wouldn’t have thought to do anything this elaborate, but I guess her reasoning is correct. These people won’t spare any expense in their costumes. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for bed?”
“But I want to see you guys get dressed for the party,” Nicky replies, handing me my mask.
“We will take pictures for you, I promise, but you should be in bed.” I pick him up, take him to his room, and put him in bed. He lies down and looks at me oddly before jumping back up and hugging me.
“I love you, Uncle Ryan,” he says, tearing me apart. Ugghhh fuck.
“Uhhh, I love you too, Little Man. Now, get in bed, and I will see you in the morning. I’ll make pancakes tomorrow if you get to sleep right now.”
“Promise?” he says
“I promise.” I kiss his forehead and leave his room before he messes my intentions up any further. Little shit, just screwed my plans up. Now, I have to be sure to come home and make pancakes. I look up and see Kayla smiling at me.
“
You look very handsome,” she says.
“Thank you. I wish this was something we could do together, but I am glad you are not coming,” I say, looking her over for any signs that she is going to defy my orders. “You are staying here, right? You aren’t going to show up somehow, are you?” She doesn’t say a word. She simply adjusts my tie and kisses my cheek, wishing me good luck in her own way. She is going to defy me. I don’t know how, but she is going to do something I told her not to do. I sigh and let it be. Talking Kayla out of doing something she wants to do is as much of a waste of time as talking me out of doing something I want to do. “Nicky wants pancakes for breakfast,” I say to her.
“Well, you are the one that does that best,” she says. I smile at her and hope she stays safe no matter what happens tonight. I decide to continue with my plans as if I still believe she is going to stay put. I grab the back of her head, pull her forward, and kiss her on her cheek.
“I love you, Kayla. Out of all the people in the world, I would still pick you to love my brother and be my sister.”
“Just come back to us. Nicky hasn’t said anything disgusting in weeks, and Brayden still thinks you’re funny. I can’t have that. Who will I be mad at?” she says with a smile.
“We are all coming back, and we are all going to be happy again,” I say before kissing her on the forehead and walking away.
“Hey!” she yells after me. “I like my pancakes with chocolate chips.”
“Good choice.” I wink at her.
“I love you too, Ryan.”
Chapter 30
Elijah
Today is the day, and I am so on edge that I can hardly sit down for a second. My tux fits perfectly, and my mask is shockingly cool as hell. Too bad it’s probably going to get destroyed when I get killed. On second thought, hopefully not. Maybe I can die wearing it, and people will say he died with his mask on. I laugh to myself before noticing Dwayne roll his eyes at me. He would have laughed too; he just wishes he looked this good. If not for having to worry about killing some demons, I might be very excited about tonight. Ryan comes down the stairs with Kayla right behind him, the weight of the world on his shoulders. I don’t envy him. I don’t envy me either. This whole damn thing is pretty much fucking bullshit. “You don’t look bad,” I say to him with half a smile.