Nadine Book 7

13. The Devil

We walk into King Corbin Blayze's office. Him, Victor, and the 2 girls are in it.

Thora fixes a sword on her hip. "We're here to search and take what we want. Stay the f**k out of our way."

"Was Bella your real mom?" The boys shake their heads at Coral. "What did she look like and how did she die?"

"I don't remember her at all. Everyone always said I looked like her though. I guess I have her hair and eyes. I never seen a painting of her even."

"Why?"

"Dad burned everything of hers."

Corbin nods. "He killed her when he got bored with her. Like the others. Then they got erased. He kept mom for a long time though. Almost 500 years, I think. I remember her vaguely. Nikolas showed me a painting of her once. I have no idea where he hid it though. It's probably long gone by now."

Elek nods. "And the records for the castles you scammed the money from?"

"No records. Only the castle vault log. Say we stole 400 gold bars from a castle." He gets a book out of his desk. "It would be entered in as plus 400 gold bars. No explanation of where it came from. No records. Gold would be added and that was it."

"We're keeping this."

"Yea, we don't need it anymore."

Tye puts an arm around me. "Let's start."

"So who are you? I'm Camilla. I'm Corbins mate."

"I'm Thora."

"Queen Coral Borin."

I turn around and walk out. I find Nikolas's office. It's so empty. A few books on the shelves. No paperwork anywhere.

"He probably wasn't here for a year." Tye pulls the drawers out of the desks and looks around in the holes. "I think we found everything in his hidden office vault."

I shake my head. "How can there be nothing?"

"Maybe what Corbin said was real. His dad erased everything. Hell if what they are saying is true, he even tried to erase their mom."

"Let's search his apartment."

"He may have lived there with a woman, babydoll."

"I am aware that he was pretending to be with me, Tye. I'm mad at myself for believing it."

Elek follows me and Tye to the apartments.

His apartment is castle issued stuff. The place is spotless and seems like no one lives here. There's no wall safe. There are no paintings. His clothes in the village colors are hung up.

There are no female clothes anywhere. No letters. No receipts. No, nothing. There was actually more at my castle. I search as much as I can and find nothing.

Elek is standing in the hallway with Corbin. "His girlfriend's apartment was 3rd from the end on the left."

Then Tye puts his arm around me. "Remember he wasn't here for a long time. That's why everything is so clean."

This one is actually lived in. There's some jewelry on a table by the door. A couple of paintings of ocean scenes on the wall. A dress and underwear on the floor with shoes that were kicked off in a hurry. I know what that was about.

Elek laughs. "The woman was f*****g the guards."

I go to the bedroom and I hate this place. She had my mate here. She got to love him more than I did.

I search everything. She has a lot of jewelry. Then I find a few letters in a drawer. They are from different men telling her how much they loved her. I find 1 signed by Tobias and I crack up laughing.

I carry the letters out to the boys. "See who it's signed by."

"f**k woman. This is like letters from 30 different men." Tye flips through them.

Elek grabs 1. "All giving her jewelry and gifts and shit."

I put an eyebrow up. "Must have been nice. I never get any jewelry."

Tye gives me a dirty look. "Woman, you have your own jeweler. Make your own. I'll pay for it."

Corbin peeks in. "Finding anything?"

"We found a real whore." Tye flips through more papers.

"Yea, she was that. Always willing to f**k anyone to get information or money."

Elek looks at Corbin. "And Nikolas was ok with that?"

"She could do whatever she wanted. Nikolas didn't care about her. He refused to stay with her. Refused to let the w***e in his place. She was around for formal stuff and to f**k someone if my dad needed her to. Hell I think my dad f****d her. But Nikolas would pretend to be happy with her when he had to. It's what worked."

"I'm going to throw up boys."

Tye pulls me out in the hallway. "What's next babydoll?"

"Let's try his dad's place, and I'm scared."

Elek walks out behind us. "We all are. How is it?"

"I've been in the sitting room, dining room, kitchen. All the main stuff. It's always looked fine. It was fine growing up."

Everything looks good. It's clean fancy stuff. Exactly what you would expect out of a king's place. I find a jewelry box with some nice pieces. I leave it. No wall safes.

"I GOT SOMETHING." Of course, you do Tye.

There's a hidden doorway in the back of the closet.

"I was hoping we wouldn't find this Tye."

Elek nods. "Use Dipak's feather."

"Oh come on. It could be a second level to the closet." Tye goes down the steps.

Elek looks at me. I connect the feather and go behind Tye.

"Hi sweetheart. How's it going?"

"Tye found a hidden stairway in the back of a closet. We're going down now. Elek told me to connect. Tye disagrees and I'm getting glared at."

"Connect Marcus and Tre too, sweetheart. We'll listen."

I connect all of them. Tye gives me a dirty look, then accepts it.

"Hi hun. You ok?"

"Yea, hidden stairway. Connected everyone. Going in now."

"Ok."

"What's going on so far?"

"Elek and Tye are arguing silently about who's going first. I'm waiting for 1 of them to shove the other down the stairs. Either way, I'll be in soon."

They turn around and give me a dirty look.

"Sorry, they asked."

We get to the bottom of the steps and go through a very thick door. Tye finds the lights. "Yea boys, you're going to want to red room this. I have no idea what I'm seeing. It's a big bed in the center of the room with chains coming off the ceiling. Shackles. I smell human blood."

Tye picks something up off a table. "Torture devices."

Corbin touches my arm. "Whips and chains. Saws. This is insane."

Elek grabs my other arm. "I'm pulling them out. They don't need to be here. This room is used for torture, murder, and rape. Send someone else."

"Yea, get them out of there now. We're on the way."

I open a tall cupboard. 50 heads. 50 heads are staring at me.

10 seconds later.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

I feel hands grab onto me. I don't even know whose they are.

"f*****g CHRIST." Tye tries to shut it and 1 of the heads fall out. It makes a splattering thud sound.

"AAAAHHHHH!"

Elek picks me up with 1 arm and grabs Tye with the other. "Corbin drag him out. Go." He shoves Tye at him.

Corbin pukes all over the floor.

Elek yells, "DIPAK NOW."

Marcus runs down the steps first and grabs Tye. He half carries, half drags him out.

Dipak grabs Corbin and takes him up at the same time.

Elek carries me.

We pass Dracul and Kane on our way out.

Elek puts me on my feet in the bedroom. He grabs my face. "You're ok."

I turn and throw up.

He puts his arms around me. "You're ok. Relax."

Tye breaks a window and pukes out of it.

Corbin pukes in a plant. I puke on the floor again.

"Come on further out." Elek picks me up and pushes Tye towards the door. Then he grabs Corbin and pushes him.

He gets us out to the hallway of the royal house wing.

Tye breaks another window and sits on the frame. "I need air."

Elek puts me on my feet. "You're ok."

I put my back against the wall. Then I slide down to my butt.

Corbin sits by me.

Elek squats down in front of us. "Take a breath."

Coral, Thora, Gunner, Johen, and Victor come walking down the hallway.

Thora comes around the corner. "What did you find?"

"We found the devil."

Then everyone else shows up.

Gunner looks at Elek. "Can I go in?"

Elek rubs my arms. "I don't know. Ask Dipak."

Dipak says in my head. "Ask me what?"

Tye answers, "Can Gunner go in?"

"No."

I shake my head.

"Wow. You really did find the devil."

Elek nods. "Yea, we did."

"Tre you here?"

"Yea."

"Get Amy, bring her to the kids. Do not come down here. I'll come up and talk to her when she gets here."

"Ok."

"Elek, can you move them to the king's office?" We sit there. "ELEK."

Tye looks at Elek. "Dipak is talking to you."

He takes my arm. "What? Sorry I didn't have a hold of anyone."

"Can you get the kids back to the king's office?"

"Yea, I think so."

"Tre bring Amy to the royal house. But do not come in."

"Ok."

Elek stands up. "Johen carry Nadine. Victor get Corbin. I got Tye. Gunner, make sure the girls go. We're going back to the king's office."

We pass Amy and Tre in the hallway outside the king's office.

Tre kisses my head. "You're ok baby."

Tye glances at him then pukes in a plant.

Elek pulls him. "Come on. You're ok. Think about something else."

Amy rubs her eyes. "This is bad."