Shackled (The Lord Series) by Amy T

156. Jasper

Tyson looks atlike horns suddenly have sprouted on my head. Why is it so hard to believe Olivia is a good person? That she

helpot Ruchen?

Olivia bar bon a topic of discussion ever since | met Rueben and the others. Tyson and Rueben always mentioned that she was as

evil as the rest of the Dukes. My demon has this ability to sense things, and he would have known if Olivia was as malicious as she

was portrayed. The only feeling | get from her is that she is hiding something deep inside her. Something that is killing her little by

little. Pressuring her to talk about it may not be wise, not when she is so.. depressed, but maybe she will do so when she feels safe

with me. If not, there are always other ways to make her talk and | am not referring to torture but... manipulation. And sex. It so

happens | am good at both.

“Are they well? Tyson asks, worried.

| head towards the main gate and Tyson follows me. “Ansel will live,” | reply.

“And Rueben?”

Maddox bonks again and | walk faster. “He will probably need a few weeks of rest.”

Tyson lets out a breath of relief. “Thank f u c k. | don’t know what | would do if | lost Rueben as well. Or Ansel.”

Tyson, Ansel, and Rueben had been friends for many years before they decided to be blood-brothers. The kind of friendship

they have has only be stronger with the link between us. And once Olivia is our bonded, that link will be even stronger.

Knowing Rueben and Tyson the way | do, they will refuse to hear about it, but if | can get Mose

my side, then maybe my plan can stand a chance.

Mose.

He is usually the most quiet of the group, mostly focusing on his true passion-cooking. With time, | got to know what really turns

him on, and | plan to use it against him. All is fair in love or war, and this is war, baby.

should not make plans without talking with Olivia first, but even if she refuses us, | won't let her go. | might be mistaken, but | think

Ansel feels the same. Between the two of us we can get Olivia h 0 0 k e d on a new addiction-our co ck s. | can't wait to fu c k

her. | bet she will feel amazing. Not many women can takewithout feeling pain, but | bet Olivia will scream in pleasure. The

things | will do to her once she is healed.

“Olivia isn't doing that well,” | let Tyson know. “After helping Rueben, she fainted.”

“I don’t care if that bitc h lives or dies,” he throws it at me.

| never saw this side of Tyson. He was always cheerful and making jokes when he didn’t have his nose stuck in one of his

po m books. Olivia brings out the worst of him. Before we met, he had sdrinking problems, but with the help of Ansel and

Tyson, he got his s h i t together.

“You should,” | say as | reach the gate and open it.

Maddox drives inside and | am about to close the gate when | hear a loud barking from Rueben’s SUV, which is parked nearby.

F u c k! Diva. Ansel probably left her inside the car so she wouldn't get in the way since she is very

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156 Jasper

overprotective of Rueben.

Not wanting to deal with her right now, | say to Tyson, “Take care of Diva while | explain to Madde what happened”

Tyson curses out loud but does as | say, knowing Diva will destroy the Interior of the car if she is and let out soon. It won't be the

first time. She has ruined more pairs of shows than | can remember

Maddox, stops his cat and | go to him and let him know about what happened. When | tell him about Olivia brindez Rueben back

from the dead, he givesa puzzled look but doesn’t say anything about it. As a doctor, | am sure he has witnessed many

strange things. Especially when ites to the Lords,

We enter the house, and | let Maddox take care of Ansel and Ruchen while | go to see how Olivia

She is finally awake and petting Miss Teapot. Her fingers tremble when | close the door and approach the bed. “How is Rueben?”

she asks.

“Alive.”

She nods. “Are you going to punishfor disobeying your rules?”

| sit on the bed and pull her into my lap. Miss Teapot jumps on the pillows and curls on top of them.

“| should do that.” | grab her chin, forcing her to look at me. Her pupils dilate, lettingknow she is scared. “Maybe | will.” My

hand slides to her neck. “Maybe | will toss you on the bed and f u c k you like the bad girl you have been. That way, you will learn

what happens when you put yourself in danger.”

“As you wish.”

Her voice trembles. Tears pool inside her eyes and | get so hard it hurts. | always had a kink for women who cry while being railed.

If she weren't hurt, | would have fu c k e d the brains out of her.

| shouldn't think about f u c k i n g right now, not when Rueben has been shot in the neck, but when Olivia places her palm on top

of my coc k, all | want to do is to sink deep inside her.

“How may | please you, Master?” she asks.

A groan slips past my lips. If she knew how kinky | am.... And | am not the only one. | bring her hand to my chest. “By doing as | tell

you,” | say and kiss her. “I don’t know what you did or how you did it, but thank you for saving Rueben'’s life,” | murmur against her

lips. She doesn’t try to deny that what | am saying is true. Remembering the last gathering at the Blood Lodge, | ask, “Are you a

hellstar?”

Olivia quickly shakes her head, denying it. “How can someone likebe a hellstar?”

“Don’t let past mistakes dictate your life. If you are not a hellstar, then how?”

Olivia clenches her fists. “When | was seventeen, | was taken to a research facility.” She shudders. “The doctors there did things to

me.”

Could she be talking about the sfacility Yan was kept in as a prisoner?

156 Jasper

“What things?” | want to know,

The color drains from her face. Her voice trembles as she says. “They removed my tubes.” My heart drops. She can’t have

children? “I don’t even have a menstruation cycle anymore.” Tears fall down her cheeks. “A sacrifice, they called it. Yet it was a

punishment. | killed someone's child, and the doctors leftbarren.”

My head frets like spinning. | always wanted children, but Olivia doesn’t have tubes anymore. | am not the only one who wants

children. Mose and Ansel have been talking about children for a few years now. There is no way they will accept Olivia to be our

bonded. Despite this obsession | now have for her, | don’t think | can marry her. Children are something | wanted for a long time. |

gave up on many dreams. | don’t think | can give up on another one, no matter how much I like Olivia

| put her on the bed. “I will be back in a few,” | say, wanting to get sfresh air while | try to sort out my thought and think about

what | should do about Olivia. “Maddox will see you after he is done with Rueben and Ansel.”

“Jasper,” she whispers.

She rarely says my name, preferring to callMaster. Instead of checking to see if she needs anything. | go to the bar. It is one of

the few places on the farm where | can fully relax and let my mind wander.

Speckles is in her stall and | go to her. Her ears immediately pri c k forward.

Despite all the hours | spent with her, trying to win her trust, she still fears me.

My mama loved horses. She grew up on a farm surrounded by animals. When Papa married her, they moved to Veross City. Their

first years in the big city were rough, especially since they barely made ends meet.

Papa wasn't a Lord, nor did they have any ties with the Blood Lodge.

It all changed when Papa saved a man’s life who was involved in a car crash. The man, Loy-a Lord-offered Papa a job and took my

brother andunder his wing. While | thrived under Loy’s guidance, Aaric-my brother-did not. Two years older than me, Aaric was

the first one to be taken to the Blood Lodge. He hated the experience and wanted nothing to do with theanization. When my

turn came, Loy hesitated to take me, thinking | would react like Aaric. It tookalmost an entire year to convince Loy and Papa to

taketo the Blood Lodge.

In the end, Loy vouched for me, and | received an invitation from the Elders to learn more about theanization.

It was supposed to be only a visit, and yet a demon choseas his vessel.

Soon after | started my training as a Lord, Aaric got involved with a street gang and ran away from home. It was the best thing he

could do since he always made Mama cry. | resented him for it.

Mama was a gentle soul. Cancer took her away fromwhen | was still a teen. She died without seeing Aaric again. Papa still

works for Loy, but we had a falling out a couple of years ago and are no longer in touch.

It is from Mama's childhood stories that | developed a passion for horses and the desire to have a big family since she had ten

siblings. | grew up hearing about what she did with her sisters or how her brothers protected her from bullies

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at school.

Olivia or children?

156 Jasper

The Lair is fit for at least four kids. We can always renovate the attic and add more rooms there.

| watch Speckles until she relaxes enough forto enter the stall. | keep my distance, though, wanting her to know | am not a

danger to her.

“Easy, girl,” | murmur when she stamps her leg on the floor. “How about sfresh air?”

It's been a few days since | took her to the fenced pasture behind the farm. Artax is already there and it will do good for Speckles

to stretch her legs for a few hours. | get close enough to grab her bridle. She watcheswith wary eyes, but she followswhen

I lead her out of the barn.

When we reach the pasture, | let Speckles in and watch how she goes to Artax. The two of them becfriends soon after

Speckles cto the farm.

After watching the Artax and Speckles run for a while | go check on Juniper. It was Mose who brought her home. Initially, | thought

having a goat on the farm would be fun, but she givesmore trouble than any other animal | have ever owned.

After a few hours tending to the animals, | returned to the guest house.

Ansel and Tyson are on the couch watching TV, Diva between them. Ansel’s hair is wet and his clothes are changed and he no

longer looks pale, makingbelieve Maddox already took care of him. Guilt rushes towhen | realize ! should have helped

Maddox but | am of no use when | am overthinking things.

Before | can ask anything, Ansel jerks his head towards the hallway. “Maddox is with Olivia.”

| am still conflicted about Olivia, but | put that to the side so | can talk to Maddox.

The door to the bedroom is closed and | knock before | enter.

Olivia is sitting on the bed, her chest exposed to Maddox who is listening to her lungs, his eyes glued to her ti t s. His blood-

brothers and him are still looking for a bonded but that doesn’t mean he can ogle Olivia.

My demon snarls in anger.

Jealousy is a sword with two edges and | never thought | would have this kind of feeling, not when my desire to have children is

stronger than the obsession | have for her.

“How is Rueben?” | ask.

Not taking his eyes off Olivia's ti t s, he replies, “By smiracle, he made it. | put him on an IV. | will leave sinstructions for

Mose.”

Reuben hates hospitals, and he always made it clear that he prefers to be treated at home.

“And Olivia?”

If I hadn't been looking, | would have missed how her shoulders tense for a second. In the back of my mind, | know she needs me,

but | need to take a step or two back until | know what | want.