Shackled (The Lord Series) by Amy T

129. Olivia

You made me fall in love.

The way he says excellent, with so much viciousness and satisfaction, tells me I should fear him more than I fear Jason. The man, whoever he is, won’t doubt for a second to harm me in the most cruel way possible. The blinding pain coming from my ribs is proof that the Lords are as vicious as they could be. The Dukes might treat women like property, but the Lords destroy everything they touch, their hearts as cruel as the demons they have inside them. They abuse and share women among themself and kill them in the cruelest ways.

One of the Lords, tall, strong, and from the color of his skin, I assume he is African–American, says, “We were supposed to find someone to claim for ourselves not to torture until she dies.” He is the one who prevented the other one from beating me to death.

“It’s her or no one,” the one who broke my ribs insists. “We can take her home, or I can disappear with her, never to be seen again, it’s all the same to me, but she won’t get away from me. Not this time, not when I finally have the opportunity to make her pay for what she did,” he snarls.

Make her pay for what she did.

My heart thunders in my chest.

Could he be Rueben, Camila’s brother?

The mask he wears prevents me from seeing his face, but my gaze goes to his chest–his torso is bare, he is wearing only a pair of camouflage pants–the North Star is tattooed in the middle of it.

Rueben.

of hiding from

is for the

six years

was I first met him when I was fourteen and visited Camila in her home.

little sister or her friends, but he would sometimes make an effort to hang out with us, especially if we played video games. Gradually,

Jason hid me in the Celestial Heaven, supposedly to keep me safe, but instead,

I have and haven’t done, as his hate and desire for revenge are palpable

catch any more bitches and have fun with them.” Looking at the one I think is Rueben, he adds, “If you do decide to keep her, she is clean. Except for the

to a medical facility where they did something to me so I

129. Olivia

since I was sedated almost the entire time I was there, but from what I heard from the other pornai in the Celestial Heaven, he did the same to them,

vanish into the darkness,

go as well,” Rueben says and moves towards

moment, not knowing what Rueben will do to me next, but apparently, the African–American Lord is dead set on keeping Rueben away from me. “Not before you tell me what you plan to

got her as a gift for me, so what I do with

sick I turn my head to the side and empty whatever is left in my stomach