Shackled (The Lord Series) by Amy T

Shackled (The Lord Series)

Olivia

Hands, strong hands pin me down, my clothes being ripped, and then…pain…so much pain, and I feel like I am ripped in two. I try to speak, but it feels like I have ashes in my mouth, and the blinding pain makes it impossible to think.

My eyes open, and I am faced with that turquoise gaze that once made me feel safe, except he is not the same as seven years ago, as he looks at me with loathing, the promise of torture and slow death shining in his eyes. Some forgotten survival instinct ignites inside me, and I try to escape him. I scream and thrash as my fingernails claw at his face, three long parallel scratches appearing on his cheek.

Something vicious flashes in his eyes, and he hits me with the back of his hand, my right ear ringing and my head turning to the left, my eyes landing on the Lord who stopped Rueben from killing me, and I realize my mistake-the pain I felt moments ago was coming from my ribs and other parts of my body and not from someone who was trying

to rape me.

My gaze returns to the one who slapped me.

What is worse is that I was trying to defend myself from Rueben.

How many times did I get beaten into submission because I refused to do as told or I tried to prevent someone from hurting me? No matter how many times Jason used his fists on me or had his friends f**k me until my pus sy and a ss felt like they were on fire from use, I don’t seem capable of learning my lesson.

Knowing what is to come, my body and mind prepare for a beating, only this time, it won’t be Jason who will punish

me, but Rueben and the African-American Lord. No doubt it will be much worse. Much, much worse.

Rueben’s angry tone as he curses me makes me freeze, and when he flips me on my stomach, despite the pain radiating from my ribs, I don’t dare move, especially when Rueben’s blood-brother puts his heavy hand on my back and pushes me down into the mattress, putting more pressure on my chest and breathing becomes hard.

“What are you going to do?” Rueben is asked by his blood-brother.

“Teach her a lesson.”

and get ready for a rain of fists to fall on me when I hear the swish of a belt in the air before it connects with my thighs. It hurts worse than I expected, and I

in love

you ever scratch me again, or else I will yank out your fingernails and have you eat them,” Rueben snarls as he hits me again with his

my father sure did, many times, but he never hit me the way Rueben does it, with so much rage and hate. It hurts so bad it feels like my flesh is being ripped from my bones. Tears

Jason asked me something, the beating became worse. The belt lands on my a ss, and a scream escapes my lips, but I doubt anyone heard it as Rueben. yells, “Answer me, you stu pid bi tch, else I

Olivia

I am not sure I can. My fingers curl around the sheets, gripping them hard as I wait for Rueben to hit me again. The

‘kill me,’ but

neck in two and throw her in the landfill with the

like her,” Rueben sneers.

it will be best if I take

a few seconds before saying, “I will go check on Diva. Make sure to tie the bit ch to the

walk anytime soon. Look at the

is to prevent her from doing something st*pid,” Rueben says before

wrong. Given the occasion, I

be even more painful than ever, especially given how sore I am or how my ribs hurt, or the constant throbbing of my thighs and as s, but just because I am in pain doesn’t mean men

desperately need some heroin, especially now when my body. craves it, and the anxiety of not

I try to ask him to give me something, but my throat is

he says, and I nod before attempting to stand, but my body refuses to obey me. “I got you,” he says, rolling me

the bathroom attached to the room. I rest my forehead against his shoulder and I whimper