Shackled (The Lord Series) by Amy T

Olivia

I try to do as he asks and get onto my knees before forcing myself to stand, but I fall again, hitting my head against

the wall.

Jasper rushes inside the bathroom. “I said help her wash, not kill her,” he says as he steps inside the shower. “What the f**k!? This is freezing.”

Tyson shrugs. “I thought cold water was good for people with a fever.”

Jasper mutters something under his breath as he takes me out of the shower and has me sit on the toilet. My shirt is soaked and cold, and it clings to me like a second skin, and I wrap my arms around myself.

“She is going to die sooner or later; I don’t see the point in dragging out the inevitable,” says Tyson.

Me either.

Jasper goes to check the temperature of the water. “You already know why.”

“If you think that by f**king her and posting videos of her and her nasty p**sy all over social media, we will finally be able to take down Senator Deymar, you are delusional. That man doesn’t give a f**k about her. He will even deny she is his daughter.”

Tyson is not wrong about my father, although he might get a heart attack if his career as a politician is ruined.

“You think that didn’t cross my mind? We will have Cirro look into the evidence once he is done with that job for the

Elders,” says Jasper.

What evidence?

Except for my birth certificate, there is little proof of me living with my parents while growing up. There had been a handful of times when I was allowed to be part of the family photos, and I am sure my mother had thrown them out already as she always hated the color of my hair. ‘Red is for whores,’ she used to say, although my hair is auburn, it was the same thing for her. Guess she was right in the end, I am a wh ore.

“Whatever. Like I said last night, I don’t want any part in this sh it,” Tyson says and leaves.

Jasper lets out a loud sigh before returning to me. “Do you need to use the toilet?”

I shake my head. He removes his clothes, then mine.

“Don’t mind Tyson. He always gets like this when he is editing one of his books,” he says as he takes me to the shower.

The water is warm enough to stop me from shaking.

Jasper is gentle as he cleans my hair.

be nice to me, but men don’t like

Olivia

mind wander. I hate when I am forced to think or to feel, and I miss the

my wrist. “No matter how hard you try,

to find some

it, and as I mentioned before, you are

“I am not harming

and look healthy in the sex video we are going

part in their absurd plan

will still look like a living corpse. I don’t want

Dukes care about how I

you, but once you are healthy and radiant, looking absolutely smitten with us, every single Duke in town will want to possess you completely and to anchor their angels to

goods. A look at my scars

forces me to look into his eyes. “Do you know what kintsugi is?” I shake my head. “It’s an old Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with

gold will

keeps talking, “When we film you being railed by us, making you scream our names, those

make everyone believe I am your woman? You can always f**k

effect won’t be the same.” Probably noticing I

takes me back to the room. Clean sheets and

am sorry for getting it

the bed, then goes to the closet and takes a t-shirt from inside. “I flipped the mattress upside down,” he

he tries to restrain me again, I say, “Please, I will go absolutely in sane if I

214

Olivia

to be free of drugs! Not that it matters what I want. It never does. “I

not

says

I have been hit by a train. With a bit of luck, Jasper will forget about me. Besides, even if I want to eat, I don’t think I can

and my throat feels so dry. Water would be nice but do I dare ask for

few minutes

chest hurts

spinning. It feels more like I am on a boat in the middle of the ocean during a

I close my eyes.

opens,

to

made something without spice-bacon and eggs.” Jasper’s voice reaches my ears. Why does he keep telling me random stuff I

I didn’t even realize it was Christmas. The last time I celebrated it was wi th Camila and her family. I miss her so much, each passing second is an agony without her. “Merry Christmas to you too,” I whisper, while