Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos
246. Olivia - Azael III

Azael slides me a cup of coffee across the desk. I was never a huge fan of caffeine, but the past two days have been an absolute nightmare. Well, not really, but being locked in the cell with **919** was enough to drive me insane. All he does is work out and plan how to kill Azael. And he is not subtle about it, either. He almost got us into trouble a few times.

I hate to admit it, but I do agree with Azael. **919** does need to blow off some steam, and I'm not referring to him flexing his muscles while he does push-ups but about emptying his balls. I suggested to him a few times to jerk off in the bathroom, but he gave me funny looks, making me wonder if he ever had sex. Or if he even knows how to touch himself. If not for him going absolutely batshit crazy if I were to touch him, I might have volunteered to show him how to do it. Hell, I would have jerked him off myself. Then, he could focus on our task and not lose more time.

Wrapping my fingers around the warm cup, I say, "Thank you," in a gentle voice.

From behind his strange mask, Azael observes me. Why does he bother hiding his face when very few survive an encounter with him? "You still haven't fucked 919."

Is he keeping tabs on what I'm doing? "**919** wants me to seduce him first. But I'm getting there. Meanwhile, you can let me see Mose."

"He is well."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you. I trust only what my eyes see."

Azael chuckles. "I've never met a woman so direct as you."

I shrug. "At this point in my life, I have nothing to lose. So, I can afford to say whatever I want when I want."

"Your father invested a lot in your brother, and he still ended up being a coward. But you, on the other hand, don't fear anything." I wouldn't say that. There are many things I'm scared of. But strangely, Azael is not one of them. All those drugs Carlos and Jason gave me must have affected my brain. Else I don't explain my attitude towards Azael. "I'm starting to think he chose the wrong child to love."

Wait.

My father loves my brother? Wow. I never thought he was capable of such feelings when he is full of hatred and bitterness. Same as my mother. It's a good thing they married each other and didn't make life miserable for others. Except mine. I sniff the coffee, not trusting anything that is given to me here, especially if it's from Azael. His mind is so evil and twisted that he might not even be the villain of his story. Or whatever dark fairytale he's living in, because there's no way someone is capable of such atrocities of not living in some fucked up world conjured up in his mind.

The only things I've been drinking and eating are things tasted and approved by **919**. "A father isn't supposed to choose between his children. His job as a parent is to love all his children equally." In an ideal world, it would be like that, but in the real world, many children are neglected because of that golden sibling.

"You resent him for neglecting you."

Does Azael think he is my therapist?

"Resenting means I feel something for my sperm donor. For a dead man. My father is not worth my time."

Azael drinks from his coffee. "The last time you were here, you spent most of the time crying. It's a surprise to see you so calm and calculated."

I was sixteen, had just lost my best friend, and my then boyfriend thought I cheated on him. So, excuse me for being sensitive.

"Everything that I ever loved was taken away from me." Why don't you die already? Those whom I loved the most hate me the most. "I've made my peace with life." Living means only suffering.

"After Carlos took you away from here, I've kept an eye on you. I watched how you endured years of abuse to keep those three men safe. You gave up on your life for them, destroying yourself in the process. Why when you only received hate from them? What did they call you? Ah, yes, the Diseased Cunt. Bitch. Whore."

My blood turns cold.

How does Azael know?

I force myself to breathe evenly.

Was Azael spying on Tyson and his blood-brothers all these years? Or was someone else doing it for him? Not a Duke, that's for sure. A Lord, then? Tyson needs to learn about this. But he doesn't want to see me anymore. Mose then. I'll let Mose know as soon as I get him out of here.

As if guessing what I'm thinking about, Azael says, "I'm sure you remember the drugs given to the two Carr brothers and their stray dog." Did he just call Ansel a stray dog because he is an orphan? Rude. More than that. Cruel. "What were their names?" He acts like he doesn't remember. Is he playing mind games with me? Because then I'll only disappoint him when I don't give him what he wants. "It was important for me to know if there were any side effects. And to learn if their suppressed memories returned. Finding someone willing to report to me what's happening in their home wasn't that hard." What if one of Tyson's blood-brother is the spy? But who? Jasper or Mose? It can't be any of them. They wouldn't betray their blood-brother. Right? "When I learned Jason took you out of the Celestial Heaven, I knew it was a matter of time until you ended up on their farm. I might have gotten a bit impatient and asked Malaky to help me. But in the end, everything turned out as planned. After that, all I had to do was watch how they broke you a bit more day by day. I must say, they did an impressive job. All the work I did on them while I had them here paid off. Now, if you will only talk."