Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos
260. Rueben - Pandora II

Tears run down her face. *"I didn't mean to harm Camila. ...it happened so fast, I had no time to think."*

I get closer to her, and she tries to make herself as small as possible. *"You didn't only harm her; you killed her. I'll do the same to you, but not before I make you suffer for a long, long time."* *"I don't know why I did it."* Her voice cracks.

I reach the bed. *"Criminals always say the same,"* I say before I drag her out of the bed and slam her into the floor. And I start beating her. There's so much rage inside me that I break her bones. Her screams only seem to encourage me to be more vicious, and I inflict even more pain. When I break her sternum, her body glows, any trace of my brutal attack disappearing.

Is she healing herself? How? If Ansel is right about her being a hellstar, it still doesn't explain what I'm seeing, except if she has powers. So many questions rise inside my head, but all I can think about is that I hurt a hellstar, drugs or not. Why didn't my demon stop me?

Ansel fast forwards hours of footage of me brutally beating her while she kept healing herself. I don't think she realizes what she's doing because she is confused and shocked.

*"Why do I keep clinging to life when you keep killing me?"* she keeps asking.

The beating she received from Jason is nothing compared to what I did to her. I stop only when I'm dragged out of there. The glow returns to her body. Her neck is covered in bruises, and her left eye is black and swollen. No one says anything.

What the fuck is there to say?

*You keep killing me.*

No wonder Olivia is scared of me. She probably thinks that something she'll do or say might trigger me into beating her again. Fuck. That was the first thing I did in the forest when I saw her face. I drag a hand down my face. How do I make her feel safe around me again?

"Before anyone asks, Olivia has healing powers, which kept her alive even when Rueben tried to kill her, which proved to be a curse to her, her words not mine, but I see it as a blessing," Ansel explains. "When I talked to her about that day, she told me she had no memory of healing herself, but she does remember her soul being pulled into the realm of the dead while something prevented her from dying. It was agonizing, and the pain she felt was like nothing she had experienced again. Except for when...she lost people she loved. But that was another type of agony; that's how she described it."

Tyson rubs his temples with the tips of his fingers while telling me, "The only reason I'm not chopping you to pieces right now is because I don't have the luxury to endure the link breaking as I have to find Olivia. But when she is back...." He doesn't finish his treat, but there's no need, as I understand perfectly what he means.

Weeks ago, I would not have cared if I died or lived, but now that I have a new purpose in life-kill Senator Deymar and make it up to Olivia I'll have to disappoint Tyson, as I plan to live for many years.

Maybe he is not referring to killing me, as Jasper adds, "After we bring Olivia home, I'm taking over the leadership of the group. I don't care if you were drugged or what the fuck was wrong with you, but after what you did to her, I don't trust you around her. There's no way in fucking hell you'll ever be alone with her in the same room," while looking at me like he hates me. I don't blame him. Right now, I don't like myself either, but I wasn't lying when I said I was in for the long run. with Olivia. Harming her is the opposite of what I want to do to her right now. "I should kick you out of my land, but you'll make a good watchdog with how unhinge you can get. I'll build you a kennel because what fool lets a rabid animal inside the house?" I don't argue because he is right. I might as well be compared to a rabid animal. Jasper's attention turns to Ansel, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have the feeling that Olivia didn't know she had powers." Ansel sighs. "No, she didn't. Olivia is still deep in her grief, and she can't see herself for who she is. But she is no longer drawing but fighting to get above all that had happened to her. I don't know about all hellstars, but those like Olivia have powers."

I shift on the sofa so I can take a better look at Ansel. My back is a little stiff from what Mose was forced to do to me, but I have been healing so fast that there was no reason for me to go to the hospital. It should have freaked me out, but finding Olivia kept me busy, and I barely had time to think, let alone wonder what was happening. "Explain this thing about hellstars," I ask.

Ansel leans his head on the sofa. "There are things hellstars hide from men. It is their right, so I'm not about to reveal their secrets, nor do I claim to know shit about them, but only the ones I learned about by mistake when I was a child, but what I can say is that just like demons or angels, hellstars also have ranks. As for how they work, that's not something I know, but what I do know is that Olivia can do extraordinary things-from bringing back the dead to face a horde of angry demons and save my ass. Or second pair of wings to be ripped off my back."

Second pair of wings?