Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos
331. Tyson - Revelations IX

While the pornai might not be relevant, other matters are.

I already know the answer, but I want to be one hundred percent sure. "Why did Olivia's family hate her?"

"The Deymars hated Olivia because she never fit their ideal of the perfect family. They abused her because they could. Despite everything she endured at the hands of her parents and brother, she was a gentle child. Jon and Khloe really took a liking to her, and she didn't grow up being deprived of love. They taught her values and principles and what unconditional love meant. I don't know if they knew the truth about who Olivia really was," Maddox replies.

It was more than that. Jon and Khloe are wonderful people. Since Olivia is actually their biological child, it makes sense why she is just as amazing as they are. I might hate the Dukes, but they are between the few exceptions. Before Azael's rise to power, the Dukes and the Lords might have had their differences, but things weren't as they are nowadays.

"I have a feeling the pornai is also important. We should try to find her. Maddox, what was her name?" Yan asks.

Maddox shrugs before saying, "I don't know."

"You know all this shit, and you are telling me you don't know the name of the woman who Azael chose to be the surrogate?" Maddox keeps his face neutral. "You'll spill the beans once Henry and Cole are here. Keep speaking. I want to know everything."

Stefan chimes in. "They should be there in less than ten minutes."

Maddox clears his throat. "Can I get a sip of water first? I am dying of thirst."

Yan walks over to the kitchen, grabs a bottle from the counter, and returns to the living room. "Here you go," he says as he pours the water all over Maddox. Alekos won't be too happy to see this couch wet. "Now tell us what we want to know!" Yan shouts in Maddox's face.

After drying his face with a dry part of his sleeve, Maddox says, "Like I said, I don't know. Azael wanted her identity to be a secret, and since she didn't serve any purpose to him, she was forgotten. All that mattered to him was Camila and the daggers. Azael didn't know that the heirloom Senator Deymar kept well hidden in his office was what he was so desperately looking for. The daggers were lost a long time ago, and no matter how hard he looked, there was no trace of them. The only one who could find them was Pandora's heir. Since Olivia and Camila were together the night they found the daggers and they reacted, Azael was certain more than ever that Camila was everything he wanted her to be. When he learned that Olivia had killed Camila, he wanted to kill half of the city. Instead, he decided to make her suffer." This is why Azael targeted Olivia. "He ordered Jason and Senator Deymar to make Olivia pay. And so they did."

"What about my family? Why did Azael target my parents and brothers?" Rueben asks. Brothers? I think this is the first time Rueben implies that Ansel is his brother.

"You didn't protect Camila from Olivia. So you were going to be punished as well. But Olivia made a deal with Jason, and he got you out of there in time." Maddox hesitates a bit before saying, "I think Azael cared about Camila in his own way.” When everyone glares at him, he quickly adds, "Camila was the one who would help him achieve what he always wanted-return to Heaven. In his mind, she would have led the attack against the angels there and conquered Paradise, as he calls it, for himself. By killing Camila, Olivia took that dream away from him. He wanted Olivia to suffer. She and the three of you," Maddox refers to Rueben, Ansel, and me, "were taken to the facility so she could see how the men she loved turned their backs on her. This went better than Azael expected. Olivia lost everything in a few days. Her friends, the men she loved, and the people who saw her as their daughter. When it was clear that she was pregnant, Azael allowed her to keep the baby, only to rip him from her the day he was born. She was made to watch how the baby slowly died. After that, Jason disposed of him. As for the plans regarding you three, he wanted to make you his best killers. Since Jason ruined that plan by getting you three out, he was punished severely. He is only alive because Deymar Senior intervened." The blood boils inside me because I want to go right now after Azael, the Deymar family, and everyone else who hurt Olivia. "Carlos broke Olivia only for Azael's amusement. For his own as well, as we all know how sadistic he is. When it comes to Jason, I don't know the reason why he hates Olivia."

When I get my hands on Jason, it will be the first thing he tells me. "Did Azael ever find out about Olivia's true identity?"

Maddox nods. "I made sure he knew about the mistake he made."

"Why the fuck did you tell him?" I sneer in his face.

My fingers itch to bury my knife deep in Maddox's chest, but I hold back. The itch may be that they are still healing from when the Senator had Rueben break them with a baseball bat. Since my demon is not angry at me anymore because I pulled my head out of my ass, he sped up the healing, and my fingers almost healed in a few days. But he let my eyesight heal naturally. It's fine by me since I can use my bad eyes as an excuse to ask Olivia to help me with my writing. Or maybe the itch is because I want to kill Maddox.

“Azael was starting to get suspicious about me, so I had to give him something solid. Also, he refused to give me the body of my sister so I could bury her. She died months ago, and she was kept in a morgue until now. So I told him about Olivia to get Indy home."

I put the phone on the table and punch Maddox again. "This is for putting Olivia in unnecessary danger." My eyes narrow. "Why would Azael be suspicious of his spy?"

Maddox's gaze falls on the phone on the table. "I thought Olivia didn't have a Guardian. The last one failed her and died before he could protect her. Without one, she would lose herself to the darkness inside her." "What darkness?" Ansel asks.

"A crystal from the Dybbuk box was placed inside Olivia. Azael wanted to see what happened, but it never occurred to me that she would embrace it and use it to amplify her powers. The bond prevented her soul from being corrupted." "My only purpose is to keep Olivia safe," Ansel says.

Maddox scoffs, "To keep her safe. It was a smart move, Guardian. I'm amazed that you're capable of bonds."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ansel scoffs.

Maddox's face turns serious. "You tell us."

"This is about you, not me, so don't try to shift the focus of the discussion," Ansel growls.

Since Maddox has been a friend for so many years, it's hard to see him as an enemy. "Do you know where Jon and Khloe are now?" I press the matter.

Maddox shrugs. "They disappeared five or six years ago. Their whereabouts are unknown. I would assume they changed their name since many tried to find them but without any luck."

I'll ask Cirro to find them.

I finally ask the question that will tell me how to kill Maddox: "Why were you sent to spy on us?"

"Because you are Olivia's consort. I was to keep my eyes on you and have you drugged so you'll keep hating her."

"What's a consort?" Rin asks while I say, "You drugged me? How?" at the same time.

I swear Maddox looks smug as he says, "With the cigarettes."

**I think some guest the cigarettes is how Tyson, Rueben, and Ansel were being drugged :) Also, some asked who Emily is - Stefan's ex fiance/Jason's pass-around gf. She appears both in Shackled - 666, Angel saves her- and she is mentioned in Bought. Next update tomorrow.**