Shackled (The Lord Series) by Amy T

159. Olivia

| don’t wanna wake up.

Ansel turns on the lights around the mirror Jasper replaced the one | broke with an unbreakable one-and carefully inspects my

Egers. It is clear he is unhappy that | cut myself. Or that he finds sshards stuck in the pads of my fingers. He pulls them out.

After days of being ignored, his reaction makes no sense to me.

Wanting to know more about Jason, | ask, “Why do you think my brother is attacking the farm?”

“A few nights ago, he left the carcas s of a dead animal in the pasture with a note. It's been snowing for several days, and we didn’t

see when he snuck onto our property.”

| shouldn't ask, yet.... “What did the note say?”

“If we don’t hand you over, he will kill our horses.” He snorts. “If he touches any of our animals or you, he is a dead man. He is

dead as we are speaking but he doesn’t know it yet. Jasper went nuts. Mose went to the restaurant today to give instructions to his

employees. He is taking toff until we deal with Jason.” After he finishes inspecting my fingers, he helpswash the blood off

of me. “You shouldn't have cleaned the shards with your hands. In fact, you shouldn't have gotten out of bed. If Rueben wanted to

eat, he could have moved his as s to the kitchen.”

| need to find Jason before things escalate. “I got bored. And | don’t mind helping. Besides, Rueben is hurt.”

Not entirely a lie. When living with Jason, | had my raand TV to distract myself when the voices in my head bectoo loud.

But for the past few days, it had been only my thoughts and me. The guys being loud while in the house had been a help, but

without my drugs to keep my mind and soul numb, every passing second was and is a living hell.

“So are you,” Ansel points out.

“I've endured far worse,” | say.

Ansel clenches his jaw. “Let’s get you clean and bandaged. Mose will take a look at your arm when he returns home.” He turns off

the shower. From the other room, Rueben yells for Ansel-who ignores him. “The first aid kit is in the

kitchen.”

We get out of the bathroom and | suddenly get dizzy. It can be the lack of foodbined with the loss of blood. | press my hand

against the wall, my fingers leaving stains of blood on it.

“l am sorry,” | whisper as | get even dizzier and am about to fall.

Ansel grabsand liftsup in his arms before | hit the floor. “Woah. Are you alright?” | shake my head. “Change of plans. You

will stay here while | quickly go to the kitchen.” He putson the bed and kisses me. “You taste like alcohol. Have you been

drinking?”

“No,” | try to deny it.

159 Olivia

“Jasper won't be happy with you. Neither am I. We will talk about this later.”

| slowly nod my head.

If Ansel and Jasper are as vicious as Tyson and Rueben, | won't need to worry about finding a way back to Jason. What if they break

my legs and leaveto agonize like that for weeks? | shudder. It is hard to walk around with broken toes. | mortiv hobble my way

around the house. But having my legs broken? | would rather take my chances and run away from here. Jason might beatand

w h orearound, but at least he givesdrugs.

Ansel goes to the kitchen, leaving the door open and | can hear Rueben cursingout. The door to his room is also open because

| left it like that.

“| can’t believe you give more importance to the Diseased C u n t than to your blood-brother,” Ruebenplains. “Shefucking

killed Camila!”

In the kitchen, cupboards are being opened and closed. “I know,” Ansel says. “I was by your side when we buried her.”

Rueben gets even more angry. “If you are so desperate to get your dic k wet, go to the Blood Lodge. There are plenty of pornai to

choose from.”

Ansel returns to the room with the first aid kit and a soda can. After putting the kit on the bed beside me, he pops open the soda

and helpsdrink from it since my hands are trembling. The sugar hitsalso immediately, helpingwith my dizziness.

“Why go to the Blood Lodge when we have Olivia?” Ansel finally replies.

“Have you seen what her cun t looks like?” Rueben questions Ansel. “There is no way you won't end up with an STD.

Or worse.”

Does he think | am poisonous? Maybe radioactive?

Ansel removes the towel from my arm. “You might need stitches. | will only clean your wound and put on a bandage for you. Does

it hurt?”

“A little.” | say.

He puts Betadine on my cuts before bandaging my arm and putting bandaids on my fingers while talking to Rueben.

That's why Maddox took sblood samples from Olivia.” He did? | don’t remember him doing that. Maybe it happened when |

was in and out of conscience. “The results should be ready in a few days. The only thing we need to worry about is getting her

pregnant.” In a low voice, he tells me, “Not that | would mind knocking you up. Several. Times,” and winks at me.

First Jasper. Now Ansel.

| have never encountered men who are so eager to get a woman pregnant. When Carlos trainedto be a sex sl av e he

mentioned that when a woman gets pregnant, men lose all interest in her, as her Body Gets Ruined.

| didn’t believe him, not in the beginning at least, but when many married Dukes started visitingand