Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos
332. Olivia - Building bridges II

I turn my attention to the other Lords. "How many of you are protectors? How many of you can say without any shadow of a doubt that you always treated women right?" Guilty looks quickly spread across many faces. I turn my focus on the women. "I only learned tonight of the origins of the sex slaves that live in the Blood Lodge. You may have no reason to trust the Lords. You may have been taught from an early age that they are the enemy. To some extent, it can be true. They have you locked here without any possibility of experiencing anything else."

"They have days off when they can go shopping or whatever women do in their free time," an Elder quickly says.

Many women snort. The one who talked to my mates and me earlier says, "Even then, blood-brothers are constantly watching us. We are not allowed to talk to anyone outside the group going into the city that day." I think her name is Giselle. Steven, who is close to the dais, chimes in, "It's for your protection. It is risky as it is to allow you to step outside the Blood Lodge. If the Dukes ever find out and get their hands on you, they will torture you until you tell them everything you know."

"Just because you say the Dukes are evil, it doesn't mean it's entirely true," a woman says, angering almost all of the Lords.

A back-and-forth starts between the men and the women. I start to see why the Lords don't trust them.

Before this turns into a real fighting match, I intervene. "I think everyone has noticed the scars on my body. They were made by the Dukes because I didn't want to be a pornai or to do as they said. They drugged me so they could rape me. They beat me to break my spirit. The sad part is that they succeeded. My life was pure hell. They took everything from me, and for years, I was nothing more than trash for them. The things they did to me are...awful." My voice cracks at the end of the sentence. After a deep breath, I interlace my arms with Tyson and Ansel. " If not for my men, I would probably be dead. Are they perfect? Fuck no, but they took care of me and showed me that life is not only pain and suffering. They even gifted me a horse." I press my lips in a thin line and pretend to be upset for a moment. "But they absolutely refuse to let me win at poker." A few women laugh. "The Dukes are not good. Trust me on this one. My father is one, and he is evil. He attacked my new home and killed good men who had nothing to do with him only because they protected me." I am unsure about Isak and Gavin, but Levi would have happily given his life for me any time. "I am certain you know about the Blight. It can reach us tomorrow or ten years from now, but either way, we need to be prepared. The Dukes will ally with the enemy before putting aside any grudge and fighting alongside us. Let's face it: the Lords will lose without us, women. Think about it." I face the Elders. "You're welcome." To my mates, I say, "I think the meeting is over. Let's find Rueben and go home."

Tyson and Ansel help me get down from the dais while Jasper goes to grab Rueben's backpack and their coats from their chairs. Mose quickly gathers my discarded dress and panties, and all five of us head for the exit.

"If you leave, there will be dire consequences," one of the Elders threatens.

Over my shoulder, I say, "Don't make me show you the extent of my powers."

Just as we step out the door, someone says loudly, "This is why hellstars should be kept in the dark about their powers. Once they know they can do cheap tricks, they act high and mighty."

I turn on my heels to show him what my darkness can do in reality, but Tyson throws me over his shoulder and gets me out of the Blood Lodge. The others follow us.

The car is where Rueben parked it, but he is nowhere in sight. Now, I feel even worse for what I did to him.

Tyson helps me stand. "I'm going to call Rueben and see where he is," he says as he walks away from me and the others.

Jasper gets closer to me and puts his arm around my waist. "What you did at the meeting was brutal. No one dares to talk to the Elders like that."

I nod while I keep my eyes on Tyson. His phone is on his ear, and he is clearly talking to someone, probably Rueben, but I can't hear what he is saying. I wonder if he really got a hold of Rueben or if he is on the phone with another person. Jasper keeps talking, but I can barely hear him at this point. I'm worried about Rueben. With Carlos, Jason, and Azael out there, all those that I care about are in danger. I might not like what Rueben did to me, and I am scared that he will hurt me again, but I do care about him. I think. I mean, I don't hate him.

Tyson ends his call and returns to us. "Go ahead and go home."

"What about you?" I can't help but ask.

Tyson sighs. "I know you are angry and hurt. I understand your need to punish Rueben and me, but not like that. Don't wait for Rueben and me. We will be late. The car keys are in the backpack." Tyson jogs away before I can stop him.

Jasper takes out the keys and unlocks the car. "I'll drive."

On the trip back to the farm, I am mostly quiet, thinking about what I did. Revenge is never the answer. It might feel good at the moment, but after that, it leaves you empty. Late in the night, while I am in bed with Ansel, Jasper, and Mose, I say, "No one was shocked that I had powers."

"It's old knowledge that hellstars have powers. This is why the Lords wanted them protected and far away from the Dukes, so they wouldn't get their hands on any of them. The Dukes started training spies so they could learn which women were special. It didn't take long for the Lords to start subduing all the women, especially the hellstars. Things started being kept secret because they couldn't be trusted. A bonded woman is always loyal to her men. Dukes used that to their advantage and kidnapped many single Ladies. It was safer for the Lords to lie to the women about their true nature, to subdue them. The Dukes were already doing it. When hellstars stopped being born, even the Lords forgot about the powers. Then, we found out that a new generation of hellstars appeared. At one of the meetings, the Elders told us how wonderful hellstars are. The pornais were present at that meeting since it was a normal meeting night. This is why butterflies didn't come out as a shock to anyone when they came out of your palms. Show off."

I huff. "Looks who's talking. You spread your wings wide for anyone to see."

Ansel chuckles. "Just like you do when Jasper is fucking you." I twist one of his nipples hard and only stop when he hisses. After a moment of silence, he asks, "What happens now?"

If he is referring to the Blight, I have no answer; if he is asking about Rueben and Tyson, it's the same response. So I end up saying, "I'm worried about Tyson and Rueben." "They will be fine," Ansel tries to reassure me.

I snuggle into his chest. "Tyson is still half blind," because I refused to heal him, "and Rueben is," I shrug, "you know how he gets when he's mad."

Jasper spoons me. "Don't forget about their nails."

A choked sob leaves my lips. "Did I fuck up really bad?"

Ansel kisses my forehead. "Nah, let them suffer a little longer. They deserve it."

Mose, who has his head on my legs, says, "Agreed."

Feeling calmer, I add, "You three are a bad influence on me." I know I will regret this later, but I want something off my chest. "I am...happy you all found me in the forest."