24. Olivia

Olivia

F lashback, 16 years old

His hand slips under my shirt, his touch burning my skin. “This is so wrong, but you are driving me crazy.”

Ever since he first kissed me, my feelings for him have grown stronger. I love him so much it hurts. With him being at university, not being able to see him daily is testing my patience. Long-distance relationships are not my thing.

His fingers reach my right tit. “I want to see more of you,” he groans against my lips. Before I can stop him, he lifts up my shirt and yanks down my bra. I try to cover up with my arms but he grabs my wrists, stopping me from doing so. “How long are you going to make me wait?”

It’s been a few hours since he returned home for the weekend. Taking advantage of the fact that he was home alone, he invited me over, and minutes after I knocked on his door, I was on his bed, the two of us making out.

“What if I want to wait until we get married?”

“You are killing me,” he groans. “But if that is what you want, then I will respect your decision, and I won’t pressure you. However, we will get married as soon as you turn eighteen.”

Candles are lit around the orchard and he is waiting for me on his knee, a velvet box in his hands. My heart is beating so fast it feels like it will burst from my chest.

“What are you doing?” I ask him.

“Olivia Deymar, I know I am not worthy of you, but I promise to make you happy and to bring a smile to your lips every day. Will you be my wife?”

“Yes. A thousand times yes!”

He stands and takes the ring from the box. It’s a simple band with a blue semi-precious stone in the middle. “It’s a promise ring. Until I get you the real one.”

“I don’t want another one. This one is just perfect.”

He slips the ring on my finger and his lips meet mine; we kiss while the moon shines above us.

“I will never share you with another, Olly. You are mine and mine alone. I will never have blood-brothers. In a few weeks, I will start my training as a Priest.”

“I love you, my sweet boy with turquoise eyes.”

A plastic cup with cheap wine is shoved into Camila’s hands. “Drink! Drink! Drink!”

Without thinking, she throws her head back and empties the contents of the cup in one big gulp.

When Camila and I were invited to a party by one of our classmates, Braden, I wasn’t sure I could attend, but my parents and brother left for the weekend, and I snuck out of the house, careful not to be seen by any of the staff.

Since Braden is friends with a lot of the popular kids, both Lords and Dukes are attending.

“Look, Salma is here,” Camila yells in my ear.

Between her and the loud music, I will end up deaf. My gaze goes to where Salma is standing. She is wearing a tiny dress that basically screams ‘screw me.’ Next to her is Alekos. I feel the urge to roll my eyes because ever since Alekos gave her a bit of attention, Salma had been bragging about it to everyone.

“Do you know Angelica likes Alekos? And Salma stole him from her.”

Camila’s question makes me reflect on all the times I have seen Angelica interact with Alekos. Lately, she has been sad and lonely, but I made nothing of it.

Ever since I started going out with him, I barely paid attention to those around me since even thinking of him makes me feel butterflies in my stomach. I never thought I could love someone so much. The ring on my finger reminds me of how much he also loves me. That one day, we will get married.

“Alekos isn’t very smart if he is fucking Salma. Everyone knows what a bitch she is,” I comment.

“I wish Angelica would kick him in the nuts,” Camila huffs. “At least you are lucky.”

Despite Camila being my BFF and my favorite person in the world, I haven’t dared to tell her about me dating her…brother. Maybe because I am afraid word will get back to my family, and I don’t want anything to happen to him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Camila’s expression turns sad. “Do you think I'm such a terrible friend that you must hide your feelings for my brother from me? I have seen the two of you together.”

“It's not that,” I quickly try to explain myself. Not wanting to keep lying to her, especially when she has already guessed things, I add, “You can see why I choose to keep everything a secret.”

Camila laughs. “I was just messing with you. He told me everything before he even started texting you.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask.

“Because I wanted you to be the one to open up to me. Anyway…I might have found more information about hellstars.”

Ever since our discussion in the library, Camila and I have done a lot of digging and we uncovered a lot of interesting information. Especially about Pandora, who apparently was an Archangel and not the first human woman created by Hephaestus, according to Greek mythology.

“I learned something, too,” I let her know.

“We will talk about it later,” Camila says before dragging me to where three guys are standing. Fuck! They are all Jason’s friends, and Camila has a crush on one of them. “Olivia wants to dance with Roy and Leo.”

“Camila!” I gasp, not wanting to be part of whatever she is planning to get Sean’s attention.

“Like you haven’t been eyeing them for hours,” Camila tries to gaslight me. “Sean, how about you dance with me?”

Sean grabs Camila’s hand and they go to where other couples are dancing, leaving me with Roy and Leo.

Knowing I can get in big trouble if they tell Jason anything about me being at this party, I try to go to the kitchen, but Roy grabs my arm, preventing me from leaving. “Where do you think you are going, Princess?”

I try not to gag at being called ‘princess.’

“To the bathroom,” I lie.

“After you dance with Leo and me.”

When I try to jerk my arm away from him, Roy says, “If you don’t want us mentioning seeing you here, you better do as we say.”

My heart sinks. Maybe coming to this party was a bad idea after all, especially since Camila ditched me so she could dance with Sean.

“You really know how to suck dick,” Roy grins as he covers my face with his cum.

“I am next,” Leo says as he passes the phone to Roy. “Make sure you record how I facefuck her so hard, she ends up vomiting.”

End of flashback

There had been a time when I wanted to wait for the right moment to have sex for the first time, but that ship sailed a long time ago. Nothing that I dreamed of came true.

For years, men have used my body for their own pleasure, taking and taking from me until nothing was left of me. Until last night. Ansel and Jasper made me feel…that maybe I am worth something. That my body can feel pleasure, too, not only pain.

Despite Ansel not being very rough with me, I am still a bit sore from him fucking me, but I find that I don’t really mind it. Maybe because he bonded with me? But why did he do such a thing? I don’t even want to imagine what Rueben and Tyson will do when they find out. Will they blame me? Tyson for sure will. Maybe he will take me back to the shed and finish what he started.

Despite the bond not being permanent, I find myself craving…Ansel. Craving his body. I hate this. I hate how I need him. I don’t feel the same for Jasper, making me think I didn’t bond with him, only with Ansel.

If the past has taught me anything, it’s that men treat women like trash the moment they are done with them. Despite the bond, I will never let a man use me, hurt me, or break me again. My heart will never belong to a man.

The moment Ansel left the bed, I wanted to call him back, but I kept my mouth shut and pretended to be asleep. Hours later, I am still wide awake, thinking about how to get away from here and find Jason.

Soon after sunrise, the alarm on Jasper’s phone goes off. Moments later, he stops it. After pushing some of his locs out of his face, he pulls me into his arms. “‘Morning, Little Love.”

I hate being called Honey and Little Love and whatever stupid nicknames they have come up with for me. I hate being here, stuck in the same house as him. Why is Jason taking so long to take me home?

“Why do you have such strange paintings in your room?” Since I couldn’t sleep, I looked around Jasper’s room, and The Garden of Earthly Delights is not even the most disturbing painting on the wall. Most of them I haven’t even seen before.

“I guess they remind me of the world we live in. Dark and twisted,” Jasper answers before kissing me. “The bonding attempt was a failure like I knew it would be. But we can try again tonight. I can’t wait to fuck your mouth again.”

I put my palm on top of his dick and move it up and down his length. He gets hard almost immediately. “Do you want me to suck you right now?”

Jasper groans before claiming my mouth, his lips punishing mine, kissing me so hard that bruises will surely appear on my sensitive flesh. “Keep doing that and it will be your pussy that I fuck, not your throat. Your ass will be next.” I try to remove my hand but Jasper grabs my wrist. “Did I say you could stop?” he snarls, making me flinch.

I wrap my fingers around his throbbing cock and he hisses. “You can fuck me whenever you want.” Not that I need to give him permission since he will do it regardless.

I spit on his cock and use my thumb to spread it around his tip.

“You can’t give me such power over you,” he groans.

In the world of the Lords and the Dukes, men are the ones who have all the power, while women are drugged, beaten, and raped until their spirit is broken and they no longer fight back. Just like everyone else, Jasper will also take from me. So will Ansel.

“Do you want me to try to fight you? To beg you to stop while your big cock punishes my pussy?” I ask.

Jasper’s eyes flash red. “I am not into fantasy rape.”

My hand keeps moving up and down his cock. “What are you into, then?”

Jasper flashes me a grin. “I am into you.” He pulls me on top of him. “And into morning sex. It’s the perfect way to start the day.”

I straddle him. “My pussy or my ass?”

Jasper grabs my waist, lifts me off of him and puts me on the bed. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something and I can’t do it while your tits are in my face, distracting me.”

My heart drops to my stomach. Jason always wanted to ‘talk’ when I did something to anger him. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no,” Jasper quickly says. “I just wanted to say that it would be for the best if you don’t call me Master anymore.”

I blink confused. “But you bought me. What else am I supposed to call you?”

“I wanted a wife not a slave,” Jasper explains. “And if you are going to be my bonded, I would like you to call me….” He shrugs. “Not Master. It makes me feel like I will do some bad shit to you. And I won’t.”

If you are going to be my bonded. At least he is not forcing a bond on me like Ansel did. “I won’t call you Master anymore,” I reassure him. Then what? Jasper? It sounds too…intimate. But then again, I call the others by their names.

This is so confusing.

Another alarm goes off on his phone and he sighs. “Time to go feed the animals.”

“Can I help?”

Jasper looks at my feet. “When you are fully healed.”

I don’t show him how disappointed I am, since I was looking forward to seeing the horses. “Next time, then.”

Jasper gets out of bed and goes to his closet, putting on clothes and boots before returning to me with a clean shirt. “Once this snowstorm passes and Jason is no longer a pain in the ass, I will make a quick trip to the city to buy you clothes and whatever else you need.”

“Can I come with you?”

It’s been so long since I last went shopping, I forgot how fun it used to be. It was so fun when Camila and I spent hours in the mall. After…Jason took to me the Celestial Heaven, my freedom taken away from me, I never once went shopping again. Jason brought me whatever I needed.

Jasper helps me put on the shirt. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Of course Jasper won’t take me with him. I am his property, not his girlfriend. He picks me up in his arms. “How about breakfast?”

“I am not hungry.”

“Well, you need to eat so you can get better.”

Jasper takes me to the kitchen and puts me on a chair. Mose is in front of the stove, cooking.

Miss Teapot gets up from her basket and comes to where Jasper is standing and meows while rubbing against his legs.

“Food will be ready in a few minutes,” Mose lets us know.

“Remember, Olivia can’t tolerate spicy things,” Jasper says. “I will go feed the animals and be back in a few minutes. Can you take care of Miss Teapot?” Jasper asks me.

“Of course.”

Jasper leaves the house and I get up from the chair. The food for the cat is in the cabinet close to her basket, and after filling her bowl and checking to see if she has water, I ask Mose, “Do you need help finishing the breakfast?”

Mose looks at me. For a moment, I think he will refuse me, but then he says, “Have you cooked before?”

“The last attempt was not a master chef dish, that’s for sure.”

Mose snorts. “Do you want to learn?”

I shrug. “I don’t have anything better to do.”

“I might regret this later,” Mose mumbles to himself, “but come here.”

Not wanting him to have time to change his mind, I move quickly, not caring that my toes hurt like hell.

“I am making fried rice. Have you made this before?”

“I made pancakes on a few occasions,” I reply.

“Pancakes,” Mose snorts. “Anyone can make pancakes.” He hands over the spatula to me. “Here, you stir it.”

I step in front of the stove and take over the cooking. Or at least try to. “When will I know if it’s done?”

“It needs another minute or two before it can be served. Meanwhile, I will put kimchi on a plate.”

Without thinking, I ask, “Tyson is still obsessed with it?”

“How did you know?”

My back stiffens. “Since I was friends with Camila and used to visit her house…. Tyson lived there so...”

“Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting that.”

“The rice is done,” I say and turn off the stove. “Do you want me to go ahead and serve it now?”

“When the others get here.”

I realize the house is quiet. Maybe it is always like this. “I thought they were home.”

“They are, but probably in the shed.”

I shudder upon hearing the word shed.

Rueben and Tyson might have been beyond cruel to me, but Carlos did even worse stuff to me. The worst part is that I am not even angry at them. I have been abused for so long that it's all I know. Jasper and Ansel are confusing me with their kindness and I am always on edge, wondering when they will show me their true colors. At least Tyson and Rueben are predictable. And Mose…I don’t know what to make of him. So far, he has kept his distance.

The honk of a car horn makes Mose frown. He glances out the window, but except for the snowstorm, there is little to be seen outside.

“Probably the others,” Mose says. “Let’s finish setting the table.”

Mose grabs a china serving bowl from the cabinet and comes to the stove to put the fried rice in it.

“How is your wound?” I ask. He still has a bandage on his face.

“I will be fine in a couple of days. At least my head stopped hurting.”

Mose finishes putting the fried rice into the bowl and I take the pan to the sink.

Loud voices come from outside.

“Go to Jasper’s room,” Mose tells me while he grabs a knife. “Shit. I left my handgun on my bed. Can you go get it for me?” he asks.

The voices sound closer.

“Which one is your room?”

The backdoor opens, and a woman enters. Mose drops the bowl with fried rice, food and broken shards scattering all over the floor.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he snarls.

“Good day to you, too. And yes, I did drive carefully, as I wanted to get here in one piece. Thank you for asking.” She turns her attention to me. “Why do you look like you have been through hell and back? Are these cabrones mistreating you?”