35. Tyson

Tyson

H ow the fuck can Olivia be the Anti-Christ with how sweet and generous she is? Maddox has been telling us bullshit, and I was starting to believe him.

“What do you mean she is Jon and Khloe’s biological daughter?” I still can’t wrap my head around it.

Yan moves closer to Maddox and me. “We need to know about the Anti-Christ.”

“We have the entire day to find out everything Maddox knows,” I snarl in annoyance because right now, I need to know about Jon and Khloe. It’s more than important to me. It will explain why Olivia’s maternal grandparents loved her so much and why Jon was going to let Olivia and me take his family name after we got married. No wonder he kept insisting on talking to me even after I made it clear to him never to bother me again. Even after I blocked him on everything, he called me from other numbers until I got a restraining order against him. The worst part is that I deleted all his contact info, and I have no clue how to get ahold of him.

Maddox shrugs. “Jon and Khloe had problems conceiving, so they turned to Azael for help. Khloe has MRKH syndrome, so it was impossible for her to get pregnant.”

“What the fuck is MRKH syndrome?” Rueben asks.

Maddox looks at Rueben like he’s stupid. “Women who have this condition are usually born with functioning ovaries and fallopian tubes but have a blocked or missing upper vagina, cervix, and uterus. Azael extracted eggs from Khloe and fertilized them with Jon’s spermatozoids. In the end, only two embryos were valid. One of them was implanted in a surrogate, and that’s how their daughter, Hannah, was born. They invested all their love and time into raising her, but Hannah was always a cold woman. She and Senator Deymar are a match made in Heaven because not even Lucifer would have foreseen the two of them together. As for Olivia’s third DNA splice, his identity is a mystery. Jon and Khloe changed their opinion about having a second child and asked Azael to destroy the second embryo, which obviously, he didn’t do.”

Thank fuck, because otherwise Olivia wouldn’t have been born. I wouldn’t have met her and fallen in love with her. I would have missed her even if she had never existed. “For once in his existence, Azael did something right,” I say. “How did Hannah end up being the one giving birth to Olivia and raising her? Do Jon and Khloe know?”

“Azael wants to break the gates of Heaven and conquer it. For that, he needs someone who’s a direct descendant of Pandora,” Maddox replies.

It all goes back to what Ansel revealed about Pandora. “He wanted someone who could wield the twin daggers,” I draw out a conclusion.

Maddox nods. “After years of digging, Azael found the last direct descendent of Pandora. It was from this person that he took a DNA sample and used it in Olivia’s creation. To ensure that Olivia would be not only the weapon he thought she would be but also possibly the most powerful hellstar ever to be born, he used Hannah as a surrogate. Hannah comes from a long line of hellstars, and while she isn’t one, Azael always believed Khloe was one. He took blood samples from Khloe to look for a component only found in hellstars. Traces of that component were found, but not enough to make him believe she was a hellstar like her mother was. Hellstars were also in Jon’s family. It’s easy to understand how extraordinary Olivia is. She is not only a hellstar but also Pandora’s heir because Azael manipulated fate.” Maddox sounds almost as if he’s admiring Azael.

I want to make him choke on his teeth. How the fuck can he believe that anything Azael did is worthy of admiration? Olivia is the only marvelous thing he did in his entire existence, even if her initial purpose was evil.

“What’s this component you mention?” Rin wants to know.

“Divine power. It’s what makes the hellstars…unique. But Olivia? She’s one of a kind. Suppose Khloe is indeed a hellstar, and Jon is her mate, combined with all the other hellstar cases from their respective families. In that case, Olivia not only has the ability to heal people, but she can bring back those who died recently.”

Rueben’s hand flies to the scar on his neck. “Repeat that.”

Jasper told us about Olivia bringing back Rueben. He wasn’t sure of it, but he couldn’t explain what happened while he was performing CPR on Rueben. We thought it was bullshit that Jasper was trying to make Olivia take all the credit for what he did. When Rueben thanked Jasper for saving his life, Olivia kept quiet. How many more times did she do the same? How many more times did she do something for us, and we dismissed her?

“Olivia can resurrect people.”

Rueben starts pacing around the room while Rin looks pale as fuck. “What if several weeks have passed? Can she bring back someone who….”

Rin doesn’t finish the sentence, but there’s no need, as Maddox says, “Someone who is in an advanced state of decomposition?”

“Yeah,” Rin’s voice is hoarse.

I know why he’s asking. Levi.

Maddox’s voice drops as he narrows his eyes while talking, “Although the cold winter ground may have slowed down the process, to answer your question, I have no idea.. Maybe she can, but who can tell what that person would be like after being dead for so long? Are they simply animated corpses or returned to who they used to be?”

Rin kicks a chair while cursing out loud. “She tried to tell us, but we mocked her. We made her run away. Fuck! She could have brought Levi, Isak, and Gavin back, but now it’s too late.”

Rueben runs both his hands through his hair before feeling around his pocket. “I need a cigarette.” He needs to kiss Olivia’s feet for the rest of his life for saving his sorry ass. “Who has one?”

The rest of us shake our heads.

Since Maddox turned out to be our rat, we will need to find another way to buy our favorite brand of cigarettes. Damn! I feel like smoking as well.

“Call Ansel and tell him to bring a carton with him. God knows we need them.”

Rueben pulls out his phone and dials Ansel’s number, who picks up on the third ring. He puts it on speakerphone. “Where are you?” he barks into the phone.

“What the fuck crawled up your ass?” Ansel asks.

Rueben exhales loudly. “I need some cigarettes to calm down. Maddox might be a fucking traitor, but he made me realize something important.”

“What?” Ansel wonders.

“I owe my life to Olivia. How long until you get here?”

Ansel takes a moment to reply, “About an hour or so. Stefan is driving fast. Alekos and the others are ahead of us, so they will get there first. Maybe he has cigarettes.”

“We don’t smoke,” Stefan’s voice is heard in the background.

While Rueben is busy cursing under his breath, I say to Ansel, “Let me fill you and Stefan in really quick about what Maddox has said so far.”

After I finish telling Ansel and Stefan what we found out, Rueben finally calms down enough for me to continue with the questions. Ansel is still on the line, and Rueben gives me his phone.

“Let me guess: Jon and Khloe asked for their last embryo to be disposed of, but Azael, who wanted to see all his hard work bear fruit, chose Hannah as a surrogate since she was related to Olivia.” Maddox doesn’t reply, but I take that as a yes. “And Jason?”

“He is Senator Deymar’s biological son. But you are wrong about Hannah. Azael didn’t choose her, not wanting to risk Jon and Khloe discovering his plans.”

Despite Senator Deymar claiming that Khloe had been a pornai, he couldn’t be farther from the truth. Khloe came from a wealthy family, but they were very influential not only among the Dukes but also within the city as well. Jon comes from a long line of Duke Patriarchs.

On one occasion, Jon told me it took him a while to understand who Azael really was. That’s when he started distancing himself from the Dukes. Some followed him. But I don’t understand why Azael wouldn’t have wanted Jon to know about Olivia. Maybe he thought that Jon would try to take Olivia away from Hannah?

Maddox keeps speaking. “Twenty-three years ago, the facility was disguised as a fertility clinic, but they also offered other services to future mothers. In reality, they were looking for hellstars. Women went there looking for assistance with different reproductive health problems and willingly gave their blood to be tested, only they weren’t told the entire truth.

“Azael chose another woman to be the surrogate, but something happened that day, and there was a big mix-up of names and persons. Three women visited the clinic that day. One was Hannah, another one was Francesca, and the last one was a pornai.” The name Francesca pops out because my stepmom had the same name. It might be a coincidence, but something tells me it’s not. “The pornai was supposed to be the surrogate because Azael wanted Olivia to have the worst life possible so he could become her savior. He wanted her to love him and only him.”

Azael must have the biggest case of narcissism that I’ve ever seen.

“The doctor who took care of implanting the embryo mixed up not only the women but their names as well, and why they were there—from what I learned, it was not his first day, but the other staff were dealing with a fire that started in another part of the facility. One was there for her annual check-up, one to become a surrogate, and the other was to check up on her baby. It so happens that all three of them were pregnant, but only one knew. When Hannah entered the clinic, she was pregnant with only one child; when she drove back home, unbeknownst to her, she was carrying ‘twins.’ Jason and Olivia. The other two women returned to their normal routines. When Azael, who was out of town with important Dukes’ matters, went to see if everything went according to plan, he became enraged when he was told that the transfer was successfully implanted into Francesca Carr.”

This is worse than I thought.

“What!?” Rueben growls.

Ansel is silent.

“For years, Azael believed Camila was his Anti-Christ. He would meet up with her, and he would fill her head with all sorts of things. If he couldn’t break her, he would become her mentor.”

I can see why Azael would have mistaken Camila for Olivia. The two of them looked very alike. They even had similar hair color, the same height, and even the same smile.

“How the fuck did Azael get close to Camila without anyone realizing it?” Rin snarls.

Rueben glances at me, and I know what he’s thinking. “Camila’s kindergarten teacher.”

I have never met Mr. Orton, but I’ve heard a lot about him. Camila was very attached to him, and he even visited her several times. She kept in touch with him until she died.

The next question comes. Again, from Rin. “How come no one knew the teacher was Azael?”

The perfect disguise to get close to Camila.

Maddox replies. “As an Archangel, he is stronger than many think. He can change vessels whenever he wants.”

“But how come he was still an angel when he was Lucifer’s right hand?” Yan huffs.

“Azael tricked even Lucifer. He never gave up on being an angel,” Ansel says. His reply takes me by surprise because I almost forgot he was on the phone.

What Maddox says makes sense. “Tell us more about Azael and Camila,” Rueben demands.

“He gave her tasks she had to complete, like finding answers to complicated questions he had for her, all sorts of puzzles, or he would make her look for things around the city. He also taught her about Pandora, but a twisted version of what really happened when he led the attack on the Garden of Eden.”

When did Camila have time to do all of this? While she went to dancing classes, she was, in reality, learning something else entirely.

“I assume that he told her about the daggers and that she needed to find them. His plan would have worked if not for Olivia. The friendship between Olivia and Camila had been crucial.” Maddox frowns. “One thing I never understood is how Camila had so many similarities with Olivia.”

“She could mirror Olivia’s powers,” Ansel says. “She even tricked the demons in the Catacombs.”

Maddox nods. “Now it makes sense.”

“What happened to the woman who was supposed to be the surrogate?” Rin asks.

“She returned to doing what she did best, fucking men, and Azael forgot about her.”

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 idea 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 not all are that bad. 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?” I ask.

Maddox keeps his face neutral.

“You’ll spill the beans once Henry and Cole are here. Keep speaking. I want to know everything,” I say.

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—to 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 only 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.”

My 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. Not that he didn’t take great pleasure in her torture, 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. “Azael was starting to get suspicious of 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 to 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 would happen, 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 have tried to find them 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’d 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.”