7. Olivia

Olivia

A zael slides me a cup of coffee across the desk. I have never been a huge fan of caffeine, but the past two days have been an absolute nightmare. Well, not really, but being locked in the cell with 919 was enough to drive me insane. All he does is work out and plan how to kill Azael. And he is not subtle about it, either. He almost got us into trouble a few times.

I hate to admit it, but I do agree with Azael. 919 does need to blow off some steam, and I’m not referring to him flexing his muscles while he does push-ups, but about him emptying his balls. I suggested a few times for him to jerk off in the bathroom, but he gave me funny looks, making me wonder if he’s ever had sex. Or if he even knows how to touch himself. If not for him going absolutely batshit crazy if I were to touch him, I might have volunteered to show him how to do it. Hell, I would have jerked him off myself. That way he could focus on our task and not lose more time.

Wrapping my fingers around the warm cup, I say, “Thank you,” in a gentle voice.

From behind his strange mask, Azael observes me. Why does he bother hiding his face when very few survive an encounter with him?

“You still haven’t fucked 919 .”

Is he keeping tabs on what I’m doing?

“ 919 wants me to seduce him first. But I’m getting there. Meanwhile, you can let me see Mose.”

“He is well.”

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you. I trust only what my eyes see.”

Azael chuckles. “I’ve never met a woman as direct as you.”

I shrug. “At this point in my life, I have nothing to lose. So, I can afford to say whatever I want, when I want.”

“Your father invested a lot in your brother, and he still ended up being a coward. But you, on the other hand, don’t fear anything.”

I wouldn’t say that. There are many things I’m scared of. But strangely, Azael is not one of them. All those drugs Carlos and Jason gave me must have affected my brain. Otherwise, I can’t explain my attitude toward Azael.

“I’m starting to think he chose the wrong child to love,” Azael says lastly.

Wait.

My father loves my brother? Wow. I never thought he was capable of such feelings when he is so full of hatred and bitterness. Same as my mother. It’s a good thing they married each other and didn’t make life miserable for others. Just mine.

I sniff the coffee, not trusting anything that is given to me here, especially if it’s from Azael. His mind is so evil and twisted that he might not even be the villain in his story. Or whatever dark fairytale he’s living in.

He is so fucked up he probably thinks he's doing the right thing somehow, because there’s no way someone is capable of such atrocities unless they are living in some fucked up world conjured up in their mind.

The only things I’ve been drinking and eating are things tasted and approved by 919.

“A father isn’t supposed to choose between his children. His job as a parent is to love all his children equally,” I say.

In an ideal world, it would be like that, but in the real world, many children are neglected because of that golden sibling.

“You resent him for neglecting you.”

Does Azael think he is my therapist?

“Resenting means I feel something for my sperm donor. For a dead man. My father is not worth my time.”

Azael drinks from his coffee. “The last time you were here, you spent most of the time crying. It’s a surprise to see you so calm and calculated.”

I was sixteen, had just lost my best friend, and my then boyfriend thought I cheated on him. So, excuse me for being sensitive.

“Everything that I ever loved was taken away from me.”

Why don’t you die already? Those whom I loved still hate me the most.

“I’ve made my peace with life.” Living means only suffering.

Azael looks at me for several moments, then says, “After Carlos took you away from here, I’ve kept an eye on you. I watched how you endured years of abuse to keep those three men safe. You gave up on your life for them, destroying yourself in the process. Why, when you only received hate from them? What did they call you? Ah, yes, the Diseased Cunt. Bitch. Whore.”

My blood turns cold.

How does Azael know?

I force myself to breathe evenly.

Was Azael spying on Tyson and his blood-brothers all these years? Or was someone else doing it for him? Not a Duke, that’s for sure. A Lord, then?

Tyson needs to know about this. But he doesn’t want to see me anymore. Mose then. I’ll let Mose know as soon as I get him out of here.

As if guessing what I’m thinking about, Azael says, “I’m sure you remember the drugs given to the two Carr brothers and their stray dog.”

Did he just call Ansel a stray dog because he’s an orphan? Rude. More than that. Cruel.

“What are their names?” I ask, wanting to make Azael see that they are more than the Carr brothers. Each one of them is a distinct person.

Azael acts like he doesn’t remember. Is he playing mind games with me? Because then I’ll only disappoint him when I don’t give him what he wants.

He keeps talking about his fuckery.

“It was important for me to know if there were any side effects. And to learn if their suppressed memories returned. Finding someone willing to report to me on what’s happening in their home wasn’t that hard.”

What if one of Tyson’s blood-brothers is the spy? But who? Jasper or Mose? It can’t be any of them. They wouldn’t betray their blood-brother. Right?

“When I learned Jason took you out of the Celestial Heaven, I knew it was only a matter of time until you ended up on their farm. I might have gotten a bit impatient and asked Malaky to help me. But in the end, everything turned out as planned. After that, all I had to do was watch how they broke you a bit more day by day. I must say, they did an impressive job. All the work I did on them while I had them here paid off. Now, if you would only talk.”

Azael is finally starting to realize how stubborn I can be. If I don’t want to talk, then I won’t. Revealing the location of the daggers was never an option.

But why plan all this? To what purpose? Knowing the only way to find out the truth is by asking, I say, “Why are you so obsessed with me?”

“The daggers, Olivia. I want them.”

Of course he does.

Good thing I left them at the farm.

“Here I was, thinking you were fixated on me, when, in reality, you only want two rusty old knives. I don’t know how to feel about that,” I pretend to be upset.

Azael loses his composure and slams his fist on the desk, causing some of the coffee to spill on my hands. It is not hot enough to burn me so I ignore it, only to make it clear, “You’ll never have them. I made sure of it.”

I need to learn why Azael wants those daggers. Sure, they glow when near me, but there has to be more to them than just fancy lights.

Ansel knows how important the daggers are. He will never let Azael get his hands on them.

919 is yet to speak with other experiments since he is rarely let out of his cell. He has a very violent tendency to kill everything in his path, and even I have had to get out of his path a few times. I wonder if I have enough time to find out what Azael is planning with the daggers while 919 manages to speak with the others.

Azael stands. “Let me show you something. I think you will find it interesting. Maybe it will help you change your mind.”

He goes to the door and opens it.

“If you say so,” I say, and follow him, taking the rest of the coffee with me. Guards stand on either side of the door, and I clean my hands of the coffee on their clothes before pushing the cup into the hands of one of them. “Here, you look like you need some caffeine or whatever drug was added to this cup.”

The men reach out to grab their guns, but Azael puts his hand in the air, palm facing them. “You’ll have the chance to do whatever you want with her after she tells me what I want.”

One of the guards cups his dick through his pants. “We can make her talk in a few minutes.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “With those small dicks? You might want Azzy to experiment on you, too. Did you see the junk 919 has between his legs? I’ll tell him all my secrets and desires if he fucks me good with his big dick.”

Calling the most fucked up angel in history Azzy might not be the smartest move I’ve ever made, but what’s he gonna do about it? Kill me?

Azael grabs my arm and forces me to walk quickly. “Are you forgetting that your Asian boyfriend will pay the consequences for your actions? What you did just now won’t go unpunished.”

“And I already told you that I’ll make you pay if you ever hurt him.”

We continue to walk fast, Azael leading me to the elevator. Once inside, he hits a button that leads to one of the underground levels. I keep quiet because I might be stupid, but I’m not a total idiot. And I also don’t want to get Mose in trouble because I can’t keep my mouth closed. But there’s something about this angel that brings out the worst in me. Not even my brother can get me riled up this much. That’s because Jason is not good with words; his favorite way of communicating is using his fists.

The elevator stops and the door opens, revealing a room as big as the entire floor. Experiments and guards are in the middle of the room, gathered around something that I can’t see. They shout a number: 257 .

Azael drags me out of the elevator. His voice is so loud as he says, “This week’s tournament will begin in a few minutes,” making everyone look at him. “The rules are the same as ever. The last man standing at the end of the day gets the prize.” Azael pushes me forward. “Her.”

“The prize is a woman of our own?” someone asks.

“ Only the fighter who defeats all his opponents gets to spend a night with her. I don’t care what is done to her as long as she is not killed,” Azael replies.

Shit.

He didn’t like being called Azzy.

A big screen appears on one of the white walls, showing a cage match. Inside it are two men, one of whom is Mose. He is wearing only a pair of black pants, his fists raised, ready to hit. The arch of his left eye is split in two, and blood runs down his face. He looks confused and in pain. How long has he been in that cage, forced to fight?

“You fucking monster,” I hiss at Azael. “Mose is not as strong as your experiments. He will be killed.”

“You should be grateful, not cursing me out. When he was brought here, his left eye was popped out and we put them back for him. He also had a skull fracture that was healed faster than normal with the help of experimental drugs. If he survives, I’ll let him watch while you get fucked by the winner.”

The focus of the camera is back on me, and this time, Mose notices me as he roars, “My woman is no prize! Touch her in any way, and I’ll fucking kill all of you!”