Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos
235. Olivia - Standing up

While I don't know what to make about what the demons just said about me, I know that if I don't act fast, I'll lose Ansel. And fuck if I'll let anyone else take people I care about away from me like Jason and my father did. In the past, I thought I had no other choice than to submit, to use my body as a bargaining chip, but now that I have tasted freedom, I won't let anyone cage me again. If I want something, I have to fight tooth and nail for it. Starting now. Light still comes out of my body. I look like a human torch. Like an angry human torch. Bring it on, fuckers.

I slowly rise to my feet. The demons retreated even deeper into the shadows. Looks like they're afraid of my light. Who would have thought that? I take a step forward. Ansel grabs the hem of my coat. I remain with him, wanting him to know that I won't leave him even if I can. He has lost a lot of blood and is too weak to stop me even if he tried.

"That's right, motherfuckers," I snarl while I fist my palms, not wanting the demons to know how scared I really am. Because not being scared would be so dumb of me. "If you don't want me to destroy your little house here, you better do what the fuck I tell you to!"

"The price was not entirely paid. The Fallen still owe us two wings. Otherwise, you both will die here."

"You do realize I'm a daughter of God and that my word is above you all!" Basically, all hellstars are daughters of God. The demons snarl at me. I snarl back louder than them. "You'll bring me the daggers and the wings you took from my bonded. You have five seconds to do so!" Ansel grunts in pain. "I'm going to patch you up," I tell him. Then I start counting. "Five! Four! Three!" I quickly say. The demons hesitate. "You think I'm bluffing?" I call forth the darkness inside me. The daggers and Ansel's wings appear in front of me. The light grey feathers are splattered red with blood, bones are sticking out. I feel sick again. They look beyond repair. If I can repair them.

I pick up the daggers. They are around fifteen inches long, have a simple blade, and have salt and pepper diamonds incrusted in the hilt. The diamonds shine as my fingers touch the daggers. Normally, I would stop to think about what this means, but right now, I'm a bit busy wanting to obliviate these stupid demons for hurting Ansel. Only I have that right.

"You hold the power to doom us," it is whispered around me.

I narrow my eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"We were wrong about the other hellstar. We thought she was the one destined to defeat Ophyr, but it was you all along."

Are they talking about Camila?

"Your friend was a Conductor, her powers mirroring yours, tricking us. But by accepting the darkness in your heart, you opened a door for the Fallen Ones to try to corrupt your soul."

Who the hell are the Fallen Ones? I've never heard about them until now.

The door to the Catacombs opens. I put the daggers in the hops of my pants.

"Leave and never come back."

"Gladly," I huff.

I grab the wings with one hand while yanking Ansel up with the other. He can barely stand on his feet, and blood is still running down his back. I put his arm around my shoulders, and we started walking. "No one will ever manipulate me again. Not even these Fallen dudes, whoever they are."

"You've bonded with a Fallen."

"And?" I ask.

"You still don't understand what you've done. Light and darkness don't mix."

"They do now," I say.

Ansel and I get out, and as the door starts to close, one last thing is said to me. "Look beneath the starry sky; that's where you'll find what was hidden from you." Why do they have to speak in riddles? Is it so hard to say what they really mean without sounding like some overbearing fay lord?

As soon as the door is closed, I make Ansel sit and put the wings next to him. "Let me look at your back." The light retreats back inside my body, and I grab the small flashlight that I had used when we first entered to crypt and point it at Ansel's back. His jacket and t-shirt are shredded to pieces, and I help him take them off. When I see the extent of the damage done to him, I feel like vomiting again. Skin and muscles are torn all the way to the bones. It looks so unbelievably painful.

He is still bleeding but not as badly as before. Is he running out of blood? What am I supposed to do in that case?

"It's okay," Ansel tries to comfort me. "All will be well." He collapses on his stomach. "Some Guardian I am. Sorry for failing you again," he whispers before his eyes close.

"If you are sorry, don't leave me here alone! I swear I'll bring you back just as I did with Rueben, and I'll fucking kick your ass before I kill you with my own hands."

Ansel chuckles, letting me know he is still alive. "My demon will help with the healing," he says, sounding so weak. "But I'll need to sleep a lot after." Thank God. Or Lucifer. Or whoever got Ansel and me out of this mess.

"This is such a bloody mess-no pun intended," I sigh. Ansel snorts. "What sort of a demon do you have? And most importantly: what's a Fallen?"

"We better get to the car before I fall asleep."

Ansel is deliberately avoiding answering my questions. That's fine. I'll ask him again once we are at the farm. I help him stand, and we walk. His legs tremble and groan in pain, and I know we need to hurry.

It seems an eternity before we make it back to the car. Diva scratches the window, wanting to get out. I drop the wings on the snow and look for the car keys in Ansel's pocket. Once I locate them, I unlock the car. Diva barks impacient. "Yeah, I know we were gone for a long time, but you have to behave," I tell her as I open the passenger door and get Ansel inside. He passes out as soon as his ass hits the seat.

Some blankets are next to Diva, and I grab one that doesn't have a lot of her hair on it and drape it around Ansel. Not knowing what to do with the wings, I throw them in the truk then I get behind the wheel. "I haven't driven before, but it should be easy." Right? My fingers tremble as I start the car. "Please, don't let me have an accident."