Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos
266. Olivia - Escape III

The demons in the catacombs knew that I embraced the darkness inside me-darkness that spilled out of the small crystal that was put inside my uterus after my tubes were removed. The crystal was taken from the Dybbux Box, which ended up in Azael's hands. It was supposed to be a punishment for killing Camila, but only now do I understand that it was only the wish of a sick-minded person to inflict more pain and suffering on my already crushed soul. For years, I fought against the darkness that threatened to corrupt my soul. Each time I felt anything close to happiness, it caused me a lot of pain, like the time when Ansel made love to me.

I was scared that by accepting it, I would become evil, my soul lost to the darkness for eternity. Then, my desire to be reunited with Camila, Levi, and all those that I've lost would be lost forever.

What a surprise I had when I accepted the darkness. Not only wasn't my soul corrupt, but I also realized I could use this dark power whenever I wanted.

Butterflies with white wings, the edges black, come out of my palms, and they fly directly to where the Bitch is. A creepy smile spreads across her face. Next to me, **429** lets out a loud breath. I'm he hasn't seen something like this before. Hell. I didn't know I could do this until now. Since the night I accepted the darkness inside me, embracing it, I've started finding out things about me that I didn't realize before. Like how fierce I can be when it comes to protecting those I love. That's how I could save Ansel in the Catacombs. Despite this power that was put inside me by force, as I never wanted it, I'm still weak, especially when it comes to him. No matter how much I want to hate him, the truth is that I still need him. Yet, our relationship will never be the same. I'm not the same Olivia as years ago, and he is no longer my boy with turquoise eyes.

"You are my most magnificent creation," the Bitch says.

"No wonder you work for Azael. You have the same God complex as him," I say as the butterflies surround her.

Realizing what I'm doing, her smile quickly disappears. "You can't harm me. I made you like this. Powerful. Magnificent."

I shake my head. "You took away all my feelings together with my last hope of ever being happy in this life. So I won't regret killing you."

The pistol detonates a moment before the Bitch is completely engulfed by my darkness.

Everything happens so slowly.

I don't want to die. Not right now, at least.

**429** pushes me out of the way; the bullet hits him in the shoulder. He grunts in pain and almost drops the box.

Did he...protect me? Why?

A few screams come from the Bitch before my deadly butterflies silence her. Knowing that my darkness will keep me safe in case of a surprise attack, I turn my attention to 429. His wound doesn't look that bad, but I'm sure it's painful. "Why are men always idiots?" I huff. I didn't need his help, but his gesture makes me wonder if I'm worth something.

He gives me a boyish grin. "My uncle always told me that men should protect women. And because I'm a bit scared of you."

The bullet is still in his shoulder, preventing him from bleeding to death in case an artery is affected. It will have to be extracted later by a doctor or someone who knows what they are doing. "I won't hurt you as long as you try anything funny. Besides, your uncle is not here, is he?" I try to knock some sense into him. "So don't try to be a hero when it's not the case." **429** reveals something from his past. "He died trying to protect me from being taken by the Dukes."

Knowing that I was wrong, I say, "Your uncle is proud of you."

His eyes turn sad for a moment. "Thank you for killing the Bitch."

"Oh, she's not dead-not yet, at least. After you are done with her, I'll have my revenge."

**429** turns pale as if the idea of having to touch her makes him sick. "Just kill her."

"Killing her quickly, without making her suffer, won't be fun. Once we are out of here, we'll have all the time in the world."

**429** nods. "We need to get moving. Despite **919** clearing the way for us, there are more guards ready to stop us. The noise most likely alerted them of something happening."

The facility is eerie silent. There's always noise, but right now, the sound of silence makes this place resemble a graveyard.

Not fully trusting **429**, I ask, "How did **919** get out of his cell?"

Jerking his head in the direction of the stairs, **429** tells me, "After **666** was rescued, Azael went on a killing spree, executing most of the staff. He's always been paranoid that his own people will betray him." I wonder why. I almost chuckle at my sarcasm. The drugs made me lose my sense of humor. Maybe it's better without them. After all, no matter how fast I run, the past will always catch up with me. While some memories are so painful, every cell of my body hurts remembering them, there are a few that make me think it's worth living. "Not wanting to bring outsiders here, he made the experiments work."

We move quickly, not wanting to be caught by surprise, like it happened with the Bitch. My butterflies drag her behind me, as I don't want to leave her behind and risk her escaping justice. "Which gave you the freedom to organize the escape under Azael's nose," I realize. "You surely must have had a code of some sort to communicate among yourselves."

"Yes," **429** confirms my suspicions. "We used what we had at hand-food, cleaning products, the fighting tournaments."

As we climb the stairs, I say, "Those killed by Mose were not accidental deaths."

"Some of us are too... that have nothing left to live for, their bodies too altered, too full of pain, to ever have a normal life. Too far gone to be safe around others."

So many have suffered because of Azael. He must be stopped before he destroys more innocent people.

When we reach the top of the stairs a roar so vicious, so full of hate, like I've never heard before, makes the facility tremble.

**429** stops in his tracks. "Shit. Shit. Shit," he starts to panic.

"Looks like Azzy ate something that upset him." **429** barely pays me any attention, as he is still busy freaking out. "Time to call in the calvary. Let's go to Azzy's office. I need to use his phone." **Next update will be tommorow - I am still working on the next chapter**