Shackled (The Lord Series) by Amy T

6. Angel

About two weeks ago, I went to have a full medical checkup. Carlos wanted to be sure I was healthy

and… pure—I should have f ucked myself with a di ldo. Maybe that would have made that sa dist lose

interest in me, and I would not be in this mess right now. While at the hospital, I was given a shot that

will prevent me from getting pregnant for the next six months. Carlos wanted to wait until I gave him a

son. Ha! Like I would have ever let him touch me.

Alekos can f uck me daily, and I won’t get pregnant. And with a bit of luck, before the six months are

over, I will be far away from Veross City. Not wanting to talk about children anymore, I change the

subject. “You said that I can only go out with your permission.” He nods. “I won’t be a prisoner. Carlos

tried the same sh it, and I ran away.”

“I thought you ran away because you didn’t want to marry him.”

“That is beside the point.”

Alekos leans forward, his elbows resting on the desk. “You think he will let you go, just like that? That

he won’t look for you? If I set rules, it is only for your protection. And let me make one thing very clear

for you, Angel: I gave you many chances to get away from me, but, as always, you were too stubborn

to listen. Now that I know what you taste like and have felt the warmth of your pus sy, I will never let

you go. You can try to run away, but I assure you that you won’t like what will happen when I catch

you.” He gives me a wolfish smile, letting me know he would enjoy the chase.

The urge to roll my eyes is great, but I refrain myself from doing so. It is not the first time Alekos has

claimed he would never let me walk away. He claimed to love me, only to shatter my heart soon after. I

am so glad I never told him what I felt about him. Now, those feelings are long gone. Over the years, I

have learned that men are not to be trusted, and that the only person who will never let me down is me.

I worked hard on myself, and I like to think that I am a strong, independent woman. Even if right now I

depend on Alekos for protection. Though, that won’t be for very long, since I will eventually come up

with another plan. In a short time, I will be far away from this place infested with Dukes and Lords, who

ruin everything in their paths.

Being the daughter of a Duke taught me a very valuable lesson: make men believe you are obedient

and compliant, then strike when they least expect. “May I add clauses to the contract as well?”

“Like what?”

“I get bored easily. Give me wine, books, and a laptop, and I will never break any of your rules.”

Alekos seems surprised by my request. What was he expecting? Me asking for a gun or something like

that?

“I will see what I can do.” He pats his legs. “Come here.”

And so the game starts. A game in which only one can be the winner. And I will make sure to win. I will

lie, cheat, and who re myself. In the end, I will shatter Alekos’ heart just like he did to mine before I

disappear forever.

I place my purse on the desk. This is really happening. With the last shred of dignity I still have, I

gracefully stand and walk calmly to Alekos, not wanting him to know how nervous I am.

He pulls me into his lap, my back to his chest. His left arm snakes around my waist. “You have no

idea…” he groans, not finishing what he was about to say. Beneath me, I feel him hardening. “You fit

perfectly in my arms. Like you were made for me.”

“Don’t tell me you believe in all that soulmate bulls hit,” I huff.

“Who knows? Maybe soulmates do exist.”

He makes me shift on his lap, my left shoulder now leaning against his chest. His cologne, the same he

has used since high school, tickles my nose. I try to distract myself by looking out the window that I am

facing. The company started by Alekos’ grandfather is close to the invisible border that divides the city

into two—one half ruled by the Dukes, the other one by the Lords. I have never been to this side of the

city before. The high school I went to was right on the border, but since then, it became exclusive for

‘normal citizens’. The experiment the Elders of both organizations had proposed failed. The Dukes and

the Lords will never see eye to eye on things.

Alekos grabs my chin between his thumb and index finger, forcing me to meet his gaze. For a moment,

he looks just like the young man I met on my first day of high school.

His eyes fall on my lips. “How many more have k*ssed you apart from…” His brow creases. “What was

his name, Jason?”

It is my turn to furrow my brow. “Jason?”

“He was a Duke and in the same history and literature classes as you.”

The image of a tall, skinny teenager comes to my mind. “Wait! You think I k*ssed Jason Deymar?”

“Did you not?” His free hand comes to rest on my waist.

“Why bother explaining the truth to you when it is obvious you don’t believe me? Who told you this,

anyway?”

Alekos runs his thumb over my bottom lip. “Salma told me the same day you rejected me the second

time. To say I was angry is an understatement.”

Suddenly, everything makes sense. “And that’s why you f ucked her and sent me those photos of you

and her in bed? Because you thought I k*ssed Jason?” I narrow my eyes. “Don’t tell me that’s why you

punched him at the pool party.”

“What photos? I never sent you any. And I punched him because he was hitting on you. I might have

walked away, but then he put his arm around your shoulders, and I lost my sh it. No one touches what’s

mine and gets to live. Jason was lucky that he got to walk away with only a broken jaw.”

If Alekos had never sent me the photos, then Salma did it from his phone. It’s not like it matters,

anyway. Seeing those photos broke me. I have never trusted a man since that. Then, when he

punched Jason at one of my classmate’s parties, before dragging me to a room, I lost it. Especially

since he tried k*ssing me. I slapped him so hard that my palm hurt for days. We said many hurtful

things that day, but nothing hurt more than seeing him hang out with Salma for the rest of that school

year while ignoring me. Salma bragged to me about the wonderful S** she and Alekos were having

each time we saw each other.

His thumb continues to stroke my bottom lip.

“I was never yours, Alekos. Even now, we should not be doing this. We are enemies. Remember?”

My father and Alekos’ father had some problems in the past. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about it.

My mom did, but then she died before she could tell me.

“Enemies or not, you were mine from the moment I saw you. I only let you walk away back then,

because you were not ready for the kind of life a Lady has.” He dips his head, the tip of his nose

touching mine. “How many have k*ssed you, before me?”

“None of your business,” I retort.

“You are wrong, Agapi. Everything you do is my business. And when I find all those that committed the

sacrilege of k*ssing your lips, I will remove their mouths and tongues.”