Page 52 of Darkest Game

And now I’ll probably never see him again. That thought hurts my heart for some reason, but I need to return to my sisters and mom. I need to feel safe and being on the run with Liam is not safe, even if my heart doesn’t want to say goodbye to him.

It’s obvious that Mikhail and Nico want to see if they can find Liam but they decide to get in the car and drive away from the house instead.

Both dogs are nervous and shaking. My heart breaks for them.

It’s then that I spy Liam coming back out of the woods. Our eyes lock onto each other. I motion for him to hide and he disappears back into the woods before Mikhail or Nico can see him.

They’re taking me back home where I belong but it feels like my heart is somewhere else.

With Liam.

Liam

I can’t find Elaine anywhere in the fucking woods. She’s either good at hiding or a lot faster than I gave her credit for.

I need to get Irina out of here so after looking for a while, I decide to head back. Elaine is going to continue to causeproblems for me until she’s dead. I just need to get Irina to safety and regroup my most loyal followers and take Elaine down.

But when I come back out of the woods, I see that another car is in the driveway. Mikhail and Nico’s car. Irina is in the backseat.

Our eyes catch and she motions at me to back away. She’s trying to save my life. If Mikhail and Nico see me, they’re going to kill me the second they get.

Yet, everything inside of me is itching to get Irina back, even if I do know she’s being taken to safety. I should just let her go.

But I know right in this moment, I’m not sure I can.

Chapter Ten

Irina

The moment I see Mikhail’s house come into view, I know I’m safe.

The dogs go running towards the house after I open the door, looking happy and free for once.

“You need to control those beasts,” Mikhail says, following me to the door.

“They’re not beasts. They’re just dogs.”

“I don’t want them biting Natalya.”

“Or biting Sasha,” Nico adds, bringing up the rear.

I pull both the dogs close to me. “They’re not going to bite anyone. They were kept prisoner just like I was. This is their chance for freedom.”

Mikhail relents and doesn’t complain about the dogs as he opens the door. I try to contain the dogs but they both go running straight into the house and knock a vase off that was on the sideboard table in the foyer.

Mikhail gives me a withering look and I shrink in on myself.

“Sorry,” I whisper.

He sighs. “No. It’s… fine.”

“Dogs?” Natalya asks from the other room. “You got us dogs?” She enters the foyer and stops when she sees me. “Irina? Oh my god.” She runs right to me, wrapping me in a fierce hug. I hug her back with everything inside of me.

Ana and my mom come into the foyer and join the hug.

“Sasha is at our place,” Nico explains. “But I’ll bring her over. I know she wants to see you.” He leaves the house.

“Oh my god,” Natalya says, gripping my face. “Are you ok? You’re… what are you wearing? A shirt? Did they keep you in this?”