Page 20 of Darkest Game
“It’s yours. To wear tomorrow.”
“We’re getting married tomorrow?”
“That’s what Jack wants. And I don’t think anyone is coming to save you by then. So we will be married. Making an enemy out of Jack’s wife was stupid.”
“But she should be angry with her husband, not me. I’m a prisoner.” Irina sounds so confused that it makes me realize shewas truly telling the truth about how sheltered she’s been. She has no idea how this world works.
And it’s up to me to teach her. Fuck.
“I wish I had a better answer for you,” I say. “But I don’t. We’re getting married tomorrow. Might as well get used to it.”
Though, I’m not sure if my words are meant for her… or for me.
Irina
No one comes to bother me in the night. The downfall to that is I desperately need a blanket. Yes, it’s summertime and warmer at night but there’s still a chill in the air as the night goes on and the only thing I’m wearing is a crop top and short-shorts. I would even ask for my urine stained dress back if it meant keeping me warm.
I eye the dogs in the kennel next to me. They eye me right back. There’s no chance they would keep me warm even if we were in the same kennel. They don’t seem well taken care of, so I doubt they’re used to a human touch.
With nothing else to do, I stick my hand between the bars of each kennel and wait. The pit bull moves towards me first and it takes everything inside of me not to flinch. But instead of biting my hand off, it only sniffs my fingers. And then licks them. I hold still, letting the dog get used to me.
A quick glance below tells me the dog is a boy.
“You’re more sweet than you appear, you know that?” I whisper to it. The dog nuzzles my hand so I pet his head and he sinks into my touch even more. The rottweiler comes over next, curious about what’s happening and begins to wag its tail.
It’s a girl upon closer inspection.
“You can get love too, you know,” I tell her. She nudges my hand so I begin to pet her too but the pit bull gets jealous. He nudges my hand back.
“Ok, ok,” I tell them, sticking both of my hands through the bars and petting them at the same time. “You’re so needy. And I love it. Do you get love like this?”
They both seem eager for pettings. It breaks my heart thinking that they’re kept outside in this kennel all day and all night without barely any love. Prisoners themselves. I know exactly what that feels like.
I continue petting them as the sun rises. Sleep is practically impossible in a place like this anyway. I’m still holding out hope that Mikhail and Nico will find me in time before I’m married to Liam but if they don’t, then I hope Liam lets me sleep in a normal bed after this. I’ll try to escape from him if I can. I failed with Denis but now that I’ve been reunited with my sisters, hope has been reignited within me. I’m not ready to give up just yet.
“What are you doing?” Liam asks, startling me.
I stop petting the dogs and stand up. His eyes flick down to my exposed stomach and I cross my arms over my body. “I was petting them.”
“But why?”
“Because dogs need love. They’re kept out here all day and night.”
“The guys let them out here and there for food. But usually they’re left alone. They’re animals. Who cares about them?”
“Do you actually think like that? These innocent animals are nothing to you?”
“They’re Jack’s dogs,” he says with a shrug. “I’m not going to tell him what he can do with them. I doubt he’ll appreciate that.”
“You seem all right with Jack abusing innocent creatures.”
He steps closer to the kennel. Closer to me. “Are you one of these innocent creatures?”
“You’re really going to let Jack have me on our wedding night?” I’m still pressing this. I can tell Liam isn’t fully ok with the idea and I need to find some way to save myself. I don’t trust Liam but so far, he hasn’t hurt me the way Sean did or the way Jack plans on doing. Liam said he wouldn’t rape me and I have to take his word for it because I have nothing else to hold on to.
His hands clench into fists at his sides. “Stop asking me that. Jack wants this marriage to happen. You’re not truly mine. He wanted you captured, so I took you.”
“I thought he wanted my sisters.”
