Page 134 of The Harbinger

“Let me go,” I said through clenched teeth.

“You’re going to your room until Alexander Ruslanovich returns.”

The blood drained from my face in a cold wash as the name Ruslan hit the air. Not only would I have to contend with Sacha, but also his father. Because Ivan would tell them I’d killed her.

If Sacha had been sincere about anything, it would have been his father. My stomach curdled as I balled my hand into a fist and swung.

My knuckles brushed under his chin, missing my mark, but slammed into his throat. Ivan’s hand broke away as he choked, his hands wrapping around his meaty neck.

Stepping back from him, I stared at his red face when he collapsed to the ground, and a morbid thought crossed my mind. I could watch him die with a smile on my face. That was how much Ihatedhim.

He reached out for me, placing one foot back on the floor as he tried standing. I turned around and ran down the two flights of stairs. My only option to flee.

My feet hit the ground in the garden as birds scattered from the treetops, flying in a massive black ball that could blot out the sun. My shoes dug into the sand and rocks as I ran once again past the forbidden fruit trees and deep into the woods, this time steering clear of the sacrificial altar.

Twigs snapped, and my heart raced, not like when I’d disappeared before with the expectation he’d find me, but with gut-wrenching desperation.

Katya and Sacha made it well known he was revered around the entirety of Moscow. I’d seen it with my own eyes how people followed him around like an idol in need of worship.

He was seen as a god around here, and gods were immune.

My heavy breathing swirled around me as I ran, dodging low-hanging branches and jumping over fallen logs. The damp earthy air grew thick around me the further I advanced into the dense canopy.

There are far more dangerous things out there than me.

That was his warning when I’d let him chase me in the woods not too long ago, and after he’d fucked me on his altar I’d made shapes out of nothing, but they haunted me nonetheless.

What had he meant by it?

My foot sunk into a patch of spongy moss, and I toppled as the tip of my shoe caught.

I hit the ground rolling, and something beneath me snapped, causing a striking pain to lash out across my upper arm. I groaned as I came to a stop, my body rocking from the momentum, my hand clasping over the teeth clenching agony. I hissed when a warm trickle slipped between the thin gaps in my fingers.

“Shit.”

Crimson blood coated my hand as I pulled it away. I clamped it back down onto my wound and tossed my head back with a groan.

Better my arm than my ankle.

We’ll need to cover that up. Otherwise, we’ll attract the bears instead.My father’s deep baritone voice launched at me, dulling the pain and flooding my mind with an all-consuming memory.

He’d taken me hunting with him for the first time in the high mountains, and as we’d climbed into the blind, I’d scraped my knee along the bark. It wasn’t anything that left a scar, but it sure hurt as I pulled my pant leg up. There was a chill in the air because winter had laid snow early that year, so by the time he’d put a bandage over it, I’d had full-body chills.

The cold didn’t stop my father from trying. He’d gone every season, and we’d had enough venison in the freezer to last until the next one.

I lay in the leaves, their pointed peaks catching in my wild hair as I tried catching my breath, my father’s face still a blurry blob. A little furry beast jumped above me from branch to branch. His chattering calls gave away my location to his allies. It wouldn’t be long before Sacha got word of what had happened, and he’d come home to find his mother dead, with Ivan pointing the finger at me.

My stomach pitched, creating a chaos of nausea and unease. Bile burned the back of my throat as I turned onto my side and released my stomach contents all over the forest floor.

By the time I wiped my mouth with my sleeve, the dogs had begun barking, and dread had run its course.

I’d forgotten all about the three massive dogs he’d used to protect his lands, those of which had no issue tearing into little animals.

What would they do to me?

I pulled myself to my feet and groaned as my stomach acids turned my teeth to gritted powder. My labored breaths and sore body made it difficult to stand straight. I pressed on with my shoulders hunched but didn’t make it very far before chills rippled through my body, threatening to shut down the idea of escape.

Twenty paces away stood a gnarled tree with a twisted trunk, its branches bare. In the center of its twisted trunk was a symbol, crudely carved into it—the same one on Sacha’s chest.

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