Lies of My Monster (Monster Trilogy #2) by Rina Kent

“Don’t be a fucking martyr.” I hear him screaming in my head like he did a long time ago, but I don’t stop.

I told him I’d offer my life in return for the shots he took because of me, and I meant it.

My priority is to protect him at any cost.

The bad news is that we’re outnumbered. Hugely so.

And because of that, we have to count our bullets. We hit a few, but I’m not as good with a handgun as I am with a sniper rifle. I still injure or kill anyone I shoot. Better than Viktor anyway.

He runs out of bullets first and jumps behind a nearby car for cover.

It’s only Vladislav and me now, but we’re running out, too.

Shit.

Shit.

This situation is a lot more dire than I originally thought. If they get us, it’ll be child’s play to kill Kirill and Damien, who I’m sure are the reason behind this whole attack.

With a battle cry, Vladislav and I eliminate seven of them combined, but that leaves me without any more bullets.

My shoulders drop as I stare back at Kirill, who’s shooting his own gun.

The world pauses for a moment. There are no more screams, shouts, or sounds of guns being fired. It’s just me and him suspended in the middle of nowhere. I promised that I’ll protect him with my life, but I just failed miserably.

“Forgive me,” I mouth in Russian.

“No!” he roars.

The palpable emotions ring in my head and I want to stop him. I have to, because he’s running toward me and he’ll get himself killed.

But before I can move, something hard hits my head.

Everything turns black.





14





SASHA





Something drips on my face.

I blink my eyes open and they fill with a red mist.

Blood.

Blood…

And more blood…

No, no, please.

A pool of it surrounds me while I lie on the ground and the stench of death fills my nostrils. I look up and a scream bubbles in my throat at the sight of bodies hanging from the sky.

“Sasha…” a haunted voice calls.

“Sachenka…”

“Malyshka…”

My mom.

Oh, God.

“Mama? Where are you?” I shout as loud as possible. I try to get up, but it’s like I’m strapped to the ground with invisible wires. I thrash and kick, but my limbs don’t move.

“Malyshka…” she calls again, her tone growing more haunted. “Malyshka.”

“Mama!!” I scream until my voice turns hoarse. “I’m here, Mama! I’m down here!”

“Sachenka…”

“Papa?” I choke on my tears. “Is that you, Papa?”

A shadow falls over me and I sob as his face perches over me and then my mother’s follows. “Malyshka.”

“Mama! Papa!” I try to reach a hand out, but I can’t move.

Mama drops to her haunches beside me and strokes my cheek. “You’ve grown so much, Malyshka.”

“Yeah, I have…” I choke, unable to articulate words or all the emotions I want to blurt out.

“I’m so proud of how well you’ve survived.”

“Mama…”

“Find your brother, Sachenka,” my father says faintly, almost as if he’s speaking from underground. “You need Anton and he needs you.”

“But I have no clue where he is. It’s like he completely disappeared off the face of the earth.”

“Find Anton!” he orders in a harsh tone and I flinch.

Mama smiles with tears in her eyes, but they soon turn to blood. A slit appears in Papa’s neck and then his head falls to the side, grotesquely dislocated from his body. My mother’s eyes shoot out a fountain of blood and then they both explode into a foam of red mist.

“Nooo!” I screech as I’m jerked down to the pool of blood.



My eyes shoot open and all the red disappears. I don’t relax, though. I still can’t move. At least, not like I usually can.

If it were any other time, I’d be able to jump to my feet and inspect the situation, but right now, I can barely turn my head to the side or lift my arm.

I’m lying on my stomach, and the fractured concrete beneath me freezes my limbs despite my layers of clothes.

Gray stone walls surround me, and the smell of urine reeks from the corners.

On the other side of the room sits an old rusty bed that’s covered with a yellow sheet that could also be the source of the pungent smell.

There’s a metal door with thick bars. If I can get to it, I should be able to pick the lock with my knife. Only, I don’t feel its holster strapped to my calf, which means I was searched for weapons before I was thrown into this fucking hole.

But even if I had my knife, I’m unable to move, let alone pick a lock.

The only explanation for this loss of strength is that I was also injected with something.

As my unfocused eyes move around the room, I’m shocked to find a woman lying next to me. Although her face is covered by her blonde mane of hair, I can tell by the familiar dress that it’s Rai. Damn it. This means both of us were kidnapped by our attackers—the Albanians.

A sense of terror grips hold of me and I find it hard to breathe properly. Did they possibly reach Kirill after they hit me?