VLAD (The V Games #1)(37)

I came.

Dear God, I came.

Heat floods up my throat and paints my flesh what I imagine a brilliant red. Yuri says nothing as he escorts me to the dining room. I’m freaking out over last night when a new feeling surges over me.

Awareness.

Furious rage ripples through the air so palpable, it makes the hairs on my arm stand on end. When I lift my eyes from the floor, I lock gazes with Vlad’s enraged amber glare. Everything about his posture and expression states otherwise, but I’ve learned to read his telling eyes.

His eyes are saying everything to me.

Not saying, screaming.

Get. Away. From. Him.

I start to pull away from Yuri, but his grip tightens.

“Ah, child, not so fast. We’re playing a game. Do you like games?” He turns his head and lifts a brow at me.

“What sort of game?” I murmur.

The heat of Vlad’s stare burns my flesh. I want to glance over at him again, but I’m snared in Yuri’s demanding stare.

“My game. They’re all my games, after all.” His lips lift on one side. This is the same man who beat the ever-loving snot out of Darya. Did he rape her too?

I straighten my spine and lift my chin. “I don’t want to play games with you.”

“Father,” Vlad says coolly. I’m surprised he reached us so quickly.

Yuri smiles at him in a polite manner. “Son.”

“Allow me to escort Irina to her seat,” Vlad growls, his voice slightly on edge. “I insist.”

His father chuckles. Low and deadly. “Not tonight, son. She’s mine for tonight.” He regards me with a devilish grin. “An old man with a young, beautiful woman on his arm for the evening, I can’t think of a better way I’d like to spend dinner.”

Vlad flashes me a warning glare. Something glimmers in his amber eyes. Fear. I’m struck by the glimpse and nearly stumble when Yuri guides me to the table. He pulls out a chair and motions for me to sit.

I take my seat and guzzle down the water in the goblet. I’ll avoid wine. The last thing I need is to lose my head while in Yuri Vasiliev’s grip. I saw what he did to Darya. I’ll be damned if he does that to me. He doesn’t take his seat right away as he talks to Veniamin Vetrov’s father, Yegor. Yegor is as old as Yuri but he’s not fit like Yuri. Yegor has a giant belly that strains against the buttons of his dress shirt. Yuri is powerful and scary next to Yegor, who is pudgy and breathing too heavily. I notice Veniamin sitting across the table wearing a knowing expression, his narrowed stare on me.

I’m suddenly struck by a horrible realization.

Ven.

My sister is sleeping with Ven.

Older, and she’s known him forever. He’s always at the Vasiliev home. As if clued into my thoughts, Ven smirks.

Oh God.

I remember being a kid and seeing them kiss in the hallway of our home. Back when he’d recently grown his beard and attended university, but far too old to be kissing a teenager. I’d been stunned, but Diana never spoke of it again.

Because he was her secret.

Crap!

This will cause a war. If my sister is screwing Ven while engaged to Vlad, that’ll put three families at war with each other.

His attention darts to the doorway, and I follow his gaze. Diana enters the dining room wearing a confident smile and a fashionable scarf that goes well with her black dress hugging all her voluptuous curves. I let out a sigh of relief noticing her hickey is hidden. Anton follows behind her, ever the good watch dog. Ven rises and struts over to them, causing my stomach to hollow out. When he reaches her, she flashes him a brilliant grin. He takes her hand and kisses the top of it.

Double crap!

Why would she blatantly flaunt this in front of everyone?

Ven has completely brainwashed my sister.

I start to rise to my feet to stop whatever it is that’s happening, but then everyone takes their seats. Ven sits back down across from me as Yuri sits to my left. Vlad sits beside me, and Diana sits across from him with Anton at her left.

My eyes are glued to them as Ven scratches his dark beard, a flirtatious grin on his face as he leans in and whispers something to Diana. She giggles, and it sets my teeth on edge. I can sense Vlad beside me staring them down.

Triple crap!

“Miss Volkov,” Yuri says, startling me. “Have you considered entering the next V Games? You’re certainly old enough. Vlad entered when he was much younger than you are now.”

Surprised by his words, I jerk my head to the left and gape at him. “W-What? Me?”

He shrugs as a server sets down a steaming plate in front of him. She then serves me and Vlad, who’s engaged in conversation with a man beside him, before moving along. I swallow, the scent of baked salmon invading my senses.

“I know about your father. About that bastard son of his he now favors over his daughters. I know everything, dear girl. How you now rely on that of the Vasiliev to secure your future and well-being. Am I incorrect?”

I stiffen, but don’t respond. I stare down at the delicious looking salmon and try not to recoil at Yuri’s words.

“I could train you…” he mutters lowly.

Jerking my head his way, I glare at him. “Like you trained Darya?”

He smirks, ignoring the bite in my tone. “No, Darya is good for a violent fuck. She screams, and boy, does she scream loud. Those screams will entice even the most focused of fighters.” He leans forward and runs the tip of his finger along my outer arm. “But you’re way too strong and smart for that. Brilliant girls who can run their daddy’s businesses with their eyes closed deserve to be much bigger players than ones who lie on their back with their legs spread open.”