Hide Me Darling (The Darling Games #2)

by Maree Rose

I know why you're here… It's that fantasy of being fucked hard by a couple of obsessed masked stalkers who will kill for you but won't tell you their real name… That's okay, I understand… We all hide who we are in the darkness sometimes, but be careful who might be hiding with you…

My parents didn’t believe in raising us with delusions of how the world truly is. They always said that the places we go are battlegrounds where light and dark are in constant conflict, and each of us has a bit of both inside us. They didn't shelter me or my sister from the harsh realities; instead, they prepared us to face them.

I know the darkness that calls from deep within the soul, because it calls from deep within mine.

I often wonder if there's a point to all this. Is there a purpose to the struggle? Or is it just the way things are, an endless cycle of light and dark, good and evil?

I want the kind of love my parents have, the kind that endures through every storm, that sees the darkness and still chooses to stay.

Justice isn’t really justice, and I think that’s what hurts the most. That is what has me wanting to break the chains I hold on my darkness and set it free. I want it to be real and I want to be the one to deliver it.

Stay safe. It’s something my family always says, knowing full well that safety is a luxury we can’t always afford. But it’s the thought that counts, the reminder that we’re not alone in this fight.

“It’s called Amity Island,” Dad responds, his tone serious. I have to struggle for a moment not to laugh as I see Mom and Papa exchange an amused look. I clear my throat to swallow my own laughter before asking, "Should I be wary of sharks?" Papa snickers and says, "You should always be wary of sharks, both the animal and human variety, but this isn't that Amity Island."

Was I about to come thinking of murder?

“If I hide…” I whisper into the phone. “Then I’ll seek…” comes her reply, her voice holding a mixture of concern and curiosity.

Two men enter the bakery dressed casually, but the weapons and badges around their hips make it obvious who they are.

“Welcome to Amity Island. I’m Sheriff Daniel Brooks, and this is Deputy Eli Carson.

Did you hear her gasps for breath? No, you didn’t. You arrived too late. You just missed her when you appeared like a ghost, trying to become one with the shadows.

The border of my puzzle is starting to feel complete and this is how I plan to fill in the gaps.

Come out, come out, wherever you are… Are you looking for us? We are out in the open tonight, but you won’t find us sitting up in that house. It’s much too fun to run in the shadows. Do you like playing games? How about hide and seek? If you don’t find us by midnight, then it’s our turn. Let’s count to twelve then, seems like a lucky number… When it gets to twelve, you know what happens, right? Tick, tock… X X X X

Why would they taunt me to come out? What do they gain by drawing me out into the open? It’s clear they know who I am and where I’m staying.

“Why the games?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady. “Why not just come for me directly?” “Where’s the fun in that?” the green-masked figure replies, taking a slow, deliberate step toward me. “We like to play with our prey.” “You’ve been very busy tonight,” the red-masked figure continues. “Running around, looking for clues. It’s almost… cute.” “Too bad you’re not very good at it,”

“Did you know a synonym for hide, is mask. Seems like fate that we discuss this while masked, given the meaning of your name.”

No one has to know what I do in the dark, and maybe that’s the best part.

"You belong to us. You felt it tonight, didn't you? The thrill of being ours."

Do you kill for a reason?

Hmmmm, I didn't realize we were playing twenty questions... careful, answers come at a price. Are you willing to pay it?

Too late. We call you little shadow because you are living in the shadow of those around you. Your parents, your sister, both organizations you work for… We want you to see that. We want you to embrace that darkness you run away from and become its queen. Become our queen.

The red of Cain’s mask makes him look like the devil incarnate as he kneels on the end of the bed.

close my eyes, my breath hitching in anticipation. The answer comes unbidden, whispered from a place I don’t fully understand. "Yes."

It is intoxicating and yet, terrifying the amount of trust I am giving them. Somewhere in my mind something tells me that they may be killers, but they won’t kill me.

“That saying ‘Save a horse, ride a cowboy’ does not translate to surfers and their boards… or at least not that one.”

I've always believed there's a place for everyone, even if it's not where you expect. We don’t all find our place, but those that do know it right away. It’s the same with people too."

skips a beat as it shatters on the floor at my feet. There, among my meticulously arranged notes and printouts, are photographs. Photographs that were not there before. Each one is pinned next to different blog posts, each showing a different girl.

“This is a lesson for you, little shadow, there is no escaping us ever again. You’re ours.”

My body burns for more. It wants his touch, those dirty low whispers, and his deliciously pierced cock.

“You’re ours, Hydessa, remember that. You always have been and you always will be.”

I’ve come to the conclusion they are insane, but fuck if his words don’t make me swoon a little.

Why is that the hottest, most possessive thing I’ve ever heard? And why is it such a fucking turn on?

lost sleep and even had to see the department psychologist to work past her death, especially after the case was deemed cold. I would dream at night of finding a way to bring them justice and now I finally can. They had given that to me. I swing again, and again, each hit more brutal than the last. The room fills with the sickening sounds of the bat meeting flesh, of Rye's muffled screams, and the raw power of my anger unleashed.

They already claim that I’m theirs, I even have what I can only assume is their brand burned into my arm. How much fucking deeper could I possible get into their twisted web? Would they even let me return home once I have this solved? Do I want them to?

Darkness can lead to light, pain can lead to healing. It's all about balance, little shadow.

"You dug my heart's grave," he said, eyes wide and solemn, locked on mine as if sharing a profound secret. "And now you're the keeper of its secrets, my partner in shadows and darkness." "Forever," I whisper, and he nods, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips that feels like a promise too.

"You seem to have forgotten an important detail," I respond, and he tilts his head, waiting for me to continue. But I don't need to. "Us," comes a voice from behind him before a fist hits the imposter on the side of the head, sending him sprawling to the forest floor.