The Mate That Wasn't Mine novel Chapter 66

Chapter 66

TESSA POV

“Eurgh, where am I?” rubbing my eyes. It’s dark, but a bright fire burns and I’m gripping a bow. The grain of the wood, it’s caramel colour, it’s mine! Nothing else is familiar. don’t think I’ve ever woken up somewhere other than my crappy straw mattress bed before.

“Feisty?” a dark, unknown voice whispers. Dark, unknown…oh Goddess have I been kidnapped? I turn and shriek, hands waving wildly. “Who are your

Scrambling away from the floor, there is a huge man, way, way too close to me. Where am I? Are there more of these rough–looking pirates about? The huge man takes hold of both my wrists. His skin is so rough against mine, “Calm down. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

That’s easy for him to say. He looks like he crunches skulls for fun.

Fear continues to bubble up. I cannot spot a single landmark, but nothing smells right. My wolf will emerge after I turn eighteen, but I mean the smell of home. There are no woody trees, no damp moss underfoot. Everything is dry and scratchy here.

My family is going to kill me. They don’t want trouble bringing to their door and now this? Me with a strange, old man in the middle of nowhere is trouble with capital T. He must be at least mid–twenties!

The man stares at me, his face all dirty and twisted. He’s wearing old brown leathers. Maybe I’ve got a coin or something to get rid of him.

Looking down I shriek. What the hell am I wearing? Where are my working clothes? I’m not even in pajamas and…Goddess, is that smell me or the man?

My skin is itching to be scrubbed, this is worse than the sweating, heaving harvest season.

“Tessa. You need to breathe. I can help you. I can explain all of this.”

He knows my name? “I just want to go home!”

My lips are shaking. Then my hands. My feet. Then I spot the arrow on the floor.

Luca has been teaching me. It’s only been a few weeks but I’m good enough to threaten someone from close distance. Admittedly the only threatening achieved so far is towards a few overconfident squirrels.

Twisting my hands free, I almost plant my clumsy ass into the roaring fire but I get it. Standing quickly I draw the bow and arrow and point it at the scruffy ruffian whilst stepping backwards.

“Get back. Now!”

He smirks! I need to sound brave.

“I said move! Right now!”

“Well Feisty…I didn’t see this happening.”

“Stop calling me that,” pulling the bow tightly. How does he know Luca’s nickname for me?

“Tessa,” he whispers softly. “Did I really change so much? Ask your wolf?”

This guy must be crazy. Like, full whack escaped–an–asylum crazy. “I’m not of age yet if you must know! But I don’t know you! I will hurt you if I have to, so stay back! My friend will be looking for me!” I’m borderline hyperventilating.

The expression on his dark, miserable face looks like I shot through his heart. He puts his hand over his forehead and rubs it roughly, muttering some filthy curse words.

Why can I smell wolfsbane? Too many thoughts. Stick to surviving. Random terror later.

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Chapter 66

“Your friend? You got a lot of them?” he asks.

It’s my turn to pull a face. So I only have one friend. It doesn’t matter. “That’s none of your business. I’m from the Wibsom area, how far away are we?”

“Oh Tessa…fucking hundreds of miles.”

I step backwards, until the fire is between us. All u enough to grab the bow from me.

advice about self–defence rocketing through my mind. A barrier between us, not being close

“Luca is it? That your friend’s name Tessa?” he asks, moving from sitting to a squat position on his hauriches.

Anger flies up inside me. The arrow shaking in my

him!”

Aimed straight between his eyes I don’t know how long I can hold on for. “Don’t you dare hurt

“For fucks sake look at me,” he implores. “What would the years do your friend…If he grew up, turned into a man. A man who fought and did everything he fucking could to get back to his girl only to get it wrong.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The weevils in your dads grain bags. It was me. Standing by your bedroom window until you fell asleep. Me. Telling you quiet doesn’t mean you’re

stupid. That I will always look after you?”

This is just too strange. Yes they are both dark eyed and dark haired but Luca has a kind, glimmering something in his expression. This man has nothing Just pain and now anger oozing.

But he’s talking of things only Luca and I know about. The hair, the sharp cheekbones…Luca would love knowing he turns into such a beast of a man. He’d swagger all over the village.

The man casts a hand towards the fire. “It doesn’t fucking matter because you won’t remember it, but I made a mistake. I thought the bow would take you back closer to when you’re an adult. But I’ll try something else. I won’t give up on us. When did I…Luca give you that bow?”

I stay quiet. There is nothing to say. I might run for it.

He shakes his head, biting his thumb hard enough to make me wince. Then I realise I’m letting the bow slip and readjust.

I should run. This guy is unhinged.

“Don’t do it Feisty…” he mutters, but he’s stopped looking at me, staring into the fire instead. “For what it’s worth, Luca fucking loved being your friend. Making you that bow was the proudest he ever felt. The weeks he spent picking the right wood, the best carving he could do. Do you remember the little clearing? All those targets?”

“There’s only three targets.”

The man nods. “Ah, well by the time your wolf comes in there’s dozens of them. You’re the best archer in the district. A lot better than me. You’re going to become a beautiful, unique woman…I’m going to vanish. Then I’ll have my fucking soul ripped out, for trying to earn some extra money. Then when ! crawl my way back to you…you’ll hate me.”

I’m almost out of earshot. Torn between fleeing and hearing what else he has to say I allow myself a final few seconds.

“But next time…Go on then Tess, run off. Do your thing.”

He rubs his face and stares into the fire. I sprint into the night, praying I don’t break an ankle on a root. I run until I get a wicked stitch, throw up some kind of soup in a bush and find a cave to hide in. My skirt is covered in dust where I brush away my tracks in the rough dust. Hopefully that’s enough if the wind helps me with my scent.

Exhaustion hits me and I close my eyes for just a few seconds.

12:38 Sat, 14 Jün G & G

Chapter 66

Cold water splashes my face. “AHI” my eyes fling open. Only to see I’m back in the metal cage again.

What happened? I was chatting. Well, not chatting. Trying to make it to sunrise with Lica, only to fail miserably. Who falls asleep during their own escape?

I stay curled up on the floor. I’m not blushing this time. I’m cherry red with anger at myself. How could I be so stupid?

“Good sleep?” Luca’s voice grunts behind me. Seeing as the floor is made up of criss–crossing metal bars, no. I can confirm my sleep was fucking awful, using a lump of steel for a pillow. My temple throbs angrily.

“Silence will get you nowhere Feisty,” he tuts, a clear crisp annoyance in his voice. He’s losing patience with me. He never used to do that. Ignoring the bright sunshine I squeeze my eyes shut and rack my brains.

Goddess my mind is slurry. Only now do I realise the splash wasn’t water. They’ve just re–soked the wolfsbane rag around my neck. The herbal tang fills my nose all over again.

There was a fire…there was…I was stood whilst Luca walked around gathering the wood. I remember the heat of the fire on my face and him looking at me across the barrier of flames.

My stomach suddenly erupts into a ferocious growl. Wow, how long has it been since I last ate. Since before I was captured? Way too long.

“I can get you some food Tessa. But it will cost you a ‘good morning.“” Luca taunts. He’s trying to be funny and light. But the tension hasn’t left him for a second.

“Morning,” I sulkily reply.

“Tarela! Bread and cheese,” Luca commands. Still not looking at him his voice drops to a low rasp. “I’ve got to sort some shit out today. Big plans. But I’ll be back in the next few days.”

Now that makes me sit up in a hurry. I spin around on my ass to look at him only to get another shock. His hair is tied back slickly. Has he, had a wash? A shave? Everything about him looks smarter, fresher. His eyes remain lifelessly dark and sad but now there is a light, steely armour draped over his torso and down his upper arms in ridged plates.

THis cheekbones are sharp, his eyebrows dark and menacing. They always were a strong feature of his, but his soft curly mop used to soften him out. Not now. He’s all solid, immovable toughness.

“Don’t!” slips out of my mouth. In a world of cruel bastards and murderous rebels I’d rather take my chances with the one I think least likely to hurt me.