Page 11 of Tavarr's Mate
Something isn’t right with Vonn.
Though his kind typically mates and bonds for life, his hatred of my people, or perhaps just his hatred of me for my association with Harry, has blinded him to the mating bond we should be sharing since he’s fucked me.
Not that I’m happy I’ve been claimed by a Kleaxian male, but at least if the traditional mating bond were in place, I wouldn’t be fearing for my life every hour of the day.
Escape.
It’s my only hope.
My gut tells me Vonn will never, ever change. He’s consumed by grief and darkness, as well as an immense desire for revenge. I have to get away from him at the first opportunity.
Run and hide, run and hide.
Chapter Six
It’s now or never.
I swallow past the bile rising in my throat and push at the ajar door of my cage. Until now, Vonn has been careful to lock it each night. But he came home this evening, reeking of alcohol, and didn’t shut it properly after clumsily fucking me and shoving me back inside.
Holding my breath, I listen to make sure he’s actually sleeping, and once the deep sounds of his snoring drift from the bed, I nudge the door fully open.
Slowly, very slowly, I crawl onto the floor and move past the bed.
The door to the bedroom always opens automatically upon Vonn’s approach, but I’m afraid that even if it does glide open for me, the faint hiss will wake him, so I approach the open window instead. Climbing down the side of the house is my only option, and I’m determined to escape, even though I’ll be running away naked with no real destination in mind, other than as far away from this town as possible.
I can only imagine the awful beating he’ll dole out if he catches me in the act. I hold my breath and inch toward the window, ignoring the burning in my lungs and praying that Vonn remains passed out.
He hasn’t hit me in two days, and even the most recent beatings haven’t been as harsh as the first ones he inflicted when I initially came to live with him, but I’m not taking any chances that he’s changing or starting to detect the mating bond.
What happened when I took a chance with Harry? My whole life ended up fucked over, that’s what. The only person I can trust is myself. The only person I should ever dare to rely on is myself. I’m one of those people destined to be alone, and I’m fine with that. I don’t need or want anyone. I will escape and find a secluded place to live in the forests of Tallia.
It’s almost comical. Five years ago, I was living in Texas, teaching third grade. I had my own apartment and thought one day I’d meet Mr. Right, settle down, and have two or three kids. We’d buy a gorgeous little house in the suburbs and get a cat and a dog. We’d be the perfect, loving family, and I would never treat my children the way my family treated me. Then I met Harry and thought he was Mr. Right, but our path to happiness would take us to another planet for a few years before we settled back down in Texas.
Now I’m stuck on Tallia, a beautiful tropical planet far from Earth, dreaming about spending the rest of my life alone in the wild.
I reach for the windowsill and start pulling myself up, only for a firm hand to grab my arm and send me hurling backward.
The wind is knocked out of me in an instant, and I gasp desperately for air.
I hadn’t even heard him wake up. My hopes of living in the forest, alone but safe from Vonn’s wrath, turn to dust.
I shift onto my side. Black boots enter my vision, and I curl up to protect myself from the onslaught of kicks and blows that I know are coming.
This is it. He really will kill me.
Deep angry growls echo off the walls. His rage is a physical thing, pouring over me and filling the room. He circles me a few times, then delivers the first heavy kick to my stomach. A few more to my center, and a few to my head.
Blood pools in my mouth. Everything hurts. I float and float away.
I’m not here.
This isn’t happening.
It never is.
I’m above my body, hovering outside myself and watching. Only watching. There’s no pain if I don’t let it in. There’s no terror if it’s not me.
The world fades and I drift into a dark void.
