Hitched to the Mapinguari (Monster Matchmaking #4)

Chapter 1

One

Kalyndi

I knew the risks of harvesting in the buffer zone at night. Everyone did. But no one knew how to find night-blooming lunaria like I did, and no one needed the coin more desperately than me.

The silver petals gleamed under the three moons, pulling me deeper into forbidden territory.

My fingers worked quickly, pinching stems at the precise angle to preserve their potency.

These rare herbs could cure fevers that nothing else could touch.

Back at the terramares, they'd fetch enough to feed my sister's children for a month.

"Almost done," I whispered to myself, tucking another sprig into my satchel. The scent was intoxicating as sweet and sharp all at once.

A mechanical whine cut through the silence. My head snapped up. Patrol lights swept across the treetops half a mile east.

My heart hammered against my ribs. "Shit, shit, shit."

I dropped to my knees, hands fumbling for the small pouch at my belt.

Inside was my insurance, a fine powder ground from desiccated rose thorn.

I sprinkled it over my clothes, hair, and skin, wincing at the burning sensation.

The powder stung, but it would mask my human scent from the enforcers' detection equipment.

The lights drew closer. I crawled beneath a fallen log, pulling dead leaves over my body. My breath came in silent, shallow gasps as boot steps crunched through the underbrush.

"Signal's faint but definitely human," a gruff voice said. "The Governor wants increased patrols. Too many terramares rats stealing resources lately."

Another voice chuckled. "You mean too many humans not offering themselves up for testing? Can't have that, can we?"

I pressed my fist against my mouth. Testing. The word alone made my stomach turn.

The lights swept over my hiding spot. I held my breath, praying to whatever gods might listen.

The footsteps moved past me. For one blessed moment, I thought I was clear.

Then a boot kicked the log I was hiding under.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

I scrambled backward as they heaved the log aside. Three human enforcers in black uniforms stared down at me, their faces illuminated by harsh helmet lights. The red monster insignia gleamed on their shoulders. Humans who had chosen to serve our conquerors rather than resist them.

"Just gathering herbs," I said, holding up my hands. "Medicinal purposes. Nothing dangerous."

The tallest one laughed. "Buffer zone's off-limits to unauthorized personnel. You know that."

I recognized him as Officer Brandt. I'd bribed him twice before with rare herbs that helped his sick mother.

"I've got something for your mother's joint pain," I said quietly, reaching slowly into my satchel. "The purple vetch is blooming early this year."

Brandt hesitated, but before he could respond, a fourth figure strode into the clearing. His uniform was different, more decorated, with a captain's insignia.

"What's the delay here?" The new arrival's voice was cold, precise.

"Sir, just a terramares herb gatherer," Brandt said, straightening. "We can handle the standard fine and… "

"There are no standard fines anymore." The captain stepped into the light. He was younger than I expected, maybe early thirties, with a scar bisecting his left eyebrow. "New District Governor, new protocols. All unauthorized humans in the buffer zone are to be taken for immediate testing."

Ice flooded my veins. "Testing? I'm just picking herbs. I have people who depend on me."

"Should've thought of that before trespassing." The captain nodded to the others. "Bring her in."

I backed away. "Officer Brandt, please. You know me. I can get you double the usual… "

"Sorry, Kalyndi," Brandt muttered, not meeting my eyes. "Orders."

As they closed in, desperation took over. My hand dipped into my satchel, fingers closing around a small glass vial. When the first enforcer grabbed my arm, I smashed the vial directly in his face.

He screamed, reeling backward as the concentrated herb powder hit his eyes. "I can't see! I can't see!"

"Grab her!" the captain shouted.

I ducked under another enforcer's arm and sprinted for the trees. Freedom was twenty yards away. Ten. Five.

Something heavy slammed into my back, driving me to the ground. The air exploded from my lungs as the captain pinned me, his knee digging between my shoulder blades.

"Nice try," he hissed in my ear, cinching restraints around my wrists. "But all you've done is upgrade yourself from standard testing to priority assessment."

"Let me go!" I bucked beneath him, but it was useless. He was twice my size, all hard muscle and calculated force.

"The more you fight, the worse it gets." His voice held no emotion. "That's the first lesson humans like you need to learn."

They dragged me back to their patrol vehicle, a sleek black transport with the monster government's insignia emblazoned on the side. The enforcer I'd blinded was still cursing, his eyes red and swollen.

"You'll pay for that, herb witch," he spat as they pushed me past him.

The ride to the testing facility was short and silent.

I stared out the window as we left the buffer zone and entered monster territory, watching my chances of escape dwindle with each passing mile.

The skyline of what had once been a human city rose before us, now transformed with strange architecture, buildings too tall, too angular, designs that hurt human eyes to look at for too long.

We pulled up to a white building with no windows. The testing center. My pulse skyrocketed.

"Please," I tried one last time as they marched me toward the entrance. "I'm promised to someone back home. I can't be tested."

The captain glanced at me, something unreadable flickering across his face. "That's unfortunate timing. But irrelevant now."

Inside, the air smelled of antiseptic and fear. Other captured humans sat on benches along sterile white walls, their expressions vacant with dread. Some were crying. Others stared blankly ahead, already broken.

A human woman in a lab coat approached. "New arrival for testing?"

"Priority processing," the captain said, handing her a tablet. "She assaulted an officer."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Room three is open."

They marched me down a hallway into a small, bare room with nothing but an examination chair in the center. Metal restraints gleamed on the armrests.

"Strip to your underclothes," the lab woman ordered.

"Like hell I will," I said, backing toward the wall.

The captain sighed. "Do I need to stay and assist?"

"That won't be necessary, Captain Hayes." She smiled thinly. "We have protocols for the uncooperative ones."

Hayes nodded and left. The moment the door closed behind him, two large orderlies entered from another door. They didn't speak, didn't warn me. They just grabbed me, one holding me down while the other cut my clothes away with shears, leaving me in just my undergarments.

"This is assault!" I yelled, struggling against them. "You're human too! How can you do this?"

They strapped me into the chair, ignoring my pleas as efficiently as if I were an object rather than a person.

The lab woman returned with a tray of equipment. "The less you fight, the less it hurts."

"What are you testing me for?" I demanded, pulling against the restraints until they bit into my skin.

"Compatibility, of course." She swabbed the inside of my cheek roughly. "Genetic compatibility with our monster allies determines your value in the new order."

"I don't want to be compatible with anything!"

She ignored me, moving on to attach sensors to my temples, chest, and wrists. Then came the needles, three of them, drawing blood from different veins. I bit my lip until I tasted copper, refusing to give her the satisfaction of hearing me scream.

The blood samples went into a machine that hummed and clicked. Minutes passed as tears of rage and humiliation streaked down my face.

The machine beeped. The lab woman stared at the screen, her professional demeanor cracking for the first time.

"That can't be right," she murmured. She ran the test again. The machine beeped a second time, displaying the same results.

She pressed a button on her comm. "Sir, you need to see this. Room three. Immediately."

Within minutes, the door opened. A tall human man in an expensive suit entered, followed by Captain Hayes. The man looked at the screen, then at me, his eyes widening.

"Ninety-eight percent," he whispered. "That's the highest we've ever recorded."

"Ninety-eight percent what?" I demanded, my voice cracking.

They ignored me, huddling around the screen, whispering urgently.

"Is this verified?" the man asked.

"Triple-verified," the lab woman said. "The genetics are unmistakable."

"What genetics?" I shouted. "Tell me what's happening!"

The man finally turned to me, a smile spreading across his face. "You, my dear, are a miracle. A ninety-eight percent genetic compatibility match with a mapinguari warrior. Do you have any idea how rare that is?"

My blood turned to ice. Mapinguari. Everyone knew about the most feared of all the monster species that had conquered our world. Massive, with claws that could shred metal and a roar that could shatter glass. And I was supposedly compatible with one.

"There's a mistake," I insisted. "Test me again."

"We did," the lab woman said. "Three times. You're a perfect match for Commander Razak."

"Who the hell is Commander Razak?"

"Your future husband." The suited man's smile widened. "The Governor's most decorated warrior. He'll be delighted."

Husband. The word hit me like a physical blow. "No. I refuse. I won't do it."

Captain Hayes stepped forward. "That's not how this works. The treaties are clear. High-compatibility matches are binding."

"I don't care about your treaties!" I thrashed against the restraints. "I'm not marrying a monster!"

The suited man nodded to the lab woman. "Prepare her for the ceremony. The Commander is already on site for an inspection. We can proceed immediately."

"Immediately?" Even the lab woman seemed surprised. "Sir, protocol suggests a transition period of at least… "

"The Governor wants to make an example of this match. A ninety-eight percent compatibility is unprecedented. It will show the value of cooperation between our species."

They released me from the chair, only to drag me down another hallway.

I fought every step, screaming threats and obscenities until my throat was raw.

None of it mattered. They forced me into a preparation chamber as a small room with a mirror, a washing basin, and a white garment laid out on a bench.

"You have twenty minutes to make yourself presentable," the lab woman said. "There's water to wash with and a ceremonial garment to wear."

"And if I refuse?" I spat.

"Then we'll wash you and dress you ourselves." Her expression hardened. "But trust me, you'd prefer to maintain that small dignity."

The door locked behind them with a heavy thud.

I immediately searched the room for weapons, for escape routes, for anything. The mirror was an unbreakable polymer. The wall held the washing basin. The only vent was too small for even a child to crawl through.

From somewhere nearby came a sound that made my skin crawl. A deep, rumbling roar that vibrated through the walls themselves. Commander Razak, I presumed. My supposed "match."

My legs gave out, and I sank to the floor, back against the wall. This couldn't be happening. I was supposed to return to the terramares tonight with herbs for trading. My sister waited, worried. The children would ask where their auntie was.

I looked at the simple white shift designed to cover just enough for modesty. My wedding dress, for a ceremony I never agreed to, with a creature I'd never even seen.

Another roar, closer this time. Hungry. Expectant.

My nails dug into my palms. I wasn't beaten yet. There had to be a way out. I just needed to think, to watch for an opportunity. The ceremony would mean movement, people, distractions. Maybe a chance to run.

They might have matched my blood, but they couldn't match my will. I wouldn't become some monster's bride without a fight.

As if in answer to my thoughts, the door lock clicked. My time was up.