"I'll sleep outside," I said immediately.
Surprise flickered across her face. "They won't like that."
"I don't particularly care what they like." I moved toward the door that led to the enclosed garden area. "I've had enough of being a pawn for one day."
"Wait." Her voice stopped me. "Why would you do that?"
I looked back at her, taking in the wariness in her stance, the barely concealed fear beneath her defiance. "Because whatever this arrangement is supposed to be, it won't begin with one more violation."
"They'll check on us," she warned. "They made that clear."
"Then I'll be close enough to satisfy their inspection." I opened the door to the garden. "No more, no less."
Outside, the night air carried the scents of the forest beyond our artificial dwelling. I settled on a carved stone bench, my hide tough enough to make the hard surface comfortable. From here, I could watch both the perimeter and the house itself.
True to my prediction, barely three hours passed before a figure approached from the direction of the compound. Anofficial different from earlier, moving with the furtive posture of someone who didn't expect to be observed.
I rose silently, circling to intercept him before he reached the dwelling's entrance. The scent of human nervousness reached me before he saw my shape materializing from the shadows.
"Checking on us already?" I growled, letting my voice drop to the rumbling register that humans found so disturbing.
He startled, nearly dropping the scanning device in his hand. "This is a standard welfare check."
"At midnight?" I took a step closer, letting moonlight catch the ridge of protective spines along my back. "What exactly were you hoping to observe?"
"The matching records require verification of... cohabitation." He tried to sound official, but fear made his voice waver.
I let the rumble in my chest build until it vibrated the ground between us. Not quite a roar, but a promise of one. "Consider us verified."
His eyes widened. "But the protocols… "
"Tell your superiors that if another 'welfare check' approaches in the night, they'll find out exactly why I was made war chief." I leaned closer, letting him see my teeth. "Am I clear?"
He backed away, nearly tripping over himself. "Perfectly clear."
I watched until he disappeared into the darkness, then resumed my position on the bench. Through the glass wall, I could see Kalyndi standing in the shadows, watching. Our eyes met briefly before she retreated deeper into the dwelling.
Whatever game Magnus Terra was playing with our lives, I wouldn't make it easy for them. War chief I might be, but even war chiefs have lines they won't cross.
I settled in for a long night of guard duty, my first as a mated monster.
Three
Kalyndi
The rays of early morning sunlight slipped through the canopy of trees as I tested the strength of the fence. My fingers wrapped around the metal, cold and unyielding. Like my new reality.
"Third perimeter check this morning," I muttered to myself, wiping sweat from my brow.
I'd been circling the property for hours, looking for weaknesses in the boundaries. The fence seemed to stretch endlessly into the forest, disappearing among the dense foliage. Ten feet high with smooth walls that offered no footholds. Whoever designed this place knew what they were doing.
My prison was beautiful, I'll give them that. A sprawling woodland cottage nestled in a clearing, surrounded by ancient trees that whispered secrets I couldn't understand. But a prison is still a prison, even if the bars are invisible.
I moved along the eastern boundary, my thin cotton dress catching on brambles. A small tear formed at the hem. I didn't care. This wasn't my home. This wouldn't be my life. I just needed to find the weak spot.
That's when I saw a small gap where the fence met a massive boulder. Heart racing, I squeezed my body against the rock, testing whether I could slip through.
"Not wide enough," I sighed, slumping against the stone. My fingertips were raw from testing every inch of the perimeter. I'd have to find another way.
