An Unlikely Match - Part 1
Manticore x fem!reader
⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚
Hunting monsters is easy. From werewolf to goblin to vampire you hunt them all and you're damn good at it. You've made a name for yourself, over the years the monsters have started calling you Nightshade, the name of a deadly poison. You're a nightmare to most. You're mean and uncooperative and you refuse to work with anyone else let alone connect with them. You're damn good at your job though and you make your money in the thousands every single job you do. You accept no less than ten thousand each job you go on and regardless of the client's request, you always kill the monster you're hunting. It's easier than dragging around a deadly monster that's trying to escape and fighting you every step of the way. One silver bullet, iron arrow, or steel blade to the heart is enough to kill a monster instantly.
This job is the easiest thing you've ever done. You've never really had many emotions, you're probably considered a psychopath. Your lack of empathy scares people and they label you a monster yourself. You don't see the problem with killing threats, things that have harmed people, or rather things that have harmed humans. If a monster hasn't done anything you don't kill them, but there's always a reason a client will come to you and you hardly ever turn down a job. You didn't turn this one down either. In the cold of a forest, late at night, you're hunting a manticore, a small manticore that killed three families in a nearby village. You're following the extremely obvious tracks. They're rushed as if they're running from something, probably from you. You always hear the monster out even though people think you don't, you're purely logical if the monster hasn't harmed anyone or if they had a reason to harm someone then you don't kill them. You don't kill until they become a threat. But this manticore killed a child, four children to be exact. It probably just got hungry.
You're aware that it's not their fault, their blood lust can become uncontrollable, unmanageable, and maybe the manticore didn't mean to hurt those families but regardless, twelve people are dead and it's this manticore's fault. You haven't fought very many of them, the few you did nearly killed you. You know that manticores aren't beings to be trifled with. They're smart, they're deadly, and they're very very dangerous, especially to humans and people like you who are foolish enough to go hunting them. You're not stupid though, you've fought many monsters and you know how to handle yourself. You have several hidden weapons on you as well as several hidden poisons, the poisons will certainly kill you if you accidentally ingest it but you figured if you're going out you may as well take the monster with you. You lack a sense of self-preservation for sure and it's well known amongst monsters and men that you'll do anything to complete your task including sacrificing yourself, your limbs, your once scarless skin, everything, and anything to get the job done.
The forest is quiet, save for the sound of crickets and the ambient noise of the bushes and branches brushing against each other as the wind whips around you. It's hardly a calm night, but none of your nights ever are. You enjoy it though, it reminds you of home, the chaos that your family brought. They weren't wealthy nor were they poor, they also hunted monsters although they weren't nearly as good at it as you are. You lost family members so easily. Your brother to a werewolf, your mother to a ghoul, your father to a basilisk and finally your sisters to a vampire and succubus. You think you have some family left on your father's side, a few uncles and maybe an aunt. Perhaps you have cousins who could share in your passion for hunting down the creatures that killed your family. ‘It's their own fault’ That's what you tell yourself. They shouldn't have been hunting monsters that they couldn't kill. You started small and worked your way up to the big beasts. You didn't just dive head-first into the deep end which is how your brother died. Werewolves aren't a joke either. You think about them a lot when you're in the wilderness, you lived in a small cabin with them in the middle of the woods. It was beautiful and peaceful, and as your family members slowly died all you could think was that you enjoyed the quiet more than anything.
The sound of a twig snapping pulls you out of your thoughts as you lazily glance in the direction of the sound. You catch sight of a scorpion tail, large and intimidating. Intimidating to those who have no experience in dealing with manticores. You saunter over to the noise and you watch as the tail swipes at you, dodging it easily. It's scared. It's smaller than the other manticores you've fought, it must be a baby or adolescent. It hisses at you and you raise your gun to it, firing a silver bullet into its spine. Stopping it from running. It continues swiping at you with its tail and paws which makes you roll your eyes. Hunting monsters has become boring, there's never any challenge, never any urgency. Its small mane is standing upright, signifying the young manticore's distress. This is so annoying, so frustrating, you don't understand why you don't feel anything for this creature. This poor creature that's unable to move since you've severed its spinal cord. You raise your gun to its lion head but just before you pull the trigger something catches your attention.
A low growling makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up that's never a good sign. For the first time in a long time, you felt fear as claws were suddenly embedded in your side and you were being pushed to the ground by Khavak. Another manticore, a large black and red mane surrounding his large scarred lion head. His scorpion tail swiping and violently flicking around in the air before embedding itself in your spine pumping his venom into you as quickly as possible. Trying to kill you in the span of seconds. Blood began pouring out of your wounds the moment he pulled his claws back…Wait a second…You've never seen this manticore before, you've never interacted with him before, yet you know his name? How is that possible? The feeling of his tail digging into your spine as his venom pours into your body clouds your judgment, clouds your thoughts…’No way…No fucking way.’
“No fucking way.”
Khavak pulls away after he growls that out. He stares at you wide-eyed, hyperventilating. He shakes his head, checking on the young manticore you nearly killed, and gently slung it over his shoulder. He was about to leave you, let you die. You deserve to die at least in his eyes, monster slayer, Nightshade. There's an issue though, one both of you seem to immediately acknowledge. You're his soulmate and he's yours. He hesitates for a long while, standing opposite your bleeding body as his venom flows through your system rapidly. He growls and slings you over his shoulder as well, much the protest of the young manticore already in his arms. He whispers something in his own language before spreading his large leather wings and lifting off into the sky. You don't know if it was the venom or the feeling of your organs shifting in the air that gave you butterflies. Maybe it was being your soulmate's arms. Starting to pass out you tie yourself to his arm making sure he can't drop you easily since you know you're going to lose consciousness. Once you wake up though you suspect you'll be safe.
“Nightshade…”
“...Yeah?”
“You are my soulmate, you are under my protection now. I may not agree with you or what you have done but you're my mate and I am yours. So rest now, I will keep you safe.”
“I don't…want…a….soulmate”
You lose consciousness before you're able to see the palace in the sky or rather the city in the sky. Full of flying creatures and land creatures that have been ferried up by their lovers or friends. Khavak lands and hands both you and the baby manticore off to be healed. He stays by your side troubled by your words. He always dreamed that he'd find a soulmate although that dream didn't consist of his soulmate not wanting him. It didn't consist of his soulmate being a well-known monster killer either. He sees how they stare at her, they all know who she is, and she's in danger if she's left alone. Somebody will try to kill her, will try to avenge their family member that she has surely slain. Yet no one will try if he's near her, nobody will interfere with his affairs and if you're involved in them then they will leave you be. He stays by your side as the healers treat your bleeding and gaping wounds as well as the poison traveling through your system. He did what he had to do to save the baby manticore but he doesn't appreciate the fact that he harmed his soulmate. His soulmate who doesn't want him. His ears flatten against his head…He'll just have to win you over then. He can do that…He's quite charming…He promises. Just wait you'll want him in no time. He sits beside your bed, starting to groom himself, licking over his bloody claws…Your blood tastes sweet to him, alluring. Blood never usually does that to him.
“It must be because you're my soulmate. You little minx your blood is so alluring it's not fair. You're scent in general is driving me insane”
He speaks to your unconscious form placing his large clawed hand over your small human one. His paw completely covers your hand ten times over but he's gentle with yours when he holds it gently moving to lick over your knuckles. He knows humans don't court or mate the same way manticores do or any monster for that matter. It also doesn't help that you've already expressed you don't want him, but he refuses to let that get to him. He will win you over. When you finally wake up and he gets to show you this beautiful city in the sky. When he's finally able to break that hard shell he knows surrounds you. When he's finally able to bulldoze through your walls and get you to open up to him, he knows you'll fall for him. He's always wanted a soulmate and even if you don't want him, he wants you flaws and all. It doesn't matter if you've killed a hundred monsters or a thousand, he can forgive it all, and he'll do his best not to hold it against you. You just have to wake up so he can get to know you. He wants his soulmate to have the longest most relaxing life they could. So he's going to make sure that happens for you when you wake up so please wake up for him so he can see your beautiful eyes. He didn't get to fully appreciate them when he attacked you, he's sorry about that, he remembers they were empty though and he finds that unique, perhaps a bit unnatural. Just open your eyes, let him see you again and he can finally start winning you over.
