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~~Chimera~~
"Gods I need to get laid," the Amazon said.
Chimera rumbled something like a chuckle, took a deep breath, and sat down next to her. She was leaning against a rock, standing, and him sitting down next to her put him at eye level with her. It let him look out over the grass and sea the same way she saw them, as a tiny, short thing unable to see everything. The thought made him chuckle again.
"The fuck you laughing at?" she said.
"Nothing." A shrug and another chuckle later, he motioned to the water. "You have acclimated quickly. Adapted quickly."
"Have I? Last I checked, I was still tied up." And she showed her back to prove it, her hands still tied together behind her.
"After your 'condition' with Bellerophon, I am sure that will change." Scratching his beard with his claws, he frowned and turned to look at the small woman. "What is your condition?"
"Like I'm telling you."
"You plan to fight Bellerophon."
"I... it's not like that." Groaning, she pushed off the rock, stepped closer to his knee, and turned to face him. "And why do you care? He's the one who caused that." She nodded toward his face.
He reached up and ran a finger down the scar of his eye. The memory if the rock falling onto his face, crushing it, was a scary one. Even he could admit that.
The Amazon kicked his leg. He could smell wine on her breath, and her nose was scrunched up like a rodent's.
"You think you got me fooled?" she said. "Guard dog is depressed and looking for a slice of salvation. I see it all over you. I saw it on plenty of women who joined my cause, latching onto my hopes and dreams, hoping it'd rub off on them."
He growled, a harsh and guttural sound that vibrated in his chest. Hands tightened into fists, and his toes dug into the earth with a readiness to strike. Thin ice.
"You are drunk. Do not speak further."
"Fuck you. I know I'm drunk, doesn't mean I don't know a sap when I see one. So forgive the lady with her hands tied behind her, but you—"
Enough. His arm snapped outward, faster than she could dodge, drunk or not. His fingers encircled the entirety of her neck, until his finger and thumb overlapped behind it. Her eyes went wide, and then closed when he slammed her down onto her back against the grass.
He tried to speak, to say something, but only growls came out. His mouth opened, tongue licked his fangs, and grip tightened. The girl could no longer breathe; good. He growled down at her, deep, low voice rumbling and filling the depths of his stomach as he leaned in.
She tried to kick him, but he grabbed one leg and pinned it down. The other could do nothing with how close he was to her, how big he was compared to her. And with her hands tied behind her, she couldn't even take a swing at him.
He got in closer, close enough to feel her breath on his nose and see the white of her eyes. She still couldn't breathe, and he kept it that way as he smelled her flesh.
Devour her. Take her flesh into yours. She will taste delicious, of strength and fire. His tongue came out of his mouth on its own, and licked along her neck, from her collar to her jaw. Human flesh, salt and arousal and alcohol would be the spices. So much better than deer, the Amazon would be delicious.
Mindless animal!
Words cracked against his mind like a whip of thorns. He let go of her neck, let go of her leg, and put both hands against the grass beside her. Gasps pulled air into her lungs, and she blinked up at him with wide eyes.
His breathing was in pants. His body shook. His eyes refused to focus, and double vision blurred everything. His claws sank into the ground, until he was rooted into the Earth.
"... I am... sorry, I..." He did not move. Still leaning over her, on his knees and palms, the tiny warrior was hidden in the shadow of his body.
"Gods damn." The queen coughed a few times, but did not move either. "I thought you were going to strangle me to death."
"No. I am in control."
Are you sure, Chimera? He gritted his teeth until his jaw clicked. He was sure. The hunger started to fade, the swallowing onyx of his gaze disappeared, and his hands were his own once more.
"I... didn't know," she said. "I'd just assumed you were... I don't know. I forgot that... sorry."