The chimera's attitude varied wildly day by day. Some days he felt proud of who he was and what he had struggled to overcome, certain that the kingship he sought was around the corner. And then other days, he felt miserable and sad. A lost boy without a father to turn to, orphaned by his own mistakes. And still others he was simply furious, ready to raze the world to the ground around him in the hopes that it might assuage the pain in his breast.

Today he was numb. Inside. Outside. He felt nothing except a deep apathy that refused to be shaken, even by the svelte figure of Nyimara as she sauntered closer. It was not until her countenance shifted, her teeth bared, that something awakened in him. Something between them had changed with her latest betrayal. He had always known she was treacherous to trust, but last season had served as a revelation that they had both been playing pretend all along. Now none of that false softness remained. He had stopped pretending - to himself and to her - that he loved her. That he loved, well, anyone, really.

Asmodeus reached for her as she did so, pulling no punches as he sought to mark her shoulder again, attempting to remind her that for all of her viciousness, she belonged to him. She was his, whether either of them liked it or not.

He snorted a bitter laugh at her taunts, his eyes growing dark as his head lifted. "Slacking," he mocked, as if she hadn't hit the nail on the head. She wasn't entirely wrong, although he didn't believe it really mattered anymore. "That is extra rich coming from the deadbeat mother."

The absence of her newest spawn was probably in her favor right now, to be fair. The last thing he wanted to look at was the evidence she'd let some nobody (if her story was to be believed) cover her last season while Cahyr was unsupervised. Every time he looked at the infant he was tempted by the unthinkable. The thought of driving him out, removing all traces of his existence was tempting. After all, what was one more mark against his record? But he resisted, for now. Considered it payment for the boost Nyimara had given his ambition in those early days.

Now they were even and he owed her no more favors.

But soon the boy would need to go. Asmodeus didn't particularly care where, although he was incredibly close to trading the boy to the Lagoon just to annoy his mother. It wouldn't hurt to further strengthen his ties to the Lagoon men who had brought him his second... although he was not oblivious to the fact that both of his lieutenants had disappeared.

"What do you want, Nyimara?" He growled, eyeing her warily. In his experience, Nyimara never did anything - even needle at him - without a reason.

Adult Stallion 16.0HClassic Champagne ChimeraSolomon x Xiomara