Ride this high

-The Morning After-

Chimera slept deeply. More deeply than he could ever remember sleeping. The behemoth didn't move the entire night and well into day. The woman grasped firmly in his arms didn't even cross his mind because he didn't know that she was there. As Aliana had surmised, Chimera didn't remember much of the previous night. He remembered Siren giving him herbs to help with the pain in his ribs. He remembered his sister dropping him off at the door to his den. And then he woke up.

The warmth of a body pressed against him wasn't unwelcome, but he hadn't been expecting it to be the slave woman. Mismatched ears were held erect as the chimeric brutes neck curled so that he could look down upon the woman. He had been expecting Viper, but the black and russet fae was quite a bit bonier than the slave woman. He couldn't sat that he minded having her pressed against him, but how had she gotten there? Had she weaseled her way into his grasp while he was asleep? Was she that desperate for attention?

The man's body shifted and he winced in pain, air hissing through his clenched teeth. Chimera's head fell back to the cushions and he shook the woman with one paw. "Wake up," he commanded. His body felt stiff and any time that he moved, pain flared through him. It was nothing like yesterday's pain had been after the long journey, but he still wouldn't be going far from the den today. Once the woman was awake, he motioned towards the door. "I need something for the pain. Ask Siren if you're unsure." And with that, she was dismissed. There was no trace of the affection or silliness that had clung to him the night before. He was back to being Chimera. All business.

"Chimera"