Rosewater Oasis Pretty Boy

Ruin me.

The words echoed in his mind, circling like a vulture over a fresh kill. Samir’s smirk faltered for the briefest moment, though he quickly replaced it with the warmth and charm Arslan had come to expect. His mind, however, churned beneath the surface.

"Even so, you’ve been perfected under my care." He nuzzled into the lion’s fur, inhaling deeply as though to solidify his claim.

Arslan was valuable, cherished even—but not for the reasons the lion might have believed. Samir did not love him as Arslan loved; his affection was calculated, measured, given not out of devotion but necessity. The lion was a vital piece of his grander vision—a companion, a pawn, a vessel through which Samir could build something eternal. To lose him would be an inconvenience, an insult to his pride, but little more.

Still, Arslan could never know this. He had to feel secure, adored, indispensable. Samir leaned closer, brushing his muzzle against Arslan’s ear, his tone as soft and intimate as a lover’s whisper. "You will stay with me, my love. Always. For there is no Verapaz, no other place, that could ever offer you what I do."