WARNING: This chapter is faithful to the M rating. Just saying…

(Also, I hope the time jumps make sense…please let me know if it's confusing at all!)


(20 hours earlier)

Lucy felt out of breath as she gripped her purse tighter and ran through the streets of town. Her lungs burned for air but her mind was stuck on one thing only and that was to run as fast as her feet could carry her. She wished she had thought ahead and actually chosen proper running shoes but thinking back on it, Lucy was sure the last thing on her mind that morning was that a terrifying vampiric murderer would be on her tail.

It was supposed to be an easy trip to the hospital and yet things had turned sour like they had a bad habit of doing as of late. The blonde had sat patiently for Levy in the waiting room of the city's hospital. It had been a quick in and out appointment just checking on the status of her neck brace and other injuries she had still to endure. But it had been on their way out the front doors to Lucy's car where things went bad.

Lucy cursed her inattentiveness because now it had both her and Levy off running somewhere to God only knew where. The blonde had lost track of where Levy even really was; so focused on the sound of his feet drawing too close behind her to notice or care at this point, sadly enough. She prayed to every god that her friend was somewhere safe and out of harms' way. Harm being the six foot, long black haired vampire on her tail. Once her own safety was secured could she begin to worry about her blue haired roommate so for now, Lucy ignored her guilty conscience and sped up and focused on not being a traditional horror film blonde bimbo who trips at the last and most inconvenient second.

Lucy turned a sharp corner, hoping this would gain her the upper hand, but came to an immediate stop once she faced the tall brick wall in front of her. Her heart filled with dread and panic.

She made another flip up, she thought, as the sound of the steps behind her neared and came to a slow stop a few feet behind her.

"It's the end of the road, bunny."

Lucy felt her world go black.


(present)

It was cold.

It was dark and wet and cold.

The quiet drip, drop of water from the ceiling was all Lucy could find herself focusing on in the quiet, dark solitude of her cell. The rope around her ankles and wrists had officially cut off her circulation and rubbed her joints raw, making her hands and feet cold to the touch. A few fingers were turning a light white color but Lucy knew it had more to do with the amount of blood loss than the restraints cutting her blood off.

Lucy grunted out in pain when her nerves twitched which resulted in her leg jerking in motion and her muscles to ache in pain at the abrupt movement. How long had she been here?

The blonde rolled her head to the side, the strength to hold it up having long left her, in order to get a better look at the puddle of blood to her side. The dark red liquid was darker than even within the room she was in. What little light that crept through under the door reflected over the shimmering liquid as it drained out of her body.

It wouldn't be much longer now, she thought in defeat, and then he would come to claim her.

Her eyes slowly shut. Her mind and heart unable to process anything anymore.

Lucy had struggled at first, fought for her freedom. Believer her, she had tried. It wasn't as if this quiet, defeated girl had accepted her fate so resolutely. But not so distant memories of red eyes, long black hair and fists caked with her own blood came back to her. Lucy grunted, opening and closing her jaw once more and wincing at the pain. She was sure she wasn't a pretty sight to look at. Every part of her body ached from Gajeel's treatment.

If anything though, it was the silence that got to Lucy the most. Pain could be handled, forgotten, removed, compartmentalized and tossed aside. Her brain had long ago done her the favor of turning off for her. But it was in the silence that Lucy found real terror and defeat. The silence she couldn't escape from. She couldn't prevent her mind wandered to a million and one thoughts; from the bleak to the hopeful. But especially to Natsu.

Natsu, Lucy whimpered at the thought.

She was sure a day or two had to have gone by but honestly, she couldn't really know for sure. How long did it take for blood to drain from a body entirely? She was sure the pink haired man had noticed her absence. Natsu had told her he'd wait for her return after dropping off Aiden at school. So if she and Levy hadn't returned after some time, she was sure the man would notice and worry.

Then there was Aiden. The boy had to have been worried that his mother was gone. She hoped Natsu was at least there to comfort him. Lucy knew enough time had passed and yet she still found herself in this hell hole, only god knew where. What if they couldn't find her in time? Her thoughts traveled to Levy as well. Had the girl managed to get away safely? Lucy knew that ultimately, she was Gajeel's target for whatever his weird revenge, power hungry scheme was.

However, Lucy's thoughts were jolted at the familiar sound of the door's locks turning and the thick door sliding open to reveal the bane of her existence.

"Gajeel," she spat out.

The man sent her a look before a smirk tore his features. Ignoring her glare, he strolled into the cell. Unfolding his arms from across his chest, Gajeel kneeled down, reaching out to grab her wrist. Lucy usually fought him tooth and nail at this point but it was a sign of the extent of her blood loss that she hardly moved at all anymore. After a few more seconds, the man grunted in approval, "It's finally time, bunny."

Lucy whimpered at the feel of the IV being roughly pulled out of her wrist without warning. Before she could reply, the taste of blood entered her mouth. Opening her eyes with a jolt, Gajeel grabbed the back of her head with his free hand to prevent her from moving away as he pushed his wrist into her face, Lucy had no choice but to feel the vampire's blood enter her system. Panic hit her like a ton of bricks as the girl gathered up any strength she had left to twist and turn out of Gajeel's grip but the vampire quickly over powered her, pushing her down to the ground and knocking the wind out of her, "Stay still bitch or this'll only get worse for you."

Lucy whimpered but felt her body waiver, eyes flicker shut as her dry and greedy throat betrayed her, slurping up the man's blood eagerly. Tears pricked the back of her eyes as Lucy felt her eyes close under the weight of it all; her heart breaking with each swallow.

The only sense o solace Lucy found was imagining a pair of strong, warm arms around her waist and the feel of soft pink, flowing locks through her fingers as Gajeel's blood began filling her up and replacing the blood he had selfishly taken from her in order to do so.


Natsu was running.

The scent was weak but if he wasted any more time than he already had, it would be gone all together, the half demon thought as he ran as fast as he could. It had been quite the past day or so; his heart couldn't quite take any more at this point.

The memory of stumbling around Lucy's place until Levy arrived, panicked and out of breathe mumbling something about a red eyed monster who was after Lucy still haunted Natsu. It had been almost surreal and yet he should have seen it coming. Without warning, he had calmly told Levy to stay behind, assuring her that he would do anything it took to bring Lucy back safe and sound. Once the young woman understood, Natsu had bolted out the front door and began the painstakingly slow search for any remains of Lucy or Gajeel's scent to track the pair down.

Natsu growled, pissed off more at himself than anyone else. It was his stupidity and naivety that had allowed this to happen and now Lucy was off somewhere probably scared out of her mind or worse…

He shook his head, taking another quick sniff before switching gears. Natsu was on the hunt and if he had any say in it, his prey was going to be absolutely unrecognizable when he got his hands on the vampire. Pure, unadulterated rage swam through his veins at the thought of Gajeel touching what was his.

So that was where he found himself. Slow on the trail but after searching throughout the city, Natsu had eventually picked up on the blonde's scent after backtracking from the hospital. It had almost been too much for Natsu once he had found her smell though; fear tightly woven in with her scent. It had broken his heart.

Before filling it with rage towards the cause of all of this.

Gajeel was going to pay.

Natsu just hoped he wasn't too late.


Lucy felt herself drifting to and from consciousness. The taste of blood on her lips seemed to be giving her a kind of life she thought she had lost all together. Gajeel leaned over her, his knees crushing her legs down, preventing her from trying anything again as he pushed his forearm further into her face as if it would make her drink faster.

The blonde felt what little fight left she had in her leave her system, only to be replaced with this man's blood. She knew what was going on and yet she was absolutely powerless to put any stop to it. Tears continued to streak her cheeks as her lips betrayed her, greedily slurping up whatever Gajeel gave her.

"That's a good bunny," Gajeel mocked above her, "drink it all up."

But before Lucy could even open her eyes, Gajeel's wrist was off of her mouth. Lucy immediately felt cold as the heat Gajeel's body was providing her was ripped off of her, his weight gone. Lucy tried her best to open her eyes, fearing the worst. Her mouth embarrassingly hungry for more of that crimson liquid, the blonde whimpered, ashamed of herself.

Opening her eyes though, Lucy quickly discovered that there were other things more important than her current hunger as she noticed another shadowed figure standing above what she could only guess was Gajeel, nearly passed out on the ground as his foot came down hard upon Gajeel's chest. The black haired vampire groaned out, his breath wheezing from the direct contact against his lungs.

Her heart stopped as the stranger took to kicking Gajeel in the gut this time, using their heel to pile drive into the side of his stomach. Lucy cringed and tried to lift herself up the best she could with her wrists still very much tied together. Her senses only barely seemed to function at this point which left her feeling terrified and helpless as she struggled to sit up and cover her nude self. The best she could manage was crawling pathetically into the corner of the room before the new figure would even notice her. The sounds of the two men struggling with one another forced Lucy to huddle in on herself. She tucked her head down between her legs, wishing she could wrap her arms around herself but being unable to move them as they were still very much tied together behind her back. Shutting her mind off once more, Lucy remained in that position until the sounds slowly faded into heavy breathing. Lucy didn't know which was more terrifying: the fact that Gajeel was no longer making any sound at all or that she was now left alone with this deadly stranger.

Before she could lift her head to check though, a voice called out to her.

"Lucy?"

Her heart stopped as her head jolted up, looking back at the now very familiar figure that stood before her. Glancing down at Gajeel, who was currently passed out on the ground behind him. At the sound of his voice, suddenly the stranger didn't seem so strange after all, "Natsu?" Lucy was startled at how dry and rough her voice sounded, "is that you?"

The man quickly rushed to her, dropping to his knees and reaching out hesitantly to her body. His wide and concerned eyes were scanning over her and Lucy tried her best to ignore the blood that covered his hands. But before she could say anything more, Natsu's eyes were back on hers, "Luce, are you…I'm so sorry, I…fuck."

Lucy gulped and forced back tears at the amount of pain in his voice as wave after wave of relief washed over her from his presence. She sat up properly, ignoring her nakedness entirely in order to gain the boy's attention, "Natsu, could you…?" With her chin, Lucy gestured behind her to her arms which were still very much tied up behind her back.

Natsu quickly understand and bent down behind her to gently nip at the rope with his teeth, effectively tearing it apart enough for him to tug it apart and unravel it from around her wrists. The blonde felt a wave of relief and pain at being able to move her arms once more. But as she went to rub at the raw skin around her wrists, Lucy felt a wave of pain crash over her; her shoulders were aching from finally being able to move after such a long time. Natsu sent her a sympathetic glance after he worked off the rope that tied her ankles up as well, having noticed her stiffen up, "Lucy," he breathed out, reaching towards her and gripping her shoulders gently, kneeding a thumb into each stiff muscle in hopes of working out any kinks and soreness.

It was right then and there with the proximity of his hands near her face, that Lucy felt more than just the pleasure of having her muscles massaged. This was an entirely different sensation. Pure desire riddled her every pore and it was so sudden that Lucy squeezed her eyes tight in surprise, breathing heavily.

Licking her lips, Lucy suddenly tasted the leftover iron in her mouth and realized she needed more. It was this realization that made her glance to her side, catching sight of the source of her desire: Natsu's hands which were still very much covered in splashes of Gajeel's blood. The blonde zoned in on it, opening her mouth just enough to let her tongue explore.

Upon seeing her tongue dart out and gently swipe at his left wrist, Natsu's eyes widened, "Lucy, stop! What are you doing?"

It seemed to jar her enough to pull back and blink curiously. Her tongue still hovered in the air before her face, Lucy glanced up at Natsu before frowning, lowering her head in shame, "I don't know, I just…I need to taste it."

Natsu tried to follow what was happening, half worried over Lucy's physical welfare and half worried she had lost some of her mind while being locked up here, "Need to taste what…?"

"Blood," came Lucy's simple response and at that, a wave of understanding hit Natsu like a well-aimed punch to the face.

"He mated with you," Natsu thought aloud, while shaking his head in denial. No, she couldn't be or else she wouldn't still be needing more blood. Unless…

"He didn't finish," he concluded.

Glancing down at her again, Natsu caught Lucy's chin before her tongue reached his wrist again. He almost let go at the sound of her growl though, which only confirmed his suspicions. Natsu wouldn't claim to know everything about vampirism and mating seeing as he didn't receive an entirely full education growing up, but he knew that if properly and fully mated, the female wouldn't continue seeking out fulfillment; aka, desiring for more blood from her mate if the ritual was properly followed through. That meant that Gajeel hadn't been able to successfully mate with her entirely, meaning he had been on time.

Or had he?

When Natsu had kicked the door open, he hadn't wasted any time in scoping out the scene. All he needed to see was Gajeel on top of Lucy with his blood dropping down her throat and lips for Natsu to go agro on his ass and very nearly kill the vampire in a fit of instinctual rage.

Taking a moment to look around while he firmly held Lucy's chin even as she struggled, Natsu noticed the IV needle tossed aside and the dried up puddle of blood all around. Gajeel had at least successfully drained Lucy of her blood, much to Natsu's disgust and guilt; it almost left him nauseous just thinking about it.

But pushing away the guilt for now, Natsu turned back to Lucy. Just by smell alone, he could tell they had been in the process of completing the mating ceremony by having her drink Gajeel's blood. But what would happen if that ceremony was cut off short? Natsu had no idea. All he knew was he now had a very unsatisfied girl in his arms who was yearning for blood.

Not knowing what else to do, Natsu lifted up his free arm that wasn't currently holding Lucy down and nipped into the skin of his wrist with his elongated canines. Almost immediately, the sight of his own blood dripping down his forearm caught the attention of the blonde he still held. Her eyes widened as she licked her lips in hopeful anticipation. Natsu frowned but nodded in approval, "Go ahead, Luce," he whispered gently as he let go of her chin finally.

The blonde obviously wasn't in her right mind because she wouldn't have looked so eager. But the blonde wasted no more time and sat up straight away, grabbing onto his wrist possessively with both hands. Natsu watched as Lucy tugged at his arm, pulling it to her and cradled it as she licked away at his blood.

He gulped, fighting back the immediate lust that washed over him at the sight of her drinking his blood. His desire was overridden by his deep seeded worry over what any of this would mean for Lucy. Having the blood of two different vampires swirling around inside her veins was something unheard of; for Natsu it was anyways.

However, this was his only choice at the moment. Natsu at least knew what would happen to females if a mating ceremony was cut short, left unfinished: a slow and painful death by starvation. Unless the mate received enough blood to replace the blood that was drained, the female wouldn't live longer than a day or two.

With that in mind, Natsu took long deep breaths to calm himself as he watched the love of his life slurp greedily away from his wrist. His heart weighed down by guilt and fear of what would happen. But as the room filled with moans of pleasure and slurping sounds emitting from the blonde in front of him, Natsu felt a tear streak down his cheek in defeat as his heart broke.

This hadn't been how he wanted this to go.

At all.


Author's Note: Only thing I could think of while planning this sequel out and finally reaching this chapter was: gosh, they might hate me. Har har. Hope this turned out alright! Again, lemme know your thoughts and CONSTRUCTIVE criticisms.

ALSO! I'M MOVING BACK TO CANADA NEXT WEEK SO THERE WILL NOT BE A CHAPTER UPDATE NEXT WEEK. SORRY BUT TOO BUSY.

Next chapter will be up the following week, though!