Cobra awoke first for a change, something he took pride in. Slipping out of their shared bed, he glanced down at the slumbering blonde with a subdued smile. Brushing her bangs away from her forehead, he paused as he felt how warm she was. Taking a better look at her, he realized just how pale she looked. Her skin was a sickening shade, a cold sweat had broken out sometime in the night judging from the sheen that covered her skin. The small smile he thought was on her face turned out to be a tense frown, her breath coming out in short pants.
Brow furrowed in concern, he picked her up in his arms and took her into the bathroom to prepare a cool bath to lower her temperature. Placing her on the toilet, he began the bath, testing the temperature of the water before he plugged the drain. Turning his attention back to Lucy, he pulled off her pajamas with ease. His heart almost stopped at the sight of the dark purple bruises surrounding red and inflamed bite marks on the side of her neck. Hissing in alarm, Cobra scented the air to be sure it wasn't infected. His frown only grew when he realized that it was in fact venom that was flooding her veins instead of an illness.
'What happened last night?' Cobra sighed, lifting Lucy's head into his hands.
Being as careful as possible, he attempted to wake her with light pats to the side of her head. A few moments later, hazy brown eyes cracked open, her mouth parting to speak but all that came out was a crackly groan. Her eyes slid shut a moment longer than he would've liked but they blinked open, the haze slowly fading as her eyes locked on with his.
"C-Cobra…" Lucy muttered, blinking once more before she was hefted into strong arms and placed in frigid water.
Cobra bit back a groan at the sharp whine that tumbled from Lucy's lips once she was fully submerged in the bath. Grabbing a washcloth from the towel rack beside the shower, he wetted the rag before he brought it to the mark at her neck. Brushing over the wound, Cobra took note of how Lucy tensed before a soft moan tumbled from her lips. Her eyes grew hazy once more, not from sleep or pain this time. A flush spread across her cheeks, painting the otherwise ghostly white skin pink. The fact that she was nude popped into the forefront of his mind and gave him pause.
Glancing down to her chest, his eye roamed over the flushed peaks. Lucy purred as his hand brushed against the mark once more. His eye came back to meet up with hers, how her face flushed and she leaned forward. Before Cobra could do anything, her lips met with his, and Lucy practically melted against him. Her hands shakily rose from the water and came to rest in his hair, easily messing up the already messy locks. A groan tumbled from his lips as Lucy's chest pressed to his as she pulled herself out of the water.
With a harsh shove forward, Lucy managed to hop on top of the male now beneath her. Her hands left his hair in exchange to roam lower, towards his chest and abdomen. Her fingers brushed the band of his boxers and Lucy pulled back from his lips to lower herself to his neck. Kissing and nipping her way down his neck, she planted open mouthed kisses down his chest and stomach before coming to rest between his legs. Her brown eyes rose to meet with his singular indigo eye that was lidded. His mouth was cracked open, pants spilling from his lips as his hands rose up to brush through her hair.
A wicked grin spread across her face and before Cobra could figure out why, her lips descended on his clothed member, wrapping around the tip. Bucking up to meet her face, a moan tumbling from his lips, Cobra's head tilted back, his single eye sliding shut. Lucy hummed to herself, pleased with his reaction, bobbing her head up and down a few times before she pulled away. Smiling down at the male beneath her, she pulled his underwear down slightly, just enough for him to spring free before she sat just above his waist.
Cobra raised a brow at the naked woman placed on his stomach, watching as she spread her legs overtop him before she slid back down and his mouth formed a perfect o. She slid overtop his cock with ease, her warmth enveloping him entirely. She didn't stop until he was fully inside her and she found an angle comfortable for her before she rose up and slammed herself back down. Cobra growled, his hands rising to rest at her hips to help guide her up and down as she rode him into the ground. Lucy's long hair swayed as she bounced, her head tilted back, her mouth parted as little moans came tumbling out. Cobra's eye racked over her form, the way her thighs quivered as she rose and fell over him, her breasts swaying in time with her motions, the way her eyes slid shut and drool dripped from her lips and down her chin.
Lucy's eyes cracked open and peered down to where Cobra lay, blinking as she took in the awestruck expression on his face. Smiling down at him, she bent over and placed a sloppy kiss on his lips before she sat back up and moved her hands to his chest. The soft touches from the woman above him drove him wild. The nearly brutal pace of her hips contrasted so nicely from the loving touches she placed on him. The soft caresses of her lips, the gentle touches of her hands, the loving look in her eyes as she gazed down at him had his heart beating rapidly in his chest. A strange feeling built up in his chest, filling his lungs with a pressure he had never felt before. Easily flipping the two over, Cobra trapped the blonde beneath him in his arms, his lips crashing over hers before Lucy could so much as blink.
Her hands rose to rest in his hair, fingernails scraping over his scalp and occasionally brushing over sensitive ears. A loud rumble grew in his chest, vibrating his entire being. The snapping of his hips sped up, drawing loud moans from his blonde as she squirmed under the hold he had on her. Her eyes never left his even as her body was racked with trembles from her first orgasm. Cobra made sure to keep her hands pinned beneath one of his as the other trailed down the side of her face to rest at her cheek for a moment. The blonde leaned into the caress, a soft smile spreading across her face before more moans were pulled from her. The pressure in his chest and lungs grew in strength, nearly choking him until he buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent.
Honey and lavender filled his nose, drawing a growl from him. Within the matter of a few seconds, he had Lucy on her hands and knees, pistoning into her. Lucy's voice rose in volume, nearly deafening if it weren't for the fact that Cobra wasn't listening anymore. His teeth nipped at her neck once more, over the marks that were placed there the night before. His fangs itched to be buried in her skin and he wasn't one to ignore the feeling building in his chest. With a few more hard thrusts, he buried both himself and his teeth into her, growls and moans spilling from both of them as they came together.
Lucy flopped down to the tiled floor, spent. Cobra kept himself buried in her, his fangs retracting from the marks once more. Kissing and licking the mark as he pulled away from her neck, he took notice of the mess they had made of the bathroom. Ignoring the mess for the time being, he carefully hefted her into his arms before taking them both back into the room. Placing them both under the covers, he cuddled up beside her, placing a kiss to the crown of her head before slowly drifting off to sleep, Lucy already passed out beside him.
When he awoke later that day, Lucy felt warm in his arms, not nearly as warm as she had earlier. The marks on her neck didn't seem nearly as irritated and inflamed as they were, but the purple bruises were still in place. He took in the oddly colored swirls that lie beneath her skin. Bending down to sniff at them, his eye widened when he realized it smelled like himself. A purr rumbled in his chest and he couldn't fight back the sudden need to nuzzle her neck. Lucy moaned softly in her sleep, nowhere close to waking up just yet. Smiling down at her, he brushed her hair from her face before he got up to go clean their mess from earlier as well as clean himself.
Thirty minutes later he stepped out of the bath with a towel around his shoulders. Lucy still lay where he last left her, snoozing the day away. He supposed he should let her be for the time being. Calling down for room service to bring up some food for them later, he reclined back in the bed, pulling Lucy into his chest as he got comfortable. Burying his face in her hair, he spent the rest of the afternoon holding his mate in his arms.
Lucy awoke to strong arms wrapped around her and a pleasant aching in her legs. Flashes of what occured in the bathroom came to the forefront of her mind and she couldn't find it in herself to care. She was happy and comfortable where she was, so why worry about that now. Being bound to this male actually appealed to her on many levels. The sound of chuckling met her ears and a warm breath tickled the fine hairs on her neck.
"Not too bad huh? Told ya so." Cobra muttered into her ear, watching as a flush spread across her cheeks and down her chest.
"Hush it mister." She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Did I ever tell you you're cute when you're mad?" Cobra laughed as her face grew even redder before she turned in his hold to face him.
Before she could open her mouth to retort, his lips crashed over hers. She leaned into the kiss immediately, moaning softly as he nipped at her lips. Pulling away from her was hard, but the grumbling of her stomach that rang out in the room reminded him of the food that was brought up earlier and placed in the kitchenette. Placing one more kiss to her lips, he got out of bed to grab them their plates before making his way back over and handing her plate to her.
"Tah dah, dinner in bed." Cobra brandished the plate, waiting for her to settle down before he placed it in her lap.
"Why thank you Cobra, you didn't have to do this for me." Lucy smiled up at him before she dug in.
"Erik." Was all he said.
"Huh?" Lucy paused, lowering her utensil to the plate before she looked back to him.
"My name, it's Erik." He sat down next to her, his plate in his hand.
"Erik, it suits you!" Lucy smiled at him, her eyes lighting up in joy as she dug back into her food.
'Gods the way she says my name almost makes me wish I had told her years ago.' Cobra fought back the urge to make her say his name once more in exchange for stuffing his face.
With dinner out of the way, the two were free to spend time with each other. Lucy learned more about the male she was coming to love and Cobra got to know the blonde that was already wedged deep in his heart. They talked a bit about their mission and how they would go about handling the rather sensitive issue. They supposed that she would have to go in and get some concrete evidence of their legality and show it to the King or else nothing would change. Lucy was certain she would be able to convince the guild to find more...law abiding ways to get supplies instead of stealing.
With thoughts of the next day on their minds, the couple allowed themselves to drift off to sleep. The next morning, Lucy awoke to a banging at the door and some curses slipping past Cobra's lips. Said male stood out of bed, grabbing a pair of boxers that were lying on the floor as he went and stomped over to the door. Blinking tired brown eyes up in his general direction, Lucy tried to pull a coherent thought together as she heard hushed whispering from down the hall. She couldn't quite make out the other voice, but the sudden appearance of Asael at the edge of the bed was rather off putting. Cobra looked extremely ticked off, if his curled lip and glare had anything to go by, but the worried look on Asael's face wiped away Lucy's good mood immediately.
"Lucy, sweetheart, we have a problem. Bring Grumpypuss with you." Was all Asael said before he was rushing back out of the room for them to get dressed and catch up to him.
The two dressed quickly and managed to catch up to the guild master within minutes. Asael was worrying his bottom lip as they sped walked through town to the obvious trail that lead to the guild. The sight of the charred building ahead of them surprised the two newcomers.
"Gods what happened here?" Lucy gasped, a hand raised to cover her mouth as she took in the destruction of the guild hall.
"Damn King, that's what. Hired some mages to burn the whole place down. Got some of the fuckers that did this down in the basement currently, being interrogated." Asael motioned to the only thing that wasn't burnt to a crisp, a small crawl space that led down into the ground.
The trio made their way downstairs, the scent of blood and piss lingering in the air. Cobra grinned in excitement, it had been awhile since he was able to let loose and enjoy himself. Tapping Asael on the shoulder, the slayer offered to continue with the interrogation for them. Lucy shook her head in exasperation, but couldn't hide the small grin on her face at the sight of her mate bouncing on the balls of his feet as the guild master unlocked the cell doors to let them in. The beaten forms of four mages tied up brought up some memories Lucy had buried.
The sight of the three large males tied up beneath her brought a strange satisfaction to her. Lucy grinned down at the frightened men, fiddling with a bloodied knife in her hand absentmindedly as she paced back and forth. They had long since given up their struggling, their bonds were far too tight for them to get out and even if they managed to, the sight of two spirits flanking Lucy's right and left had them quaking in their boots. Many cuts and lacerations littered their skin, mostly from the blonde currently kneeling down in front of the male who had put up most of the fight.
"Now I'm only going to ask one more time, if you refuse to answer, I'm afraid I'm going to have to get creative with my techniques." The tight lipped mage glared up at the female, groaning against the bind in his mouth. "Nothing huh? That's okay, I get to try something out now."
With a look to her maid spirit, Lucy was equipped with an array of tools to get the job done. Fiddling with a needle in her hand, Lucy eyed the suddenly pale mage with interest.
"Now you may feel a slight pinch, but after that, you should be feeling real good in a moment." A feral grin spread across Lucy's face, and the sound of muffled screaming filled the room as she dug the syringe into the male's neck before he could even attempt to move away.
Blinking out of her daze, Lucy watched as Cobra strolled over to one of the guild members, pushing him aside ever so gently before taking his place. The fear on the mages faces brought that same jolt of satisfaction to Lucy she had felt oh so long ago as a freelance mage. Cobra spared her a sidelong glance before he focused his attention on the males on the floor.
"Now, what do we know already?" Cobra asked Asael as he scrutinized his prey.
"We know who hired them and how much they were paid, none of them want to tell us why." Asael glanced over to the blonde by his side, noticing the way she quivered ever so slightly before she grabbed at her arm, her eyes never leaving the fallen forms of the mages on the ground.
"You're going to tell me why you were hired and what it was you were supposed to do here." Cobra demanded, pausing for a moment before he turned to face one of the males.
Bending down to his level, Cobra reached out and grabbed a hold of the male's shirt, pulling him to come just short of his face. The mage quaked in fear as his eyes met with Cobra's, a groan tumbling past his lips as he was pulled just too far from the restraints tying him to the wall.
"I'm not going to ask again, why were you hired?" Cobra growled into his face, fangs bared as he snarled.
A hand tapping him on the shoulder pulled him away from what he was doing and the sight of his mate with a small grin on her face had him pulling away entirely.
"What's up Starshine?" He turned to place a kiss to her lips, enjoying the way she leaned into it before she pulled away and gently pushed him aside.
"I've got this one." Lucy grinned at him before summoning out two spirits.
The sight of Loke and Virgo at her side had all the men in the room blinking in surprise. With a pointed look towards her maid spirit, she was gone and back in a flash, a cart with her covered by a sheet. A grin spread across the blonde's face as she lifted the sheet up to see many surgical tools lying on the cart. Picking up a needle, Lucy turned to the male Cobra let go of and crouched down to stare at him.
"Now don't you worry about a thing, you're in good hands now. You might feel a slight pinch so don't be alarmed." Lucy stuck the needle into his neck, watching as the male froze up before he let out a muffled scream as the liquid in the needle spread through his body. "Oh and this is going to hurt."
Cobra and Asael watched as Lucy stuck each mage in the neck with different needles, all of them screaming in pain before falling oddly silent. Lucy's two spirits pulled one of them up off the ground and uncuffed him before pulling him over to one of the tables before securing him there. Pulling the cart along with her, Lucy plucked one of the scalpels up from the sheet before she turned back to the male watching her through lidded eyes as she lined up the instrument to his skin.
"Anything you want to tell me before I get to work?" Lucy asked, listening for a moment as his breathing sped up momentarily. "I didn't think so. Be careful not to swallow your tongue, the drug I gave you numbed you up pretty good."
Lucy dug the scalpel into his skin, watching in rapt attention as his flesh easily parted as she slid it down his chest. Blood bubbled up from the incision and Virgo easily blotted the blood out of the way as Lucy reached for clamps. Peeling his skin back, Lucy secured it out of her way before she reached for a small hammer. Holding the tool in her hand in front of the mage's face, she waved it around, watching as he inspected it before she brought it down on his ribs. Hearing them crack under her weight Lucy fought back a crazed grin as she took in the sight of the damage. The bone had shattered under her, revealing lungs inflating and deflating rapidly as the male screamed in agony.
"I guess I didn't give you enough medicine, oh well. Virgo, will you go get me some metal rods?" Lucy asked the spirit, who only nodded in response before she was gone, and Loke had taken her spot at dabbing away any blood that bubbled up.
When the spirit returned, there was a bag of blood with her too. Silently, Virgo set up the transfusion as the two got to work on the destroyed ribcage. Lucy hummed to herself as she drilled the rods in place, securing them to what was left of his ribs and making sure she didn't damage any organs underneath. Setting a tracker in place on the rod was easy and once she was certain she was finished, she began to stitch the man up. The mage had long since passed out from the pain, but she knew that this wasn't so much for him as it was for the other three that were still watching her. Adding the tracker was just a precaution.
Finishing with the mage on the table, she cleaned the wound before turning to face the three mages that were on the ground, holding the hammer and needle in her hand as she smiled sweetly to them.
"Any of you next? Or are you going to tell me what I want to know?" Many squeaks filled the room as they all tried to speak.
Lucy leaned down and pulled the makeshift gag out of one of their mouths, watching intently as the mage panted before he spoke.
"The King wanted us to burn the guild to the ground and any evidence of their legality so you wouldn't be able to press charges against him. Said something about killing two birds with one stone. Now please, leave us alone!" The mage whimpered, his eyes clenched shut tightly as he finished speaking.
Lucy hummed, running a hand down the side of her face before she reached out and brushed a bloodied hand down the male's face. "Just because you asked so nicely, I suppose I'll leave you three be. Your friend there will be in some serious pain when he wakes up and should take it easy for awhile before you idiots decide to pull something of this scale again."
Lucy stood and cleaned her hands on one of the mage's shirts before she apologized to her spirits and sent them on their merry way. Turning around for the first time since she had started her procedure, she was met with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Rolling her eyes at the males, she placed a kiss to Cobra's cheek before she brushed past him and back up the stairs, hoping to find something that survived. Digging through the ash, Lucy managed to stumble on a scorched filing cabinet that had seen better days. Testing the handle, she pulled the drawer open, squealing in excitement at the sight of legal documents. Making sure she snapped a few pictures of the rubble that was the guild, Lucy made her way back downstairs to ask a few more questions before she and her small group were on their way to the castle.
"You wouldn't happen to have any papers that prove to me that the King did in fact hire you, do you?" Lucy smiled sweetly, her hands clasped behind her back as she eyed the three on the ground.
They seemed hesitant to speak, but a soft groan from their friend still tied to the table had them talking. One of them motioned to their pair of pants and Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, watching for a moment before she spun him around and placed her foot against his back, holding him to the ground as she came near his hands. Tugging a piece of paper from his back pocket, she snatched it up and pulled herself away from him before he could grab ahold of her arm. Delivering a swift kick to the side of his head, she rendered him unconscious. The remaining two mages sat in silence as she looked over the document.
Nodding to herself she turned to flash the paper at Asael before she glared down at the two remaining males on the ground.
"Now you two are going to sit tight and I am going to get in touch with the local enforcement to have you arrested, so don't be going anywhere." With a feral grin and a wave of her hand, she was gone back up the stairs.
Cobra and Asael shared a look with one another before the made sure to secure them once more before they too followed Lucy back up the staircase and out into the mess that was the Red Hawk's guild. The blonde was scene pacing back and forth as she held a lacrima in her hand. Cobra let her be for the moment, in turn rounding on the male beside him. Asael was paler than he was yesterday, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.
"You know man, if you're that upset over it, you can always join our guild." Cobra spoke, watching as Asael turned on a dime to look at him.
"What in Gods' name are you talking about? Our guild was destroyed!" Asael cried, scowling at the redhead before he turned to look back at the blonde making her way back towards them.
"I got some good news and bad news. The good news is, the law enforcement will be here soon, the bad news is they have discovered a warrent for my arrest back in Fiore and are on their way to cart me back too. So it's been nice knowing you Asael but we have to bounce." Lucy offered the mage a small smile and a wave before she was off, dashing down the path in hopes of beating the law here.
"If you care to know, White Sea would take all of your guild in if you wanted a fresh start somewhere, that's where we are heading after this. Just ask for Cobra once you get there." Cobra gave Asael a two fingered salute before he too, was racing down the path after his mate.
Following her scent as she dodged within the trees and on the path, he managed to catch up with her just as they were breaking out of the treeline and mingling with the crowd of the city. The two slowed their pace into a crawl as they made their way back to the castle and requested a meeting with the King. Staring down at the male sat quivering in his throne, Lucy marched her way over to the side of him. Yanking on his hair, she tugged his head back so he could meet her eyes. Whatever he saw had him whimpering as her hold on his hair tightened.
"You're going to hand over the jewel and the keys that you promised or this little encounter will go topside and I will make sure you are removed from your position as King." Lucy growled, narrowing her eyes down at the man who only nodded his head and rummaged around in his desk drawer before pulling out a bag of jewel and a small box.
Letting go of his hair she counted the jewels out loud before she shut the pouch and handed it to the male beside her. Opening the small box, three silver keys lay inside. Nodding her head, she motioned for Cobra to follow her back out the door.
"Oh and I will be sure to tell my guild master just what transpired here, White Sea will no longer be taking any missions from you or your Kingdom, have a good day." Lucy offered the King one final smile before she and Cobra were out the door.
"You actually going to let that guy get off scot free?" Cobra pointed over his shoulder to where he can still hear the King now crying in his chair.
"You've known me for how long and you seriously think I'm just going to let this slide? Fuck no, that guy screwed over so many people and for what? A few people stealing food? I don't think so." Lucy hissed, her hands clenched into fists at her side.
Cobra side eyed her before he slid his hand down to brush against hers, waiting for her to calm before he intertwined their fingers together. A small smile spread across Lucy's face as they walked down the hallway and out towards the foyer. Bidding the maid goodbye, they left the stuffy castle and made their way down to the train station.
"So how are you going to do this?" Cobra asked as they sat on a bench to wait for their train after they had gotten their ticket back to Pelerno.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that Sugar, I've got this handled." Lucy purred, running a hand down the side of her mate's face before she planted a soft kiss to his lips.
Pulling away, she giggled at the far away look in his eye. He blinked, turning to her with a burning heat in his gaze that wasn't there before.
"Oh you are so gonna get it on this train ride Starshine." Cobra growled, bringing the blonde back in for a searing kiss that shouldn't be shared in public.
Moaning into his mouth, Lucy leaned in before pulling away from the intoxicating male.
"Down boy down, wait until we get inside first." Lucy giggled, poking him in the nose before she leaned against his shoulder and buried her face into his neck.
Breathing in his scent, Lucy allowed herself to relax after a long and stressful day. Cobra placed a gentle hand in the small of her waist, pulling her closer before he stuck his nose into her hair, sniffing before he breathed out against her golden locks.
"I can't wait to get back home." He sighed, placing a kiss to the crown of her head before the sound of their train being called pulled them apart.
He fell in line behind her as they got up to the train, and with a dark grin, he smacked her ass as she climbed into the car. Hearing her squeal in alarm before she growled at him had his grin turning into a smirk and with a final look around at the shit hole that was Stella, he followed her into the car.
*Chapter Ten is finished! Sorry for the rather long wait, I had a small case of writer's block and couldn't really tell where this was heading for a moment there. But I am back on track and plan to finish this up in a few more chapters, make three or four. Alissa you can stop hounding me to get this done, just fucking read and be happy you bitch, (lol jk gurl I love you).
Anyway thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!*