A/N….Thank you, Nightmare Senshi for the use of Hestor. The prickly eternally committed to men and men only Stellan is her character, he left me long ago curled up in her lap and stayed there. Thank you too to all the reviewers and Pms everyone sends me every day. I love hearing from you, I love talking with you and a lot of you make me realize I just can't stop posting here, even working on novels and things for publication elsewhere I just need to keep writing Fairy Tail Fanfics because not only do I enjoy them, but a lot of other people do too and I've made so many friends and "met" so many people through this! But, Hestor and Lucy both are eager to get going and this is a big chapter so enjoy!
DESNA
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Hestor stood, eyes narrowed as he completed his discussion with his aunt. Lady Hishiko of Stella...the Mother Seer and leader of Stella...and Hestor didn't give a damn what titles she held, he never had.
"No...I've told you a thousand times, NO, and while I am grateful of all the help with Farron you've given me in recent months, the support...NO, I've told you...I do NOT like women that way. If Farron and I decide to work with a surrogate...they will damn well collect my semen and insert it because I won't be touching her…" He snapped
He really wasn't sure why people thought him declaring himself firmly seated in preferring men for sex and romance was...a suggestion? It wasn't, he had always preferred men, their hard muscle, their sheer size...he wasn't technically short for a Stellan man at 5'10" but he damn well adored that Farron was 6'3" and he could fit himself perfectly under the man's chin when they embraced. He could even sit down and explain at length why he loved nice well developed pecs far far more than a woman's breasts and how a man's ass felt so much better in his hands than a woman's.
Did he know how to fuck a woman? Of course he did, he'd gone through Sudehpah lessons like every Boscan child, his induction partner though had been a BOY and for good reason...beyond just that it made several of the girls in his village furious…
He smiled at the memory, Farron, it had been Farron who had been his first, he looked fondly over toward the man even as Hishiko was hissing at him.
"Difficult...you've been difficult since you were small. You NEED to have children Hestor, your line is important to the future of your magic and you KNOW that. Direct physical intercourse is always better than insemination but if that is how you want it...fine...Farron's magic will assure the woman's DNA does not contribute once HE has sex with her, you will have to at least have some physical contact for the sake of the development of the children." Hishiko snapped
Hestor rolled his eyes at her on the com screen "I am aware of how reproduction works Aunt, and I will command the Shadows of Apep according to the plans laid out and see Shimako reclaims Zen and Lucy reclaims Kaleb...It's the right thing to do...having anything even related to romantic anything with a female though? STOP suggesting it!" He snapped and cut the com off drawing a breath.
Women had never done anything for him, nothing, no stir of interest, nothing attractive about them...not a single tiny thing and he had always been that way. Oh sure...he'd used sex a few times to get keys...or to get information so he could find them...but that was business, he could have enjoyed fucking his own hand more honestly, the amount of effort it took to envision a man while having sex with a woman in order to keep himself hard for the whole process was just...exhausting. Fortunately, only twice in all his life had he just had no way to talk the woman out of intercourse sex...gratefully, most were fine with oral or him using his hands, and he was very good at both methods too, only a few were insulted that when he was done they would look at his crotch and find him...NOT excited in the least. It was just who he was...who he had always been.
Farron came over to him, sensing through their bond he was a little...frustrated the man raised a questioning brow and Hestor waved his hand. "It doesn't matter…" He said leaning into his mate "Just...my Aunt being my Aunt."
"More mentions of concubines?" Farron asked quietly and Hestor made a strangling motion with his hands. "She doesn't get it...and I'm so tired of explaining it."
Farron wrapped his arms around the man and kissed his temple "We'll deal with it after this is all behind us...for now...focus."
Hestor smiled, looking down at Joya over the rail of the ship "Oh...I am...I will…" he said darkly.
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Lucy nibbled her lip, her finger running up and down the smooth edge of Kaleb's lacrima tablet. She was wrapped in one of his shirts, using it as a jacket mostly because it smelled like him. She wasn't alone, the boys had commandeered Kaleb's favorite cloak and slept wrapped in it at night. They were on the deck with Emzadi watching over them, the tall Dragoness protected them like they were her own and both boys listened well to her, even Raiu who tended to be as willful as the storms he could call.
Maybe she should have left them safe at the guild, but they had begged and Arman had even said he'd taken his boys with him on many of his diplomatic missions from young ages, he felt they had learned and grown a great deal seeing the world with him, and...they were rescuing their family, their father, she couldn't deny them.
That, and Raiu could call storms, he and Xally were going to bombard the city with it as a cover for their invasion. 65 ships, an entire wing, over 2000 White Sea Mages 500 knights and 2000 Stellan soldiers were about to take the capital city of Joya. They had bombers, destroyers, gunships, pursuit and attack ships even 2-man high speed low altitude fighters ready.
Lucy was aboard the Aisipal now,, the Flagship of the Boscan fleet, she had left Hestor and Farron on Farron's ship, the Saberfox to run their part of the plan. She stood between Cobra and Arman not far from General Fashion. Soon, they would descend on the city, on the screens was the palace, their main target.
They had already infiltrated it, and Lucy listened as reports came in. Presca, Gajeel, and two other shadow mages were already inside the palace, mapping it, placing bombs, images from the body cameras on one of the shadow mages were haunting, and Lucy wasn't sure if she was glad or not this mage wasn't who found the slave training wing. Now they were waiting on The Stellan group to give a clear insert point.
Gajeel and Presca did, since Presca was tracking Vander that wasn't a surprise really.
"Found Kaleb…" Gajeel whispered into his com and Lucy's heart almost stopped.
"He's out, they have him chained down on some sort of table, the bands on his arms, ankles wrists and neck all have their own magic signatures but I can power them down…" Presca said softly.
"Magic cancelling everything...shit...we can't get into the room with him, too much magic suppression I won't be able to hold the shadows." Gajeel growled.
"Presca they have to have alarms, traps, some sort of protection for the rooms." Lucy said, fisting her hand around the shirt tail of Kaleb's shirt, the soft silk cool in her hand. She had to keep herself focused and her head clear, White Sea and her family, the very love of her life was depending on her.
"Got em, powered down, we're going to find the control room for these systems, disable it." He said.
"Already handling it." Aerin, a Shadow mage who had very much wanted to be Presca's partner for this, checked in.
"I'm in the room, guards have been dispatched and hidden, 3 minutes…" She said and as promised, in about 3 minutes, the systems silently powered down and Gajeel and Presca broke into Kaleb's chambers.
"Two trainers, two medical personnel and at least one...hah, two Alchemists in the staff area for these chambers, hell of a set up…" Gajeel observed.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Take them out of the equation." She said icily. Gajeel hesitated, Presca, used to Kaleb's orders and those of the council before that, did not. Gajeels eyes narrowed as he saw the people wilt and those sleeping simply stopped breathing as the others dropped to the floor.
"Threats eliminated, this room is clear." Presca said and Gajeel drew a breath
"Damn Bunny…" He breathed. He hadn't done work at this level...this cold...since Phantom Lord...though admittedly, never had what he'd done for Phantom Lord ever been for a cause so just. This was family, friends...people they loved, and these were not good people holding them.
"Gajeel, we don't have time for loose ends, anyone left will be a threat later…" Lucy said, voice firm even though inside she was trembling, reaching out for Kaleb's presence, praying to every power there was, to every star in the sky she would feel the silken caress that was the center of her strength.
Gajeel emerged from the shadows with Presca and once Presca powered down each, Gajeel bit off each band spitting the gems out but smiling and happily consuming the gold.
"Gold and Platinum blend...fucking tasty." He growled, Rubies clattering to the floor as he devoured the collar.
Presca rolled his eyes , carefully removing the IV lines in his Guildmasters arms and neck, finding gauze to bandage the spots with.
"He's released from all the devices and lines but Gods only know how many drugs are in his system, it looks like, according to the charts here, he was scheduled….ugh...to be bred to a Warqueen tomorrow named Espera….shit...it says here Zen is being bonded to Sydelle...during the dawn so he can be used to help control Kaleb for the breeding…" Presa said and Lucy's eyes flew wide, looking out over the mountains at the sun rising…
"That's why there's hardly anyone back here...FUCK, they're all helping their fucking Queen take Zen!" Gajeel snarled.
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Purple and dark orbs in blacks greens and magenta swirled, the Dark spirits encircling the Archangel that was chained down to the floor on his knees, symbols of dark magic painted on his skin heavy black metal chains wound around his black wings pulsing as they sucked at the magic of them, keeping them weak, keeping the Archangel weak.
Sydelle, completely nude save the necklace around her neck, lifted a cup, holding it up toward the sky where the stars were losing ground to the light of the sun.
"Blood of the Morning Star, invigorate me." She called and drank, smiling as Kaleb's blood ran down her throat and sent power and heat shooting through her as Immaculate light was consumed by Sydelle's darkness.
"May the blood of your brother the Morning Star weaken you that my will may take you Evening Star." She said, taking her fingers and wiping blood over Zen's face, he jerked away from her with a snarl suppressing a gasp as he felt his brother's blood push at him. The light had been warped by its contact with Sydelle and it burned on his skin.
"I will make you all I need, Evening Star, the darkest Archangel that has ever existed, a Black angel of death." Sydelle breathed reverently.
"No….fuck you you twisted bitch…" Zen growled, his wings causing the heavy chains to thrash wildly but while even her spirits took a step back she held her ground.
Cassiopeia smiled though, standing by Andromeda. "Like Kayliss before you, so defiant, so...course and beastial..a thousand years to get here again, and this time...this time the Evening Star WILL be contained." she sneered.
Sydelle eyed her spirit, unsure what exactly she was talking about, but it didn't matter, all that mattered was completing the ritual...taking what was to be hers.
She snapped a hand forward, gripping his hair and wrenching his head back so hard he gasped and she poured blood into his mouth, a robed slave tried to come forward to help her queen clamp Zen's mouth shut and force him to swallow but the black wings moved, they may have been unable to move on the Celestial Wizard torturing him, but they had no restrictions where the unfortunate slave was concerned and with a startled grunt, the woman looked down, staring in wide eyed disbelief at the razor sharp long flight feather protruding from her chest dripping her blood on the floor.
Zen twisted, spitting the blood out as Sydelle sidestepped the woman's body when he snapped his wing and shook her free.
Looking down at the dead slave Sydelle drew a slow breath and smiled "Fresh blood of an innocent upon your wings...you are helping me…" She pointed out and Zen glared at her.
"There was nothing innocent about her intentions...just like there is nothing innocent about yours!" He snarled.
"I do NOT want you! You disgust me!" He roared "I will never serve you, I WILL kill you!, You will die in my hands for all you've done!"
Sydelle smiled at him, looking up as the sun took the sky and flooded the chamber with its light. Zen growled, he was NOT weaker, he just wasn't as strong as he was at night, this did NOT matter!
"Spirits of the black keys, spirits of the blood keys, spirits of the keys of war, give me this Archangel before me, aid me in binding him to my will and taking him as my bond." She smiled and Zen screamed as dark magic crashed over him, the spirits taking up chanting he couldn't hear over his own struggles. Sydelle took a mouthful of the blood in the cup, tossed the cup aside and straddled Zen, wrapping her arms around him and he writhed and gripping his face, sealing her lips over his and forcing his mouth open so the blood spilled from her into him.
Shimako...Shima...I love only you...come to me...stop this woman from taking the heart and soul I want to give to you…
There was a rumbling, the buildings seemed to shudder on their foundations and the spirits fell silent, Sydelle even pulling back from her brutal kiss, jerking her head around and smiling slowly as she beheld a somewhat small, slender woman with long silver hair and vivid steel blue eyes.
"Shima..." Zen rasped weakly trying to hold his head up but struggling, the tainted light was sickening him, weakening him, causing horrors to stir inside him, a war between his natural light and the darkness Sydelle was forcing into him was waging, but seeing Shimako helped, easing the agony he was in.
"Shh, save your strength." Simako said softly, her eyes warming on the Archangel before returning to Sydelle and turning cold again.
Sydelle smiled at her. "Shimako, priestess of Heset who has crafted the food of the Gods, wielded blades of bounty and harvest...I would prefer we find no fight here, I would make you great...my right hand. Never again would you serve crusty old priests and priestesses, never again would you bend to the will of Stella and all it's constricting antiquated ideals. You will become a warqueen here, keep this male at your side, in your bed, birth for yourself children of strength and beauty by him while you stand tall and free."
Shimako raised a brow at the woman's words, she knew the plan that had been set in motion. Xiao had called in Assassins from the Temple of Apep to deal with anything around the room and she merely had to play her part while things progressed. Hestor and Farron had helped cut the path to the temple, making it look like she had done little, though her massive weapon of choice was in requip, waiting and the dark outfit she wore hid the blood on it well. She pushed comfort and strength through her bond. Her lips quirked a bit, a bit of humor in her eyes,
"well...I don't know about standing that tall." She spared Zen a glance, sharp and aware amethyst eyes seeking hers, anxious and apologetic
Sydelle smiled, waving a hand "Height is less important physically than that of the spirit here, ferocity, courage, boldness, those are things we in Joya cherish. Qualities I believe you possess, Shimako. Say yes, hold him, let me simply take a bond with him that he can work with me toward the goals to glorify this country, and I will make you a Warqueen."
Shimako slowly took steps forward, keeping a soothing presence in the bond with Zen with each step, her eyes half lidded as she spoke softly, "why offer one such as myself such a thing? when my own country did little of the sort?" she tilted her head slightly, keeping her entire demeanor non-aggressive.
Sydelle eyed her, her reasons were not something she herself doubted at all, she was Joyan, and to her, power, strength, force of will, those were what tamed men.
"Your people do not see what I do." Sydelle said and slid a hand to Zen's chained arm, fingertips running over heavy muscle that went rigid at her touch and she smiled.
"The Dark Eagle, do you know much about what this man did before he left Pegrand?" She looked at Shimako, kept her eyes on the woman.
"Over 7000 kills...victories in the arena...man, beast, berserker, it did not matter, in his time there this male in often unequal combat, prevailed and ended over 7000 lives in his time in Pegrand. Not a man in that country did not desire him...time with him came at a premium of millions of jewel and always heavy risk yet people took those risks...I myself negotiated more than once trying to lay with him...to take a part of him for myself. To bring his offspring into this world. And all those years, drugs, beatings and torture and never could even the King himself touch this man safely...he could not be taken against his will." Sydelle smiled
"Still...even now...even against the deep compulsions placed within his being by his own magic, he resists, he fights...and you...Shimako...tamed him, wear his wings on your chest as a mark of your personal strength and brilliance. No...small..thing."
Shimako let out a low hum, "yes, he was forced to kill, forced to survive." she looked thoughtful, "through a ritual, I shared his life." she wouldn't reveal it was the mating that had done so, this woman didn't know, "it was a gift for mating." she stepped up next to the woman finally, knowing to not look around, knowing to not do anything but keep her attention on the two, though she did give a slightly disdainful look to the hand on Zen's arm. "there is more to your offer, more that you want, I would guess."
Sydelle smiled at her. "No doubt, eventually I would ask things of you as a Warqueen...right now what I need is his cooperation, his submission. Through him...I can control other Archangels, bring them down...I will take an Archangel as a mate myself, but not The Dark Eagle, I will leave him in your possession if you stand with Joya." she said, removing her hand from Zen's arm as a show of respect to the other woman's wishes. She herself was...possessive, of some of her favorites, she could understand Shimako, after whatever immense battle she had gone through to take this dark Archangel, would not want him handled overmuch by another.
"Such as?" Shimako blinked slowly, hand moving out to slowly curl a knuckle along Zen's cheek, pushing reassurance through the bond, eyes locked on the taller woman. She knew her actions were probably not taken as loving, but possessive and she would use that in her favor. she would use the 'detachedness' of Stellans to her advantage as well, giving a faint smile,
"I am stellan, without...discussing it all...I cannot agree, nor disagree, such is the way of my people."
Shadows moved, the doors were compromised silently, but the forces within the room were watching raptly, eyes on their Warqueen, the Archangel, the woman who could become the second of Warqueen Sydelle..discussions, negotiations for such great things held the attention of all present, and only Zen, struggling in a haze because of the drugs in his system, drugs he had fought his whole damned life, drugs mutated by Pegrand and made more concentrated when they had been given to him before...only Zen knew Shimako's touch brought comfort, that love was there, and it was a love he had fought for, that he would not surrender one single part of now that he had it…
Sydelle smiled "Assistance planning raids to capture males and strong valuable females to bring to Joya, to strengthen the blood here that has grown weak through poor management over the centuries. We were once the center of the Church of Celestial Light, we were where the Church that defeated the hordes of the Demon armies during the Holy War sat, the Grand Cardinal Aphayla is my own ancestor, she who once held Kayliss by his hair, who took Galasfriel to her bed and forced him to give her children, who had Jacamar beneath her boot healing her people and shielding the frames as Void Angels powered the grand weapons that led to the defeat of the Demons and sealing of the Dark Continent. I would reclaim the bloodlines lost and bring them here to flourish without the restrictions of conventional laws."
Cassiopeia smirked at those words, nodding faintly nearby.
"Stella is the current seat of Celestial Magics in Ishgar...to bring that and those sort of things, including resources, back to Joya," Shimako mused, "peace with those that you already struggle to get through their defenses with...is the choice of a great, powerful and wise leader." the small stellan kept the devious looking smile on her lips.
Sydelle nodded "I agree, and with your help, beginning with bonding this Archangel today, mating his brother...we can begin that."
Shimako brought her free hand up, looking thoughtful, slowly rubbing her thumb over her lower lip. There was a look of deep, deep contemplation in her eyes before there was a flare of magic and she was moving, her favored spell coming to her aid as she moved around Zen, the massive cleaver coming out, slamming into the chains to break them. "no one chains my angel."
Zen's wings lifted, his arms jerking in toward his chest, weakened and broken chains giving way so the big man could finally move, his Amethyst eyes suddenly turning gold as his magic started coming back and they met Shimako's and he smiled at her "Love you…" he said softly before turning toward the stunned Joyans.
Zen and Shimako worked together, they had trained together. Xiao adamant that they had to learn once they had gotten mated, refining what they'd learned while being bonded to being much more powerful once the mating hit, which the Joyans were not prepared for, nor were they prepared for the forces that had come to them out of nowhere.
Cassiopeia's dark glee could be heard. All it would take would be for Sydelle to utter the words, but it seemed the woman was watching the Evening star and his mate, watching as they fought lesser warqueens and that made the spirit wonder why.
Sydelle was no fool, The Evening star would weaken, but she simply wasn't sure how long it would take for the Stellan to wear down a bit and that was half what she wanted before challenging the woman. Shimako had already proven that she was cunning and Sydelle wanted no chances taken in her chance to formally duel the woman for the archangel. Defeat did not mean Death, no Defeat could mean many things, enough that all she had to do was knock the woman out, killing would be a waste.
It was all cut short though as she realized that her warriors that were up high with bows were being taken out and she snarled, "I Challenge you for The Evening Star, Shimako!"
Shimako's eyes narrowed as she let out a hiss, watching Zen arch and go down to his knees. Fury filled her eyes as she stood over him, watching Sydelle with a low hiss escaping her teeth. She knew she couldn't just deny the challenge and she leaned over, pressing a kiss against Zen's lips before stepping around him and holding out the massive weapon with one hand, "no one will chain my angel, I have said it once and I shall say it again!"
The stellan could feel the small tremble in her legs from using Meteor to augment her speed so much and she knew she had to…either end this quickly or force her body to stay steady. The WarQueen had years of experience over her and while she'd shared memories with Zen…there would be issues in her working with some of those…mostly her own mass.
For Sydelle it was another story, with this, she couldn't be stopped. She'd take the Evening star, perhaps knock the stellan out, have her conditioned, it might take a bit, but…the sharp mind would be worth it. Then she would use the Evening Star to mate the Morning Star and nothing would stand in her way, not even Hestor and his mate.
Shimako swung the giant cleaver down, taking a stance, unidentifiable as offensive or defensive, but somehow distinctly Stellan. Sydelle drew the sword from the sheath at her waist, taking her own. Shimako's guard was up, though she appeared completely relaxed in every way but the rage in her eyes. With a flare of her magic, she tested her legs further, pushing on the end of her cleaver as she entered Sydelle's space at an inhuman speed. The blade swung up, clanging against the blade of a longsword, shoving the Warqueen back from the momentum alone. Sydelle slid, her stance giving her a balance and grace, despite the pressure of the hit and the unexpected angle of coming from underneath.
Sydelle pushed her weight into the blade of the cleaver through the longsword, keeping the angle just right to prevent a slide in the direction of her body. The few seconds the blades stayed locked together seemed more like minutes before Sydelle twisted, flipping the sword between her hands, gaining the bottom position and shoving off the other blade.
Shimako stepped back, dropping her magic and going back on guard. Sydelle surveyed Shimako, looking for an opening, some weak point in the way the woman held herself. Her grip on the hilt of the longsword was stable, but not overly tight, ready to shift the weapon as needed, prepared for an attack from above or below. She wouldn't be making the mistake of leaving herself open, or underestimating the small woman, again.
Sydelle lunged forward, shifting her grip halfway through and slashing downward at what she saw as the only weak point in the other woman's stance, the space right behind the handle of the cleaver. Another clang of metal meeting metal and Sydelle shifted again, sliding the longsword up the blade of the cleaver, striking at the woman behind the handle.
Shimako twisted the cleaver handle in her hand, slashing the blade of the sword away. With a backhand swing, she cut over the sword, placing herself on the broad side of the blade, and slashed up again, just missing the Warqueen's seemingly dominant arm. Sydelle stepped back this time, putting space between them, swinging her sword as she went.
Shimako left her no time to recover, throwing the massive blade at Sydelle, aiming once again for her dominant arm. The heavy hunk of metal flew through the air, slashing Sydelle's upper arm, leaving the Warqueen bleeding from a disappointingly shallow cut. Her eyes flashed as Shimako produced another large knife.
Sydelle lunged, holding her sword steady in the wounded arm, seemingly unphased. Shimako moved to block the blow with the knife in her hand. Her block was successful, but left her open, Sydelle's uninjured arm moved in a flash, the heel of her hand connecting with Shimako's cheekbone and sending the smaller woman reeling back a few steps.
The women fought, trading blows and both bleeding from several small wounds. But the stamina of the Stellan woman was holding out, despite fighting the lesser Warqueens before Sydelle herself.
In what felt like a final burst of energy, Shimako picked up speed, using Meteor to get behind the Warqueen, kicking out, dropping Sydelle to her knees, placing a boning knife to her throat and applying enough pressure from the sharp edge to break the skin directly over the other woman's windpipe. ""Yield," Shimako hissed, using a sharpening steel to block the swing of Sydelle's sword over her shoulder, the swing a wild, last ditch attempt at throwing off the Heavenly Body mage. The boning knife moved a hair deeper into her neck. Sydelle felt a drop of her own blood slide down slowly to the hollow of her throat.
Sydelle hissed, mind working. By her own beliefs death before dishonor was major, but, her country had been a mass of warring factions before she had taken over and she knew, without a doubt, if she died it would fall back to that, she simply hadn't shored up things well enough for the country to remain unified without her yet. The question before her was, did she die for her honor or did she take a loss, risk disrespect among her underlings and hold her country together?
Glancing around the room she saw too many eyes still, too many who would tell of her loss to a smaller woman not of Joyan blood.
"I can not." She replied
"Kill them all," Hestor said from the door, knowing the assassins of Apep would follow the order as he stared directly at Sydelle.
"You...Back again, have another cousin to sell me?" Sydelle smiled faintly. She was coming to appreciate the sharp minds of the Stellans.
"No," Hestor said blandly, "but...Stella cannot order your death...nor kill you because of your magic."
Shimako ignored the bloodshed that erupted, "yield."
Sydelle hummed watching her people fall like flies and actually relieved when none were left, it was a loss, but...it freed her.
"I yield." She sighed and felt the magic shift, Zen jerking into motion, on his feet in an instant and looking around a moment then looking for Shimako.
Shimako brought the knife away from Sydelle's neck and then backed away from the woman slowly, moving towards Zen. She didn't take her eyes off Sydelle yet, but slowly, carefully retreated before she was eventually turning and moving to Zen, a small hand moving up to grab his neck and pull him down into a kiss and a murmured, "my angel, my love."
It was maybe a little over the top a statement but Zen moaned into that kiss, muscle tightening under small hands, he lifted the small woman into his arms so she could run those hands anywhere she wanted and he could kiss her as much as he felt he needed to in order to clean away the feel of Sydelle that still clung to him.
A lifetime fighting for freedom, to be able to say who could and could not touch him had made the man sharply defensive about that, the only touch he wanted, always wanted...was that of his mate, the little chef in his arms who was a cool breeze over the inferno like rage that always seemed to boil under the surface of his skin. He loved her, and for a man who had never believed love would ever be his...he was fiercely protective of what he'd finally found.
Hestor rolled his eyes, "everyone out…" He held out a hand, a swirl of two fires, one a bright golden flame and the other dark purple and having the stench of sulfur curled, slowly spiraling as Abraxis stood off to the side, eyes glowing.
Zen wrapped himself around Shimako, looking toward Hestor then glaring at Sydelle who was pulling a robe around herself and exchanging quiet but heated words with her spirits.
"It can not stand, this can NOT continue…" Cassiopeia hissed and Sydelle gave her a bland look
"Close...gate of the bitch." she snapped and Cassiopeia hissed and vanished, Andromeda and Perseus soon behind her but not before Sydelle drew a breath, eyes widening before gold swirled around her and they vanished too.
Zen narrowed his eyes "She needed to die…" he growled, Shimako's hand slid up his chest though and the anger drained right out of him, his expression turning warm on the small woman
"Let's get out of here…" Shimako said firmly and Zen nodded, heading for Hestor who stood at the door waiting for them.
"Drop the necklace," Hestor stared at Sydelle, "...use Cancer Minor, I know you have her key, get a new look, adopt a new name to all but those outside the circles you wish to form."
Within moments, the mixed fire raged through the room, burning bodies and hid whatever evidence of what had gone on.
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Lucy was running now, Cobra to her right, Emzadi to her left. When they had come to the palace doors, as the invasion of the capital had begun, the gigantic 20 foot gates had slammed shut, shimmering runes lighting up into the sky and out of sight and for a moment Lucy was thinking of ways to get in until Emzadi braced her feet and the temperature around the woman went from warm to unbearable, a magic circle forming on the massive gates a second before they melted into a puddle of molten metal on the ground.
Lucy, in her Draco stardress, glittering dark blue armor hugging her body, narrowed her eyes and uttered a spell as guards poured out toward their strike force.
It was a hybrid spell, a combination of her own celestial and Kaleb's light magic, but it worked. The guards staggered back, blinded and burned and Cobra flooded them with poison, leaving them writhing and groaning on the ground as they all ran by, up the stairs and into the palace.
They knew where they were going, cutting through the grand foyer straight out into the massive central garden and Lucy leaped into the air, eyes flaring, hads opening as a Dragon nearly the size of the palace suddenly materialized beneath her, spreading his wings and slamming them down, laying waste to several levels of the front of the palace right before he drew a breath and set an entire wing ablaze.
"Make a mess and a lot of noise big guy!" Lucy called, sliding down the dragon's shoulder and hitting the ground running with her team.
Bickslow cackled as he dodged some rubble, the ground shaking beneath their feet as the massive dragon continued his rampage and guards everywhere were rushing around trying to figure out what the hell to do since spells, arrows, swords, lances...all bounced off the glossy glittering scales harmlessly.
They were met by Gajeel and Presca, who fell in with them as they pelted up the stairs to the upper levels at the back of the palace. Lucy's whip streaked forward as they reached their target wing and a trainer came rushing forward. The whip snaked around the woman's neck and with a flick of her wrist, Lucy wrenched the woman off her feet, breaking her neck as she was flung aside.
"Cobra! Vander is this way!" Presca called and Erik skid to a halt, rushing after the energy mage as Gajeel pointed to a door "Kaleb's in there Bunny, Emi and I will get Laxus and Beck," he said.
"We'll get Cristoff, he will be badly needed I think!" Freed called, he and Bickslow breaking off as well.
Lucy kicked open the door and slid to a stop, hands on her keys, eyes narrowing.
Before her stood what could only have been one of the Warqueens…
"You won't take what's mine girl." The woman hissed and Lucy narrowed her eyes, she could feel him, feel Kaleb's magic, he lay motionless on the table behind the Warqueen, but he was THERE, breathing, alive, close enough to touch and sense, she could even catch that faint scent of apples and spice, her fingers itching to bury themselves in silken platinum hair.
"I don't need to take what was never yours to begin with...get out of my way, run...maybe you'll escape if you do, but if you stay...you're going to die." Lucy replied.
Loke appeared a little behind her to her right. "Warqueen Espera, this is the one Princess, set up to…" Loke's lip curled in disgust and Espera smirked.
"I will be breeding with him, using his body so I may bear a strong beautiful daughter to carry forth my line and ambitions." Espera said.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Like Hell you will."
Her whip snaked out and a short sword formed in her other hand as she channelled Draco, letting the ancient Dragon help guide her movements as the Warqueen charged her.
It took Espera time to get past the whip, but she'd fought hundreds of battles, and had stamina to burn, the busty thing in front of her wouldn't last. She was whirling about to bring her mace in and up to hit the blonde when it rang out, colliding with a completely unforgiving longsword. Eyes widening she followed the sword to a shimmering suit of white and gold armor and glowing lavender eyes.
Her opponent was stunned, which was a good thing...because so was Lucy. Kaleb was, from what she could feel through their bond...unconscious, yet when her alarm had hit a peak when she realized Espera was going to land a blow on her, she'd cried out for her spirits and Kaleb had suddenly been there, in his full armor, long sword halting the Warqueens mace then swatting it aside.
Narrowing her eyes, Lucy took a step forward, Kaleb mirroring her, poised to protect her.
"Like one of us, Princess…" Loke told her and Lucy narrowed her eyes then smiled looking at her husband as realization dawned and she let her magic flow into him.
He wasn't fully present, still heavily sedated, but she saw the glowing eyes falter, start to register, saw him stand a little straighter and then the Draco stardress melted away "Morning Star...I am your mate...fight for me…" she whispered, and Kaleb surged forward.
Espera didn't stand a chance….lasted only three parries before Kaleb's assault, his long sword combined with gleaming white wings, knocked her back into the wall behind her, her halberd embedding in the wall as Lucy stepped forward, putting a hand on her Archangels arm, he stepped back, let her pass and Lucy glared into the woman's eyes.
"You...will never touch him again." she said
She just nodded her head and Kaleb's sword shot past her, she could feel the wind from it as it plunged into the woman's chest and impaled her to the wall. When Kaleb pulled the sword back the woman fell dead to the floor.
Lucy stared down at her knowing she was dead but she felt no remorse, like Vander had said once...some people really just needed to be dead.
The threat gone, she turned and almost shrieked in alarm as Kaleb's armor vanished and he collapsed, still unconscious, to the hard stone floor.
She rushed to him with a whimper, she was supposed to be saving him not causing him more harm!
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Cobra wasn't wasting time with doors, he sensed Vander, though instinctively he knew his mate wasn't conscious, was barely holding on to life at all, he knew where he was and his dripping claws melted and shattered the lock and the door flew off its hinges when he kicked it in, unfortunate for the trainer trying to hold it closed, she didn't survive the process.
The other trainer tried to lunge in, magic cancelling devices in her hands but Cobra blew a poisonous vapor in her face, satisfied watching her drop everything and claw at her face trying to scream but only managing loud gurgling noises as her flesh melted.
He stalked toward the remaining people and when one threw a vial of something that shattered in his hand and he felt the contents tingle on his scales he smirked, snaking his tongue out and licking the substance from his skin as the remaining three women's eyes grew huge in horror.
He moaned, the tingling had clued him in, it was one hell of a toxic concoction but to him….delicious.
"You've had my mate here for two weeks and you think this shits gonna work on me? Or were you just tossing me a peace offering so I won't make you suffer before I kill you? If so...this is a nice start…" He smirked.
"P...Poison...Slayer" One of the women stammered and he nodded slowly.
"Yeah, so you alchemists are kinda like Candy shops to me….now be good little candy makers, try to run." He growled low and the women made the colossal mistake of trying to run to where Vander was chained to a table, likely planning to try to use him as a bargaining chip. They STILL had him in magic cancelling cuffs, still had him bound, he was on fucking life support devices and they still had him chained….
Cobra was faster, reaching his mate in a split second, poisoned claws tearing away the cuffs that melted, hissing and bubbling into puddles on the floor where they started eating through the stone. He crouched, standing on the table over his mate, claws out dripping caustic poison, little rivulets of venom dripping from his fangs over his lips.
He drew a deep breath, blowing toxins at the women who screamed, each collapsing to the floor clawing at themselves in agony. Cobra watched them for a moment, making sure none would thrash their way near his mate and that the devices keeping Vander breathing weren't affected before he hopped down and stretched his senses out, listening and somewhat relieved when he found Cristoff and Freed was watching Bickslow turn the trainers on the alchemists in Cristoffs chambers, Freed rushing to destroy the barrier keeping Cristoff captive.
He jumped down, bending over Vander, eyes narrowing seeing his vibrant normally smiling mate looking so pale...stinking of chemicals and the women still groaning and gurgling in agony.
Cobra could smell Cristoff, but the smell of unclaimed mates..that was further away. He didn't think on it too much as he bent and delicately bit into his mate's wrist once he'd removed the cuff from it and cleared the others away, taking in the toxins, what vile substances they had pumped into him.
His lacrima warmed inside him and it took minutes he hated every second of but reversal agents flooded his system and pumped then through his fangs into Vanders blood before filling his lungs with more and sealing his lips over Vanders mouth and gently pushing them into his lungs.
Once he felt those going to work he kissed Vanders too cold lips once more, choking back angry worried tears and rushing from the room as he heard Cristoff stirring in the next one once Freed and Bickslow had removed all of the magic cancelling devices from the big slayer and his magic had flooded his system purifying and healing him.
As he came into the room he found Bickslow shouldering one of Cristoffs arms, Freed under the other, the two men already helping Cristoff stagger toward the door, he could smell the shifter, but only vaguely, but all four of them determined to get Cristoff to Vander before he started helping anyone else.
"It's ok man...help us get him to Van…" Bix said with a grunt, Cristoff was not a small guy.
Cobra took Freed's position,and they got Cristoff into Vanders chambers, the Lunar slayer straightening and shrugging off their help by the time they reached his brother.
"Knew he'd be bad...I fucking heard these damn devices going...they were using him to perfect drugs to use on me…" Cristoff growled, hands lighting up,
"Just...please…" Cobra said raggedly, it was wrecking him, the last two weeks had been a nightmare for him, like the explosion at the baths but worse because he knew, he knew his mate was suffering, fighting to stay alive and this time, he wasn't there, wasn't able to help, to hold him, to soothe or comfort or protect him.
Inside him his dragon had seethed, writhed in misery at how they were failing their mate, and now, seeing him, bruised, battered, tubes sticking out of him, he hadn't removed any, afraid he might do damage and there were several. Lines run into his inner thigh, his arm, his neck, tubes down his nose.
Cristoff though was removing them, wincing as he pulled the long thick needle from Vanders groin and the other from his thigh, following one hand with one that glowed with his magic, bruising, sickly yellow purple and green patches were vanishing into smooth tanned skin again as he worked.
He didn't say anything but Cobra heard his soul cry, heard it catalog the long list of damages done to internal organs in Vanders body by what the Joyans had done to him. The only part of the process that kept Cobra from falling apart was how Cristoffs soul cataloged the damage then checked off how his magic reversed it.
For everything he found, Cristoff found a way to heal it, cleanse it, take the damage away. It took a long time, and the floor beneath their feet shuddered again and again, they heard fighting, shouting, a lot of it, and finally, Freed laid down protection runes murmuring he and Bickslow were going to go help the others before they rushed from the room.
Cobra didn't move, hovering beside the Lunar Slayer, he would remember this, would make it up to Cris; Cristoff was standing there naked, still had medical markers on him Cristoff, as much as his own dragon was after him to find his mate, was healing Vander first because Vander was more critically hurt, and the Encan would understand.
Cobra knew it, but he was just too selfish, too in need of seeing his own mate out of danger, to stop Cristoff and insist he find Cida.
Cristoff took a wobbly step back and sighed, pulling the tubes from Vanders nose and running his hand over his brother's forehead.
"He's healed, I repaired everything, he may be out for a few days though, his body has to finish what my magic did and adjust to all the repairs done but...he's safe, or will be when you get him out of here. I assume there's a meet up point?" he asked and Cobra nodded, eagerly gathering his mate into his arms.
"Yeah, Dragon the size of a city block outside, teleport mages will be underneath him, we run under and they get us up to the Aisipal, it's the command center for the whole attack." Cobra replied and Cristoff nodded.
"Get Van to safety Cobra,I need to go check the others, I know Beck is bad, Kaleb told me a day or two ago..and I need to find...Cida..." Cristoff trailed off, uncertain of times, days, it was all a hazy blurry mess in his head. He'd known only his mate to be was suffering and Kaleb's voice in his head provided the only comfort, the only hope he had. As long as his older brother was talking, getting through to him, he'd known something was being done, that they were getting out of this, that there was hope. Kaleb never gave up, always came through, and Cristoff trusted that, trusted his own life and the life of Cida to his brother, and to Lucy, because Kaleb had fallen in love with the woman, she was his kin,and anyone who could be so much to so many he believed in.
The big slayer turned from the room, the smell of death from Cobras poisons was nauseating anyway, even if somewhat satisfying.
He emerged into the hallway and jerked back as arrows flew by, narrowly avoiding walking right into a volley of them meant for their friends who were advancing down the hall. He looked back around the corner drawing a breath and calling his requip magic up, so his armor could take its place on him.
He was just catching up with the others when Emzadi emerged from the suite Laxus had been in a little ahead of Bix, Gajeel and Freed. She snarled, arrows bursting into fiery ash before they reached her and she held a hand out, the walls ceiling and floor suddenly churning with magic circles all around the wide eyed soldiers that didn't have time to even think to retreat before the windows along the wall melted away in a flash as sunlight roared into the space, nicely contained in Emzadi's controlled area and flashing to a point they all had to look away or be blinded.
When the light was gone, so were the soldiers, no trace, not even ash left behind. Emzadi strode down the hall "I'll clear the rest, get Cris to Beck." She called over her shoulder. Gajeel licked his lips, smiling and jogging a few long strides to catch up to his mate, sliding a hand over the swell of her rear and giving the cheek a light smack.
"Fucking sexy watching you fight…" He said quietly and Emzadi glanced at him with a faint smile of her own.
"I wouldn't mind watching you…" She purred and he growled, eyes already seeking an opponent…
Cristoff passed Laxus, going to the cell of the slayers chamber as Freed and Bickslow rushed to their friend and hurrying to Beck. The big Beast Master was laying face down in the cell barely breathing, blood had dried on the floor all around him and the damage done to his large frame was the worst Cristoff had ever seen.
Cristoff drew a breath, knowing better than to say anything, Laxus would be regaining his wits once Freed and Bickslow had removed the magic cancelling and control devices from him and gotten him out of the chains. He'd hear any sounds Cristoff made, so staying silent would keep the Lightning mage from feeling worse than he already did.
They hadn't drugged him as heavily as the others, unable to ever fully restrain his magic enough to start testing unless he was fully unconscious, and even then static snaps would still hit them enough the scientists Emzadi had...eliminated, couldn't risk putting the wrong drugs into him so they had been waiting for something to get worked out with the Lunar Slayer before progressing.
The big man came staggering to the door as soon as he was able but Cristoff had positioned himself to block most of the view, Laxus had already been forced to watch the beating that had done this, he didn't need more horrific images to torture himself with.
Magic flaring he laced light into what he did to keep the Lightning slayer from seeing, but still smelled the tears the big man couldn't stop.
His denial, his refusal to accept his mate was a man, his fear of what he would have to tell his grandfather, all of it had kept him from completing things with Beck and Beck, being the patient long suffering man he was, hadn't pushed him, had quietly endured the deep cravings the dragon magic created in him and somehow kept control of himself to give Laxus time to work things out.
That was why Beck had been so well primed for abuse, why he'd been easy to use, Laxus had watched the endless stream of women sent to collect "rewards" via time with his mate and Beck had been unable to resist any of them, his body was desperate for release, for the union with his mate, and painfully easy to get going, no drugs needed with dragon lust coursing through the poor man.
All because he was a partially claimed mate instead of fully mated. Laxus knew it was on him that Beck had suffered like he had, Cristoff was still wishing Bickslow had left at least one of his "trainers" alive for him to kill himself for what Beck had been through and to find out where Cida was; he wanted a piece of Sydelle wherever she was too, but right now, seeing his friends and family were all safe was more important.
"Knock it off Sparkplug, you're not the only one who couldn't protect their mate." Cobra's voice came and Cristoff narrowed his eyes but kept his focus on what he was doing, there was far too much damage to Becks back and legs for him to remind the Poison slayer he'd told him to get Vander the fuck out of here.
"Yeah I KNOW Moony, but there's a lot of fighting going on everywhere and I can't safely get Van past it so I figured I'd stick with you guys. I'm NOT putting him at any risk I can avoid no matter how much I want to fucking destroy this whole damned country." Cobra added and Cristoff rolled his eyes.
A while later, Emzadi and Gajeel returned to report they had cleared the way to the gardens and Draco. Cristoff was helping Beck to his feet and Laxus went and grabbed a red silk slave wrap for Beck, getting on his knees to help his shaky exhausted mate into it.
Cristoff moved past the pair, now ready to hunt down his own potential mate, as soon as everyone got to safety.
Laxus had his jaw set, carefully fixing the wrap around Becks hips, telling his inner dragon to fuck off as it raged about how their mate was up and moving and needed to be claimed now.
"This was my fault...I...I've known since I shook your fucking hand when I met you that you were my mate…" Laxus growled quietly and Beck held his shoulders to stay on his feet, bi-colored eyes locked on the slayer before him. He'd known too, he'd felt the jolt when the dragon inside Laxus had recognized their compatibility and chosen him, he'd heard it, he could hear the minds of beasts,it was part of his magic, and there was no greater beast than a dragon.
So he had heard Laxus' dragon calling out that he was the Lightning Slayers mate, and had felt the call maybe harder and more than most mates would, but Beck was a double S class mage and part of the Masters elite team, control was something he'd developed to an art and he could see Laxus struggling, not wanting to make it harder for him Beck had fought his own powerful needs and moved at Laxus' pace.
They had been in the process, on board the ship, of having sex for the first time when they had been taken, Laxus' bite still bleeding on Becks neck when they had clamped the collar on him.
He wasn't upset with Laxus at all, he'd endure anything to be with him, he'd spent his life on the sidelines, close to men like Kaleb, Crsitoff, Farron, and Laxus, but while he'd had a deeply satisfying tryst with Kaleb a couple of years ago, nothing had come of it though he'd badly wanted it to. He'd been attracted to Laxus immediately, and been beyond thrilled the attraction had been mutual.
He met Laxus' apologetic gaze and shook his head, sinking down into his mates arms with a sigh, finally, finally Laxus was embracing this…
"Doesn't matter, it's done, past, I fully expect to have those fangs in me soon though...I admit...I am tired of waiting…" He said smiling and Laxus chuckled bitterly, pressing a kiss to Becks shoulder. "You'll have more than my fangs inside you as soon as you're well again…" The lightning slayer growled and Beck smiled angling his head so his lips were near his mate's ear.
"Promise me…" He breathed and Laxus rumbled another growl, arms tightening around him.
"I swear it...my mate…" He growled and Beck nodded, letting Laxus help him to his feet.
Cobra snapped his head up narrowing his eyes "Tink….guys…" He growled and adjusting Vander in his arms he nodded back the way they had come. Emzadi and Gajeel both growled, racing out the door of the chamber, the others close behind them, or as close as they could bearing recently healed injured friends and family.
Ahead the wall burst open, a woman in dark armor crashing part way into the opposite wall and a moment later Lucy surged through and they all stopped, staring in amazement as the Celestial mage rammed a gleaming sword into the woman's chest, propping a boot against her chest so she could rip the sword back out when the woman slumped over dead.
Lucy turned looking back up the hall toward them light building in her hand then fading, eyes widening as she recognized them. Tears filled her eyes "Cristoff! Kaleb is in here please help!" She called and Cristoff rushed forward with only a bit of hesitation, eyes having focused down the hall for a fraction of a second, and was followed by the others. Lucy had been trying to get Kaleb's large frame propped up when other soldiers had come into the chamber, she'd been forced to fight and, she'd unwillingly called Kaleb back to his feet.
She had dismissed it, calling Loke, and had dispatched the soldiers, but then this mage had shown up and while Lucy was finishing the soldiers she'd tried to drag Kaleb away. Lucy had attacked her and learned her magic just gravitated instantly toward using Kaleb now, pulling power from him even as he laid unconscious on the ground and all the training they had done seemed to have been for nothing with her so desperate to get him to safety and unable to stop thinking about him enough to focus on her other spirits because damn it he was in danger and helpless right then and she needed him and to protect him and instead she just kept calling him to fight at her subconscious bidding.
It was too easy….easier than calling any of her spirits, and they hadn't worked on her actually preventing using it, that possibility had never come up. So when she got emotional, infuriated, her power surged, she instantly started pulling power from Kaleb, directing his body in combat. Under normal circumstances, that would be perfectly fine, ideal even, but with Kaleb still unconscious and weakened by two long weeks of steady torture, her doing this was putting him in harm's way.
Still, she'd just taken down this mage….but at a cost...the woman had put a blade to Kaleb's throat when Lucy started toward her.
"He matters to you? He belongs to my Queen, only her prefered slaves wear these wraps...you will not steal from my Queen, if he matters to you, back down, or I shall sacrifice him rather than see him fall into enemy hands!" The woman had declared and Lucy had managed to get a spell off knocking her back but her blade had wildly slashed right down over Kaleb's bare chest and left a deep long cut.
He'd fallen to the ground and Lucy had been unable to do anything but fight the woman, finally losing all of her patience when the woman started deliberately directing attacks at Kaleb's bleeding body to distract Lucy. Gemini had then been called and three Lucy's in Draco's Stardress had finally overpowered the woman and Lucy had kicked her clean through the wall and finished her.
The sight of Cristoff sent relief flooding through her, she trusted the big slayer, knew how strong his healing was.
She rushed into the room, Stardress fading away again and pulled her bleeding mate from the floor to rest his head in her lap as Cristoff dropped down beside his brother, hands lighting up with magic.
"Fuck his magic is way the hell low…" He commented and Lucy flushed, grimacing.
"Well don't just sit there Princess, channel magic into him, only you can, Cristoff can only heal the physical…" Loke suddenly said, appearing behind her and Lucy nodded, placing her hands on Kaleb's shoulders.
"Just like meditating, call you magic and push it through your hands only instead of making balls of it, push it into Kaleb's body." Loke instructed.
Cristoff healed Kaleb's body while Lucy replenished his magic. When he sat back he drew a breath.
"I'll need to carry him…" Cristoff observed, though he himself was low on magic and still shaky from the drugs his system was still fighting. "Pfft, fuck off Cris, Kaleb's no bigger than Laxus and the babies have carried Laxus plenty of times, right babies?" He eyed his little totems and the dolls rushed forward.
"Carry big brother!" They all called and Cristoff and Bickslow positioned Kaleb's large frame on the totems and the group resumed their trek back toward the gardens.
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Draco froze for a fraction of a second, he knew there had been unclaimed slayer mates in the group that had been taken, but he had not expected to smell only one. The smell on the wind made him wary, even mated as he was, it let him know that things could go very badly. One was bad, two was almost three times as worse, but...the fact that one of them was moving around? That was much, much worse. Metal curled up from one of the towers on the palace...and then the form changed, shifting until it looked almost like a jupiter cannon...and started glowing, a loud whine filling the air.
He couldn't leave his spot, no matter how he wanted to and there was worry in him as a loud boom sounded and he expected fire...but what came was a massive net, slamming through the air to take out any of the flying combatants.
What happened next had the dragon blinking, because shots were being fired at him, from different places, each one slamming into scales at different places along his body, almost as if they were searching for a soft spot.
This went on, even as mages came out, ready for extraction and the dragon continued to try and figure out WHERE they were coming from. The smell of an unclaimed mate got stronger and he turned his head, seeing a glowing control collar and glowing green eyes as a door slammed open, metal screeching as it was half separated from the door.
The Encan looked...at best, half aware, at worst...mostly crazed and unaware of her actions and Draco saw why he couldn't pinpoint where the bullets had been coming from. Hunks of metal floated around the woman, glowing and then small pieces pulling away, shooting out, uncaring in the least bit. This...this was the worst part about an unclaimed mate, they were easy to be manipulated and Draco was sure the glowing collar was to blame.
The father of dragons relaxed a little as he felt the approach of his son, glittering silver eyes finding the Lunar slayer as the big man came out into the courtyard and he redirected his attention to the Joyans letting Cristoff handle his unclaimed mate.
Cristoff's eyes found her immediately, the petite Encan woman who had showed up thin and looking for all the world like she had no faith in everyone's claims that she could recover, that she wasn't a monster, that she could have a life and happiness again without King Nuryev right there to rein in her animal side.
Cida had proven herself bold, sassy, with a large amount of humor and mischief in her and Beck and Cristoff had been made her "sponsors" with the guild to help her settle in. Beck because he could handle Cida's beast side, Cris because the medical aspects of Cida's issues needed to be watched and, as a Dragonslayer, he knew about having a beast within you.
He'd been doing pretty well, all things considered. Being rejected by the first real prospective mate he'd found in his life had nearly killed him, and he'd been unhappy though he'd hidden it well. He'd watched Cana find love with someone else and had been unable to do anything but watch and let it happen, his dragon had withdrawn from her...she couldn't be his mate after she'd rejected him, and the fact he loved her, she loved him...didn't matter.
So he'd stepped back, watched her click so well with Rowan, the green mage had been his friend for years, and Cris knew the man would be good to Cana, working on the side as a professional Dom when he wasn't taking care of the guilds gardens also meant Rowan had no issues keeping up with Cana's libido, her physical needs...and he'd even been able to address and start helping her with her confidence problems.
Cristoff had just watched. Fighting despair over his own situation, wondering if that had been his only chance and if he'd find another prospective mate again. His dragon had been withdrawn, but one night, Cida's tiger side had risen, taken hold of her, and he'd taken the role of "Prey" at Beck's urging, playing a game of cat and dragon luring Cida from the city and out into the forest so she could ride out the issue safely without harming anyone.
It had triggered something primal in him, and when the woman had tackled him, when they had wrestled for dominance and control, he'd felt it...his dragon reaching for her. It had been a wild couple of nights in the forest outside the city, and they had come back bruised, dirty, Cris sporting slow healing claw marks because of a toxin Cida's clawbeds produced, an engineered trait of the cat shifters in the Sevenese armies.
They had been together since, and Cristoff had been waiting for Cida to settle in, for the reserved doubt to leave those peridot eyes before he told her, before he got on his knees and asked her to be his mate. He'd thought he could contain it all until she was ready, had been grateful though when she'd taken to sleeping in his home...sharing his bed. Even if only so she could wrap around him and cuddle at night, she didn't seem to like sleeping alone at all, and Cris was well used to being slept on, having grown up with siblings that had needed the aura of peace and safety he radiated.
He shouldn't have waited so long though, knew that now too well as he winced under Draco's sharp look, knew he'd hear about this from his mother...but right now, he had to help Cida. The drugs had cleared his system, because they had Cida the Joyans hadn't needed to drug him too heavily to get what they wanted out of him. Magic cuffs gone, his magic was at full strength again and he requipped into dark training leathers that already bore some claw marks from many spars and tousles with the Encan woman.
He felt those eyes lock onto him as he approached her and smiled faintly, heavy gloves covering his hands even as his claws lengthened through the fingertips of them. He growled low and saw her shift her weight, suddenly still, ears back, tail lashing above him. His eyes were on the collar...that had to come off. He had the strength, would be able to break the clasps, but it would take both hands and unless he did this right...got the right angle, she'd have claws and teeth into him through his leathers and fast while he did it.
In an instant he vanished and Cida growled, going still, ears swiveling but it didn't help, the big slayer appeared on top of her, both hands grabbing the control collar and she snarled, thrashing, slashing at him with her claws and trying to twist in his grasp to get her teeth into him she lunged and those long fangs sank into the man's hip hitting bone and Cris growled, pulling harder until the metal of the collar groaned and gave, clasps snapping and the glowing collar sparked and smoked as he threw it to the side reaching to try and pry Cida off of him.
Though half crazed, the shifter, once the collar was gone...stopped biting, struggling only a bit as she was pulled away, letting out a desperate whine through half parted lips.
"Cida…" Cris smiled at her, managing not to wince as he shifted his weight, the bite was deep and she'd grazed bone with those teeth but his magic was already flooding the spot and it would be gone in minutes.
Peridot eyes lifted to his and the soft ears atop her head flattened but Cristoff pulled her up, getting his arms around her and looked up, feeling where his brothers had gone and his magic flared as he teleported himself and Cida up to the Aisipal.
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"Lucy, the mages beneath me are all now on their ships, the palace is ruined, the Warqueen is gone, I suggest you all get moving." Draco said and vanished and Lucy drew breath, realizing...her huge magic drain...had been maintaining a massive dragon through all of this...no wonder she'd drawn on Kaleb so much.
They all regrouped and Kittar was there, the big Encan got his eyes on the Aisipal and in an instant, they were all safely aboard, Arman rushing out onto the deck with several crewmen to help get everyone safely below decks as the Aisipal set up for a fresh bombing run.
"White Sea...take the palace Master Kaleb and the others have been recovered...do your worst." Lucy called to her guild through the com in her hand. She could not call them like Kaleb did, but they still heard her, and news that their Master was recovered renewed their energy and lifted the worry for him and their other members from their shoulders, freeing them to let loose.
Emzadi smiled at Gajeel as they left Lucy's quarters, Kaleb settled on the bed, Cristoff had already left his side, returning to Vander with Xally, a silent Cida staying close to the big slayer and Cris not once letting a moment go by that he didn't have some sort of physical contact with her..
"Wanna go do our worst?" Emi asked with a smirk. Gajeel caught her shoulder and spun her, slamming her against the wall and loving the snarl he got as he pressed against her, lips slanting over hers, fingers digging into her hips and pulling her hard against him.
Her response was to hook a leg over his hip and bury her fingers in his hair kissing him back with equal ferocity drawing a growl from him. Focusing on each other, instead of the smell of two unclaimed mates...which she would make SURE got taken care of as soon as possible.
"I love it when you talk dirty." He breathed against her mouth and Emzadi smiled, orange eyes dancing with humor and malice.
"Let's storm a castle sexy, the one with the most Joyans down gets to be on top tonight." She purred and Gajeel grinned narrowing his ruby eyes on her.
"Yer gonna spend the night either on your back or on your knees Emi." He warned.
"Mmm, I think not….I'll start having you make me what I need to restrain you…" She purred back and leaned in for another long kiss before wriggling free and whirling away from him, running up the stairs back to the top deck laughing.
Gajeel ran after her grinning, shaking his head in wonder at just how perfect his mate was for him, there was still a city to bring to its knees…