"Oi, Mira, any new jobs posted today?" Natsu came to greet the silver-haired mage, placing his hand on the bar in front of her.
"Ne, didn't you guys just get back from a job yesterday?" Mira asked, idly cleaning a glass.
Natsu nodded. "Hai. I'm ready to go out again." And take Lucy as far away from Damon as I can. He finished in his head.
A loud bang came from the front of the guild hall, interrupting his thoughts. Natsu, assuming it was one of his nakama being noisy this morning, started to take a seat at the bar in front of Mira, and then immediately stopped as a breeze wafted in through the front doors. His body froze as Lucy's scent poured over him – but this was not Lucy's normal scent. It was mixed with fear, blood, and –
Before Natsu knew what he was doing, he was rushing towards the door. His body felt hot, and he felt a familiar pain growing throughout his chest. The sight at the door made him drop to his knees, mouth agape.
Damon was standing proudly, one hand resting on his hip, the other hand resting on Lucy's waist in a possessive manner. Lucy was shifting her weight onto one leg, as if the other one pained her. A long, silver chain was attached to an iced-over iron cuff on Lucy's left wrist. Damon was gripping the other end of the chain like a dog owner would grip a leash if they feared their pet would escape. Damon looked satisfied, as if he held a prize in his arms.
Lucy was different. Lucy's eyes were different. They held no life. They were hazy, glazed over with pain and a sadness that seemed to overwhelm her. She was staring at the floor with unseeing eyes – the perfect image of a broken girl.
"You.." Natsu whispered, eyes hidden by his bangs. He mumbled something indistinguishable.
Damon looked perplexed. "Excuse me?"
"I said," the fire dragon slayer started, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" He let out a mighty yell, throwing himself blindly at Damon in a blind rage. The clues were there. But he had to hear it. He had to know. "YOU BASTARD, WHAT. HAVE. YOU. DONE!" Natsu roared, shoving Damon against the wall. He let go of Lucy, and Natsu quickly used his free arm to move her as far behind him as the chain would allow, taking notice of her painful gasp.
Damon chuckled at this action, tugging gently on the chain and pulling Lucy back towards him. "I only did what you didn't have the balls to do."
Lucy looked pleadingly at Natsu. No, please don't tell him. Silent tears started flowing down her cheeks. Don't let Natsu find out, please.
"Natsu, Fire Dragon Slayer" Damon stood tall behind Lucy, placing his hands on her shoulders. He pulled the left side of her hair away to expose an ugly, purple bruise forming on Lucy's neck. "I would like to introduce my new mate."
All went red for Natsu.
A/N:
I know this is SUPER short, but I didn't want to leave this story with how the last Chapter ended. Expect a full-length chapter within the next few days!