Natsu had not expected his body to react the way it did when he'd stepped into Lucy's realm through her dreams. He wasn't physically there but he got everything he needed through her memories. The feel of her skin as she applied lotion. The softness of her hair when she finger detangled it. The way she smelled. Natsu quickly became intoxicated and couldn't help the desire that leaked from him into her subconscious.
"ahh, fuck," the drake panted as he palmed his erection through his pants. He couldn't get the smell of her arousal out of his nose or off his tongue. It tasted sweet and made Natsu want to tone it down with the coppery tint of Lucy's blood; maybe that would also stop the throbbing in his fangs. He couldn't take this anymore. Natsu groaned when he freed himself from his pants, immediately stroking his cock with one hand while the other braced itself above the fireplace. His mind turning to Lucy as he attempted to ease the tension that crept up on him when he experienced exactly what he had been missing for years.
The closer he got to coming the more he realized that Lucy and he were in deep shit. His father had been right about him imprinting on the blonde the second his eyes landed on her all the years ago. Natsu understood enough about imprinting to know he had marked her as a possible mate, which was normal with dragons. It explained the unhealthy attachment and quick obsession, but it hadn't prepared him for the reality of almost fully claiming her as his. Natsu panted heavily as he jerked himself roughly, scales flecking sporadically on his skin and his horns growing longer; finally, being able to think about what Lucy felt like, smelled like…that had sealed Lucy's fate. It was that moment in the dream when he'd been pressed up against her with his tongue against her neck that he'd moved from imprinting to full blown territorial. She was HIS mate.
Natsu moaned then growling lowly as he came into the fire. His study the only place he seemed to find solace in. He wasn't satisfied but it was going to have to be enough until he could get his claws on Lucy. Which, sadly, was proving more difficult than he had thought. She'd been terrified from the encounter but intrigued enough to touch the grimoire time and time again before bouncing off in a panic. He couldn't attach himself to her if she didn't so much as crack the book. Natsu had done enough research to realize that while Lucy wasn't a full-blown witch, she was half of one and possessed enough magic to be able to make a familial contract, though she would probably have a better time doing it with spirits than whatever he was, but THAT point was moot. He'd help her solidify it with his own power.
That nightmare she had a few days ago seemed to follow Lucy everywhere. It would float around her head during work presentations, she could feel his hands ghosting over her hips or messing with her hair, and she could practically hear him whispering into her ear.
"Find me in the book, Luce" was the only phrase that would be repeated in her head. Over and over until it was like a mantra. One she wanted to follow, desperately so but what if she didn't get the answers she needed? Lucy couldn't handle the possibility that there was something mentally wrong with her, her business prowess, and her mental fortitude where something she always bet on; to have that taken from her would be devastating.
"Find me in the book, Luce!" The blonde jerked hard, her back connecting with her headboard shocking her out of her thoughts. Lucy shook her head and stared at the book that was still positioned on her desk. The fact that she still had it and hadn't returned it to Levy was wearing on her. Her guilt was causing her sleep loss and to compensate she'd been avoiding her blue-haired friend. Lucy sighed and climbed out of bed, padding softly over to her desk, and running her hands over the spine. Her finger traced the gold title, her nail gently scratching the leather.
"Lucy…" a sigh that was clear as day ghosted around the room and the startled blonde couldn't help but snatch her hand back away from the spine and stare at her fingers. She could have sworn she felt…contentment coming from the book she'd been caressing. She couldn't take this much longer.
"It's now or never!" Lucy muttered to herself. She set her shoulders and finally, FINALLY flipped the cover open before she could think about what she was doing. If she stopped to think she'd never find the answers that would either prove or disprove her mental issues. She needed to know. Lucy marveled at the feel of the cover, soft yet almost rough to the touch like low grit sandpaper. Her fingers gently ran over the light red leather before feathering gently over the toffee-colored pages. "What a beautifully crafted book," Lucy sighed and flinched lightly when she felt something ghost gently over her cheek. Shivering to dispel the feeling, she flipped through the first few pages looking for a table of contents or at least an index.
"Got it!" Lucy whispered excitedly, her finger already sliding down the page. Her eyes bounced from word to word with a speed that would usually surprise her looking for the one thing she had to go off. "Natsu…" Lucy breathed when her finger stopped. E.N.D (Natsu). Her hands shook as she flipped the pages. Slowly at first and then quickly. Lucy cursed when one of her fingers slid along the edge of a page and she cut it. Sticking her finger in her mouth she sucked in a breath when she came on Natsu's page. An image of him stood in the top left corner and Lucy couldn't help but study it.
"He looks so…different." And he did. In that picture he was covered in red scales, his horns where long and sharp, and his clawed hands looked like they were dripping in blood. Lucy shivered and decided she didn't want to study that too hard. So, she continued to read. "Hybrid. A Drake hatchling that was experimented on and infused with Zeref's Etherious concoction. Neither fully demonic or draconic in nature." Weird. Whatever all that meant. She had to pause and figure out what she was looking for. Was this all a weird book series she had read a long time ago and forgotten? Obviously, he was real enough on paper…maybe she was mentally fraying at the ends and made him real in her mind.
Lucy sighed heavily, feeling like she was going to get nowhere. There were no answers to her questions here. It was all just a waste of time. Taking her finger from her mouth she scowled when she noticed it was still bleeding, it didn't look that deep. She watched in slow motion as a beaded red pearl collected on the tip of her finger before falling straight for the page; all she could do was watch in horror as it hit the book, a bright red and wet splatter. Levy was going to murder her. Before Lucy could look for something to attempt to dab up the blood a golden light started to encompass the page. A hidden text was illuminated, and Lucy found herself reading it compulsively, almost in a trance.
"Being that existed somewhere in this vast universe,
My Divine, beautiful, wise, powerful spirit,
Head my call, I wish from the very bottom of my heart that you shall appear!"
Lucy couldn't feel her mouth moving but could clearly hear her voice and follow the red flame that raced across the words she spoke. It was an almost out of body experience that was slowly starting to grow fuzzy.
"Pentagram of the Five Elemental Powers,
Grant your blessings upon this creature
To bind it as my familiar."
The minute the last word left her mouth the flames racing across the words flared brightly, quickly consuming the book and creating an increasingly large pillar. Lucy watched dazed as a figure stepped from the center of the fiery column and laughed. Her brain vaguely registered the pink hair, the rose-gold glint off red eyes and the long black horns. She watched him crouch in front of her, her body feeling heavy, and smiling; she watched him quickly cut his ring finger with one of his fangs and grab the hand that had her cut finger and run his tongue along the cut, tasting the blood. Lucy could very clearly feel the rasp of his tongue against the digit and shivered in awareness. Her lips parted a bit and Natsu took that opportunity to run his bleeding digit down the middle of her plump lower lip as he chanted lowly, staring directly into her eyes:
"Blood of my Blood,
I pronounce my intentions to thee.
Come forth and seek me and equals we will be:
Not master and servant but
Familiar to familiar
To share our knowledge, our spirit and our traits."
Lucy wouldn't have been able to look away from the intense look in his eyes even if she wanted too. The more he spoke, the heavier her body felt; she fought hard to stay conscious and understand what he was saying but was having a hard time. Her body felt like it had undergone a collision with a train and survived. The second Natsu's mouth stopped moving Lucy felt an intense pain from her lower lip and screamed out, flinching before fainting and falling forward.
Natsu's face hurt but he didn't have time to think about that as he reached forward, catching Lucy, and cradling her unconscious body against him. He pushed his nose into her hair and huffed happily and that was when he realized he was smiling. Smiling wide enough to hurt his cheeks. He could finally hold her, touch her, and be around her whenever he wanted. Natsu couldn't help but throw his face back and laugh loudly which caused Lucy to groan lightly.
"Sorry Luce," the excited drake chuckled while looking over the finger she'd cut. He understood the magical overload she must be experiencing from working a spell without training. Magical drain was something most new witches or halflings dealt with and Lucy wasn't an exception, he was just more surprised by the punch of power her blood had released when it hit his book. Natsu wasn't sure how much magic ability Lucy would have, considering her father was mortal. Halfling witches typically didn't inherit strong powers from their bloodlines but Lucy, well it seemed like she was an exception. How rare. Natsu really was starting to become giddy the more he thought about the cards that kept falling in his favor.
"What a gem you are Lucy, the most valuable piece in my hoard hm.." Natsu practically giggled, shifting her more comfortably in his arms and standing up easily. He could only imagine what she could really do if she only knew her potential; she'd be a force to be afraid of, completely capable of taking care of herself. Defending herself. Natsu found himself displeased with that thought, that was what he would do, defend her. If she could do it herself, she wouldn't have use for him, and that just wouldn't do. He growled lowly as he laid her down on her bed and then turned to inspect the mess his summoning and contract signing had done. On the desk that once held his book sat a large burn mark that had faded a little and smelled of burn paper. The drake squinted and took a deep breath, sorting through the smells that were in her room, trying to see if had indeed smelled what he thought he had.
All he could smell at first was lucy: warm-vanilla, summer strawberries and spiced honey; her actual sent, not something plucked from her memories. Natsu wanted to bathe in that smell but all to soon his senses were assaulted by the ash and soot the burning book had brought and right on the heel of that…power. Natsu frowned and took another deep breath, his eyebrows scrunching as he picked through the smells again. There it was again: winter sandalwood, crisp leaves and…stardust. There was no mistaking the smell of that stupid constellation cat. Natsu had thought for a split second when Lucy had started chanting that she'd caught the attention of him. The drake was afraid for a second that he would try to hijack the summoning and prevent Natsu from coming forward; if it weren't for Natsu's energy being imbedded into the conduit, he would have lost for sure.
"Not a chance in hell," the pink haired man snarled, his fingers curling into his palm and red scales popping up along his skin for a minute before disappearing again. He had to remind himself that he had won and the zodiac's desire to be in Lucy's presence was now at his mercy. It would be in their favor to realize and acknowledge that. Turning back toward his slumbering blonde, he stretched and yawned, padding into her kitchen to find something to eat. He had a little bit of time before she regained consciousness.