I'm glad you guys enjoyed last chapter! I've been waiting for the right time to have his dragon come out and have a conversation of sorts with Lucy and that was perfect. I had written more than one scene when I remembered that someone in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series has the same kind of issue. The Brother Rhage is my second favorite brother and he has a similar thing going on with an inner beast that wants to get close to his mate. If you're into SciFi romance with vampires that don't have to eat people and don't f***ing sparkle in the sun, I highly recommend it, but only if you're not opposed to sex scenes.

***Remember, if you want the chance to make a request for something to be put in this story, please leave a review on Chapter 47. Today is the last day! Tomorrow (Sunday) I will be randomly choosing one of you, probably by a dice roll, and sending you a message, so be on the lookout!

As always, thanks for the love, and happy reading!


"Hold on big guy, I'm slipping!" Lucy tried to adjust her position within Natsu's arms as he continued to make his way down the hallway. He was hunched over to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling and using his wings to help keep himself upright. Once Lucy could see over Natsu's arms again, she stopped wiggling. "Do you know where the others are?"

Lucy squinted up at him when the beast just huffed. "You know Natsu wouldn't want to leave our companions behind here. Please? I need you to take me to them."

Again, the beast huffed and whined, but he adjusted his course. He jerked to a stop at one of the intersections and leaned against the wall. Footsteps echoed off the walls, and as a pair of people rounded the corner, the dragon swung at them.

Virgo ducked the wing, avoiding being hit, and Sting jumped over it as he sent out a blast of light. Natsu's other wing intercepted the shot and then he roared as he moved forward to attack.

"Woah, big guy, wait!" Lucy wiggled out of the creature's loosened grip and grabbed onto his face to stop him. His eyes were fully black again, but as they focused on Lucy, she didn't flinch. "That's a friend, remember? He didn't mean to attack you, you just scared him. Calm down now, alright?" She continued to rub his nose until his eyes faded back to a bright gold.

"Lucy, what the hell are you doing out here?" Sting asked, his fists up, ready to defend himself.

"Natsu came to find me. I was alone in whatever room I was in when I woke up, and by the time I got all the needles out of me, he had shown up."

"Lucy, that's not Natsu right now," Virgo said quietly.

"I know that. It's his inner dragon."

"His… inner dragon?"

"Yeah." Lucy continued to give her attention to the dragon, who was watching the other two carefully. "It's the bonded dragon inside Natsu that sometimes comes out to see me. He's being more cooperative today, though. Not sure why."

"Bonded?" Sting whispered in disbelief.

Suddenly, Lucy stopped petting the beast and slowly turned around. She'd never seen the blond before, and while the woman looked like Manda, she didn't know for sure if it was her. And these other people she knew were running around somewhere… "Wait a minute… how do I know you guys are friends?"

"The spell I used to wake you up gave you basic knowledge of our rescue team so you would know that we're here to help," Virgo answered.

"The… spell?" Virgo nodded. "Huh." Lucy's hand began to move again, ignoring the way the dragon had wrapped his tail around her leg once more. "Well, if I can believe that a dragon-demon hybrid has somehow bonded with me, I suppose I can believe that you have magic."

"I'm glad, because we don't have a lot of time. We need to return to the others and get out of here before Zalanoon or his minions find us."

Sting leaned toward Virgo. "Why is she being so accepting about all of this? Is she in shock?"

"Probably," Virgo whispered. "Just go with it. Sting," she said louder, "can you do the cleansing spell here?"

Sting glanced around. "We should wait until we get back, so we're not so exposed."

"Very well. Let's go," Virgo said.

Before Lucy could ask who Zalanoon was, or even where they were, the pair had turned around and run off. "Alright big guy, mind giving me a ride? Let's follow them." The dragon grunted and then picked her up again before following the pair down the hall.

It took some time, but after a couple of wrong turns, and a few errant guards, they returned to the room where they'd been stuck in cages. Virgo stopped Lucy and the dragon from entering. "He should stay out here. Mao isn't going to be very friendly to him right now."

The dragon growled but Lucy moved to keep him from going after the pink haired woman. "I don't know what that means. Did he do something wrong?"

Virgo hesitated, but Sting jumped in with the answer. "He killed one of the other members of our rescue party. That one's mate is still alive in there. You should come in, but he needs to stay out here."

Obviously upset with that assessment, the dragon wrapped his tail around her and put both of his wings in front of her, leaving only her head exposed to the others. Lucy sighed but turned his way and held onto his face as she spoke to him. "Give me just a minute, okay? You stay here and guard the door. You'll be plenty close if I need you, I just need to go inside quick. You'll be okay waiting, I promise."

He continued to grumble, but after a few more reassurances, he laid down with his nose pointed towards the door.

"That's… both amazing and terrifying. Come on, now that we have you both, it's time to get the others and leave." Sting yanked open the door and led Virgo and Lucy inside.

When they entered, they found Taurus, still in his angel form, and Rogue bent over a body and Mao standing at the edge of the room with his hands raised and held out towards the empty colosseum. He appeared to be chanting and there were several circles below his feet that were spinning in different directions and at different speeds.

"We're glad you're back," Taurus said as he stood. "We need to get out of here, pronto."

"What's he doing?" Sting asked with a nod towards the chanting Leezar.

"He's summoning something, I guess. I didn't ask questions." Taurus looked down. "It seems Leezars are much sturdier than they look. Rogue has managed to slow Ova's bleeding, but if we don't get out of here soon and have him looked at, he might still die."

"He's not dead?" Virgo asked in surprise. She moved to kneel next to the Leezar.

"Not yet, but we need to hurry," Rogue answered. He traded his hands for Virgo's and went to stand next to Mao. As he studied the circles, he frowned. "I don't recognize this spell, so I don't know how long it will take to complete, but we should leave as soon as he is done. I would suggest having Virgo make two trips, but that will be impossible with how low she is on magic."

"You shouldn't underestimate my abilities," Virgo said.

"You've fallen more than once because of how low you are, and passed out twice. I don't want to risk you being unable to return."

"Well, in the meantime, I think you should come help me," Sting said.

"Help you with what?" Rogue asked.

"Cleansing Natsu."

Rogue frowned. "I'm not so sure we'll be able to get close enough to him to do that, not to mention we still have to find him."

"We already did, and as long as Lucy is there, we'll be fine. She's managed to tame him, for the most part."

"You should do that on your own," Virgo said. "I need Rogue to do something else."

"What is it?" the hybrid asked.

"You need to retrieve Natsu's scarf. From what I saw, Zalanoon was more interested in fixing this mess and less in taking it with him when he left his chair. It should still be over there, and you're the best at sneaking around. Can you get to it and bring it back here? I can help Sting."

"I will help Sting," Taurus corrected her. "Yooou need to rest. I can amplify his spell just fine. Stay here and keep an eye on these two while we take care of things."

Virgo nodded. "You're probably right. I'll stay here, just be quick."

Rogue nodded and then disappeared into his shadows.

Taurus looked at Virgo. "How long will it take him to find it?"

"I don't think it will be more than five or ten minutes. He should be able to sense us here and can use that to triangulate his position."

"Alright, should we get out there and get Natsu fixed up? I'd rather he wasn't in that crazy demon form any longer than he needs to be." Sting was bouncing on the balls of his feet, obviously restless.

Taurus nodded. "Let's go. Luuucy, we'll need your help, too. If you can keep him calm, that will be for the best."

"You got it," Lucy said. As she followed them towards the door, she had the strangest feeling that she'd met Taurus before, but she wasn't sure why. She paused behind them as Sting began to open the door, and in a blink found herself several feet away, being held back by the giant angel.

"What-"

"Stay back," Taurus said. "He's out there."

Sting had moved to stand a few paces away as well, his hands lit and his body coated in white scales. "I don't like this. I can sense that Natsu is still out th-"

With a loud crack and a cloud of dust, the wall in front them of them was ripped away to reveal a smiling Zalanoon and Natsu, growling and drooling in his mostly black skinned form.

"What did he do to Natsu?" Lucy asked. Natsu was standing just behind the demon, poised and ready to strike.

"He was given a potion that turned off his cognitive functions. He's only acting on his instincts as a demon right now, so he's very dangerous to be around."

"I'll watch over her." Virgo had moved to join the pair. A pale pink ball of light was glowing just over Ova's body, right over the rag pressed against his wounds. "Sting will need your help Taurus."

Taurus nodded and then moved forward to stand near Sting. Lucy finally noticed the other person in the room, standing near a drop off from the room and chatting quietly to himself. What is he doing?

"Ah, it's so good to see that you're all still here!" Zalanoon said as he moved a couple paces forward.

Lucy's stomach tied itself into knots as she watched the demon speak. He seemed pleasant enough but every ounce of her being wanted to get as far away from him as possible. "Wait… what does he mean by pet?"

"He's controlling Natsu," Virgo answered. "We need to find a way to get Sting close enough to him to cleanse him before he can attack us. Which will be difficult considering his abilities."

"I can stop him." Lucy tried to pull away from the pink haired woman. "Please, I can stop him, just let me go."

"You're the one person we can't risk getting hurt," Virgo said as she held the blonde back.

Zalanoon began to walk around. "You know, I have to thank you. All of you. It would have been a little more fun using my arena some more, but watching him dispose of you all at the same time might be even better."

Lucy continued to struggle. "Please, let me-"

"I can't," Virgo said as she wrapped her arm tight around Lucy's waist.

Zalanoon grinned. "At any rate, thank you for the entertainment. Life around here can get rather dull, and you lot spiced it up a bit for me. It's too bad you won't be around to experience the realms put back together. I think it's going to be a rather good time." He turned towards the still growling beast at his side. "Natsu-"

"I'm sorry," Lucy said as she pulled her arm forward.

"-end them."

As Zalanoon finished speaking, Lucy rammed her elbow into Virgo's stomach. The force shocked the angel, who loosened her hold, allowing Lucy to break free. Before she could move more than a couple feet, terror, cold and suffocating, filled her entire body. She dropped to the ground as her body contorted, trying to escape the feeling building up inside her.

Zalanoon's grin faded as he saw his formerly employed scientist still on his feet. He seemed to be channeling some spell, and although he was curled on himself, he continued to chant in a low voice. The other hybrid and Taurus were both on their hands and knees, fighting to regain their feet, but it seemed the Leezar was the one least impacted by Natsu's magic.

"Natsu, start with that one," the demon said as he nodded toward the Leezar.

Natsu turned his head and stared down the blue man. Slowly, Mao bent further and further into himself, and his speech became forced as he dropped to his knees.

Natsu stalked forward slowly as his prey finally began to succumb to his magic. Blood dripped down his chest as he panted and moved over the other, prone bodies. As he passed by the pink haired angel, who was curled over another body, a blue light flashed, distracting him.

When he turned his head, he saw nothing amiss. Screams and grunts still echoed around him, but something had changed, he sensed it. He sniffed the air as he began to look around, searching for the cause of the light.

"Natsu…."

That voice.

Natsu looked around, desperately seeking the voice. It had been quiet, so quiet he'd almost missed it, but a large part of him latched on to that voice and sought it with a ferocity that surpassed any hunt he'd ever done before.

Behind Zalanoon.

His eyes zeroed in on the half of the person he could see standing several paces behind his master, half behind a wall.

No, the demon wasn't his master. She was. He'd do anything she asked him to, no matter what it was or what it cost.

When his eyes returned to Zalanoon, anger, hot and thick, coursed through his veins once more. This was his master, and he'd been given an order. He began to turn, but his eyes caught hers again, and everything in him yearned to move her way, to hold her and keep her safe. The tug of war began to make his head hurt and he cried out as he curled in on himself.

As those previously under his terror spell were released, they tried to catch their breath as Zalanoon moved towards Natsu with a murderous expression. "Did I hesitate, you stupid beast? Get them!"

Natsu continued to grunt and whine as he rubbed his head against the ground. His cries increased as he scratched at his head, trying to remove whatever was causing him pain. Zalanoon held out his hand towards the others to immobilize them as they began to stand. "Have you gone deaf? I said end them."

Natsu shook his head and looked up at Zalanoon. The demon sneered. "Finish them off, or I'll be forced to show you why you should never disobey me."

The longer Natsu focused on Zalanoon, the more his expression hardened. He began to growl again, and the blood slowly dripped down his chin once more.

Zalanoon stood up straight, a smile slowly overtaking his face. "That's better. Now take care of them."

"No!"

Both Natsu and Zalanoon whipped around to stare at Lucy as she fully entered the hallway. Virgo, who had finally managed to raise her head a little, felt her stomach twist and dread fill her veins. "No…" she whispered before glancing down at the body under her. Lucy was still under her, but in the hallway as well? How was that possible?

"Natsu, don't hurt them," Lucy begged as she glanced between him and the black skinned demon. She wanted to move closer to Natsu, but she knew she couldn't risk getting closer to the demon at his side. "Please, this isn't you. You don't want to hurt them, I know you don't."

"Ah, Miss Lucy, you don't know what he wants. He wants to do what I tell him to." He frowned as he studied her. "What are you doing out and about? I don't recall giving the go ahead to release you."

Lucy ignored him. "Please, Natsu. Please. We need you to help us get out. I need you to help me get out, and you want to protect me, right?"

A golden ring appeared on the edges of Natsu's eyes, expanding slowly as she spoke. If she could just get his inner dragon out, she could save the others. That had to be the key. If Natsu could fight the others on his own, then he could take on the other guy, right?

"Natsu, listen to me, this isn't you. This isn't what you want. You want to save these people, so we can all get out of here and go home. Right?"

"Enough of this." Zalanoon waved his hand at her. "Collect her. We don't have enough blood yet, so you can't kill her, but feel free to cut her up a little."

Natsu's golden gaze swung his way and he growled as he swung at Zalanoon. The demon was not expecting the attack, so two of the claws managed to hit skin as he jumped away. Blood splattered the stone at his feet as he turned Natsu's way and glared. "That was foolish." He swiped his hand through the air and sent Natsu flying through the wall behind him.

As the angels and Sting continued to try and stand, Zalanoon turned and sighed. "Well, it looks like I'll be the one punishing you. Honestly, finding good help is so hard here."

He raised his hand, and before she could even take a step, a ball of black came flying right at her.


Mao and Ova are loosely based on a pair of blue lizard looking folks I made for a D&D game a while ago, and I could never kill off those glorious buddies, so I can't kill off these ones either. It was fun to let you guys worry for a bit though.