Chapter 4: The Man In The Mirror

"Humans? They're nothing but weak little beings. They're our main threat to winning this war and we must stop at nothing to eliminate their kind. They're our playthings, do what you must with them, their purpose is to serve our wants. And in time, the rest of the West will join us in this battle against the human race where they will soon understand the truth." —Sting Eucliffe's orders towards the Sabertooth army

She felt a warmth tingle along her collarbone, earning a soft moan to escape her lips. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and found a cacophony of pinks and yellows blinding her view. She was staring at Natsu, who slept beside her and his face mere inches away from her chest. His hair tickled her chin and an arm was wrapped across her form while the other hugged a pillow. Thankfully, he was still asleep and it seemed as though he wasn't aware of his position. As quietly and cautiously as she could, Lucy attempted to peel off his arm which only made him pull her closer to his chest.

With her lips pressed together, she tried to turn her attention away from the body that was beside her, trying to take her mind off on how his shirt had slightly rolled up to stomach, revealing parts of his abs. She closed her eyes and clenched her hands tight, as though trying to prevent herself from running her fingers up his muscles, wondering how they would feel-

Lucy shook her head, a deep shade of red painted her cheeks as her stomach sunk at how guilty she began to feel. How could she think of him that way? She had only met him a day ago, not to mention, he was a vampire! Her hand lightly slapped her cheeks, trying to wash away the thoughts that ran through her mind. Why was she even having such thoughts? She had never thought of anyone in that way, especially the detailed visual images that flashed in her mind.

N-no! I would never!

No, she didn't like him, perhaps she had just started to notice the anatomy of vampires or maybe-

"Lu…cy." Natsu groaned out, still asleep.

Her eyes went wide at the sound of her name that slipped off his lips. He was dreaming about her? She laughed nervously, shifting uncomfortably in her spot and too afraid to wake the vampire prince up. Happy thoughts. Go to your happy place Lucy.

Her heart began to beat faster as he started to move in his spot, his face snuggled in the crook of her neck, snores sounded through the room and Lucy felt as if she could suffocate in the amount of tension she was in.

"Lucy." He murmured again, this time her name was loud and clear. She felt her cheeks flush, but her expression immediately turned into a frown at the sight of his brows pulling together, lips quivering and his forehead plastered with beads of sweat.

"Natsu." She whispered, desperately trying to wake him up, "Natsu, wake up."

He groaned and rolled over, freeing her from his hold and allowing her to take in the air she longed for. She sprang up from the bed, her gaze fixated on the throbbing mark that was on her hand that glowed at each beat. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt this time around, it felt more—calming. She looked at the identical mark on Natsu's shoulder, except it was red. It too pulsed and it caused a soft groan from his lips every time it gave a glow.

Lucy closed her eyes and swallowed hard. This was it, wasn't it? She was forever tied to a man she barely knew, a man that wasn't even human. An uneasy tension sent ripples up her skin, reminding herself of the reality she was in. There was no village she could go back to, her family had thankfully been relocated somewhere else in the East months before the savages had raided the village. Her heart still ached for her presumably dead friends and relatives. Yet, she had no more tears to shed. She was done crying, done living in the past, it was time to look forward to the future.

A future that was probably going to involve a certain vampire.

Natsu released a loud groan as he stirred awake, his eyes fluttering open and for a moment, the redness in his eyes glowed bright and she was transfixed on the way the colors swirled and glowed. He blinked once and the redness had died down, she felt a sense of relief washed over her, as though worried she would get lost in his eyes if she had stared at them for a little longer.

"Good morning." She quietly said. He didn't reply as he struggled to sit himself up, his mouth opening into a loud yawn.

She dropped her gaze to the blanket that covered the both of them, "I-I heard you." He visibly paled, his eyes growing wide and his mouth opened to say something before he was quickly cut off by Lucy, "You were having a nightmare weren't you? I should've woken you up earlier, I know how horrible nightmares can be." His pupils had slightly dilated. Her frown deepened at his expression and she could only assume he was furious. "I'm sorry."

Natsu was quiet for a while, and she was too afraid to look directly at him, scared of meeting his angered expression.

"It was nothing, Lucy." He said finally. "I have nightmares all the time, I'm used to it."

"Oh." She said, rather pathetically, her fingers clenched the sheets. She wanted to desperately help him, to pull him away from his nightmares and into the dreams that she often dreamt.

"Your mark." He said, referring to the pulsing mark on her hand. "May I?" He asked and held out his hand. Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his palm, feeling the coldness of his skin. Like from the other day, he brought it close to his face, inspecting each part of it carefully. His breath ghosted against her skin and the mark began to glow brighter than before.

"Does it hurt?"

She shook her head, eyes still planted on the blanket, "Sometimes, but the pain's manageable."

His expression washed over with a look of concern, his fingers slowly went to smooth her mark, causing her to flinch slightly at the contact. She sat there, weighing on a question she had been dying to ask. Finally, without a trace of fear or hesitation, she asked, "What does this all mean?"

"This?"

"Us being mates. Why would you…" She looked down miserably, "Why me? Out of all the possibilities in the world, why would the mate of a vampire prince be a feeble human? Does this mean we're…um…" Her voice trailed off uncomfortably.

Lucy let the moments of silence continued, patiently waiting for him to reply.

"Honestly, I don't really know why we're mates either." He released a ragged sigh, "Neither of us wanted this to happen. I never intended to meddle with humans and you didn't intend to get dragged into a world of vampires. But this is what fate had in stored for us, whether we like it or not. All we can do at the moment, is make the best out of this situation." He tightened his hold on her hand, "Lucy, you need to trust me, I won't hurt you. Do you understand?"

"I…" She released a shaky breath and slowly nodded, "Understand."

And she did. She knew the circumstance she was in, whether she liked it or not, she was eternally bound to the man beside her. It pained her knowing that she could never be with another person nor leave him, but what could she do? After all, it was fate's plan.

Then, there was a knock on the door. Natsu got off the bed and made his way to open the door, only to find that it was Virgo who stood there with a pleasant smile plastered on her lips. She looked at the man before her and then Lucy who still sat on the bed, her lips quickly curved into a knowing grin.

"Milord, shall I take Lucy for a bath?"

"Yes," He stopped to clear his throat and motioned Lucy to come forth, "Of course."

Before Lucy could step out of the room, he held her arm and leaned in close to her ear, his lips mere inches away from her skin, "Remember what I told you, don't try to talk or make eye contact with anyone in the halls."

With that, he closed the door. Virgo requested her to follow her to the springs and began to leave the door to the vampire prince's room.

However, the low growl that emitted from within did not go unnoticed by Lucy.

She heard me. He thought to himself in a daze, She heard me.

Natsu ran a hand over his hair, his eyes squeezed shut as he found it hard to believe that she had heard him dream. The problem wasn't that she thought it was a nightmare, the problem was that it wasn't a nightmare.

Lucy was in his dreams. Their bodies were intertwined, her human heat radiating off her as her breath gently fanned against his neck. She had been gasping slowly, eyes closed as she clung onto him while he guided her. Her scent filled his nostrils, it was a mixture of something pleasant and sweet and he could sense that it was still lingering in the air.

"Bite me."

He vividly remembered the words that slipped out of her lips like honey. He was close, so awfully close to sinking his teeth in and savouring the blood that coursed through her body. But no matter how hard he tried, she had always gotten further and further away from him, until he had woken up to the very same girl with confusion glistening in her eyes.

Jaw clenched hard, he tried to think about anything but her. He tried to take his mind away from the softness of her skin, the way her tongue would swipe over her lips or they way she looked at him in his dream. His hands gripped onto his study table as he tried to find a sense of balance as his emotions began to twist and turn. He was ashamed, ashamed that he had thought of her in such a way.

Natsu suppressed another groan, attempting to ignore the heat that had begun pooling in his lower region. He had noticed how her scent had started to grow stronger and stronger, were the herbs Mirajane gave her not effective? By now, her scent would've already mingled with their own, but to him, it was a sweet fragrance that only intensified.

"Shut up." He gritted out, trying to stop himself from thinking about the blonde. His breath came out as harsh and heavy pants, his heart hammered against his chest as he struggled to regain his composure. The mark on his arm was sending wave after wave of emotions and the air suddenly felt too thick. With a shaky grip, he managed to pull himself towards the bathroom and clung onto the sink as though his life depended on it. He gripped onto the edges and heaved himself up, staring at the man in the mirror.

His eyes widened as he saw his pupils glow in a vibrant red, his teeth had gotten sharper and his entire being began to radiate a dark aura. The monster in him began to claw and bite, whispering words filled with toxic and lust into his ears. A part of him hated it and tried to push it away to the best of his ability, yet, the other part urged him to give in, to succumb into the darkness.

"She's yours. Her mind, soul, being is all yours. You can do whatever you want with her and she won't have the right to reject you." The voiced chuckled darkly. "Take her. Use her. Mark her."

He heaved in harsh breaths, turning away from his reflection and stumbled back into his room. The world started to turn around him, his mind desperately tried to grasp onto reality only to be taunted with the voices from the darkest corner of his mind.

"Hey I— Flame brain!?"

It was Gray, he had stormed in and taken a hold of his arm. A loud buzzing noise sounded in his ears, as the voices began to fade away and the world began to shift back to normal. He stared blankly at Gray, who was shouting and slapping his face, attempting to shake him out of his state.

"Wake up!" He screamed in his face. Natsu blinked once, twice, before he was back. "What the hell happened? Do I need to call Wendy-"

"No!" He said instantly, "Don't. It's not a big deal-"

"Not a big deal? Why, excuse my language prince, but how the fuck is that not a big deal? You look like you were having a seizure or some shit, you could've died."

"But I didn't."

"But you could've!" Gray groaned in frustration, "Can you walk?"

"I— yeah, I can." He murmured, "It's the damn mark. It's getting worse."

The knight eyed the mark on his arm warily, watching it closely as the pulsing began to slow down.

"It's worse than I thought, even Gajeel wasn't this bad. It might have something to do with your bloodline, Dragneels do tend to have more intense instincts." Gray frowned, "I think we need to set an appointment with Porlyusica tomorrow."

Natsu's eyes widened, "No way. Don't you dare bring me to that bitch."

"We don't have a choice dumbass." He said, unfazed by how he had just referred to royalty, "You know the consequences if we keep this up, you'll end up like a crazed animal."

He groaned, not at all enthusiastic about the suggestion but he knew that was the only way to solve the issue at hand.

"Come on, if we're quick enough there'll be leftover AB blood bags." Natsu said as he made his way out. He looked over his shoulder to find Gray staring at him questionably. "Hey, it's not like I'm dying or anything. I'm still talking and walking."

Gray scoffed and jogged out of his room and into the hall, "Whatever you say your majesty. If you can catch up then I'll know you're really not dying."

Lucy felt herself melt in the warmth of the hot spring and slowly lowered herself into the water. She released a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, a small smile pulled at her lips. She needed this, her mind was focused on nothing but relaxation and she was in bliss.

She went to scrub her skin and massaged her scalp, humming a little tune as she did so. The hot spring was located outside with a secured perimeter and an open roof, the sky was a bright shade of blue with an occasional splatter of clouds.

Perhaps, Magnolia wasn't so bad. The people she met in the castle weren't exactly vocal about their disapproval, in fact, most of the time she barely heard anything at all but received their looks of disgust and disappointment. Though, she couldn't blame them, she bet it was incredibly uncomfortable for them to have a single human in a kingdom full of vampires. Natsu had told her no one outside of the castle knew where she was or who she was, as far as any of the citizens or other kingdoms were concerned, she was merely a rogue vampire who had gotten lost in the battlefield.

Mirajane had been nothing but nice to her during the duration of her stay. She didn't cast her any looks of indifference, instead, she treated her with kindness. At times, of course, she didn't know any of the human customs which were actually not that different to vampires. Other than that, the doctor tried her best to help her in any way she could and for that, Lucy was incredibly grateful.

Her view of vampires had changed drastically through the course of two days. When she was younger, she was often told they were beings who lusted for blood and violence. They ravaged the homes of the innocent, killed for fun and were filled with greed. Vampires were like the monsters under her bed, except they were very much real. She carried the mindset well into her young adult state, that was, until she was saved by the very kind she feared.

Natsu.

Natsu he was… she stopped scrubbing her skin. What exactly was he to her? They didn't even act like mates or even lovers for that matter. He had kept asking if she trusted him, but really, the question was the other way around. Did he trust her? She knew he was skeptic of humans and often kept his guard up when he was around her. She wanted him to be a… friend, she supposed. Or at the very least, she wanted to know more about him. After all, he was the vampire prince of one of the most prosperous kingdoms that reigned the West. It couldn't hurt to attempt a friendship with him, right? It wasn't like she was going anywhere, she was his mate, tied together for life.

"Lucy Heartfilia."

A feminine voice pulled her out of her train of thoughts. She blinked as she turned to the source of her name and found a petite blue haired girl who sat across from her. Her skin was like porcelain, lips pale and eyes large.

"Do I know you-"

"No, but I know you." She flashed a playful grin. "I'm Levy Mcgarden, protector of the castle's most valuable relics and books or as humans would call it— I'm the castle's librarian."

"Sounds like a dangerous but noble job." Lucy smiled, already liking the girl. "Wait, how did you know my name?"

"Word travels fast and usually, I'm never one to miss out on words." She winked, "I've also done some research on you. You're Lucy Heartfilia, 21 years old from the Heartfilia tribe who resided in the East Coast-" She trailed off and paused, shooting her a look of concern. "I'm so sorry about your lost. How are you… coping?"

Lucy swallowed thickly and waved a dismissive hand. "I'm doing fine, really. Though, I'm still not really used to all-" She waved her arms around, "This. The castle is huge and most of the time, I end up getting lost only for Mirajane or Natsu to come and save me."

"It sounds like you're looking for a tour guide and well," Levy motioned towards herself, "Here's one willing to do it for free."

Their laughter rang through the hot spring. As they continued to chat about what not, Lucy learned that the two of them shared a love for books and Levy had an endless shipment of them that arrived every day. She too, loved to write during her spare time and often wrote about gothic poems, which made Lucy chuckle at her cheery state as she said that. The blunette also happened to have a mate called Gajeel, one of Natsu's knights. The only difference between their relationships, was that Levy loved Gajeel.

"So, Natsu, huh." Levy muttered, tilting her head back as she looked at the sky. "Who would've thought the mate of a vampire prince was a human the entire time."

"Tell me about it." Lucy sighed. "And it's not even a human from nobility."

"What is he like?" She asked, turning towards the blonde with eyes lit with curiosity. "I haven't got to know him personally but from what I can tell, he seems pretty dangerous."

Lucy sunk her teeth into her lip. "Oh, he's not… dangerous. He hasn't done anything to harm me, he's just a bit distant, that's all." She paused, carefully choosing her words. "I don't blame him. He doesn't want this as much as I do." Her body sank deeper into the water, "Fate has a sick sense of humour."

"You know, if I were you I would be careful around that man." At Levy's words, she turned to face her. "He's a Dragneel, one of the most powerful line of vampires. You never know what he might do to you."

Lucy shook her head and released a nervous chuckle. "But he's Natsu, he would never-"

She froze, letting it register her mind.

He wouldn't, would he?

After all, he did promise he wouldn't hurt her.

Natsu sighed in the peace and quiet that lingered in the clean garden air. It felt refreshing to bask in the coolness of the night, he had been enclosed behind castle walls for too long. The slight breeze of Magnolia washed over him, filling him nostalgia. He looked at the series of stars that was scattered across the dark canvas above him. He squinted his eyes, only able to make out a few of the constellations.

He licked his fangs clean, tasting the remains of his dinner. The blood slowly sank in, causing him to close his eyes as it slipped off his tongue. It was nights like these he truly enjoyed. There were no duties to attend to, the temperature was cool and the atmosphere was at peace.

He snapped his eyes opened at a thought. Where had Lucy been? He hadn't seen her all day and he could only assume she was under Mirajane's care. His brows pulled together in worry, the number of possibilities ran though his mind and his heart sank at the thought. He had to admit, for half of the day he had been trying to avoid her, mainly due to the little episode he had in his chamber. He growled at the memory and ignored it, not wanting to think about his experience.

Their talk from the other night had made him reconsider his view on her. He found himself often wondering what kind of world she lived in, how did she see the world and past the ugliness that it held. She was quite open with herself, he had realised, perhaps she would reveal even more if he was more willing to sit and listen. He was still awkward around her, too cautious to even make the simplest of conversations. The blonde would usually smile at him— or at least, attempt to. And he would always regard her coldly, as though she was nothing but a responsibility he didn't want. He supposed that was true at first, he didn't want her in his care. Managing the castle and a war was bad enough and now a human was thrown into his life. He had treated her with distrust, only issuing her commands and rules.

Maybe, he should at least try to know more about her.

There was a wonderful smell that wafted in the air, and he knew all too well who it was. Curiously, he walked around the garden, hoping to find a flash of blonde. Then, sitting on a bench with a pen and paper in hand was Lucy, whose features were swept with awe as she stared silently at the sky.

"Lucy." He cleared his throat earning her attention. She jerked her head to the side, the moonlight lit her face and her mouth opened in surprise.

"Natsu." She regarded him with a smile. His attention was caught by the paper in her hands which was riddled with little drawings.

"What are you doing?" He asked, motioning the material she held. Lucy flickered a gaze momentarily at her drawings and then back at him. She looked happy, but he could tell she was holding herself back.

"I was studying the stars," She paused and scooted to the edge of the bench and patted the seat next to her. "Would you like to join me?"

Although hesitant, he took a couple steps closer and sat down next to her, feeling the same heat radiating off her from last night. She pointed a finger at a cluster of stars, urging him to look up. And when he did, he was confused by what she was trying to show him.

"What do you see?" She asked.

"I see…" He said as he tried his hardest to make out the constellation, "Nothing. I don't see anything."

"That's because you're not looking hard enough." She said softly. Carefully, she traced an outline of the stars, causing a wave of realisation to hit Natsu. "Do you see it now?"

He saw it. It was two people—the Gemini constellation. It was odd, the constellations were rarely spoken of in Magnolia and yet, it was always hanging above them, waiting to be discovered. They knew so little of the stars, he supposed most of his kind had the mindset that it had always been there. It wasn't anything special, they were just sparkly objects that appeared every night.

"Gemini." He answered. "I heard from the elders that each kingdom has a different set of constellations every year and each culture has a different interpretation of them. They've twisted the stories and myths, all suiting to their own liking." He cleared his throat, "Such as Magnolia, we've greatly exaggerated Gemini into two little blue people who look like plush toys. We're great at originality."

She laughed, loud and sweet, like delicate music notes to his ears. Her eyes lit up in amusement as she unconsciously shifted closer to him. "I've always visualised Cancer as a man with a talent for cutting hair. Don't you think a crab's claws are like two giant scissors?"

He gave a small laugh at the mental image she brought him. "Big meaty claws snipping away at my hair? Perhaps I should hire myself a new hair stylist."

"Brilliant." She grinned. "Tell me more."

The two of them shared a laugh and continued on. Lucy nodded, listening intently on the stories he told her. He had told her about the constellation Aquarius and her story about her brave sacrifice, Tarus who was a perverted cow yet a formidable warrior when he was needed and many more. Then, when he was done it was his turn to listen in on Lucy's stories. He had to admit, she was a brilliant storyteller. She spoke of human tradition, how they celebrated certain holidays with feasts made of meat and vegetables. There were myth and legends of brave human warriors and how desperately they fought in their battles. Natsu frowned at that part, understanding the loss of good men.

It intrigued him. The way humans lived, interacted and strived. It was a glimpse into an unfamiliar world. Most historians in the West rarely touched on the topic of the East, the majority liked to think that the East didn't exist at all and the world was only filled with vampires. As time went on, he began grow fond of the human sitting beside him. She continued to speak of stories he had never heard of.

"Look." She said and handed him her paper. He took it in his hands, carefully studying the sketches only to realise they were the positions and shapes of the constellations, noting the tiniest of details and drawn with careful precision. Then, he felt her soft flesh pressed against his arm, pushing against it so she could get a better look. Natsu tensed at the feeling, clearing his throat.

"I know there aren't many studies on constellations— well at least, that's what Levy told me when she mentioned there were only 2 books in Magnolia on astronomy. So here," She flashed him a small grin, "your very own sheet of constellations. Sorry if my drawings are horrible, but hopefully most of my notes will give you enough information to figure out the rest."

He stared at the piece of paper in his hands, a little shocked. It wasn't often people gave him things— was this what they called a gift? He wasn't sure, but a part of him felt grateful that she gave it to him. He focused as best he could on the details of her drawings and research, trying to take his mind off on the way she was still pushing against his arm.

"Feel her. Touch her."

"Thank you Lucy." He replied and neatly folded the paper into his pocket, "Your designs and notes are remarkable."

He watched as a light shade of red painted her cheeks, bashfully looking away. He smirked, finding amusement in the action.

"Don't you want to feel her skin? Don't you want to taste it?"

"I suggest you go back to my room soon, it's starting to get late."

"Ah," She mouthed out, noticing how dark the sky had gotten, "Will you be coming with me?"

"Claim her. Show everyone she's yours, no one will ever lay a hand on her but you."

"I have other duties to attend to, but I'll be coming later." He said and turned away, not once looking back at the blonde who stood there with a satisfied smile playing on her lips.

"Goodbye Natsu."

He forced a smile, and continued to attend to his duties, hoping that it would push the voices that plagued his mind away.

Author's Note: Told you guys I would update soon + a longer chapter (; Just to warn you guys it's going to get more NSFW from here. I, uh, also suck at writing lemons so I apologise if my future lemons aren't 'steamy' enough (heh).

Thank you for all the lovely reviews, follows, faves and I hope you all have a nice day!