Levy knew she had been reading for hours and her eyes were starting to feel heavy. She blinked rapidly, trying to fend off the drowsiness that was starting to consume her but found it harder and harder to do so. Finally she stood, deciding to find Lily so he could walk her to the border.

As she stepped into the hall she soon realized that she was completely and utterly lost. She hadn't seen how Gajeel had brought her to the library (although she was sure it involved some acrobatics on the balconies on the outside of the castle) and so she had no idea which way to go in order to leave… not that she even knew where Lily or Gajeel was in the vast place to begin with.

She sighed, deciding that finding stairs down would be her best course of action at the moment. She roamed the corridors, figuring she run across some stairs at some point in time. As she slowly made her way through the candle-lit place, she grew more and more distraught. The place was like a labyrinth.

After what seemed like forever, she finally came to a set of stairs. She realized that it must have been in one of the spires because the stairs also led up. She looked down but found her curiosity had piqued once again. What would happen if she went up? Against her better judgment, she hurried up the stairs. She would just make her visit brief, of course.

As she approached the top she started to hear noises. Muffled bangs and growls started to echo faintly down the stairwell. She swallowed hard, pushing herself forward until she came to a large door. She heard a yell on the other side and then the muffled voice of Gajeel.

She swallowed hard, thinking that she probably didn't want to know what was happening on the other side of the door. She noticed a small crack that allowed flickering light to filter into the hallway. She crept closer to the door.

Gajeel hissed, throwing some unfortunate soul against the stony walls. She was surprised to see he was without his cloak. His pale skin was stretched tightly against toned muscles that made Levy want to go weak. He was fearsome, wearing black pants and high black boots that almost came to his knees. In contrast, he wore a brilliantly red shirt.

She noticed a gash in his arm.

"Fuck you…" a tired, raspy voice came from the ground. Levy's eyes focused on the man that Gajeel had tossed. He held a knife in his hands and tried to stagger to his feet. In a flash, Gajeel had him by the collar, lifting him off of the ground. The man tried to struggle but was powerless in the vampire's grasp.

Levy swallowed hard, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Unfortunately for you, I no longer have any more use for you," a dark look came to Gajeel's eyes.

"Rot in hell,"

"After you,"

Levy jumped as a pair of hands grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and quickly turning her away from the room that was now filling with screams. She found herself looking into the eyes of Pantherlily, who motioned for her to stay silent and quickly carried her down the stairs.

"You shouldn't be wandering around here," he growled when he finally set her down on the first floor. He looked down at her in the way a father would that was scolding his child for doing something dangerous, worry touching his eyes.

"I… I was just…" she diverted her gaze, "…I wasn't snooping,"

He opened his mouth to say something but immediately stopped, his eyes looking past her. She turned her head and saw Gajeel standing in the doorway, his red eyes swimming. His cape was back around his shoulders. He looked at each of them before tilting his head in curiosity.

"I was just about to walk Levy to the border," Lily grunted, motioning for the door.

"I'll go,"

"Y-You really don't have to…" Levy started, but he was already headed for the exit.

He looked over his shoulder at her, "You coming, Shrimp?"

She felt a strained silence stretch between them as they walked. He just looked ahead, his red eyes penetrating the fog. He wasn't fazed by the rustling in the shadows; not even diverting his gaze for the briefest of investigations. But then, would a tiger jump at the crackling of mice running in grass?

"What's it like?" she suddenly blurted, her own brashness surprising herself. He looked at her questioningly, "Drinking blood, I mean…"

He turned his attention forward again, his eyes looking into the distance as he thought. She saw his tongue run across his teeth, "What's it like to drink wine?" he countered.

"I mean… were you ever human?" she looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"I suppose I was once," his eyes were once again distant.

"You suppose?" he didn't respond, "…well… what does it taste like?"

"Why do you want to know?" his gaze was guarded when it met hers. The look caught her off guard.

"I… I was curious…"

"Curious about the taste of blood?" his lips curled into a sneer, "Is that why you were spying on me earlier as well?"

She felt like all of the blood had drained from her face, "I-I…"

"Why is it that you really came here?" he turned on her, his red eyes blazing. He took a step towards her, making her retreat from him. His whole countenance had shifted, turning dark and angry, "Did some little fairy stumble innocently into this world?"

She tripped over the roots of one of the great black trees, making her stumble and fall against it. He cornered her, trapping her against the cool bark of the tree. She shuddered as his shadow engulfed her. He trapped her between his arms, digging his claws into the tree's flesh on either side of her.

"…Ooor…" he dragged out the word, his voice low and feral, "did you come here for some darker reason?"

He face was so close to hers that the tips of their noses almost touched, "Is it strength you seek? Power? I doubt a weak little light-dweller like you has many enemies…"

His cheek brushed hers and his breath whispered past her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Panic was slowly making its way through her limbs as his lips travelled lower. His cold breath slid over the skin of her neck and collar, making her tremble.

"Or do you just have a taste for the dark side… hmm, fairy?"

Her breath came in and out in tattered gasps. His hand came up to caress the side of her cheek, making her head loll to the side. He brushed her hair out of the way, exposing the flesh of her neck to him. She didn't quite understand what had happened to get them to this point. She felt like a puppet and he was her master, controlling her movements with every stroke of his fingers.

She felt her breathing stop when his lips brushed her neck, his tongue sliding out to send a trail of fire across her flesh. His lips parted, exposing his long fangs. They brushed delicately against her skin, their tips scraping against her flesh…

"You don't… scare me…" she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed.

She could feel his entire body stiffen at her words. With painful slowness, he withdrew. His fiery gaze met hers, devoid of the malice that had been there just moments before. She brought her hands up, sliding them under his cloak to press her fingers against his chest.

His chest was firm and warm underneath her fingers, not cold as she had expected. She could feel his chest vibrating as a growl made its way up to his throat. Her hands made their way up his chest to his shoulders, his muscles relaxing where she touched. Her hands trailed down his strong arms…

"Your wound is gone…" she said quietly, her eyes looking at him in wonder.

"Iron," he murmured.

"Huh?"

"Blood tastes like iron,"