Lucy was beside herself with worry. Levy had been disappearing for weeks now, telling no one where she was going or what she was doing. At first, the blonde thought she might just be going home until the day she had found her by the edge. She had known immediately that the sleep she was under wasn't just because she had been tired. And so, she decided to follow Levy earlier that day to see just where she was going… and who she was seeing.

She had been shocked when Levy had walked carelessly into the mist. As much as she wanted to follow her, to tell her she shouldn't go, she couldn't get herself to enter the mist. So many nightmares and memories flashed through her head. Fear for her friend made her stay and wait for her, hoping she'd return.

That's when she'd seen them.

At first she saw the small figure of Levy coming through the fog, and relief had washed over her, making her want to cry. But then a larger figure, dark and looming, approached behind her. She covered her mouth with her hands, fighting the urge to run. Red eyes flashed from underneath long black locks with a pale face that disgusted her so much her stomach turned.

To her utter disbelief, he followed her to the edge, far closer than any vampire had been to Makarov's kingdom in centuries. And Levy turned to him, giving him a carefree smile before saying a happy goodbye, and promising to be back tomorrow. And the monster smiled back.

"Levy!" Lucy ran up to her after the dark figure had disappeared back into the mist, fear making her frantic, "What in the world do you think you're doing?!"

Levy froze, turning to her friend in shock, "I… umm…"

"Do you know what that was?!" she hugged her friend, tears falling feely from her eyes, "You could have been killed…"

"Lucy, really, I'm fine…" the little bluenette tried to shake her off, obviously upset by her tears.

"What in the world do you think you're doing, going into the dark lands?" Lucy's face was filled with endless worry. What could she have been thinking?

"I-I was…" Levy looked at her feet, intertwining her fingers nervously, "I wanted to know… what was on the other side…"

Lucy was furious, "Do you think this is some kind of… child's game?! That's a vampire, Levy! He'll kill you without a second thought!"

"G-Gajeel?" Levy put up her hands, trying to keep the enraged blonde at bay, "H-He wouldn't hurt me…"

"GAJEEL?! You know it's name?!"

"He… he saved my life…" Levy began, but Lucy interrupted her, her eyes brimming with angry tears.

"Only so he can save you for later!" she raged, her limbs shaking, "How do you think my mother died?! They don't care about people! They don't have compassion or wonder if maybe you have a family that they're stealing you from! They're cold-blooded killers! That's all they are!"

"…Lucy…" Levy whispered, wrapping her arms around the blonde's shoulders. She was sobbing freely, her hands covering her face as she grappled with whatever memories were surfacing in her mind. Levy felt heartbroken for her, but knew she couldn't tell her what she wanted to hear… she couldn't promise she wouldn't go back.

"You can't go back… you can't…" Lucy whispered, "I won't let you,"

"I'm ok, Lucy," she said, trying to smile for her friend, "I promise you, nothing bad is going to happen to me,"

Lucy just shook her head and pulled from her embrace. Levy called after her but she just walked away, tears streaming down her face. Her best friend, the only person she could really call family, might as well already be dead.

Levy heard a loud crunch as Gajeel hopped from the branches of a tree, landing a few meters behind her. She turned around and smiled at him.

"Good morning," he said, his red eyes flashing as he approached her. He was without his cape and she could see every muscle ripple as he walked up to her. He was wearing tan pans and a tight black shirt, still donning the knee-high boots from the day before. He smirked at her, flashing his dagger-like fangs, "Geehee… surprised?"

She suddenly noticed that she had been staring and her cheeks turned a deep crimson, "You're not wearing your cape," she murmured.

She felt his hand brush against her cheek and pull her chin up so she met his gaze, "You're amusing when you blush,"

Her heart started to pound in her chest and she felt butterflies suddenly explode in her stomach. He dropped her chin and walked past her, his arm brushing hers as he did so. She swallowed, trying to rein in her rampaging emotions and ignore the tingling sensation that was going through her arm from his touch.

"You coming, Shrimp?" he called over his shoulder.

"My name is Levy McGarden!" she yelled, running after him. He waved his hand dismissively. She caught up with him, having to step quickly in order to keep up with his long stride.

"Do you have any questions for me today, Levy McGarden?" he looked down at her, his nose crinkling when he said her name. Her eyes immediately lit up, inquisitive and searching.

"Oh yes," she jumped, a smile coming to her face that was so large it touched her eyes, "I have so many… I tried reading, but no one writes about vampires in Fiore. Its like the whole topic is taboo,"

"Really…" he ran his tongue against his teeth, "I wonder why,"

"Where should I start…?" she mused, looking up at him, "Can you walk in sunlight?"

He blinked, furrowing his brow at her question, "What do you mean? Of course I can,"

"Oh… well… ok," she smiled. He could almost see the wheels turning in her mind, as if she was cataloging everything he was saying in her vast wealth of knowledge, "What about wooden stakes?"

They were approaching his castle, its giant shadow collapsing over them, "What about them?"

"Like… a wooden stake to the heart? That's like… a vampire's one weakness, right?"

"I can't die," he said, stopping and looking down at her. Her face filled with shock and awe and she looked at him with huge eyes.

"Are you serious?"

"Well… not like that," he lifted her off the ground, crouching low, before lunging into the air. He landed lightly on the balcony that led to the library, making Levy marvel at his strength and precision. He was absolutely amazing…

"Then how?" she said, breathless as he placed her lightly on the ground.

"Why? You think you can kill me?" he flashed his teeth at her, although his eyes portrayed amusement.

"Maybe," she smirked. He snorted at her, as if the even thought were ridiculous… and she had to admit, it probably was.

"You've probably already realized that when I drink blood it helps me heal," he said, running a hand through his tangled black locks. She nodded, listening intently, "well… we can't heal by ourselves, we have to drink blood in order to heal. Say I were to get mortally injured, I would survive as long as I could get blood. Otherwise, my body would just lay there, waiting for me to consume blood… or someone to get it for me, anyway."

"So… you can't really die?" she asked.

"Well… decapitation seems to work pretty well," he smirked, obviously remembering something. Levy wasn't so sure she wanted to know.

"So… you've killed your own kind before?"

"Oh yeah," he said, a wicked smile making his lips curl, "if they got in my way, I took 'em down."

"But why?"

"Let's just say, I'm not the worst guy you could have run into," his smile vanished, "You know how with humans, there are good guys and bad guys?"

"I guess…"

"Well, here, there are only bad guys… but some of them just take it the extra mile," his gaze was distant, as if reliving a memory, "I used to be like that."

"Used to?" she tilted her head to the side, "What changed,"

"I met someone even worse," he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Levy couldn't even begin to picture a Gajeel that was worse than the one she met the first time she'd seen the castle… let alone someone even worse than that. The mere thought sent a shiver down her spine.

Silence stretched between them for a while as the two were enraptured in their own thoughts. Finally, Gajeel sighed and looked at her, "Anything else you want to know?"

"You were human once?" he nodded, "How do you make a vampire?"

He gave her a sideways glance that made her blush. He reached over and brushed her hair away from her shoulder. His touch made a shiver run down her spine and his blazing eyes captured hers. She felt his fingers brush against her neck.

"First, you have to drink their blood until they're barely holding on. You have to be careful, because if you don't stop in time they'll die," she found herself unable to pull away from his gaze. Her skin tingled where he touched her and she felt her breathing become faster, "then, you have to let them drink from you,"

His gaze was so intense she thought she might melt where she stood. His tongue ran across his fangs and she could see the vein on the side of his neck standing out. A growl reverberated in his chest and she noticed malice start to see into his face.

"Do you want to kill me?" she whispered, bringing her hands up to touch his chest. His red eyes flashed and he smiled wickedly.

"Absolutely," he growled. Her heart started to pound in her chest as his face neared hers.

"Where's Lily?" she breathed as he brought his knuckle up to tilt her head back.

"Dunno," he whispered huskily.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she braced herself for what was going to happen next. Instead of piercing pain in her neck, she felt his lips brush against her own. In the next instant, she felt herself collapsing into him as his mouth claimed her. His hands pulled her close, grabbing her roughly. Fire raced through her veins with every delicious kiss that pushed against her lips.

Suddenly, she felt his entire body stiffen and he pulled his head back.

"…wha-?" her eyes gazed at him foggily. His head was turned towards the door and every muscle on his body was taught enough to snap. A terrifying growl shook the air around him. Suddenly, she felt very scared.

The door to the library creaked open, and a tall, pale man wearing a purple cloak stood in the doorway. He smiled maliciously, showing rows or jagged teeth like a shark's. He laughed darkly, filling the air with a dark tension.

"Hello, Gajeel,"