Chapter 9 up and going! Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 9

Cobra jerked as he came to, his mind reeling as he tried to figure out where he was and how he had gotten there. Easing into a sitting position, he looked around and blinked as he realized that he was in a hotel room.

Giving a frown, he thought a moment, and tensed as memories began to come to him. Him and Lucy walking along the path to the village that asked them for help, Lucy calling out to the mages following them, and then...

Bile rose up in his throat as he recalled his hand slamming into Lucy's chest. One of his most powerful attacks entering her. And her lifeless body falling to the ground...

"Dragon Slayer, calm yourself." A deep voice sounded, causing him to tense and quickly raise his head. Blinking as he saw the spirit from before in front of him, his hand reaching out as if to touch him. Cobra released a growl before launching out of the bed, one hand wrapping around the spirit's throat while he gathered as much poison as he could in his other. Watching with slight satisfaction as fear entered the spirit's eyes before he squeezed them tight and prepared himself for the blow.

"Cobra! No!" The feminine shout was followed with a foot connecting with his shoulder, sending him flailing to the side. He gave a grunt as he landed on the carpet, and quickly rolled to see who the second attacker was. Only to freeze as he saw Lucy crouching before the frightened spirit, attempting to sooth him.

"Pharaoh. I'm sorry, I should have told you he might be a bit defensive when he came to. It's alright, he wont hurt you. You have my word." She whispered, placing a calming hand on the spirit's shoulder. Cobra could only watch in awe as the spirit carefully opened his eyes, stared at Lucy for a moment before giving a small nod and glancing warily in his direction.

"Cobra?" The question in Lucy's voice caused him to give a sigh as he closed his eye. Just allowing her voice to calm him before looking up at her. The real her, he realized. He had been stupid enough to act without thinking during the fight, and had gotten caught in a damn nightmare! Leaving Lucy to protect his useless ass, and apparently come out of the fight with some bruises and cuts, but thankfully still the victor. If the fact that the spirit was there said anything.

"What happened?" He asked, watching as she blinked for a moment and then relaxed.

"After you got caught in Fang's nightmare, I called out some backup. I wont go into details, but Fang and Azelea are now in the council's custody, while Talli and Jase are at Fairy Tail." She stated, and he blinked for a moment before shooting to his feet.

"Why the hell are two of our enemies at the guild?" He hissed out, frowning as he saw the spirit move closer to Lucy, in an almost...protective manner? Could it be that Lucy won over the elemental spirit's trust?

"They're just kids Cobra. Both of them are twelve, and have been broken by Fang's nightmare magic. They didn't even want to listen to them anymore, and were merely waiting for death. They've had hard lives, and deserve a chance to at least recover." She stated, and he scowled before giving a sigh and looking away. There was no point in arguing with her, because he knew that she was right. If it was as she had said, then they never had a chance, but he wasn't sure how much the guild would help.

"Fine. What about the fight? You're not too hurt, are you?" He asked, glancing her over and took in the bandages around her wrists, left bicep, and small band-aid on her cheek.

"While I did take more than a good fair share of hits, I was able to pull a miracle off in the end. Although, how it happened was kinda...strange." She muttered, and his gaze shot to the spirit when he shifted slightly and gave him a pointed look before looking back to Lucy.

"Mistress. If you'd like, I can finish healing your wounds." Pharaoh stated, and he could only stare as Lucy gave a sigh before looking up at the spirit.

"I told you Pharaoh. You don't have to call me 'Mistress'. Lucy is fine, or whatever else you want to call me. I'm not your owner, I'm your friend." She grumbled out, and Cobra smirked as the spirit shifted, completely unsure as to what to do.

"But..."

"You're not gonna win that argument, so I wouldn't even try if I were you. She's like that with all of her spirits." He stated, already knowing that the spirit had been to point out that since she was his key holder now, she was his owner. It seemed Pharaoh didn't quite understand, and was questioning how someone could actually exist. Cobra scratched the back of his head before shrugging, a smirk appearing on his face.

"I've been asking the same questions pal. Starting to realize that's just who she is." He stated, watching as the spirit stared at him for a moment, clearly surprised that he had been able to read his thoughts.

"I read souls, not thoughts." He stated, before facing Lucy who had been staring between them putting the pieces of the conversation together. Only to smirk as she gave a nod to her spirit, who merely gave a sigh before giving a small smile.

"Then I thank you, Lucy." Pharaoh stated, before pressing his forehead to hers. Cobra tensed before blinking as he saw that the spirit was merely healing her before giving her a cheeky grin when she pouted.

"You didn't have to do that." She muttered, and he gave a nod when the spirit glanced over at him.

"I know, but wanted to anyway. Bye for now." He stated, before disappearing into the spirit world. Cobra waited as Lucy gave a sigh and shook her head, a small smile on her lips. He knew that she was merely exasperated at the spirit, but not mad or disappointed in him.

"Cobra. Are you alright?" She asked, causing him to give a frown. The image of himself killing her popped into his mind, causing him to give a mental shiver. He thought it had been bad when he had read Lucy's soul about future Lucy dying. How Natsu was protective about her since he had failed in protecting her. That was nothing compared to that nightmare.

"Cobra?" She asked, snapping him back out of his thoughts. Staring at her for a moment, he finally caved and stepped forward. Wrapping his arms around her and pulled her close, nuzzling his nose into her hair. Inhaling the soothing scent of strawberries, vanilla, and a honey like musk. Only to tighten his hold as he assured himself that this was real, it wasn't another nightmare. Lucy was alive, he hadn't killed her. She had won...She had won!

"How did you manage to defeat them?" He asked, not releasing her from the embrace, but did loosen his hold slightly as she shifted.

"It wasn't easy. Fang's nightmare magic was a huge pain in the ass. However, he couldn't get the details of my nightmares right. So, it was easy to break through each one. Azelea's magic wasn't a problem. Since she abuses her spirits, they were so afraid in disobeying an order, they didn't think for themselves. Meaning that they struck without thinking, and they always had an opening. Sure, I took a few attacks, but in all honesty, I've had worse." She stated, her hands resting on his arms, but not pushing him away. He gave a hum, and gave a sigh as he continued to hold her close. Relishing in her body heat, the sound of her soul and heartbeat, her scent, all of her. It meant that she was alive, that he hadn't killed his mate.

"Cobra? Am I your mate?" She suddenly asked, causing him to tense and snap his eye open. Shit, he was in trouble.

Lucy waited patiently as Cobra seemed to try and work himself through his panic at her question. She had noticed a few things while he had been recovering from the nightmare. For one, he kept whimpering her name, and one apology after another. Then, Pharaoh had said that he sensed a connection between them that surpassed normal relationships.

If that meant what she thought it meant, then she was Cobra's mate. However, what she couldn't figure out was why he hadn't told her yet. Was it that he didn't want her as a mate? Was he afraid that she wouldn't accept him? She thought she had already explained that to him, so the only other option was that he didn't want her. Which made sense, he probably wanted someone strong enough to always have his back. Not someone who constantly got lucky breaks.

"Stop that thinking now." He suddenly hissed out, causing her to blink before she was being held back slightly. Before she could ask him what was wrong, his lips crashed to hers. Giving a gasp, she shivered as passion enveloped her, and gave a whimper as she grabbed onto the material of his shirt as her legs went weak. Levy had once attempted to explain that mates shared their pleasure, but that explanation was nothing compared to this.

She shivered as he withdrew slowly, pressing his forehead against hers and slowly blinked her eyes open to stare into his gaze. Swallowing hard, she bit her bottom lip as she saw that his gaze was dark with want and tenderness.

"You are strong, Bright Eyes. You just saved my ass, rescued Pharaoh, saved two children, and kept yourself alive. I'm not sure how many people are capable of that. It's me who doesn't deserve you, Lucy." He whispered, his gaze softening as he stepped away and raised his hands when she went to speak.

"Don't. I know that you're going to say that you've forgiven me, and that I merely need to forgive myself. But, my hands are too tainted, as is my own soul. I'm nothing but a dark abyss, and I don't want to risk tainting the light you put out." He stated, and she felt her chest tighten before straightening her back.

"Who says you'll taint me? Maybe the reason I'm your mate is to help pull you out of the abyss you think you're in?" She asked, watching as he blinked before looking down. Apparently thinking of what she said, before giving a small huff and shaking his head.

"Damn your way of thinking, Bright Eyes. You have this way that makes people think that there is hope. That everything isn't as bad as it seems." He growled, and she gave a smile before stepping close and wrapping her arms around his waist. Remaining still when he tensed for a moment, and then relaxed as his hands hesitantly wrapped around her.

"That's because there is always hope. You can't let anything make you think otherwise. The moment you lose hope, you do fall into the abyss. Yet, even if you do, there is always a way to come back. Please Cobra, if you think you're in that abyss, let me be your way out." She whispered, pressing her face into his chest and tightening her hold. She listened to his rapid heartbeat, which almost matched up to hers, and blinked when he tightened his hold and brought her closer.

"I'm terrified." He whispered, and she felt the small tremors going through his body. Giving a small smile, she looked up at him, raised herself up on tiptoes, and pressed her forehead against his.

"It's fine to be scared. Especially with everything you've been through. You're afraid to trust those outside of your circle, but you can trust me Cobra. I wont turn you away, I wont hurt you, and I will be there for you. Because I love you." She stated, feeling a blush crossing her face at her confession as he blinked in shock.

"Y..You..Love me?" He asked, causing her to give a small nod.

"I..I have for a while. I admit, thinking that someone else was lucky enough to have you for a mate, made me jealous. But, I was willing to help if it meant seeing you happy." She stated, watching as his eye widened slightly, before he gave a sigh and rested his head against her shoulder. Putting her feet back on the floor, she blinked in confusion before giving a gasp as he nipped gently at her exposed skin.

"Thank you, Bright Eyes. However, I want to hold off on the mating process, just for a while. I want to court you properly." He whispered, and she blinked as her chest gave a fluttering sensation. Looking up at him when he pulled back, she gave a smile and nodded. Giving a hum when he leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. She understood what he wanted, and was more than willing to wait for him.

There's chapter 9! Hope you liked it and chapter 10 will be up later!