Chapter 8! Hope that everyone enjoys and strong topics in this chapter! This is a dark chapter but I still hope that you enjoy!

Invitation

Chapter 8

Cobra looked up as Lucy gave a sigh before closing her book and arched against the arm of the couch in the hidden room. His gaze going to her chest as it was thrust upward, but quickly adverted them when she relaxed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Something on your mind?" He asked, flipping to the next page in his own book. Waiting patiently as she remained quiet before straightening to look directly at him.

"Two things actually. First, I don't think my father is going to give up as easily as you and Makarov think, so I'm worried about why he left without a fuss. Second...We've never really talked about that kiss or what's between us." She whispered, curling in on herself slightly. He closed his book and sat it aside before turning to face her on the couch.

It had been three days since their fathers had 'visited', and he had a nagging suspicion that it had been bothering her. However, he refused to push just in case it was something that she needed to talk about by herself.

"You know your father better than anyone here. So, if you think he's going to try something else, then I'll talk with Makarov about it. You have everyone's backing, so you shouldn't fear him."

"That's the problem though. Everyone is willing to stand between me and him, and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Give us some credit." He muttered, smirking as she blinked before giving a sigh and looking down.

"This isn't a joke, Cobra. My father is powerful, and has a lot at his disposal. I don't want anyone to risk themselves because of me." She whispered, causing him to give a sigh before moving closer and bringing her to his chest.

"I hear ya, Bright Eyes. You're scared of your father, but frightened more by the thought of one of us getting hurt because of him. I promise you, I won't let anything bad happen to you, or those you care for. Your father isn't the only one with connections." He whispered, pressing a kiss into her hair and loosened his hold so she could adjust into a more comfortable position. Which lead him to recline along the couch so she was resting on his chest. At her sigh, he knew that this was going to be something that she would worry about until something happened. There was no comforting her or easing her worries, because it dealt with her father. It was something that he understood.

"What's truly between us?" She suddenly asked, causing him to give a sigh while resting one hand behind his head and allowing the other to draw random patterns along her back. The material of her sweater smooth beneath his fingers.

"What do you want to be between us? Because, I'm open for a relationship. Especially with you." He muttered, peeking down when she tensed slightly before turning her head so her chin was resting against his chest and their gazes could meet.

"I'm serious Cobra..."

"So am I." He whispered, watching as her eyes widened slightly. When she remained quiet he brought his hand up and brush his thumbs against her lips.

"I've never felt like this around anyone else. I'm not one to fool myself, and I'll easily admit that I love you. I'd do anything for you just to see you smile, but I'm not going to push my feelings onto you either. If you want something between us, that is for you to decide. Especially since a relationship with me, means saying goodbye to any social life." He sighed, watching as she blinked before rolling her eyes.

"Are you still on that? Cobra, I don't care if I have a social life here, or not. My friends understand why I want to be around you and Midnight and accept that. Them and you are the only people I need around. Besides...I...I'm in love with you too." The last part was a bare whisper, but he heard it. Sitting up, he pulled her into a kneeling position between his legs and met her gaze. The question that burned his tongue caught as he saw the sincerity within her gaze. There was no point in asking if she truly meant it, it was right there for him and all to see.

Giving a groan, he wrapped her in a hug and rested his forehead against her shoulder.

"Never thought I would hear those words. You don't understand what this means to me, Bright Eyes." He whispered, inhaling and relaxing into her when she returned the hug.

"Same goes to me." She whispered back, her voice soft and soothing to his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut, before slowly moving away from her and met her gaze. Swallowing, he inhaled deeply, released it slowly, and shifted back so he was reclining against the couch again. Her comfortably on his chest.

"Bright Eyes...I wanna know about your past. And I want you to know about mine. If, and only if, you believe that you are ready to hear it?" The silence that stretched was almost too much for him. Yet, when she shifted closer to him, and rested her head on his chest, he knew that they would be there for a while.

"I'll listen. You go first, I..I have to work up a bit more courage." She whispered, and he gave a nod before leaning his head back and allowing his mind to go back to the darkest times of his life.

"That bastard that's now playing bodyguard for your father, used to do nothing but human trafficking. Countless men and women sold on the black market because of him, and he liked to 'test' his products a few times. It's the only fucking reason I'm alive was because he decided to rape the woman who birthed me. Only to have the birthing process to kill her." He paused a moment, his fingers tightening on her hips as he fought past the emotions that swamped him. He never knew his mother, never got to feel her embrace. Hell, he didn't even know if she would have cared for him since the only reason she even had him was because of rape!

"Cobra? If you..."

"No. Sorry."

"Don't apologize." Lucy whispered, stretching up and pressing a soft kiss to his chin and he looked down into her gaze. Finding tenderness there that had him twisting them to the side so he could curl around her. His head resting on her chest, and her fingers combed through his hair, calming him greatly.

"After I was born, he took me out of the group. Saying that a son to inherit his 'empire' sounded like a great idea. Too bad I didn't think the same. I went against him every time, called the cops countless times only to have them bought into silence. Never cared for authority after that, and stayed on the streets as much as I could. Helping some escape. The beatings I got were worth it. I found out so much about his business, the whole neighborhood was in on it, and that's when I stumbled across Midnight. He was just like me. Entered the world through the same sick method because of these people...We decided to fight them together, but the rage I felt whenever he had an abuse mark...I never understood the anger, but I let it control my actions." He shifted closer, closing his eyes and tightening his hold.

"They tried to put us back on the market. Put us in the same room, and Midnight...He became so afraid to sleep, and it enraged me. I...I put some 'clients' in the hospital whenever they tried to touch us. I bit, tore skin, nearly gouged out an eye. Whatever I could to make them back off! Our bastards didn't like that, and did everything they could think of to get us to submit. Get me to submit! Starve us. Keep us from having anything to drink. Countless beatings. None of it worked. At least, not until she came along." He stopped for a moment, inhaling her sweet honey and vanilla scent, and allowing her soothing fingers to calm him.

"My father got another woman pregnant. I helped take care of her through the pregnancy. She was so sweet, so nice and was actually excited about the child. She...She even called me her son a few times. It was the leading cause that made me make sure that my little sister stayed safe after the birth. Once again, she couldn't stand the strain, and we didn't have the proper medication and technique. She died not even seconds after her little girl started crying. Before that bastard could even touch her, I had her in my hold and daring him to take her. To put her through what the other women were going through." His body was trembling, he knew that he was going to leave bruises on Lucy's sides if he didn't ease up. Yet, she didn't voice any discomfort, merely tightened her hold on him and rested her face in his hair.

"Midnight came up with the name, Kinana. We became her big brothers. We didn't care what we had to do, but we were going to make sure she had a good life. One that meant that she didn't have to experience that hell! So, we called the cops. We tried, just once more! Only this time, we got in contact with the Crime Sorcerie squad. It made our fathers go into a rage, and it was all Midnight and I could do to keep them from Kinana. They knew that if they got to her, they could get us to do anything." He had to stop as his mind finally went back to that night. The night that he allowed all his anger to flow over..The night that he...

"Midnight's bastard..He had tossed Midnight against a wall, knocking him out. Kinana, she was crying at the top of her lungs, she didn't know what was going on. She was scared, and something within me...It just roared in anger. All I knew was that I had to protect them. I recall swinging, I recall screaming, getting punched, but I never went down. I know at some point I was able to get that bastard onto the ground and...When I came too, he wasn't breathing. He wasn't moving. I had killed the bastard that had fathered Midnight. My bastard was staring in fear, and when I looked up..I smiled. I loved the look of his fear. Thought that it was fitting after everything that he had done." He closed his eyes, waiting a moment to see if she would react in any way to him admitting that he had killed anyone. When she remained quiet, he swallowed and continued on.

"I moved toward him. Ready to do the same to him, but the cops showed up. They busted through the door, and that bastard decided to run to them for protection. Saying that he would pay them all to kill me. I actually laughed when the female police he latched onto beat the shit out of him. Only to back toward the other two when the leader approached. He was only eleven years older than me, and thirteen years older than Kinana, no more than nineteen and just starting the group. It took some time for him to get me calm enough that I could tell everything that happened. And why one man was dead...I thought for sure they would put me away. That they would separate Kinana from us, but he said he understood. That we weren't going into the system, he would see to that. He kept that promise, he adopted all three of us! I still question his motives though, because I just can't figure out why he would do that to three kids he had just met. But, he never calls me out on it, not even now! I trust him, hell, I have to if I let Kinana stay with him. Still, I expect him to say it was all a trick sooner or later, and throw me behind bars. All because of how that place twisted me! That's one reason why I keep so many people away! If you're alone, no one can hurt you." He whispered, nuzzling into her and waited. Waiting for her to say anything! To shout at him that he was a murderer! To say that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore!

A sob caused his eyes to widen, and he leaned back when he felt tears slid into his scalp. Straightening up, he pulled Lucy into his chest and began to rub her back. Unsure as to why she was crying!

"L..Lucy?"

"I'm...I'm sorry Cobra! Y..You shouldn't have had to live through something like that! Not you..Not Midnight! Not your...sister! None of you deserve that! You're...You're too good for something like that! Y...You also shouldn't apologize for it! A..Anyone else would have...Would have ended their lives! You..All of you...Fought! I...I have no right...To complain about my past when...when you went through something like that!" She cried, and he blinked before curling around her and holding her close. Bless this woman in his arms! She was a true angel, and for her to be crying for him! For what he had went through! He honestly didn't deserve her, but if she was willing to stay then he would be greedy as fuck and allow it!

"Shh, Bright Eyes. It's all in the past. I just thought you should know where my twisted personality comes from." He huffed out, blinking when she shoved back and glared up at him with tear filled eyes.

"You. Are. Not. Twisted! You are a kind, caring, compassionate man that did everything he had to, to protect those he loved! None of that is twisted!" She hissed, causing him to stare at her in shock. She was even getting mad at him, because he put himself down. He couldn't help it, a smile crossed his lips and he quickly pressed their lips together before another rant left her.

"I love you woman." He growled, pulling her into another hug. To actually have someone care that deeply about him..Damn it was like a drug! He wanted more of it! All of it!

"What was your childhood. I know that your father was tyrannical, but you never explained how." He whispered, shifting them further down the couch and wrapped her in a hug. Kissing a press to her head when she gave a sniff and snuggled closer to him.

"My father cares of nothing but making a name for himself. He wanted his business to be number one, so his family came second to him. He neglected me and my mother. She did all she could to make it up to me, even when I said that her love was enough, but to her it wasn't. She worked herself sick! Taking care of me, the servants, and the house...It was too much for her. She came down with an illness that has no cure, and my father never visited her once. I despised him with all of my being, because I blamed him for my mother's broken heart and passing. However, he didn't let it slow him down in the slightest." Cobra looked down as she began to tremble, her hands twisting in his shirt.

"He was asked to speak at her funeral, but he said that he didn't have time to even attend. It was one of the maids that escorted me to my mother's coffin, and it was a butler that comforted me when I cried. I knew then, I had no family left, and I became near lifeless. I followed my father's orders, just waiting for the day that I fell in love, or became old enough to move out. That all blew to hell when he announced my engagement party to someone I didn't even know!" Cobra narrowed his gaze, but made no comment. Just held her closer.

"I did the only thing I thought of. I ran away. I first visited my mother's grave, apologizing to her for being a coward and not being able to make father see the mistakes he was making, and then left. I found a small job as a waitress, it didn't make much but it was enough. I put myself into a public high school, met Levy and she became a great support. She helped me get back on my feet, and began to coax me out of the shields I had started to place. In all honesty, I'm surprised to see that my father even knew that I had ran away. So, when he showed up the other day...I was scared. Yet, felt so much better when you came through the door." She ended in a whisper, and he gave a hum.

"To be honest, I didn't even look at your father. My eyes were set on the fact that you were in the same room as that bastard from my past. It terrified me, and I knew at that moment I would have hurt him if he had even looked at you the wrong way."

"I think you shook my father as well. When you moved to my side, I've never seen him go so pale in his life." He smirked before looking down and met her saddened gaze. Oh how he hated that look, and slowly lowered his head until their foreheads were touching.

"Looks like we're both a bit twisted, but stronger because of it. Not many could survive on their own, especially so young." He whispered, feeling her nod before she bit her bottom lip and shifted her lower half. Giving a low growl, he hovered his lips over hers, waiting to see if he was allowed to go this far this soon.

"If you don't want..."

"I want it. I want to be with you in every way possible." She whispered, her breath ghosting over his lips. Swallowing, he gave a nod but still remained still.

"I'll tell you right now. When I get like this...I get greedy. I'll get a tad possessive, and easily jealous. So if..."

"Cobra..."

"Erik. My name is Erik." He growled, watching as her eyes widened and she stared at him for a moment. And he allowed his feelings to come through. How he truly loved her, would cherish her, and wouldn't allow anything to harm her.

"Erik. I want this. I want you, and only you." She whispered, and damn if his name coming from her lips didn't sound like a prayer.

He struck quickly, capturing her lips with his, and didn't hesitate to deepen it. He would make her his! In every way possible!

Hope that you enjoyed! Next chapter will be up soon~ish! Also will be filled with lemony goodness!