Every time I read about vampires, I wanna write about vampires.

As always, thanks for all the love, and happy reading.

No!

Natsu rushed out the front door, oblivious to whether it closed behind him. Gray yelled for him, but he ignored him. The asphalt was slick from the torrential downpour, and his feet were sucked into the puddles, but he pushed on. Being a vampire, his heightened senses allowed him to see perfectly through the rain trying to blur his vision, but they couldn't help him completely avoid the obstacles.

Still, he wouldn't be stopped until he got to Lucy.

"We agreed!" He growled under his breath.

Being a vampire was awful. The constant thirst, the urge to hunt the humans who walked so casually past him on the street, the worry about skin being exposed to sunlight and the pain when it was, the fear of being discovered. It was all awful, and the increased lifespan of such an existence was no boon. It was a curse.

Lucy had asked, begged, and bartered to be turned into a vampire. She claimed that she wanted to be with him, but she already was! They were together every second of the day that they weren't otherwise busy, and he stayed by her side as much as he could while she slept. He gave her more of his time than he'd ever given anyone since he'd been reborn. Somehow that wasn't enough.

He remembered when she'd finally agreed to stay human. Her brown eyes, which he loved so much, had been sad, but she'd still smiled. She'd said she didn't like it, but that she would agree to his wishes. "I won't ask you to turn me anymore, I promise. You're right."

Fool! He'd known then that something was off, but he'd been unable to pinpoint what caused that feeling so he'd ignored it. He'd known she didn't want to stay human. He'd been been willing to spend the rest of her life loving her and making it up to her. He'd been sure that although she was sad about it, he could make it up to her by never making her sad again. By never letting her feel alone again. By loving her until she took her very last breath.

He hadn't expected this. He hadn't introduced her to the others so they could do this.

Had she planned it all along? Was this why she had asked to meet them?

Had she always planned to betray him like this?

He could feel Gray behind him. Natsu knew he was following him to protect Juvia, but he had no intention of harming her. There would be no need to fight with anyone, because he was going to get there in time. He was going to stop it.

Gray managed to push closer just before Natsu rounded onto their street, but Natsu's quick reflexes allowed him to dodge. As he swung around, he grabbed Gray's arm and used his momentum to fling him away. Natsu dashed the remaining distance and threw open their front door. It hit the wall with a bang just as the sky above him flashed with lightning. The thunder that crashed behind him drowned out whatever Juvia said.

She was crouched over Lucy, who was on her knees on the floor, her arms shaking as they held up her torso. Even over the rain, Natsu could hear her shallow breaths, feel the lack of warmth coming from her skin. Juvia bolted out of the way as Natsu joined Lucy on the floor. He ran an arm across her chest so he could hold her up. Even touching her, smelling her, he pretended not to notice.

He was wrong. He had to be wrong.

"Lucy," he whispered. "Please tell me you're okay."

She swallowed again and again, clearly needing something. A cold sweat covered her forehead, which he gently wiped away. "Tell me, Luce, please," he begged. "Please tell me you're okay."

Lucy let her head fall back as she panted. Natsu caught it and carefully laid her back. He couldn't avoid watching her throat as she swallowed again. His fingers tightened in her hair for a second before he forced his fingers apart. He needed to be careful. She was a fragile human- he needed to be careful with her. "Luce, I am begging you, please tell me you're okay."

She slowly nodded. "I'm okay," she croaked. After swallowing again, she opened her mouth a little wider. "I'm just..."

Fangs poked out from between her lips.

Her pale skin was even paler than usual.

Her eyes fluttered open, bright crimson rather than the warm brown he loved.

"Thirsty," she whispered.