~Gajeel~
As soon as the others had arrived, we took off in the direction of Ivan’s hideout. It was located in the forest not too far from Extalia, only a couple of hours away if we shifted and ran—or, in Titania’s and Natsu’s cases, flew. We all went as fast as we could, hoping we might be able to reach Levy before Ivan could go through with his crazy scheme.
The hagraven had told us he planned to use her blood in some ritual in order to gain her powers. Since it was a full moon, it would most likely work. And, if he succeeds, Levy will die.He would begin the ritual once the moon was high in the sky, and it would be completed at midnight, when the effects of the full moon were at their greatest.
Damn, it’s getting closer to nightfall, I thought, panic slowly beginning to creep up my spine. I could already feel the effects of the full moon, so I knew there wasn’t much time left before I would be lost. We have to rescue Shrimp before that. I can’t afford to lose it yet! Especially if what that damned cat said is the truth and Levy really is my…I shook myself. There wasn’t time to think about that. For now, I had to focus on getting her away from Ivan and back to the safety of the guildhall. I could worry about whether or not she was my mate later.
If Ivan touched so much as a hair on her head, I’ll rip out his throat. The thought was oddly satisfying, so I ran a little faster. The moon madness was growing, and I could feel the bloodlust. I have to save Levy! I have…I stopped running, shaking my head as red stained my vision. No! Not yet!
“Gajeel,” Natsu said, landing beside me, “you feeling alright?”
I nodded, panting hard. I can smell them, so we’re almost there. I have to keep myself together for a little longer.
“We need to keep moving,” Erza told me. “The sun is nearly down.”
Not wasting any time, I took off again. A few more minutes. If I can hang on for a few more minutes!
Finally, the building came into view. Unfortunately, the madness was pulling hard at my mind, and it was difficult to concentrate. I’m not going to make it. Levy…I’m sorry. When the first wave of demon’s attacked, and the smell of blood filled the air as the fighting began, I lost myself.
Something…something smells good. It was like sunshine and ink, and it set my entire soul ablaze. I gasped as I was suddenly wrenched from my wolf form, and thrust back into my human form—totally conscious.
The first thing I sensed upon returning to sanity was that I reeked of blood. It didn’t take much to realize I was covered from head to toe in the stuff; I could feel my hair sticking to my bare back, and I could feel it dripping from the ends. The second thing I sensed was a wonderful taste in my mouth. It was incredible, far beyond anything I had ever eaten. When I looked down after feeling a weight in my arms, I wanted to be sick, and all fondness I may have had for the taste turned into pure disgust.
Shrimp was wrapped in my arms, and was bleeding heavily. The wounds on her neck and her hand were concerning, but they weren’t what caused me to take off in the direction of Extalia.
Her left shoulder had a gaping bite wound. A very familiar-looking bite wound. One that made my knees nearly give out.
Something had really had ahold of her—with no intentions of letting go. I did that, didn’t I? I wanted to kick something, but instead I ran faster. I was going frustratingly slow because of my human legs, but I couldn’t shift with Levy—not that I could anyways with a full moon high in the damned sky. On any other full moon, I may have stopped to appreciate its beauty, since it was the first full moon I had seen in a long, long time. However, I didn’t have that kind of time. The small woman in my arms was my priority, and she was beginning to look terrifyingly pale.
“Gajeel?” Master asked as I burst through the doors of Extalia. “What are you—“
“Levy needs help!” I said, gasping for air. “She was—she was…” I couldn’t finish, unable to say it. I attacked her. I tried to kill Levy.
“Wendy,” Master shouted, calling to the small medical sprite. She flew in, gasping when she saw Levy’s poor condition.
“Lady Shagotte, do you have somewhere we can take her?” Wendy asked the white-haired woman. She nodded, ushering towards the back of the building. Wendy and I followed her to an infirmary, and I gently laid Levy down on one of the beds, making sure never to let go of her uninjured hand.
Wendy, knowing I couldn’t let go for fear of being lost to the full moon again, began working without saying a word. She closed her eyes as magic flowed from her tiny fingertips and covered Levy’s body in a shimmering blue light.
“It’s lucky tonight is the full moon,” she said, wiping her brow after nearly an hour. The light began to fade, and I could see Levy’s injuries were nearly healed. “My powers were stronger tonight, so I was able to heal most of the injuries. The wound on her shoulder may still take about a week to heal, even with the help of my powers. It will most likely scar, too.”
“Will she—?” Again, I couldn’t bring myself to finish, afraid of the answer.
Wendy smiled, placing her hand on my shoulder. “She won’t turn, Gajeel. I was able to heal her enough that a werewolf bite won’t affect her.”
“Thanks, Wendy,” I nodded, letting out a long breath. Thank God.
When she was gone, I pulled Levy’s hand up, lightly pressing my lips against her knuckles before propping my head on the bed. The more I thought about Lily’s words from before, the more I knew he had been right. Levy was my mate. I could no longer deny that. Seeing her hurt had nearly ripped my heart out, and I never wanted to see her get hurt like that again.
Knowing the worst of her injuries had been my fault…I gritted my teeth, a sharp pain hitting me in the chest.
Levy, I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.
