Chaos & Salamander

Chapter 82 - Book on Mating Season

Lucy's POV

My eyes read the note written on the inside of the cover as horrific screams sounded behind me. Daichi should've known the consequences of taking a Dragon Slayer's mate. The handwritten note said:

To my dearest daughter,

I hope this finds you when the time comes and helps you navigate this part of your life.

Love,

Your Dad, Igneel

P.S. Please share this information with your brother.

"Wait! Igneel wrote this book?!" I exclaimed and the sounds behind me ceased. "Are you ok?" Natsu asked worriedly as he walked around me and crouched down in front of me. I noticed a splash of blood across his cheek. I giggled, "yeah I'm fine, I just found out that Igneel wrote this book and left it for me" I explained. "Oh, and you've got a bit of blood on your cheek" I added as I pointed to his cheek. He felt his cheek and saw the blood on his fingertips. "Ah" he said and then wiped it away with his sleeve. "Are you almost done?" I asked. He smiled, "almost" he said and then went back to what he was doing. The screams behind me increased.

I closed the book for a moment to feel the scales across the cover. It must've been made out of Igneel's scales. Nostalgia filled my heart as I remember the feeling of touching and hugging Igneel. 'Dad' I thought as a stray tear fell down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away before Natsu could notice and worry about me. I started reading the first page.

The first couple of chapters were about the same information that Igneel told me but with more detail. It explained how and why the other Dragon Slayers reacted the way they have through the season so far. Kaito's animalistic behaviour was triggered by him flirting with someone who isn't his mate. According to the book, he'll go back to normal the next day but he will have a strong urge to search for his mate. His urge will grow throughout the week to the point he'll revert to the animalistic behaviour we saw.

For the other Dragon Slayers who have found their mate but haven't marked them, they will feel drawn to their mates. A whiff of their mate's scent can send them into overdrive to find their mate. There was a section that mentioned what Daichi said about taking a mate can control a Dragon Slayer, but there was even a clear warning saying to NEVER take a mate away from a Dragon Slayer. Looks like Daichi and his dark guild are learning the hard way.

It also mentions that if a mate is out of scent range, like out of town, the Dragon Slayer will be tame for the beginning of the season, but the longer they go without a whiff of their mate's scent the worse their instincts will be towards the end of the season. For Sting and Rogue, I'll need to come up with a plan to lock them up before they get to this stage.

"Done" Natsu said as he came around in front of me. I closed the book and stood up. "Great, let's go home" I replied and then out of nowhere, Natsu picked me up in his arms. "Natsu?! Put me down!" I complained but he ignored me. He kept my back facing Daichi's beaten-up body as he walked us out of the cell, probably so I didn't see the amount of damage he did. I heard Daichi still breathing so I knew Natsu kept his promise.

When he stepped out of the cell, we stood in front of the others and I saw their eyes had returned to normal too. "Good to see you're alright Bunny Girl" Gajeel said with a smile and I smiled back. "Home" Natsu said and he carried me to the exit with the others following behind me. He refused to put me down until we arrived home.

As soon as we walked through the door, I looked at the clock and saw it was midnight. Happy and Celestia were asleep on the couch. On the counter in the kitchen, I noticed a pile of pizza boxes. "Oh pizza! I'm starving" I said as Natsu put me down. "We picked up some pizza for dinner but it's now cold" Natsu tsked. So that was where they went when I got kidnapped. "It's ok, I can just reheat it" I said with a smile while lighting my hand on fire.

I opened the first box and hovered my flaming hand over the pizza. Once it was heated up enough, I moved it to the side and repeated the process for the other pizzas. As soon as I finished reheating the pizzas, Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue rushed towards the food but were immediately stopped by Natsu stepping in front of them with a glare. "Ladies first" he growled and the other three held their hands up in surrender. Natsu turned to look at me and then flicked his eyes from me to the food and back, signalling me to grab some food.

Natsu didn't need to stop the boys from grabbing what they wanted. I was happy for them to grab what they wanted, but then there might not be much for me to choose from with four hungry male Dragon Slayers. So, I appreciate Natsu being considerate. "Thanks Natsu" I said with a smile and then grabbed a plate. I grabbed two meatlovers and two supreme slices and put it on my plate before stepping aside for the boys. As soon as I stepped aside, the boys leapt at the food. I rolled my eyes and took a bite of my pizza. "Lucy?" I heard Celestia and I turned to find her and Happy waking up. When they saw me, they flew into my arms. "We were so worried about you when we heard someone took you" Happy said. "Sorry I worried you two" I replied as I patted their heads.

"Happy, Celestia, do you want fish?" Natsu asked as he walked over to us holding two fresh fish in his hands. Happy and Celestia stared at the fish happily and flew to take it from him. "Thank you Natsu" they both said before Happy took a big bite of his fish. Celestia flew over to me with her fish. "Could you please cook it Lucy?" she asked. I took the fish in my free hand and smiled. "No problem" I replied and then lit my hand on fire to cook the fish. Once it was cooked enough, I extinguished my flame and handed the cooked fish back to her. "Thanks Lucy!" she said happily and took a big bite of her fish.

Once I finished my dinner and put my plate in the sink, Natsu walked over to me and grasped my wrist gently. He pulled me towards the couch. "Natsu? What are you doing?" I asked. "Sit down" was all he said and I did as he said. He walked over to the kitchen and grabbed the first-aid kit from one of the cupboards. He brought it over and sat next to me. I wondered why he had the first-aid kit until he gently moved my hair away from my neck. 'Oh yeah, my cut' I thought.

Natsu glared at my cut with a light growl before he grabbed a cotton ball and a bottle of antiseptic alcohol. He dipped a few drops of the alcohol onto the cotton ball and then gently pat it on my cut to clean the wound. His touch was so soft like he was handling something delicate. When he was done with the alcohol, he grabbed the gauze pad and bandage. He wrapped it gently around my neck. Once he was done dressing my wound, he put the first-aid kit aside and pulled me into his arms. I felt him smirk next to my ear. "Mine" he said as his arms tightened around my waist.