Chapter 27: When Instinct Devours Reason

𖤐••{AZRÆL’S POV}••⛧

Lord Ædrin lifts his wineglass to his lips, sipping slowly as his eyes follow Rhiannon across the ballroom.

"Your Majesty, I have to admit," he says, his eyes lingering on her a moment too long before finally meeting my gaze. "Your wife is quite the beauty."

My eyes narrow slightly.

"You’ve been paying her a little too much attention," I reply, my voice low and void of any amusement. "Careful."

"My apologies, Your Majesty. I meant no disrespect," he says smoothly. "I was merely impressed. Now that I’ve seen her with my own eyes, I think I finally understand why you were willing to break tradition for her."

Lady Rhyvella lifts her fan to her face, slowly fanning herself as she gazes at Rhiannon.

"A human Empress," she says with a soft, almost disbelieving laugh. "Never in a million years would I have imagined we’d live to see the day."

Her eyes sharpen when she turns to face me.

"Your Majesty," she says, lowering her fan. "There is something I’ve been wondering."

"And what would that be?" I ask, arching a brow.

"Your wife," she begins. "Why weren’t any of her people present at the wedding? Does she have no family?"

Lord Ædrin nods thoughtfully.

"I’ve been wondering about that myself," he says. "And apparently, I’m not the only one."

He leans closer, lowering his voice until it’s barely above a murmur.

"There’s a rumor spreading throughout the ballroom like wildfire. The whispers claim that you abducted the princess from her home."

The corner of my lips curves slightly. "Hmm."

I take a small sip of my wine before lowering the glass.

"Lord Ædrin," I say calmly, "what did you call these whispers again?"

His brows crease slightly.

"Rumors," he answers.

"Exactly," I nod. "And they should be treated as such."

My gaze travels across the ballroom until it finally lands on Rhiannon.

Lilith is speaking with her, but something about the way she’s standing immediately catches my attention.

Her shoulders are tense. Her fingers are curled tightly around the fabric of her gown. And there’s an unmistakable unease in her eyes.

She says something to Lilith before she tries to walk away. But Lilith steps directly into her path.

Rhiannon tries again, but Lilith blocks her again.

My brows furrow.

Whatever is going on between them is definitely not a friendly conversation.

The moment Lilith reaches out and grabs Rhiannon by the wrist, my expression hardens.

"Excuse me for a moment," I mutter to Lord Ædrin and Lady Rhyvella.

As soon as I turn away from them, something hits me like a solid wall and I freeze.

My eyes widen as the scent of blood floods my lungs.

It’s nothing like any blood I’ve ever smelled before.

It’s sweeter.

More intoxicating.

As the scent grows stronger... thicker with every breath... an aching hunger awakens deep in my gut. It consumes my senses, drowning out every single thought in my head.

Without even searching, my eyes immediately lock onto Rhiannon as if they already know the scent is coming from her.

Then against my will, I feel my fangs slowly extending inside my mouth.

With the last bit of control I have left, I force myself to say just one word.

"Run."

Rhiannon slowly moves backward at first, but when she turns and starts running, everyone around me bolts after her.

My hands clench into fists so tight my arms tremble and my nails bite into my palms.

My teeth grind together until my jaw aches.

And every muscle in my body locks tight as I fight the urge to join them.

But the scent of her blood is far stronger.

It latches onto every part of my body like chains, pulling me in her direction.

With every ounce of strength I possess, I force myself to step back. But when I move to take another step, my body refuses to obey.

The muscles in my thigh strain painfully, and my bones ache as I try to force my foot backward, but it’s almost as if my leg has been nailed to the floor.

I continue to struggle until my breathing turns ragged and my body trembles violently.

My strength finally gives out and I collapse to the floor.

My vision blurs at the edges.

Every sound becomes muffled, growing distant as if I’m sinking underwater.

And then...

꧁ ✧༺ ❦ ༻✧ ꧂

"...Rhiannon?"

My brows slowly knit together.

Her eyes are shut tight, tears running down her cheeks.

When my gaze drops, my eyes widen instantly.

My hand is wrapped around her throat and I have her pinned up against the wall.

She opens her eyes very slowly... and the moment they meet mine... my heart clenches painfully in my chest.

She looks at me as if I’m a monster.

My fingers lose their grip and she drops to her knees immediately, coughing violently as she clutches her neck.

I stare down at my hands as if they belong to someone else. They’re covered in blood, smearing all the way up to my elbows.

They begin to tremble as I slowly back away from Rhiannon.

The moment I turn my head... I freeze in my steps.

Dozens of guards lay dead in pools of blood, their hearts sitting on the floor beside their bodies.

When I see Nayeesha lying motionless on the ground, my heart drops to the bottom of my stomach.

...What have I done?

Guilt begins to consume me.

For a moment, I stand completely still, staring at Rhiannon with horror until a faint groan pulls my attention.

I turn to find Nayeesha trying to push herself up from the floor, but her arms give out and she collapses again.

Rhiannon immediately scrambles on her knees toward her. She wraps her arms around Nayeesha, then carefully, she starts pulling her upright.

Nayeesha’s face twists into a frown as she lets out a sharp wince.

"Easy," Rhiannon whispers, her voice trembling. "Easy..."

Another pained groan leaves Nayeesha’s lips, but Rhiannon doesn’t stop until she’s finally standing on her feet.

"Are you alright?" Rhiannon whispers.

Nayeesha doesn’t answer.

Her head hangs forward for a moment before she lifts her gaze and her eyes meet mine.

For several long heartbeats, she stares at me as if she’s trying to make sense of what she’s seeing.

"Azræl..." she says, her voice weak and hoarse. "Is that really you?"

I swallow the lump in my throat.

"Nayeesha..." I whisper, slowly walking toward her. "I—"

The scent of Rhiannon’s blood slams into me like a tide.

I bare my fangs instantly, letting out a sharp hiss as I storm toward her.

Before I can attack her, I violently wrench myself backward, nearly tripping over my feet as I cover my nose with both hands.

Rhiannon and Nayeesha both stare at me with shock.

My eyes are wide as I stare back at them, but just as I open my mouth to say something, a thunderous rumble echoes through the corridor.

My head whips toward the direction of the sound and my brows furrow as I listen.

They’re footsteps.

Dozens of them pounding against the floor and growing louder with every passing second.

I glance at Rhiannon and Nayeesha, and the same fear that grips my heart is written across their faces.

"They’ve broken free," Rhiannon whispers.

"Nayeesha," I snap, my tone urgent. "Use your magic to get Rhiannon as far away from the castle as possible!"

She shakes her head weakly.

"It’s a powerful spell," she whimpers. "I can’t... I don’t think I can do it now."

"You can!" I insist, my voice growing even more panicked. "Please, you have to try!"

At that moment, a chorus of wild snarls and sharp hisses fill the corridor.

My heart jumps into my throat the second I glance over my shoulder.

The guests emerge from the end of the corridor, flooding toward us like a wave of death.

"Nayeesha!" I roar, my gaze snapping back to her. "Do it now or she dies!"

Nayeesha staggers as she pushes herself off Rhiannon.

She drops to her knees and presses her palms against the stone floor before closing her eyes.

"Nithiri..." she rasps.

"Ky-iros..."

A circle of glowing runes appear on the floor beneath their feet.

"Ryvathar!"

Her eyes snap open, glowing bright yellow as the runes start spinning. But then, her body jerks violently and blood pours from her nose.

The light from the runes blasts outward in radiant arcs, growing so bright that I’m forced to shield my eyes.

The corridor.

The guests.

Rhiannon.

Nayeesha.

Everything is swallowed by pure white.

I squeeze my eyes shut but the brightness burns through my eyelids.

A wave of magic suddenly slams into me, knocking me to the ground.

A pained groan leaves my lips as I writhe against the floor. After a few heartbeats, the agony fades and I sit upright.

When my vision finally clears, I look around to see everyone lying on the corridor floor.

Rhiannon and Nayeesha are gone.

But the scent of my wife’s blood lingers faintly in the air.