Chapter 29: Promise Me Something

••{RHIANNON’S POV}••

My legs have been folded beneath me for so long they feel numb, and my back aches from sitting upright.

But still, I don’t let go of Nayeesha.

I’ve cried so much that my eyes hurt, and the tears have stopped coming, leaving me with this empty feeling.

I press my head against her chest again, listening for her heartbeat.

The rhythm has slowed and I can barely hear the sound.

"Nayeesha..." I murmur in her ear. "If you can hear me, please, don’t leave me all alone... I beg you."

I know it’s foolish, but I wait... hoping she opens her eyes.

But a long, quiet moment passes and she stays limp in my arms.

My shoulders shake as tearless sobs escape me.

I gently lay Nayeehsa on the ground, then I rest my head on her shoulder, wrapping an arm around her and letting my eyes drift shut.

"Rhiannon."

I jolt upright, my eyes wide as I look at Nayeesha.

The second I realize she’s not awake, my blood runs cold.

I turn my head very slowly... and the moment I see those familiar golden eyes staring back at me, my heart slams hard against my chest.

Azræl.

He’s several feet away from me, slowly descending from mid-air. As soon as his feet touch the ground, he starts walking toward me.

"No, stay back!" I shout, wrapping my arms around Nayeesha and pulling her close.

He stops dead in his tracks then slowly lifts his palms.

"Rhiannon, please, don’t be afraid" he says gently before placing his hand on his chest. "It’s me."

He takes another step and I scramble backward, dragging Nayeesha with me.

"Don’t come any closer!" I scream, my voice breaking. "Stay away from us, you monster!"

He goes completely still.

The hurt in his golden eyes is so raw that for a fleeting moment, I almost regret what I said.

"Rhiannon... you know I would never hurt you," he says, then his eyes flick to Nayeesha. "Or her."

"But you did!" I lash out.

His shoulders drop, and for a short while he remains still. Then he starts moving toward me again.

"Stop!" I cry out, scrambling backward and pulling Nayeesha along with everything I have.

Azræl keeps coming closer.

"Azræl, I said stop!" I scream, my voice echoing throughout the trees.

He doesn’t.

He keeps walking until he closes the distance between us, then he drops to his knees and wraps me in his arms, pulling me against his chest before I resist.

My body turns rigid for a good moment.

Is this real?

Is it really him?

I pull away, just enough to look into his eyes, and as he gazes into mine, I see nothing but guilt and shame, eating away at him.

My body sags against him and I burst into tears, burying my face in his chest and clutching him tight.

He doesn’t say a word.

He just rubs his hand up and down my back, swaying me gently until my cries fade into sniffles.

We stay like that a little longer before his arms fall away and he pulls back.

"Let me see your hand," he says quietly.

I hesitate at first, then slowly, I hold my arm out to him. He takes it so gently as if he’s afraid he’ll do something terrible simply by touching me. Then carefully, he unwraps the fabric tied around my wrist.

The blood from the cut has long dried, but I can’t help but notice the way Azræl wrinkles his nose and slightly turns his head.

But still... nothing happens.

He wraps the piece of cloth back around wrist and knots it tight, then his eyes flick to Nayeesha.

"She–she needs help," I stammer. "She’s not breathing."

"It’s her magic," he says.

My brows pull together.

"...What?" I say, my tone confused.

"She pushed herself too far," he replies. "Her powers take a toll on her body when she overuses them."

He quickly lifts her into his arms and rises to his feet.

"We have to take her back to the castle," he says urgently. "She’ll get the help she needs there."

"No," I say immediately, shaking my head frantically. "I– I can’t... I can’t go back."

"Rhiannon," he says firmly.

"No! I’m not going back there!"

He raises his voice. "Well, I can’t leave you out here."

"Everyone knows!" I cry out. "Everyone knows now that I’m... that I’m not just some human girl. They almost tore me to shreds only because I bled a single drop. How do you expect me to feel safe in a castle full of vampires?!"

He opens his mouth to say something but I cut him off.

"How can I know you won’t lose control again?" I ask, my voice falling quiet. "You barely stopped yourself tonight. What happens next time? What if I bleed again?"

He blinks a few times as if he’s trying to hold back tears, then he turns his head away, unable to hold my gaze.

"I can’t," I whisper. "I just can’t find it in my heart to trust you anymore."

He immediately turns back to face me, holding my gaze for a heartbeat before walking over to a nearby tree. He crouches to his knees and carefully rests Nayeesha against the trunk, then he rises to his feet and crosses the space between us.

He lifts his hands and cradles my face between his palms, brushing his thumbs gently along my cheeks. But it’s not his touch that makes my breath catch.

It’s the tears gathering at the edge of his eyes.

"You have no idea how hard I fought to resist it," he says, his voice firm yet shaking at the same time. "I was ready to tear myself apart just so I wouldn’t hurt you."

He rests his forehead against mine.

"I promised to protect you," he continues. "To make sure no one harms you for your blood, and I will keep that promise. As long as I sit on the throne of the Empire of Night, no one will ever dare lay a finger on you."

He falls quiet for a few heartbeats before closing his eyes. And when he speaks again, his tone is soft... almost sad even.

"When I regained control of my senses..." he begins. "I couldn’t remember a single thing. But as time went on... the memories started coming back to me in fragments."

His eyes drift open, then a single tear falls down his cheek.

"I wanted to hurt you, Rhiannon," he says, his voice breaking. "I saw you as nothing but a sack of flesh and I wanted to drain you of every single drop of blood in your body. And I wasn’t the slightest bit repulsed for feeling that way... I enjoyed it."

A shiver crawls up my spine and goosebumps prickle across my arms.

"When you called me a monster..." he murmurs. "It hurt. Because looking back at that moment, I truly felt like one. And I never want to feel like that again. I never want to look at you and forget that you’re a person."

"Azræl... what are you saying?" I whisper.

He lowers his hands from my face and takes mine, squeezing them gently.

"If there ever comes a day when I become a threat to your life..." he says, "I want you to do something for me,"

"...What?" I ask.

He lets out a shuddering breath.

"I want you to kill me."