The Bride He Hates-Chapter 73: Ticking Clock

The vampire rescue force entered the council compound like a supernatural storm. King Damien led from the front. His eight hundred years of combat experience made him unstoppable. Behind him, Shadowmere’s elite warriors were fighting with the Order soldiers, beating them with their supernatural power.

Lord Richard helped by providing Eclipse Court’s magical powers. The vampire attacks were overwhelming, coordinated, and merciless. The Council had violated diplomatic protocols, tortured prisoners, and planned public executions of visiting dignitaries. The vampire response was fueled by justified anger.

Despite her own injuries from fleeing through the catacombs, Helena guided the vampire rescue force. Adrian stayed in Thornfield, he needed treatment first.

"The king and queen are below!" Helena shouted, pointing towards a collapsed section of the compound where dungeons were buried under debris. "The dungeons are underground. We need to reach them before this place collapses completely!"

Another explosion shook the compound as Richard unleashed magical force on an entrance, shattering it completely.

"The whole place is coming down!" Damien shouted back. "We need to move faster!"

He carved a path through the remaining Order forces towards the dungeon entrance. Shadowmere warriors protected him, killing everyone who tried to stop them. Richard used his magic to support collapsing sections. He created temporary supports that would last just long enough for rescue to be completed.

"I can’t hold it indefinitely!" Richard warned. "The damage is too much. We have only minutes, maybe less!"

"Move fast." Damien ordered, reaching the dungeon entrance and breaking the door with his bare hands. The silver hinges burned his skin but he didn’t stop.

In her cell, Lyanna frantically tugged at the silver chains as the ceiling cracked above her. It burned her skin but she didn’t care. Dying from chain burns was better than being crushed.

She threw herself sideways as far as the chains allowed, and the stones crashed down inches away from her.

"Fuck!" She screamed in frustration and fear.

Then she heard multiple footsteps from the corridor, moving with vampire speed. Her cell door burst open, and King Damien stood at the entrance, bloodied but grinning like he was having the time of his life.

"Your Majesty. You look terrible. Let’s get you out of here before this whole place buries us."

He crossed the cell in two strides, grabbed the silver chains tied to her wrists, and broke them with his hands. He then moved towards the chains on her ankles and neck, and soon Lyanna was free.

She collapsed immediately, her legs giving out. Damien caught her before she could fall on the ground.

"Let’s go get your husband and get out of this death trap."

"Azrael." Lyanna whispered. "He was in worse condition. They tortured him..."

"I know." Damien said, already moving towards the corridor.

They ran through the collapsing corridors, and Damien navigated the maze with Helena’s help. Soon they reached Azrael’s cell, and Lyanna’s heart stopped.

The cell was partially collapsed. One wall was broken, and the ground was filled with rubble and debris. Azrael, still chained to what remained of the walls was buried somewhere under it.

"Azrael!" Lyanna screamed, trying to pull herself from Damien’s arms to reach him.

"Hold still!" Damien said. "Richard! We need magic here!"

Lord Richard immediately used his magic and the rubble began lifting, revealing the broken body beneath. Azrael was buried under debris, barely conscious. His body had burns and wounds all over. The holy symbols carved into his skin were still bleeding. The stakes through his hands and feet held him pinned despite the collapsed walls. His skin had turned gray from blood loss. But he was alive.

"Get those chains off him!" Damien ordered, and several warriors rushed to help, grabbing silver chains despite the burning.

When they finally removed everything from his body, Azrael collapsed forward, but Damien caught him.

"His Majesty? Can you hear me?"

Azrael opened his eyes. He looked around the cell until he saw Lyanna, and relief appeared on his face.

"You... survived." His voice was barely audible.

Lyanna knelt beside him despite her own injuries, taking his hand.

"We survived together. I told you!"

He smiled weakly.

"We need to move!" Richard said. "The building won’t hold much longer!"

Damien lifted Azrael carefully, and they ran through the corridors that were collapsing around them.

Outside, the battle was ending. The Order forces were losing. The soldiers who hadn’t died or fled were surrendering, surrounded by vampire warriors.

Cardinal Matthias had been captured trying to escape through a hidden passage. Inquisitor Sora was dead, killed by Helena personally.

Most of the council’s inner circle was either dead or captured. The rescue operation was successful but costly.

Dozens of vampire warriors had died in the attack.Helena was badly wounded, and both Azrael and Lyanna needed treatment. Their injuries were so severe that even vampire healing wasn’t enough.

They were taken to a safe location in a neutral territory, where healers could work without fear of attack. The healers worked throughout the night. They removed embedded holy symbols from Azrael’s skin, cleaned and treated his infected wounds, and provided blood transfusions to replace what had been lost.

Lyanna’s injuries were serious but not life threatening. For Azrael, it was different. His body was hanging at death’s door.

Days passed. Lyanna recovered gradually, but

Azrael remained unconscious. On the third day, King Damien stood in the hall with Helena, both watching Azrael through a window as healers treated him.

"He’d better survive." Damien said with dark humour. "After everything we did to rescue him, dying now would be insulting to me."

Helena, still recovering herself, smiled weakly.

"He’s stubborn. He’ll survive."

"He’d better. Otherwise, I’d be very annoyed."

Lyanna woke on the fourth day, her body finally healed enough.

"Azrael?" She called the moment she opened her eyes.

"Your Majesty, you need to rest." The healer said.

"Where is he?" Lyanna asked, already trying to sit up despite her body’s protests. "I need to see him now."

"He’s still unconscious. We’ve done everything we can, but silver wounds, especially that severe..."

"Take me to him." Lyanna said. "That’s an order, not a request."

The healer helped her out of bed and supported her as they walked to another room where Azrael lay under magical monitoring and healing.

He looked terrible. His skin was almost translucent. His breathing was irregular. Burn marks were still on his skin despite days of healing. The wounds from the stakes that had pierced his hands and feet still looked fresh.

Lyanna sat beside his bed and took his hand.

"How is he?" Lyanna asked.

"He has hours, maybe a day. We’ve done everything we can, but his body is not responding. Without any out of this world intervention, he’ll die before dawn."