The Bride He Hates-Chapter 71: Our Falling

The Order attacked them in the first rays of sunlight. They had timed the attack perfectly to exploit the vampires’ weakness.

Hundreds of soldiers rushed towards the fortress from every direction. All the vampires fought from the shadows. They used the fortress’s ruins for cover, but it was impossible to avoid the sun completely.

Lyanna’s skin burned when she had to cross a sunlit corridor to reach an enemy. She killed the soldier, then retreated into the shadows, gasping, her arms red and blistered.

"Stay in the shadows as much as possible!" Azrael shouted, even though his own face had burns. "Only go into sunlight when necessary!"

But it kept happening. The Order soldiers were smart, they forced the vampires to come into sunlit areas by threatening breaches in shadows, making them choose between burning and losing defensive ground. The fight was brutal and unsustainable.

They were killing Order soldiers but they were incurring losses as well. Lyanna stayed close to Azrael. She was less skilled than the other vampires, but her determination and enhanced instincts gave her an edge.

When a silver blade came at Azrael from his blind side, Lyanna intercepted it with her own sword. And when she was pinned down by three soldiers, Azrael killed all three in a second.

They protected one another, fought for each other, refusing to let the other fall. But at noon, when the sun was at its hottest, the Order launched another massive coordinated attack.

Helena was at the eastern defense, using her fading magic to protect an entrance that was about to collapse. Adrian fought beside her. His injuries from the previous night were barely healed, making him slower than usual, but still effective.

As the afternoon deepened, they became completely untenable. Their minor wounds were turning into serious injuries, strength fading as they pushed their vampire abilities past sustainable limits, blood supplies completely exhausted, making them unable to heal properly.

Except for Azrael, Lyanna, Helena and Adrian, all other vampires were dead. Azrael then made a tough decision.

"Helena! You and Adrian take the underground passage. Try to escape through the catacombs. You’re not a warrior, and Adrian is weak. You’ll just die here fighting.

"Your Majesty, we can’t leave..."

"That’s an order." Azrael cut her off. "As your king and as someone who cares about your lives, I’m ordering you to run."

"We can’t leave you to die!" Adrian muttered, his body was giving out.

"Adrian and Helena, I’m ordering you to run. We don’t have time to argue. I will make sure no one comes after you."

Helena looked at Azrael, and then at Lyanna.

"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry."

"Don’t be. Just survive." Lyanna said.

Helena nodded, unable to speak. Adrian was in no condition to say anything. Helena held Adrian and then went towards the underground passage, leaving Azrael and Lyanna alone in the fortress. Lyanna watched them go, then turned to Azrael.

"I’m sorry for not sending you. Helena isn’t a warrior and Adrian isn’t in any condition to protect you. I have to keep you beside me to protect you. I can’t take any risks." He sounded guilty.

"As if I would go anywhere without you. Didn’t we decide to face this together?" She smiled and leaned into him, feeling his arms around her despite the burns, wounds, and exhaustion.

Then suddenly, they heard the sound of hundreds of footsteps. They stood together with their weapons ready, facing the entrance door.

The door burst open with a loud explosion. Soldiers rushed inside with their silver weapons gleaming.

Azrael and Lyanna fought in perfect sync.

Four hundred years of Azrael’s experience was combined with Lyanna’s newfound determination and fearlessness.

Each of them took down multiple soldiers but

They were doomed. It was impossible for them to win while fighting against hundreds of soldiers. For every soldier they killed, three more entered inside. They were also being injured by their advanced weapons that burned their skin and prevented healing.

Lyanna felt a blade pierce her left shoulder. The blade scraped against her bone, and holy magic seared through her vampire skin, causing the worst pain she had ever experienced. She gasped, and stumbled, her left arm went completely numb.

Azrael saw her pain and he went into a protective frenzy beyond tactical thought, driven purely by the need to destroy anything threatening his mate.

He killed everyone near Lyanna in seconds. His sword, fangs and bare hands became lethal weapons. But it cost him. By focusing completely on protecting Lyanna, he let himself open to attacks from other angles.

Multiple weapons struck him simultaneously. One silver blade even pierced his chest, missing his heart by a few inches but close enough to make his body tremble with pain.

Azrael collapsed, his legs giving out, blood oozing out from several wounds.

"Azrael!" Lyanna screamed, trying to reach him despite her own injuries.

But soldiers grabbed her, wrapping her wrists and neck with silver chains that burned her skin and drained her strength. She fought anyway, desperate and fierce, but was too injured and restrained to break free.

Azrael, barely conscious on the floor, watched them chain her with a dreadful feeling of helplessness. He tried to stand up and fight, but his body wouldn’t respond.

Then the soldiers parted, and Cardinal Matthias entered with his guards. He looked at the fallen vampire king and the chained vampire queen with satisfaction.

"Take them." He ordered. "Chain them both with silver. The king and queen of Thornfield will face trial for their crimes against humanity. And then, in front of the entire world, they will burn."

Soldiers moved to chain Azrael, wrapping his wrists, ankles, and neck with silver chains as well.

"Lyanna." He whispered, trying to reach to her despite the chains. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry."

"Don’t apologize." She replied, trying to reach back despite her own chains. "We tried."

"How touching." Cardinal Matthias mocked. "The monsters care for each other. Take them to the cages. Let the sun burn them slowly until the trial. Let them suffer as they have made humans suffer for centuries."

They were dragged apart, pulled in different directions despite their desperate attempts to stay together.

The last thing Lyanna saw before being taken away was Azrael’s face. It was full of blood, burned, and chained. But his eyes were still fixed on her, filled with love despite everything.