The Bride He Hates-Chapter 77: Preparing For The Combat

Lyanna’s announcement of the substitution right caused an uproar in the Covenant’s great hall. Ancient vampires who hadn’t raised their voices in centuries were now openly objecting.

Azrael grabbed Lyanna’s arm, pulling her back from where she stood to face Ravenna.

"What are you doing? Take it back." His tone was dangerous.

"I can’t." Lyanna replied. "It’s been invoked. The challenge is mine now unless Ravenna refuses."

"Then I hope she refuses!" Azrael’s control was cracking. "Lyanna, you can’t fight her. She’ll kill you in seconds. She is a thousand years old..."

"I know what she is. That’s why you can’t fight her. But I can."

"Silence." Ravenna shouted.

The hall fell silent immediately. She looked at Lyanna with interest, as if examining an unexpected yet fascinating insect.

"The turned human wants to fight me? The girl who was prey less than a year ago thinks she can challenge a vampire who existed long before her ancestors learned to write?" Ravenna smiled. "How delightfully suicidal."

She stood up from her throne and descended the stairs.

"I accept your substitution." She said as she stopped in front of Lyanna. "Three nights from now, we’ll meet in ritual combat. Rules are simple: fight to death or submission.

And when I kill you, your husband will understand what he lost by defying me. He’ll watch you die, knowing he could have stopped it by accepting being my progeny. That pain will destroy him more thoroughly than any physical torture I could give him." She stepped back, addressing the hall. "Prepare the arena."

As soon as they returned to their chambers, Azrael exploded.

"What were you thinking?!" He wasn’t shouting but the fury and fear in his voice were clear. "She’ll destroy you! She has powers you can’t even imagine! This isn’t a strategy, it’s suicide!"

"If you fought her, you’d lose." Lyanna replied. "We both know that. She has too much experience and power. She has a history with you. She knows your every move, and every weakness." Lyanna moved closer to him.

"But me? I’m an unknown factor. I’ve only been a vampire for months. She can’t predict what I’ll do because I barely know myself yet."

"That’s not an advantage, that’s a fatal weakness!" Azrael grasped her shoulders. "You don’t have centuries of experience. You don’t know how to fight powerful vampires. You’ll walk into that arena and she’ll tear you apart before you even understand what’s happening."

"Maybe." Lyanna admitted. "Or maybe she’ll underestimate me so badly that she’ll make mistakes. Did you see her face? She thinks I’m a joke. She isn’t taking me seriously as a threat and that overconfidence can give me an advantage."

Azrael released her shoulders and turned away from her.

"This is insane. You want me to watch you die."

"I want you to trust me, to believe that I can do this."

"Based on what?" He turned back to face her. "Hope? Determination? Those don’t matter when you’re facing someone who has survived for centuries by being better at killing than anyone else."

"Based on the fact that she’s fighting me because she’s angry, and angry fighters make mistakes."

Azrael stared at her, seeing the absolute determination on her face.

"You’ve already decided. You’re doing this regardless of what I say."

"Yes."Lyanna replied. "So you can either help me prepare or you can waste three days arguing while I prepare alone. Your choice."

Despite his objections, they spent the next three days in intense training that pushed Lyanna to her limits and beyond. Azrael taught her everything he knew about fighting vampires; their strengths, their weaknesses, and their common tactics.

"They rely on power because they have so much of it. They’re used to overwhelming opponents with force rather than strategy. Use that. Don’t try to match her strength. Instead, use speed, unpredictability, and intelligence."

King Damien, who had also arrived at the Covenant, taught her Shadowmere’s combat techniques, including dirty fighting, unconventional tactics, and methods that ancient vampires considered beneath them and therefore had no proper defenses against.

Lord Richard had also arrived. He taught her how to defend against vampire magic like mental protection techniques, how to recognize magical attacks before they hit, and basic shielding to buy some time.

Lyanna was a quick learner. She absorbed every technique, not perfectly but still it was better than nothing at all. During breaks, when she was too exhausted and needed to feed and rest, Azrael would sit with her.

"I can’t lose you, not when I just found you." He’d say.

Her response was always the same.

"You won’t. I’m not dying. I’m too stubborn, and she’s too arrogant. That means I’ll win."

The night before the combat, they didn’t train. Azrael said she was as prepared as she could be after three days, and pushing further would only exhaust her more before the fight.

Instead, they returned to their chambers and made love desperately. Their mouths fused in a kiss that tasted of blood and tears. Azrael’s hands trembled as he undressed her, something that had never happened before. It showed just how close he was to breaking. Lyanna helped him, touching skin against skin.

"Don’t think about tomorrow. Just be here with me." Lyanna whispered, pulling him down to her.

He entered her slowly. They moved together in perfect synchronization that they had developed over months. They knew exactly what the other needed, where to touch, and how to push each other higher.

Azrael’s mouth reached her neck. His fangs pierced her skin. Lyanna cried out at the dual sensation of pleasure and his bite. She bit him back everywhere she could reach.

When Lyanna came, she whispered Azrael’s name like a prayer. He followed a few seconds later, burying his face in her neck. His hands were fisted in her hair, holding her as if she were the only thing in a collapsing world.

Afterwards, they lay tangled together, their bodies covered in sweat and blood.

"I love you." Azrael whispered.

"I love you too." Lyanna replied, intertwining their fingers. "And tomorrow, I’m going to prove it by surviving. By coming back to you so we can have those centuries we keep thinking and talking about."