The Bride He Hates-Chapter 41: Can You Turn Me?

They didn’t sleep that night. Lyanna sat on the edge of the bed, and Azrael stood by the window, staring out at the darkness.

Finally, Lyanna asked the question that had been haunting her since she heard Elise’s cruel words about aging and death.

"I’m just asking....you know...just want to know if you turn me? Make me a vampire like you?"

Azrael froze for a few seconds. Then he turned and looked at her.

"Turning is dangerous. One in three humans dies during the transformation. Their bodies can’t handle the change." He walked towards her, looking into her eyes. "Those who survive become volatile and bloodthirsty for the first year, sometimes longer. The hunger is impossible to control. You’d be unrecognizable to yourself. You might kill innocents, might slaughter people you care about because the blood lust dominates everything." He was actually concerned. "Is that what you want?

"No but what’s the alternative? We stay married, I age while you remain the same, and eventually I die?"

"There’s another option. Some vampires form bonds with favoured humans. It’s rare, but it happens. The vampire shares small amounts of their blood with the human, not enough to turn them, but enough to slow aging." He paused to see her reaction.

"The human stays mortal. They still age and can die. But the vampire blood extends their lifespan significantly."

"Is that possible?"

"Yes. But it requires intimacy and trust. The vampire’s blood must be given willingly, and repeatedly. It’s not a simple procedure. It’s a deep, binding connection."

His explanation made it clear this wasn’t just about extending her life, it was about making a commitment, choosing to bind their lives together beyond political marriage and physical intimacy. Lyanna stood up.

"What do you want?"

"To be honest...I didn’t plan for any of this. You were supposed to be temporary, a revenge object that would satisfy me and then fade into the background. I wanted to make you miserable for a few decades, until you died and I could move on. Now you’re..." He stopped, unable to finish the sentence.

Before either of them could continue this conversation, someone knocked at the door.

"Your Majesties!" Clara called in her panicked voice. "Emma is missing! The guards said she climbed out a window and fled into the forest!"

Azrael jumped into action immediately. He flung open the door.

"When? How long has she been gone?"

Clara was pale, and scared.

"At least an hour, possibly longer. She waited for the guard change and climbed down using torn bedsheets. We don’t know which way she went."

"Gather search parties." Azrael commanded. "She’s ten years old, on foot, probably headed south towards her village. Find her before..." He didn’t finish.

Lyanna was already changing from her gown into riding clothes.

"I’m coming with the search parties." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"No." Azrael said immediately. "It’s too dangerous. You’ll stay here..."

"She trusts me." Lyanna cut him off. "If she’s found by vampires she doesn’t know, she’ll panic, and run away from the people trying to help her. I need to be there when she’s found."

Azrael wanted to argue, but she had a point.

"Fine." He said tersely. "But you’ll ride with Adrian’s group. You’ll stay in the centre, and if there’s any danger, you’ll retreat immediately. Understood?"

"Understood."

The search took hours. Lyanna rode with Adrian and his warriors, staying in the center as Azrael had ordered. The forest was dangerous, filled with animal sounds making Lyanna’s heart race. She thought about Emma out there alone, terrified, and probably lost. Her heart ached with fear for the child.

Hours passed. They expanded the search area. Some groups returned with no information and were sent out in different directions. Azrael coordinated everything perfectly. Then, finally, they heard a child’s voice, crying out.

"Mama! I want my mama! Please, mama, come back!"

The sound was heartbreaking. Adrian’s group rode towards it immediately, but Lyanna stopped them.

"Wait. Let me go first. If she sees a group of vampires, she’ll be too scared."

Adrian hesitated, but then nodded.

"We’ll stay close. Shout if you need us."

Lyanna dismounted and walked towards Emma’s voice. She found her huddled in a hollow tree, curled up, and shaking from cold and fear. Her lips were blue, her body was hypothermic from hours in the night air without enough clothes.

"Emma." Lyanna called her softly, as she approached her. "Emma, it’s me. You’re safe now."

Emma’s head shot up, her eyes were red from crying.

"I want to go home! I want my mama!" She sobbed.

Lyanna climbed into the hollow tree. It was cramped, and uncomfortable, but she didn’t care. She wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close, covering her tiny body with her own cloak.

"I know. I know you want to go home. I know you want your mama." Lyanna’s own voice cracked. "I lost my family too. My mother is gone. I know it hurts. It hurts so much it feels like it might kill you. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry that you have to feel this pain." She hugged her tightly. "But you’re safe now. We found you. We’ll take care of you. I promise you’re safe."

Emma clung to her, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Will the hurt ever stop?"

"No." Lyanna replied honestly. "It won’t stop completely. You’ll always miss her, but it’ll get easier to bear. You’ll learn to live with the pain. I promise it gets easier."

Behind them, Lyanna sensed Adrian and his warriors approaching them quietly.

"We need to take her back to the castle." Adrian said. "She’s hypothermic. The healers need to see her."

Lyanna nodded, and carefully pulled herself and Emma from the hollow tree. She kept her wrapped in her cloak, holding her close as they walked back to where the horses were waiting.

Emma was too exhausted and cold to walk, so Lyanna carried her. It was difficult given her weight and the uneven forest terrain, but she refused Adrian’s offer to help. Emma needed human contact.

As they came out of the forest, they saw Azrael waiting. He’d been coordinating the search from the central location. He immediately looked at Emma in Lyanna’s arms, and then at Lyanna.

He rode beside them as they went back. When they reached the castle, healers rushed forward to take Emma. She clung to Lyanna immediately, scared of being separated.

"It’s okay." Lyanna soothed her. "These people will help you warm up and make sure you’re healthy. I’ll come check on you soon. I promise."

Emma reluctantly let them take her to the healing wing. Clara came to help Lyanna, but Azrael stopped her by raising his hand.

"A moment." He said.

He looked at Lyanna. He saw the mud on her clothes, the exhaustion on her face, how she’d given her cloak to Emma and was now shivering herself.

"You would have made a good mother."

The comment was so unexpected, that Lyanna didn’t know how to respond. Before she could find words, he spoke again.

"I think I know why my revenge isn’t working. You’re not who I thought you were. You’re not your mother, not the spoiled princess I imagined rejecting me out of cruelty. You’re..." He stopped but the implication was clear.

She meant something to him. Someone whose pain, compassion and choices mattered to him.

"Your Majesty, you should change and rest. You’re exhausted." Clara said.

Lyanna nodded, but her eyes stayed on Azrael, on the conflict and confusion visible on his face.

"We’ll talk later. You need to rest." He said.

Then turned and walked away. Lyanna let Clara take her back to their chambers. But her mind was spinning with everything that had happened. And she was sure that something was changing between them.