The Bride He Hates-Chapter 56: The Turning

Soon, the servants started preparing the chambers suitable for vampire transformation. The chamber looked dark and gothic with candles lit everywhere.

"These are necessary." Azrael said, running his hand on the leather restraints attached to the wooden bedframe. "When the pain hits you, you won’t be able to control your body. I’ve seen turned vampires breaking their own bones."

He had dismissed everyone from the chambers. In the dead silence, she could hear her own heartbeat.

"Now, I’ll explain to you what will happen." Azrael said. "I’ll drain you. I’ll take you to the edge, to the point where your body will decide whether to fight or surrender. Your heart will slow down. Your vision will fade, and you’ll feel cold unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

After that, you’ll drink my blood. My blood will start the change. Every cell in your body will die and then be reborn. It will take three days, Lyanna. You’ll feel the pain for three days, and it will be worse than anything you can imagine."

She had known this, had prepared herself for it. But hearing him say it now, seeing the seriousness on his face, she felt scared.

"You don’t have to be afraid. I’ll stay with you. I won’t leave."

"What if something goes wrong?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Then I’ll fix it. I won’t let anything happen to you, Lyanna. Trust me."

She believed him. He then adjusted the pillows under her head.

"Last chance to change your mind. Once we start, there’s no going back."

"Do it."

He kissed her forehead gently and then moved his mouth to her neck. The first touch of his fangs wasn’t painful. Instead, the sensation was overwhelming. It felt intimate, like he was creating a connection between them that was deeper than everything.

She could feel his hunger, but also his control. Her heartbeat slowed, and her fingers went cold. The world started fading around her like someone was slowly turning off the lights. She tried to speak but couldn’t. Her body felt like it belonged to someone else.

Azrael pulled back. She felt the absence of his mouth. Through her fading vision, she saw him biting his own wrist. Blood started flowing immediately.

"Drink." He pressed his bleeding wrist to her lips, and its scent hit her.

She drank it. The taste exploded on her tongue.

And then the pain hit her. It started with her chest. Within seconds, it consumed her entire body. Every nerve of her body was screaming. Every cell felt like it was being torn apart and reassembled.

She tried to scream but couldn’t even breathe properly. Her back arched off the bed, and her muscles contracted so hard she thought her spine would break. Azrael kept holding her as her body convulsed.

"I’m here." He said. "I’m right here, Lyanna. Try to breathe."

But breathing was impossible when her lungs were being shredded from the inside, and when her heart was stuttering.

She lost track of everything except the pain. It went on and on. She thrashed against the restraints hard enough to hurt her wrists, but the physical pain was nothing compared to what was happening inside her.

"Stay with me." Azrael said as he held her hand tightly. "Don’t let go. I need you to stay with me."

She wanted to. But the darkness was pulling her.

"You’re strong, Lyanna. You’re going to survive this. I know you are."

She wanted to believe him but this time the pain made it difficult. The whole process was violent and chaotic.

The convulsions eventually eased. It wasn’t because the pain reduced, but because her body couldn’t bear that level of violence anymore. She lay trembling instead, her muscles occasionally spasming, and her consciousness flickering in and out.

Azrael removed the restraints and adjusted her body to a comfortable position gently.

"Almost halfway." He said. "You’re doing so well."

Halfway?

On the second day, the pain was less sharp. She could feel changes happening in her blood, her bones, and her organs. And soon her senses began to awaken.

It started with hearing. She could hear everything from Azrael’s breathing to footsteps in distant hallways to the heartbeats of the healers standing outside. She gasped, trying to block it out, but couldn’t.

"Focus on my voice." Azrael said immediately, cupping her face.

She nodded and tried to ignore every other sound.

"Good." He murmured. "The sensory overload is normal. Your vampire senses are developing, but you haven’t learned to control them yet. We’ll work on that after the transformation completes."

Next, her sense of smell kicked in. She could smell blood everywhere. It was both intoxicating and nauseating at the same time.

"Breathe through it." Azrael instructed. "Don’t fight the senses. Let them flow through you."

Her vision was next. She opened her eyes, when had she closed them? And she could see every thread of Azrael’s shirt, every hair on his head, every subtle change in his expression. This level of detail was staggering.

"Too much." She whispered suddenly.

"I know but you’re adapting faster than I expected."

The physical pain slowly began to be replaced with power. She could feel it building inside her; vampire strength, speed, and all the supernatural abilities were becoming hers.

"Rest." Azrael said softly. "The final phase will begin soon. Your heart will stop, and then the transformation will be complete."

She should have been terrified but instead her exhaustion won and she slept, trusting Azrael to watch her.

On the third day, her heartbeat, which had been erratic ​​​​​​​since the last two days, began to slow. Lyanna opened her eyes. The pain had become background noise now. She could feel every process in her body winding down, preparing for the last step.

"Azrael?" She looked at him, who was still sitting beside her.

His hair was dishevelled, and his shirt was wrinkled. He had stayed with her the entire time.

"I’m here. Your heart is about to stop. Don’t be afraid."

She nodded, unable to speak as her heartbeat slowed further.

"Look at me. Keep your eyes on me."

Then within seconds, her heart stopped. She couldn’t hear her heartbeat. Power surged through her. It was overwhelming. She could feel it in her entire body.

"How are you feeling?" Azrael asked.

Lyanna sat up slowly, testing her new body. Her movements were smoother and more controlled now.

"Alive. I feel more alive than I’ve ever been."

Azrael’s expression changed from worry to relief and joy.

"Welcome to immortality, wife."