Chapter 122 My Angel | 015
NOELLE
Sabrina's grip on my wrist is unyielding, her nails digging half-moons into my skin. Her yellow eyes glow brighter, her pupils narrowed to slits, like a predator's.
I try to yank my hand out of her grip, but she doesn't even flinch. Instead, she yanks me closer until our faces are inches apart. Her breath smells faintly of copper and something bitter, like burnt herbs.
"You think you're clever, don't you?" she whispers sweetly. "Eavesdropping like a nosy little rat. You heard everything."
My tongue feels like it's glued to the roof of my mouth. I can't speak.
She tilts her head, studying me with a chilling disdain. I'm so terrified. I don't know what she's going to do next. Worse, I don't know if Azren will reach me before she does anything.
"Pathetic," she murmurs. "You really thought you could keep him? A broken cleaner girl with a sob story? You're nothing, Noelle. A placeholder. A warm body to silence the screaming in his head until something better comes along."
Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall in front of her.
"He chose me," I manage, my voice shaking. "He wants me. The bond—"
Sabrina laughs cruelly.
"The bond?" She leans in until her lips almost brush my ear. "Sweetheart, that mark on your wrist is a leash, not a crown. It's a warning label. It tells every dark spirit inside him exactly where to bite. And trust me, they're starving."
My stomach rolls.
"You're lying," I whisper.
"Am I?" She lifts her free hand, her fingers trailing down my cheek in mock tenderness. "Look at you shaking and crying. Already cracking after one bad day. How long do you think you'll last when the spirits really start pushing? When the veil tears open and the cold seeps into your bones? When he wakes up one morning and doesn't recognize your face because something monstrous is wearing his skin?"
I flinch, and her smile widens, sending shivers down my spine.
"You're going to tell him what you heard, aren't you?" she purrs. "Run to your big strong mate and cry about how mean Doctor Sabrina is. How she said nasty things. How she might have... arranged a little accident."
My blood turns to ice in my veins.
Her thumb strokes over my pulse point.
"And then what?" she whispers. "He confronts me. I cry. I tell him his fragile little human is insecure and wants to get rid of me. He'll feel sorry and apologize to me on your behalf."
My knees threaten to give out. She leans closer, her lips brushing my ear.
"But I'm not patient, Noelle. I don't like loose ends. And you, darling... you're the worst of them all."
Without warning, she shoves me in the chest. My arms reach for something, anything, to prevent the fall. But it's too late. Everything tilts as I topple backwards down the marble stairs with a scream.
The first step cracks against my shoulder.
The second slams my hip.
Then I'm just tumbling, pain exploding across my ribs, my elbow, and the back of my skull. My dress tangles around my legs.
I hit the landing hard. Stars burst behind my eyelids. Something warm trickles down the back of my head as I lie there, shaking and struggling to breathe.
Tears slide down the corner of my eyes as I choke on my own blood. Is this it? How it ends?
Above me, Sabrina's voice pierces through the ringing in my ears.
"Noelle!"
She sounds shocked and horrified.
Footsteps rush down.
I try to move. My arm won't obey. My vision swims.
Sabrina's face appears above me, her eyes wide, the yellow fading back to green.
"Oh gods," she breathes, dropping to her knees beside me. "Noelle—hold on, I—"
Her hands hover over me as if she's afraid to touch me. I stare up at her through blurry tears, my chest heaving.
She looks... terrified.
But I remember the phone call.
My lips part, my voice barely a rasp.
"You... pushed me."
"Shhh," she soothes, brushing my hair from my forehead. "You slipped, sweetheart. You were crying, you weren't watching the steps. It's okay. I've got you."
I want to scream for Azren. But my body won't move.
"Don't worry," Sabrina whispers, leaning close enough that only I can hear. "I'll make sure Azren knows it was an accident. Accidents happen to fragile little humans all the time."
Azren...where is he?! Why isn't he coming? Help. Someone please...
I don't want to die.
Please. It hurts. It hurts too much.
I cough up blood, the liquid splashing her on the face.
My vision starts to fade in and out. I try to reach for the stairs, but my shoulder won't move. I think it's broken. The smell of blood is so strong, it's making me choke harder.
"Az...ren..." I moan breathlessly, fresh blood oozing down the corner of my mouth.
"Noelle?"
My heart leaps at the sound of his voice. He's at the top of the stairs on his hands and knees. He's so pale. He looks like he's been crawling. Oh...it's such a relief that I get to see him before I die.
My eyelids finally slip closed, and his thunderous roar is the last thing I hear. "NOELLE!"
And everything goes black.
....
I gasp awake, shooting to a sitting position. My heart is jackhammering in my chest, my breathing heavy. The memory of falling off the stairs replays in my mind, and a strangled gasp slips out of me. Am I...dead?
"Angel." I turn at the sound of Azren's voice. He's sitting right by my side on the bed.
His eyes are bloodshot.
I lunge for him, wrapping my arms tight around him. I let out a sob, drinking in his sweet scent. I'm shaking hard, ugly sobs ripping out of me. He holds me close, stroking my hair with a shaky hand.
"I thought I was going to die," I cry, my tears dampening his shirt.
"I almost lost you. Oh, I thought—" he croaks gravelly.
I pull back to search his beautiful eyes. His lashes are wet, his face pale.
"W-what happened? How did I survive? I feel perfectly fine now. Did you use your blood?" I ask.
He shakes his head slowly, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
"If Sabrina hadn't been there...you would've died," he tells me, and my chest hollows out in horror.
"What?" I breathe, fresh tears welling up.
"She saved you. She brought you back to me."
He cups my face with both hands. He's shaking even worse than I am, barely holding himself back from breaking apart completely. But I can't believe it. Why...why would she do this?
She meant to kill me. That much was clear. Is she playing mind games now?
"You stopped breathing, and I thought I was going to die from the agony of finding you like that—" he inhales shakily, a single tear rolling down his left cheek. "It's all my fault. I couldn't get to you fast enough. I had to crawl, and I still—"
I shake my head, terrified as I reach for his face, wiping the tear away with my thumb.
"Azren, look at me. It wasn't your fault, honey. Someone pushed me," I tell him gently.
His gaze softens, agony written all over his features.
"I know," he utters softly, stroking my hair.
My eyes go wide, hope blooming in my chest. "Y-you know?"
"Sabrina told me she found you hallucinating. It happened because I touched you while I was possessed. I'm so sorry, Noelle. I didn't mean to—"
"Stop," I choke out, drowning in disbelief.
What is going on?
"Noelle," Azren breathes, lowering his trembling hands. He looks so guilty. Seeing him in that much pain is ripping my heart apart bit by bit.
But I have to tell him. I have to make sure he understands that Sabrina is his enemy.
"It wasn't you. Azren, I was fine even after you touched me. It was Sabrina! She pushed me!"
He looks exhausted now, staring at me blankly.
"You don't believe me," I gasp, feeling as if I've just been stabbed in the heart. "Why, Azren? Why?"
Confusion flashes across his face for a moment. Then slowly, as if he’s being hypnotized, the blank mask slips back into place.
He sighs. Then he gently reaches for my forearms, laying me gently on the bed. Then he tucks me in.
"You should get more sleep," he tells me, and fury boils in my blood.
Why isn't he listening?
There's a gentle knock on the door right then.
"Alpha," Sabrina's voice floats in, and my stomach knots. "Haden's men are here. They want to speak to you."
Fear creeps right into my bones.