Chapter 144 My Angel | 037
NOELLE
I let out a laugh, utterly amazed. So, she switches bodies? That is so cool. But, really, what's up with her silly script? What? She wants to attack me on the basis that I ruined her reputation?
"You're one persistent bitch, I must give you that," I drawl, folding my arms across my chest.
She stares at me, blinking. "You're not...scared."
The girls standing with her all fade into thin air like they never existed in the first place. Wow, she uses crazy illusions too. Very impressive.
Hold on, where's this confidence coming from? And where is Blue?!
Sabrina tosses her head back and laughs. "It looks like Azren is rubbing off on you. It seems you've forgotten that you're only a mere mortal. What? Did he drink your blood? Is that why you think you can face me?"
I bat my lashes at her, puzzled. If Azren drinks my blood, I'll be able to face her?!
She stalks towards me, and I move backwards, clenching my fists. Can Azren feel my heartbeat? Can he tell that I might be in trouble?
As if on cue, his deep voice floods my mind. My knees tremble from the intensity of it.
'Angel? What's wrong?'
I don't answer, determined to make her talk.
"Do you know who I am?" Sabrina growls as she moves. She's increasing in height, her skin turning dark blue. Her eyes are a bright yellow colour.
Holy shit.
"I'm not sure. Why don't you tell me what you are?" I say, even though my heart is racing now.
"I am Nyxara. How dare you speak to me like that?"
Nyxara's voice booms through the bathroom, echoing off the tiles like thunder trapped in a box. Her hair floats like living smoke, black tendrils curling towards the ceiling.
"I am Nyxara," she snarls again, her lips peeling back to reveal fangs that weren't there a second ago. "Queen of the Underworld. Sovereign of Irkalla. Mother of shadows and end of light."
She takes another step. The floor cracks under her bare feet.
"And Azren—" Her voice drops to a tone that is almost reverent and loving. "Azren belongs to me."
My stomach churns.
"He is the key," she continues. "The living bridge. He survived in the womb while his mother walked my realm. The spirits that latched onto him as an unborn child? My spirits. They were meant to hollow him out, make him a vessel. A door. Through him I would walk both worlds unchallenged. The Underworld would rise. This living realm would kneel."
She smiles.
"I was so close. So very close. The spell was almost complete. He was mine until you showed up."
Her gaze snaps to me like a whip.
"You. Little mortal with your golden mark. You quieted my children inside him. You made him feel. You made him hope. You made him choose."
She laughs furiously.
"You ruined everything."
The air thickens. Shadows crawl up the walls like ink.
Azren's voice floods my mind again, laced with urgency.
'Angel, answer me. Where are you? I'm coming.'
My heartbeat accelerates.
'No.'
I push the thought towards him as hard as I can, hoping that the bond will carry it.
'Don't come. Not yet. I need information. Stay away. Please.'
'I'm not leaving you with her.'
'Azren. Trust me. Stay back. I need to know what she wants. I need to know how to stop her.'
He's silent for a moment. Then he replies grudgingly.
'Five minutes. You have five minutes. If I don't hear your voice in my head, I'm ripping this campus apart brick by brick.'
I swallow hard.
Nyxara is watching me, her head tilted.
"Talking to him?" she purrs. "How sweet. Tell him I said hello. Tell him his queen misses her favourite toy."
She lunges right at me, wrapping her hand around my throat. My feet leave the floor. I gasp, clawing at her wrist, but it's like trying to bend steel.
"You think you can stand in my way?" she hisses. "You think a half-formed flame can burn me?"
My vision spots black at the edges, my lungs burning.
And then, the necklace at my throat glows a bright golden colour.
Nyxara screams.
She stumbles backward, releasing me. Her palm is smoking, the skin blistered and black.
"Impossible!" she snarls, cradling her hand. "That mark—it's incomplete! It shouldn't—"
I drop to my knees, coughing and gulping air.
The flame on my wrist pulses in time with the necklace, bright and angry.
Nyxara stares at it, shaking with fury.
"It's not just the Light of Return..." she breathes. "You... you're not just human, are you?"
Wait...she doesn't know about me being the golden wolf?
I don't get to linger on this thought. She lunges at me again. I throw my arms up instinctively.
Golden light explodes from my wrist and my chest, blinding.
Nyxara shrieks, thrown backwards into the sinks, the porcelain cracking.
She hits the floor hard, her body shifting between forms. I scramble to my feet, my chest heaving.
The light is fading, but my skin still hums. Nyxara pushes up slowly, her eyes blazing.
"This isn't over, you little rat," she spits. "I've waited for a millennia and more. A few more weeks won't kill me. Azren will come back to me. He will beg me to take him back. When the agony becomes too much to bear, he'll come running. I promise you that."
Her body dissolves into black smoke, which travels towards the vent, leaving no signs that it had been in here.
I'm suddenly alone in the shattered bathroom, my heart hammering, my wrist glowing faintly.
'Angel—' Azren's voice is raw as it slips into my mind. 'Talk to me.'
I drag in a deep breath, shaken.
"She's gone," I whisper. "Azren, she's not... she's not a werewolf.'
'I'm on my way,' he practically growls, and I close my eyes, relieved.
I have to get out of here before someone finds me in it. So, I hurry out and find Blue lying on the floor along the hallway, unconscious. My heart plummets straight to my stomach.
....
Azren's hand is still locked around mine as we cross the threshold into the sitting room back home.
The house is eerily quiet.
I glance up at him.
"Az?" I ask softly. "Is Blue going to be okay?"
He exhales through his nose, the sound rough.
"The pack’s doctor is already with her," he says, his voice low. "Jake's there too. He won't leave her side until she's stable."
I nod, swallowing the knot in my throat.
Blue must’ve been attacked by Nyxara. That ugly wench.
Azren had carried her out himself while I stumbled behind, my legs shaking.
Now we're here. Home.
I stop in the middle of the sitting room, forcing him to stop with me. He turns, his brow furrowed.
"Azren?"
He doesn’t answer right away. He's staring at my throat. The bruises are already forming. I can feel them throbbing in time with my pulse.
Azren's gaze is fixed there, unblinking.
"What?" I ask.
He doesn't respond.
Instead, he reaches up slowly, like he's afraid he'll hurt me, and brushes the pad of his thumb over one of the marks. The touch is feather-light, but his hand is shaking.
A muscle in his jaw jumps. My heart sinks as he grips his own hair with his free hand, tugging hard enough that I fear for the beautiful strands.
Then he lets out a ragged breath.
Before I can say anything else, he scoops me up. I wrap my legs around his waist on instinct, my arms looping around his neck.
He buries his face in the crook of my shoulder, breathing me in.
"Don't do that again," he rasps against my skin. "Don't ever do something that reckless again."
His voice cracks slightly.
"I can't—" He swallows hard. "I can't stand seeing these bruises on your throat. I can't stand knowing I wasn't there. I can't stand the thought of someone else's hands on you."
I thread my fingers through his hair, holding him close.
"I'm okay," I whisper. "She didn't win."
He lifts his head just enough to meet my eyes.
"You almost—"
He cuts himself off, clenching his jaw. Then he starts walking towards the stairs.
"I'm really considering chaining you to my bed, Angel," he mutters.
I rest my cheek against his temple.
"I'm safe right now," I murmur. "With you."
He only sighs and keeps walking until we get to our room.
There, he sits on the chaise lounge with me on his lap. My poor husband looks so worried.
“What did she say?” He asks softly, stroking my hair.
I stare at him for a moment, noticing his anxiety tic. He keeps blinking rapidly, wincing slightly. He probably doesn’t even know he’s doing it.
A sad smile tugs at my lips as I lean in to cup his face with both hands. I can’t imagine how long Sabrina/Nyxara has kept him trapped.
Gently, I press my lips to his, kissing him with light caresses. He exhales shakily, holding me close. When I finally pull back, I tell him everything.
At first, he just stares at me. Almost like he’s confused, his mind trying to process everything. But then, he suddenly looks like he’s in pain.
“She’s been…deceiving me since—” His voice cracks, and he lowers his head, his hair falling into his face.
“You couldn’t have known. Right now, I think the key is for my wolf to fully manifest,” I say, and he looks up at me, his ethereal blue eyes moist.
“How?”
“By drinking my blood?” I suggest.
His face instantly goes blank. “No.”