Obsession His Runaway Bride (Noelle and Adrian) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Stained

The first shot hit its mark.

Valerian’s bullet tore through Adrian’s abdomen and the force of impact sent the man staggering backward with a choked grunt. But Valerian didn’t stop there. The moment Adrian fired his gun, Valerian responded with lethal precision, squeezing the trigger twice more in rapid succession. One shot buried itself into Adrian’s thigh as the other pierced his uninjured shoulder.

Adrian let out a guttural, agonized groan as his body collapsed onto the marble floor with a sickening thud. Blood spread quickly beneath him that stained the pristine surface in dark, seeping pools. His body convulsed slightly from the shock. His breath became ragged and uneven. His grip shook as he tried but failed to lift his weapon again. Although his fury remained burning in his amber eyes but it was weakened now as he began drowning beneath the sheer agony wracking his body.

Valerian barely spared Adrian another glance. The man was down, incapacitated, bleeding, and no longer a threat. But none of it mattered now.

His attention had already shifted, his focus narrowing onto Noelle who had been silent after the exchange of bullets.

But the relief he expected to feel upon seeing her unharmed never came. Instead, the moment his silver eyes landed on her, a foreign, suffocating weight crashed into his chest, freezing him where he stood.

Noelle was on the floor while her body trembled as she struggled to breathe. Her wedding gown pooled around her like a cruel mockery of purity. The delicate fabric was no longer white but stained and tainted with a growing bloom of red. Blood seeped from the wound just above her heart. Her chest was rising and falling in ragged, uneven breaths as more of the thick, red liquid dripped onto the marble beneath her.

Valerian’s stomach twisted violently.

For a fraction of a second, his mind refused to process what he was seeing. Refused to accept the horror unfolding before him.

But the blood was real.

The way her fingers weakly pressed against the wound, as if trying to stop the inevitable… The unsteady rise and fall of her chest, the way her lips parted as she gasped for air… All of it were real.

The worst part which sent a sharp and unbearable feeling that tore through him was the way she looked at him. There was no anger in her eyes. No hatred at the fact that he was not able to protect her.

And Valerian, who had never known failure, who had never known fear, who had never once questioned his own strength, felt something inside him shatter.

His body moved before his mind could fully process it. He dropped to his knees and slipped his arms beneath her frail, trembling frame. She was far too light in his grasp as her warmth bled out onto his skin, staining his sleeves with a darker shade he would never forgive. He the lifted her effortlessly and held her close, cradling her against his chest as though his own warmth alone could tether her to this world.

Noelle’s head lolled slightly. Her breath came in sharp, gurgling inhales while her fingers twitched weakly in the fabric of his suit. Her chest barely rose, and when it did, it was too shallow.

His jaw clenched so tightly that pain shot up his temples.

“Her.” (No.)

Chapter 44: Stained

+25 BONUS

The word was silent, lost in the trouble of his own mind, but it thundered through every fiber of his being

All of a sudden, footsteps pounded through the corridor, and within seconds, Ivan appeared. His gun was raised while in a rigid stance. Then, his sharp gaze swept over the scene and the moment his eyes landed on Valerian, he flinched.

For the first time in his life, Ivan saw something human in Valerian Mikhail Vasiliev.

Because the man standing before him, covered in blood, gripping Noelle like she was the only thing anchoring him to reality—was tearing up.

Ivan swallowed hard. “Bocc-” (Boss-)

“Tотовьте вертолëт.” Valerian’s voice cut through before he could speak more. (Ready the copter.)

Ivan exhaled, nodding immediately. “Iринято.” (Understood.) He pressed a finger to his earpiece, relaying the order with a curt instantly. “Əвакуашия. Срочно.” (Evacuation. Urgent.)

Valerian descended the stairs while Noelle remained pressed securely against him, who was now unconscious. Ivan moved to follow, keeping a careful watch on their surroundings, but just as they reached the main hall, Valerian suddenly stopped.

“Заберите Блэкуда с собой.” (Bring Blackwood with you.)

Ivan hesitated but still, he nodded. “Ecть.” (Yes, sir.) He answered and went back.

As soon as Valerian stepped outside, the wind from the helicopter blades howled through the estate’s courtyard, kicking up dirt and debris. The sky was no longer as clear as it was now painted with smoke. The aftermath of the battle was evident in the bodies strewn across the ground and the blood staining the once–pristine stone. The remaining Blackwood forces were either dead or incapacitated, and Valerian’s men had already secured the area.

Two of them immediately rushed forward, seeing Valerian with Noelle in his arms. Without needing to be told, one of them reached out, ready to assist.

“Дайте мне еë, бocc.” (Let me take her, boss.)

Valerian didn’t move and didn’t respond.

His grip on Noelle remained tight, almost possessive while his arms remained wrapped securely around her fragile frame. Even as his men moved in to help, his body refused to let go, his instincts wouldn’t let him. It didn’t matter that they were his most trusted men. It didn’t matter that she needed urgent care.

Because the moment he released her, he would no longer be the one keeping her alive.

And that terrified him.

“Sir…” The soldier hesitated, carefully choosing his next words. “We need to tend to her. She needs help.”

Valerian’s silver eyes snapped toward him.

Then, as if forcing himself out of a trance, Valerian finally exhaled sharply and let go.

It felt unnatural. The second his arms were empty, his head screamed at him to take her back and keep her with

him.

But he didn’t.

Instead, the moment Noelle was secured in the copter, Valerian climbed in after her. His Viktor, who was already assessing the wound.

gaze

flicked toward

Chapter 44: Stained

+25 BONUS

“Лечи её. Сделай всё, что нужно.” (Fix her. Do whatever It takes.)

Without waiting for an answer, he turned toward the cockpit as his bloodstained hand gripped the back of the pilot’s seat.

“Вылетаем. Немедленно.” (We’re taking off. Now.)