Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 126

Chapter 126: A Den of Wolves

The coachman stepped forward and bent slightly, offering his hand. Ruelle watched as the vampiress placed her foot upon his hand and was assisted into the carriage before comfortably sitting inside.

"It would be improper for us to share the same seat as you." Ruelle politely tried to keep distance. "We will sit at the back."

"That is a fitting place for groundlings," the vampiress replied with a smirk. Her gaze flickered to Hailey and the brief relief that crossed the girl’s face did not escape her notice. "If either of you are thinking of leaping out along the way, I would advise against it. You wouldn’t wish for the puppy to suffer on your account, would you?"

Turning away as if the matter were settled, she gave a brief nod to the coachman. The coachman quickly shut the carriage door.

Ruelle and Hailey moved to the back of the carriage and took their seats. When the vehicle moved forward, they gripped the wooden sides. Within minutes, the buildings of Sexton faded behind the trees, swallowed by the darkening distance.

A moment later, Ruelle felt a gentle tug at her sleeve. Turning, she met Hailey’s anxious gaze as her friend silently mouthed, I am sorry.

Ruelle gave a small shake of her head. The Elites had used Hailey to lure them both, and Kevin had been dragged into it too. Reaching across, she squeezed her friend’s hand and offered a reassuring smile, though a quiet unease stirred beneath the calm she tried to show.

All she could do now was hope that the note would reach the person it was meant for. Because if it didn’t, she and the others were going to be in bigger trouble.

Back in Sexton, Leslie clutched the note in her hand while she searched for the pureblooded vampire it was addressed to. Finally, she caught him standing in the middle of the corridor on the lower ground while surrounded by his friends.

The young woman was nervous to approach Lucian Slater, mostly because of his reputation and the way he looked at people as if they were mere insects he wouldn’t think twice before trampling on. And maybe if she had mustered courage a second sooner, she would have begun walking before another final-year student came to stand before her.

"Have you turned deaf?" It was one of Alanna’s minions, a Halfling, whose bright red eyes narrowed at Leslie. "You were sent to pick up her satchel. No one gave you permission to loiter about the corridors."

The note crumpled slightly in Leslie’s trembling hand. She quickly shook her head and stammered,

"I was going—but I was given instruction from the instructor to—"

"What will you do when Alanna drains the last drop of blood from you, Les?" the Halfling vampiress asked, raising a brow in mock curiosity.

Right now, if she handed the note to Lucian or even to anyone standing near him, Alanna would surely hear of it. And the vampiress despised any female who dared approach him.

And it wasn’t like Leslie wanted to... but she had felt guilty over what had happened in the past and she wanted to be of use to Ruelle at least once.

"Start walking now," the Halfling instructed, and Leslie began to walk in the direction where Lucian stood.

When she came near where Lucian and others stood, her heart pounded in her head and her hands shook. This resulted in the note slipping out of her hand and falling to the ground. Her eyes widened and her footsteps paused. She noticed the halfling’s eyes fall on the folded piece of paper.

Before Leslie could reach for the note, the Halfling grabbed it and asked, "What is this?"

"It is nothing," Leslie smiled, trying to take it back but the Halfling turned and unfolded the note.

The Halfling began to read aloud, "The broken sculpture has been invited to a private tea evening. To—" Her voice stopped there. She lifted her eyes from the paper and stared at Leslie. Only then did she feel the weight of a pureblood’s gaze upon them.

"Where is she?"

The voice was cold and unmistakable, while Lucian’s eyes had narrowed.

"W–what? Who?" The Halfling stuttered in confusion, clearly unaware of the meaning behind the note or the question itself.

"T–the sculpture—" Leslie forced herself to speak, summoning what little courage she could. "The first-year Elites took, but I don’t know whe—"

Lucian did not wait for the rest. He strode past them at once, leaving the others staring after him.

"I wasn’t aware that the sculptures were being bought already," Sawyer commented, before adding, "Does Lucian want to buy his own?"

The halfling blinked, wondering if this note came from an instructor, but before more could be pondered, the human uttered, "I will go visit the staffroom," and she hurried out of there.

Away from Sexton, the carriage continued to roll through the mud before it entered the gates and moved through the cobblestones. When the vehicle finally came to a stop, Ruelle’s feet touched the ground as she stood up with Hailey.

The old mansion looked abandoned from outside and just when they were about to step inside, they heard a loud scream echo from inside, freezing both Ruelle and Hailey.

"What was that?" Ruelle questioned completely alert.

"Someone enjoying pain," the vampiress smirked.

"We don’t enjoy pain. Just tea will do," Hailey murmured but her words went unheard as the vampiress continued to walk without turning to look behind her.

Ruelle raised her hand to her lips, signing Hailey to stay quiet. Because something about the vampiress didn’t sit right. As if their words could be used against them.

The corridor was dark and it didn’t help that the light from the sky had been stolen by the night, due to which they had to rely on their ears to follow the vampiress. When they finally arrived at the double doors, Ruelle heard the chatter coming from inside.

As Ruelle stepped inside, her eyes fell on the room which was lit up by the light coming from the fireplace and the burning candles. A light smoke filled the air coming from cigars. The floor was carpeted with what seemed like fur. There were some humans she had never met before and her eyes caught Kevin, making her stomach drop.

"How lovely, you got the leash already," the vampiress remarked as she moved towards Kevin, who was seated on the ground with a leather collar which had a chain attached to it. The vampiress went to place her hand on his head, but Kevin only jerked his head away which had the vampiress turn displeased.

The next moment, the vampiress’ fingers found his hair and she gripped it tightly, making him growl in pain. The vampiress declared, "I will enjoy teaching you to obey me."

Ruelle’s hands turned cold because none of the humans here appeared to be in favourable positions. Her fingernails dug into her palms to keep herself calm and not fall apart from the pressure.

"AH!" came a cry from a female human, where a vampire’s mouth was buried into her thigh as he drank her blood.

In one dark corner, a couple were stuck to each other, and Ruelle looked away, not wanting to see and questioning if the vampires didn’t know what privacy meant.

"Ah, Hailey," a vampiress drawled, seated comfortably with an empty glass in her hand as though waiting for it to be filled with fresh, warm blood. "How lovely to see you again. I have missed you."

Tess, the vampiress was someone Hailey had once served for a few coins.

"I... would have visited if I had known you wanted my company," Hailey replied, though the stiffness in her face betrayed the lie.

"Is that so?" Tess asked with a faint, amused smile. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding me. Your eyes seem very fond of the floor whenever I pass." She then ordered, "Fetch the bottle of whisky."

Ruelle watched Hailey follow the order right away as it seemed like an easy task.

"Well done bringing them here, Orpheus," another vampire remarked from the opposite end of the couch. His gaze remained fixed on the blonde human as though studying with curiosity. "I have been rather eager to see this group here. Especially her."

His eyes lingered on Ruelle before he lifted a finger and pointed toward her, ordering, "Come here, human."

Ruelle’s steps felt heavy as she crossed the room and came to stand before the vampire, whose eyes brightened at the sight of her.

"Well, it appears Bowen has already chosen his drink for the evening," someone remarked with a chuckle from one corner of the room.

Soft moans and whimpers drifted through the room, sounds that might have turned the humans mortified. Yet none of the humans present could worry about such things as their own positions were far too precarious for that.

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