Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171: A Visit To The Dungeon

"I will send a word when the clothes are ready and the fittings need to be checked," Noah wiggled his fingers in farewell.

Ruelle walked between Lucian and Dane and as they walked past the shops, she doubted she could find something for Lucian here. Not because there wasn’t anything worthy but because anything in these shops would cost more than her blood. She didn’t want to buy a gift for him with the money he had given her, as it felt wrong.

Having spent more than two hours at the seamstress’s shop, the town had woken fully in that time. The number of pureblooded vampires on the streets had increased. Most of the men and women offered a bow every time they walked past the Slater brothers as if acknowledging hierarchy.

Ruelle’s eyes then fell on a man who was dragging a woman by a metal chain which was connected to the woman’s collar, who stumbled behind him, her feet bare against the cold and her face in distress. She protested,

"I am not a slave! I have been cheated!" she tried to pull away and run, "Let me—"

But the vampire’s hold only tightened and he harshly tugged the chain for the woman to almost fall. His hand came next, striking across her cheek. The woman’s lips trembled, a small sound escaping that was more animal than human.

"Another word and I will have you crawl," threatened the vampire, who didn’t look angry but bored. "Shut up and follow me."

Ruelle’s eyes hardened at the sight and her footsteps slowed down. None of the other people around looked bothered by the scene.

"Please—Please—" the bound woman sobbed.

Conflicted, Ruelle’s feet subconsciously moved in their direction.

"Don’t," Lucian said, his gaze steady. "She belongs to him now."

"Her neck looks like it is going to snap..." Ruelle pointed out, watching the pureblooded vampire harshly drag the woman.

"You know how it works," Lucian responded. "Once she’s sold and the exchange is made, unless he chooses to release her himself. Interfering won’t change that."

Knowing it didn’t make it easier to accept. This was the harsh truth of the world they lived in. Just because she had met the good ones, it didn’t mean the worse didn’t exist.

"What if something happens to the pureblooded vampire?" Ruelle’s question came soft, searching for loopholes. "Will the slave be set free then?"

"If a pureblood dies?" Lucian asked as they continued to walk. "Ownership passes to the one who killed him. If it’s a natural death, it goes to his heir."

Like inheriting land, thought Ruelle to herself.

She hadn’t realised the intensity of the situation before when Sexton was picking the failing students to end up in the bottom of the barrel, ones who would turn to slaves.

She’d been sheltered and protected, unlike the other humans. Then as if something clicked in her mind, she asked him,

"What would have happened if I failed in the subjects then?"

It wasn’t like Lucian was fond of her then, not to mention he had gambled with failing her in the assignment of seduction techniques.

"You wouldn’t have failed," Lucian answered, as if it had never been in question. "You were using my books."

"It would have been quite interesting if you had," Dane’s amused voice entered.

On another thought, Brother Dane had never said a word about not wearing the earrings. He had never warned her about the contract Sexton bound the groundlings with. Was he waiting for Lucian to make a move?

But what if Lucian’s hatred toward humans had been stronger? What if he’d simply let her fall into Sexton’s grasp rather than fight for her? Now that she thought about it, it was a miracle... that things had even turned out this way.

They came to stop before a shop that glittered even from the outside. The bell above the door chimed softly as they entered. It was a jewellery shop.

The stones and gems were placed in precise lines, each one showcased like a work of art. Rubies, the colour of fresh blood and sapphires deeper than midnight. The lanterns burned brightly despite the afternoon sun, and the stones sparkled in response.

"Good afternoon," the owner emerged from behind a counter, his smile practised with a bow. "How may I help you today?"

Dane was the one who replied while Ruelle didn’t hear the words, her attention captured by the gems. She found herself drawn to a small sculpture near the front. It was a copy of a... scaffold.

"Lucian, what do you think of this one?" Dane’s voice called across the shop and Lucian made his way to where the older Slater stood.

Ruelle, who was admiring the sculpture, moved to look at the next design when the door chimed behind her. The customer looked at the gems before he spoke,

"Would you like me to buy them for you?"

She turned to catch sight of a pureblooded vampire in a blue coat, his eyes watching her interestingly.

"No," she responded and took two more steps away from me, creating distance that he immediately tried to close.

"I think they are rather lovely-looking," the man smiled as if her rejection amused him.

"Then you can wear them," Ruelle said, already turning away and heading to where Lucian was.

"I caught you watching them when I was walking past the shop." The man reached out to catch her by the shoulders. "Where are you go—"

Ruelle caught Lucian return back to the room where she was and she smiled when she heard glass shatter behind her. Startled, she turned and saw Peyton holding the man down by his throat on the ground.

"What the hell?!" the man coughed while recovering from the fall.

"Do not touch her," Peyton didn’t budge, her fingers wrapping tighter around the man before letting go of him and standing straight.

The pureblooded vampire pushed himself up from the floor. His face twisted with outrage at the action of being handled by someone he deemed beneath him.

"How dare a lowly vampire place your hands on me?" his words dripped with contempt.

Peyton stood unmoved. Ruelle’s fingers found the fabric covering her neck and she slowly unwrapped the scarf that had been hiding the soul bond.

"Mr. Wilder," Lucian remarked, approaching them. "You should be certain before reaching for what isn’t yours."

Mr. Wilder scoffed, "This human was giving me the eyes and I only continued what she started—"

"I did not look at you," Ruelle interrupted the man. "I was minding my own when he started to talk."

The man opened his mouth to argue but then stopped when his eyes fell on the intricate markings on her neck. Trying to shift the blame back onto her, he continued,

"If she didn’t look at me—"

"Choose your next words carefully," Lucian interrupted, his tone dropping. "I don’t tolerate that kind of insinuation. Apologise."

The man’s jaw worked as if chewing on words he couldn’t quite swallow. His lips pursed, white with pressure. He then apologised through gritted teeth, "Sorry about that."

The man quickly turned and headed for the door. The door chimed as it closed, while Lucian watched him, his expression staying unchanged.

"Dane wants to show you something," Lucian said, drawing her attention from the broken glass.

"What happened here?! A thief?" the shopkeeper asked with a bewildered expression after hearing the glass crash and he found the shattered glass before he looked around.

"Mr. Wilder reached for something that wasn’t his. It’s been dealt with," Lucian remarked.

Ruelle watched in the mirror as Lucian stepped closer. His hand reached for her neck, and when he touched the markings, the dark patterns faded into her skin as if they’d never existed. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify