Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 183

Chapter 183: The Guardian’s Decision

Ruelle wondered what had happened three nights ago. She noticed her father’s throat bob and for a brief second he looked like he didn’t want to be here. To escape the weight of Lucian’s gaze boring into him like a blade finding flesh but then his expression hardened.

Mr. Belmont folded his arms against his chest and replied, "I already told you. I was running from the debt collector. It was in the town of Dunwich."

"What was his name? The debt collector?" Lucian’s voice remained mild, almost conversational. But there was a predator’s patience in it.

"It was Hemingway. Jack Hemingway," Mr. Belmont answered before adding, "You can ask him."

"And you were alone?" Lucian asked.

For a moment, something flickered behind Mr. Belmont’s eyes. "Of course I was alone," he replied. "Who else would be with me?"

"Those debt collectors must have been persistent. Three days on the run and you never once managed to let your wife know you were alive?" Lucian questioned. "Or if she would be looked for next."

Ruelle watched her father’s jaw tighten. He exhaled, "I was worried they would trail me somehow and harass my wife."

"It seems they were well updated with your relocation then," Lucian’s observation came smooth and he clicked his tongue quietly. "And yet you refuse the one thing that would make them stop." His gaze remained fixed on Mr. Belmont. "So how did you spend your time dodging?"

"I remember getting away from them and I must have slipped or hit my head," Mr. Belmont explained, looking down at his hands. "Because the next thing I knew, I woke up in the middle of the forest. My body was hurting quite a lot. Mostly my neck. My hands too. My chest felt like something heavy had crushed it," he then looked up at Lucian and asked, "Why did it happen?"

Ruelle felt the room grow tense.

"Perhaps they caught up with you after all," Lucian’s suggestion came like bait cast into water, waiting to see what would take the hook.

"I don’t know. It feels like my—my mind has been blank," Mr. Belmont wore a puzzled expression as if he was trying hard to remember but only failed.

Lucian stayed quiet for a second, his face deep in thought before he offered,

"You should get yourself checked in the courthouse infirmary." He noticed a brief flicker in Harold’s eyes—surprise, perhaps, or fear or the recognition of a trap being sprung. "Like I said, what matters to Ruelle matters to me. It will be free of charge and they are very skilled."

"Maybe you should, Harold," Mrs. Belmont urged out of concern. "Maybe check your head," and hearing her words, Dane coughed.

"What a dusty room," Dane muttered and when Ruelle’s eyes met his, he winked at her.

Mr. Belmont’s jaw tightened before he stood up abruptly. He questioned, "When will we find out about Caroline’s whereabouts?" the deflection swift.

"Sit. I am not done questioning." Lucian’s words were sharp. His eyes turned darker as he wasn’t happy with the way things had turned out today and his presence became heavier.

Mr. Belmont’s hands turned into fists but the knuckles didn’t turn white. Slowly, he returned to his seat. Ruelle felt something unfamiliar stir inside her. Seeing how her father was powerless against Lucian soothed a corner of her mind. He said,

"Instead of finding her, you are interrogating me, but if you didn’t put Caroline behind the bars, this would have never happened."

Lucian paid no heed to the human’s words and instead asked, "You said you woke up this morning? What did you find around you?"

"It was a forest. Trees?" Mr. Belmont asked as if the pureblooded vampire was asking stupid questions.

Lucian repeated dryly, "How descriptive." Mr. Belmont’s jaw clenched again. "What exactly did you find around you?"

"I already told you. A forest."

"A forest has more than trees. Was there a road nearby or a stream or any signs of another person you might have caught?" Lucian’s questions continued with relentless precision, each one designed to corner the person.

Ruelle noticed how her father tried to appear brave and she wondered how long it would take before he would crack.

"Does your body still hurt?" Lucian asked and Mr. Belmont nodded. "It must have hurt worse earlier?"

"Yes."

Lucian’s lips twitched. "You woke with pain in your neck, chest and hands yet you were capable of walking." He then asked, "Mrs. Belmont, were these the clothes your husband left in that evening to go out?"

Mrs. Belmont turned to look at her husband and she shook her head. "No."

"Do these belong to him?" Lucian pressed.

"No..." Mrs. Belmont wondered if the second person in her family was going to end up behind bars. The thought made her gulp and she wrung her hands together.

Lucian’s fingers tapped on the wood once again, like a clock ticking. He then remarked, "Did you treat yourself with new clothes when you could have gone to your relatives’ house and change? You must have had no time to bathe then."

"Yes. I didn’t want to get caught in case the debt collectors were waiting for me," Mr. Belmont huffed. "Seriously, I—"

Suddenly a knock on the door interrupted them.

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