Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 91

Chapter 91: Held too close

Though the sky still held light, lanterns had already been lit around the grounds of Sexton, their glow stretching across the paths. It was six in the evening. The leaves from a nearby tree rustled before falling on the ground from the wind.

Right now, Ruelle waited for Edward, as he had told her that they would meet at this hour near the maze. But so far there was no sign of him.

She murmured, "Sexton seems quieter at this hour than usual. I should probably return." She didn’t want to run into a bored vampire who would want to snack on her.

But at the same time a thumping sound answered her. It came from deeper within the trees—heavy, uneven, closing fast. Before she could take another step, something silver-black barrelled into her.

"Oomph!" She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from her chest. For a moment, all she saw was lantern light spinning above her and then something wet brushed her cheek.

"Zhenya?" The wolf whined, tail wagging wildly as he licked her face. She laughed before saying, "You’re going to crush me at this rate."

Zhenya shifted, just enough for her to breathe again. Sitting up, she scratched behind his ears. The wolf leaned into her touch as it closed its eyes. Curious, she asked softly, "What are you doing here?"

When she heard the crunching of leaves from someone’s footsteps, without looking up, she said, "Don’t be scared of him. He’s harmless."

"I know. I raised him," came the cool reply.

Ruelle turned and caught Lucian standing not too far from where she was. The lantern light caught his sharp silhouette. She watched him walk towards them, holding a bag in his hand. She asked curiously,

"What’s in the bag?"

"Carrots."

Eh? Ruelle blinked twice before asking, "Are you going to feed the rabbits with it...?"

"No. They are for the one sitting next to you," Lucian looked at the wolf, and Ruelle’s frown deepened.

Were wolves vegetarians? She asked herself in doubt. She watched the wolf in quiet amazement.

There was an obvious hint of amusement in his eyes even though he didn’t comment further. He opened the bag and pulled a red carrot. He broke it in half and tossed it without looking at the wolf, who was quick to jump and catch it in its mouth.

She then heard him ask, "Do you want to feed him?"

"I can?" she asked, surprised.

"Sure," Lucian handed the entire bag to Ruelle.

She broke it into small pieces, as if trying to be mindful and handed it to the wolf, who was more than happy to continue to eat it. She looked amazed and asked,

"How does he like it? I mean—I thought wolves usually go for the meat," while she took a comfortable seat on the ground.

"Blame the actual owner for feeding him carrots," Lucian murmured with a shake of his head. "I was shocked too. Ironically, he loves them," he murmured.

Lucian continued to watch her brushing her fingers through the wolf’s fur every once in a while, before she idly asked,

"Who are you taking to the Winter’s Dance?"

"No one."

Maybe it was too soon, Ruelle thought before asking, "What about last year?"

"No one," he answered again.

"Oh..." she said softly. Zhenya’s tail thumped once against the ground as if excited about something. "Why not?"

When Lucian’s eyes sharpened, she felt the weight of his scrutiny settle on her. He tilted his head and asked,

"Why? Is that something you’re considering?"

Ruelle held his gaze for a moment longer than necessary, then looked away. She replied,

"The prince asked me to dance with him..."

Ruelle hadn’t grown up being chosen. She had learned early not to linger on that thought, to push it aside whenever it surfaced. Caroline had always drawn affection without asking, while Ruelle had been content with what she got. At least one of them did not have to wonder what it felt like.

So when the prince chose her as his dance partner, she did not reject the idea.

Ruelle turned to look behind them and noticed there was no sign of Edward. She muttered disappointedly,

"He should have told me if he wasn’t going to make it..."

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