Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 24: One failed subject

Ruelle pulled out her book, placing it gently on her lap, though her attention was far from the open pages before her. She couldn’t help but glance at Ezekiel, who was currently engaged in a hushed conversation with their instructor, Gemma. Why now? Why here?

Ezekiel had never mentioned working at Sexton. As far as she knew, her family wasn’t aware of it either. He had spoken before about working for vampires in high society, but never did it cross her mind that his work would involve being an assistant teacher in a Seduction Techniques class.

"You girls fawn over every instructor," Kevin muttered under his breath, breaking into her thoughts.

"Oh, hush! There’s no harm in admiring something good-looking," Hailey chimed in, nudging Ruelle with a knowing smile. "Even Ruelle thinks he’s handsome."

But Ruelle’s eyes were on Ezekiel for different reasons. Her mind flashed back to the night he had hugged her behind the bell tower. No, don’t think about it, she told herself. There was no need to dwell on it. No one had seen, and it was a memory best left buried.

"As I mentioned last week," Gemma’s voice rang out, drawing attention back to the front of the room. "Your task for the first week was to observe your partner and document their characteristics—observe, analyse, and present your findings. We’ll now review your answers before moving forward." She clapped her hands, commanding the room’s attention.

As Gemma called on the first students to present, their words floated around Ruelle without truly registering.

"Miss Clifford, share with us what you have gathered," the head instructor said after a few students had taken their turn.

like it contained the most insightful observations. But only she knew that it contained nothing as she flipped through the blank pages with ease that suggested

casting a quick glance

too loudly, which makes it hard to focus on what he’s saying. If his nose were smaller, he might be more appealing, but it’s hard to take him seriously with

in what

There’s only one problem," she said, stepping closer to June with a smile. "Your partner isn’t Marcus. If I recall correctly, your partner was Mr.

smile froze, her cheeks

the tension in the air was palpable as Gemma reached for June’s

earlier confidence rapidly crumbling. "I—I can explain. You

you fail to complete the assignment, but you also lied. I’m giving you a failing

evident on her face. None of them had expected such a simple task

a beat. She had heard before that students could only afford to fail two

said, her tone never losing its composure. "This is Sexton. When you are given a task, you are expected to complete it thoroughly.

his face slightly pale. He cleared his throat nervously before beginning. "Ruelle. Well... I partnered with Ruelle." He glanced at her, offering a small smile. "At first, it was just about completing the assignment, but now I see her as a friend. She’s thoughtful and never hesitates to share her knowledge

Kevin’s voice made her feel exposed to people. On the other hand, Ezekiel stared at Kevin with a false