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.

most insightful observations. But only she knew that

Gemma," June began, before casting a

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 such... unfortunate features. And his posture—he slouches like someone who doesn’t

exchanged wide-eyed glances. There was nothing kind in what June had said.

observations, Miss Clifford. There’s only one problem," she said, stepping

confident smile froze, her cheeks flushing

and the tension in the air was palpable as Gemma reached for June’s notebook. The vampiress said, "I

rapidly

interrupted smoothly, returning the notebook to June. "I’m afraid this is unacceptable. Not only did you fail to complete the

such a simple task to carry such consequences.

She had heard before that students could only afford to fail

you," Gemma said, her tone never losing its composure. "This is Sexton.

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

her feel exposed to people. On the other