Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 134: Crossing lines

Ruelle glanced down at the bandage wrapped around her, fingers still resting where she had just secured it.

"But... Lucian, the bandages will get wet," she said, turning her head slightly over her shoulder.

He had already taken a few steps away, his back to her, when he paused.

"I meant for myself," Lucian corrected, his voice steady despite the faint tension in it.

"Oh, okay." Ruelle watched as Lucian moved around the wooden divider and turned the faucet. The faint rush of water filled the room before he reappeared.

Now that she thought of it, she had never once seen him make use of the bath. In the beginning of her stay, she had thought to step out whenever he needed the bath, yet each time she woke, he was already gone.

The thought barely settled when Lucian’s shirt slipped from his shoulders, the fabric loosening, before falling soundlessly to the floor. Her gaze traced the breadth of his shoulders before following the slow narrowing of his frame to his waist.

She felt guilty when her eyes caught the red lines she had made on him.

"Careful," Lucian remarked, his voice low. "Keep looking at me like that, and I may forget why you’re dressed at all."

Having been caught red-handed, she didn’t deny his accusation. She asked softly, "Won’t the water be freezing at this hour?"

"It is. I need it colder than that," Lucian replied. His gaze lowered slowly along the outer line of her bare back before lifting to her again. As if measuring something in her silence, he asked, "Are you cold?"

Ruelle shook her head. With the way he was watching her, it felt quite the opposite, she thought to herself. He watched her a moment longer, as if considering something.

"I will keep the water shallow. You can join me," Lucian offered with a straight face that one would have thought he was speaking about the weather.

"We wouldn’t fit together there," Ruelle blurted the first thing that passed her mind. Blood rose to her cheeks as she realised what left her lips and she bit the inside of her cheek.

Lucian’s gaze sharpened on her instantly. He then said, "You’d be surprised."

Heat sank deeper beneath her skin the longer he looked at her. And for a fleeting moment, a strange ache formed beneath her skin.

"P–please forget I said that." She closed her eyes as though that might undo her folly. Bury me now, she thought to herself. She was far too aware of him.

Lucian stood there for a second before he picked up his clothes and stepped behind the wooden divider, leaving her breathless.

Foolish, she scolded herself as she made her way to the trunk of her clothes.

On the other side of the divider, Lucian stepped into the bath. The cold water rose around him as he lowered himself beneath the surface and for a moment, there was only silence before he emerged.

Water slid along the sharp lines of his face as his hand passed through his hair, pushing the dark strands back. Drops of water gathered at his jaw before tracing the length of his neck and shoulders, disappearing beneath the surface once more.

His eyes remained closed for a second longer before they opened, the darkness in them no longer held back.

The scent of Ruelle’s blood lingered in the air and the edge of his fang cut his tongue. He welcomed the taste of his own blood to steady what threatened to turn elsewhere.

eyes picked up the movement and he caught Ruelle through the narrow gap of the divider. Just in time her dress slipped from her shoulders and pooled at her feet, making his hand that rested on

turned and exhaled, murmuring, "Still not cold

and the fabric slipped past her shoulders and settled against her skin. She walked to the bed and

the calm after a storm. Though since she had set foot in Sexton, storms seemed to be one of the recurring things for the groundlings. Her thought went to what Bowen had said back in

And at that thought, her

the abandoned mansion when a brightness flickered through its broken windows and smoke escaped. The passengers were three instructors who were returning after a late drink

there a celebration going on in there?" Mr. Savantique leaned forward while squinting through

lazily toward the window and he murmured, "How festive

eyebrows furrowed. "Someone set the mansion on fire." Hearing this, Mr. Savantique straightened at once and knocked on the carriage wall. He called, "Jermey. To

sight of

time was disastrous," the potion instructor huffed as they

one of the Halfling students said quickly, relief flooding his face. He carried a bucket of water in his hand, which he had drawn from the

property is under Sexton’s care," Mr. Savantique demanded. "Where

Den and one on

heels striking sharply

knocking the trolley of liquor bottles right into the flaming room. Mr. Savantique and Dane continued toward the den, the Halfling following close

completely put out, Mr. Savantique crouched beside Orpheus, who lay unconscious with blood smeared along the side of his

sport were you all playing here? And to

cold," Dane murmured as he walked across the room where Bowen lay groaning, clutching his side. His shirt was soaked through, and the

like pissed..." the

Dane asked, "What did he do to earn

Orpheus grabbed Lucian’s roommate... and Bowen

"I thought you were a menace back in the

took it as a compliment as a grin touched

And we all know Sexton allows everyone to have their fun, so the responsibility falls back on the students for

not offended in the slightest. He remarked, "Sexton prides itself on practical education and Lucian does like to give the

Savantique sighed and lifted Orpheus over his shoulder. "I’ll take this one to

to Bowen. He then rose to

if to pick the person up when his fingers pressed into the wound. This had Bowen jolt awake

tell where one should and shouldn’t touch." He then patted the wound, making the

on the edge of her bed, gently massaging the hand Bowen had squeezed earlier that evening. The bones still ached when she moved her fingers, but nothing seemed broken. She supposed she was fortunate

something else too. Neither she nor her friends had been made to attend the vampires’ soiree in the past. If they had, she doubted she would have had

and her minions had locked her in it.

wasn’t given to her. She had long accepted that she was not

And yet Lucian had.

had changed, or why. She did not know what he saw when he looked at her. The thought lingered

a servant, who held a trolley of food before him. She could already

was Claude, who had been informed about

the meal?" the servant asked, while

is. Please come in," Ruelle replied politely before stepping away from

room and stopped next to the table. When he started to set the table, Ruelle out of habit picked up the