Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 191: What Is Mine

Ruelle felt her stomach drop at the sight before her.

The guards entered first, their eyes sweeping across the church until one of them spotted her and shouted, "Miss Belmont is here!"

Her eyes widened as more than ten guards entered and right behind them came her father. But he wasn’t alone. Lord Azriel was there, Elder Minister Carnifex beside him, along with a local officer whose expression looked far too tired for this hour.

Before she could think of what to say, her father walked straight past the guards and pulled her into his arms. His hold tightened around her so hard it nearly suffocated her.

"Why are you here, Ruelle?" her father demanded, his voice low near her ear which carried irritation hidden beneath concern. When she tried to push him away, his arms loosened reluctantly.

"Mr. Belmont was convinced you had eloped with Lucian Slater," Elder Minister Carnifex remarked with a wry expression. He looked as though he had been dragged from sleep and wasn’t happy about it. "It is good to see you are safe, Miss Belmont. Your father caused quite the disturbance, though I suppose it is understandable."

Ruelle’s eyes lowered. She had only wanted to get away from her father for the night. She hadn’t expected him to drag half the courthouse and Lord Azriel out of bed in the middle of winter.

"I had a bad dream about my sister," Ruelle said, piecing the lie together quickly enough that it sounded believable. "And because it has been days since we heard anything of her. I... felt I needed to come here and pray for her safety."

"In the middle of the night?" her father asked, suspicion lacing his voice.

Ruelle bowed her head, "I apologise. I didn’t think it would cause such disruption. I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I will be more careful."

Before anyone could speak further, Lord Azriel stepped in and spoke, "She must be exhausted after spending the night here. We should let her return and rest first."

"That she will," Mr. Belmont said firmly, and when Ruelle looked at him, she could see the anger sitting behind his eyes despite the calm in his voice. "It is obvious the guards have not been doing their job if my daughter can slip in and out of the house so easily, Minister. Perhaps the windows should have iron grills installed for her safety."

Carnifex’s mouth tightened before he gave a short nod. He replied, "That can be arranged."

Grills on the window where she would have nowhere out? Ruelle felt like things were getting worse.

"If you wish to visit the church, you need only ask Claude to escort you here," Lord Azriel said, and she nodded awkwardly. Then he turned to Mr. Belmont, his expression cooling. "And I believe an apology is owed. Considering you accused Lucian of stealing your daughter away."

After a pause the pureblooded vampire added, "Though he cannot steal what already belongs to him."

Ruelle’s breath caught at the words.

Minister Carnifex spoke in a grim voice, "Lucian has been occupied with the case involving your other daughter. It would be wise not to make such accusations carelessly."

Mr. Belmont’s expression tightened.

Carnifex then looked to Ruelle and continued, "And you, Miss Belmont. You must inform your family before leaving. Times are not as the last few months. If you disappear without a word, you place yourself at risk and there may be nothing we can do for you."

The weight of his words settled heavily.

Ruelle lowered her head again and agreed, "I understand."

"Children can be reckless," Mr. Belmont said, smoothing his expression as though none of this had rattled him. "I simply didn’t want the treaty endangered when Ruelle’s future is so close to being settled." His hand came to rest on her back, guiding her toward the doors. He said to her, "Come. Let us go home."

The warmth of his hand against her spine felt less like comfort and more like a warning.

When they stepped outside the church, Ruelle caught sight of the four carriages stood waiting at the front, their horses stamping against the frost-covered ground while the townspeople who had woken early lingered nearby, their eyes following the little procession leaving the church.

Whispers had already begun. A missing bride-to-be found at dawn was enough to stir any quiet town.

The local officer who had come with them still looked at Ruelle with visible confusion, as his eyes darted to her neck. When their eyes met, he quickly lowered his head in apology.

"Thank you for helping find her," Mr. Belmont said to Elder Minister Carnifex as though he were nothing more than a worried father. "I should discipline her now, so she doesn’t think she can do the same once she’s married."

The words made Ruelle’s stomach tighten.

She climbed into the carriage without protest, her father following after her while two guards took their place behind the carriage before it began moving.

Inside, silence filled between them, broken only by the steady turning of wheels and the horses pulling them through the frozen streets. Ruelle kept her hands pressed tightly in her lap and her eyes fixed outside the window, watching the bare trees pass by. But even that wasn’t enough to ease the weight of her father’s gaze on her right now.

"Is there a reason," he finally asked, his voice calm in a way that made her skin crawl, "why you chose the window instead of the front door last night?"

should have truly run, she thought. Not to the

want to wake anyone," she replied quietly, still looking outside. "It was

"Look at me when I am speaking to you, Ruelle. Or are

her head and met his eyes. There was no warmth there now, only that familiar glare

mean to fall asleep there. I already apologised. What more do

him, but there was

if they have filled your head with rebellion when all I

of Caroline made her

Ezekiel had gone through the streets twice, tearing through alleyways and corners before waking Elder

He demanded, "The letter Lord Azriel mentioned. Was it from

but feel paranoid that her father was trying to look for loopholes over the false reason. That he would know

nerve and she replied, "What if it was from Lucian? I don’t think sharing

murmured, "So you were

Ruelle said nothing.

skin. He had wanted to take her away last night, somewhere quiet where she would finally come with him and remember who she belonged to. But the one night he had planned everything, she

rolled to a

the mansion, Mrs. Belmont hurried

forward, his expression vacant. "Seeing how Ruelle still struggles to know right from wrong, she will remain at

them and into the house, her feet moving faster than usual. Halfway to her room,

I would have come

Ruelle glanced behind them first, making sure no one had followed before lowering her voice. "My father

mean... when I woke up, the door was broken and everyone was panicking. They

head. "No. He didn’t even call my

it was difficult for her friend to understand completely. The Elliots were nothing like the Belmonts. Mr. and Mrs. Elliot loved their daughter openly. They worried for her, protected her,

fingers against her temples, trying to ease the pounding in her head. She then admitted, "I panicked. I just... didn’t expect everything

offered her an awkward smile. "Well... you are the most important person in the house right now. It would be strange if they didn’t care." After a pause, she murmured, "It is strange that I didn’t hear the crash.

Mr. Belmont’s word. He claimed there was still enough time for adjustments to be made and that there was no need

step outside the

been installed over the windows in the name of safety, but Ruelle knew better. Whether it was because her father no longer trusted her to stay inside or because he feared

it should have given her time to go through the books she had taken from the witch to

would have required her

if that wasn’t enough, they had all begun sleeping in the same room. The excuse had been simple. Family should stay close

had nearly laughed

hadn’t known her father could be this petty or this determined over something so pointless. At times she thought it would be easier if someone simply dragged him back to a gambling table. At least then his attention would be elsewhere

was the silence as she hadn’t heard anything about Lucian.

the new Belmont residence, the courthouse officers had spread across the lands in search of the escaped prisoners. Bounty

Lucian, it had been four

scent through the narrow streets, unwashed for days. Separated from the others, he sat on the branch of a tree with a cigar between his lips, lighting

low whine came

was Zhenya, the wolf who stood near the base of the tree, nose lifted towards the trail it

eyes shifted upon seeing the

arms. When she reached the clearing beneath the tree, she dropped them into a pile and poured oil over them. Her trembling fingers struck two stones together, trying to spark

from the tree and landed before her. At

his cigar. "You

of colour. "It wasn’t me—I didn’t kill anyone,"

the bloodied stakes. "And yet here you are, burning what says

know it would turn out like this. They told me to meet them by the creek after I got rid of this. I was planning

exhaled smoke into the cold air. "Why run if you were going

me in the dungeon," she whispered. "I thought... I thought I would die

moved to the far end of the street, his ears picking nothing but the sniffles of the

real killers had used Caroline well, leaving her to carry the blame. He added, "Let us hope you enjoy hanging from the gallows as much

tears, wiping her eyes and nose with the back of

send me to the gallows. I will do everything I can to help. I don’t want to

into the nearest abandoned building and bound her wrists and ankles with rope. Caroline’s cries broke into quiet hiccups. He tied the final knot and looked down

fear usually sharpens the mind, Mrs. Henley," Lucian remarked, as she looked at him with blurry eyes. "Why don’t we go

me to

a vial from his coat. Pulling the cork, he said, "Take a long

nose. As her mind started to feel light, she heard the pureblooded vampire then