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?"

fingers tightened. Maybe she should have truly run, she thought. Not to the church

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

voice sharpening. "Look at me when I am speaking

and met his eyes. There was no warmth there now,

I already apologised. What more

low chuckle escaped him, but there was nothing pleasant

have filled your head with rebellion when all I have tried to

mention of Caroline made her

empty the night before, Ezekiel had gone through the streets twice, tearing through alleyways and corners before waking Elder Minister Carnifex himself to

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

help but feel paranoid that her father was trying to look for loopholes over the false reason. That he would know that she had climbed out of the window

spoke just now pressed a nerve and she replied, "What if it was

face darkened, and he murmured, "So you were trying to meet

Ruelle said nothing.

at her, anger burning beneath his 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 had slipped

rolled

mansion, Mrs. Belmont hurried down the front steps. She questioned, "Where

how Ruelle still struggles to know right from wrong,

to argue. She walked past them and into the house, her feet moving faster than usual. Halfway to her room, Hailey

morning. I would have

no one had followed

when you didn’t answer?" Hailey frowned. "I mean... when I woke up, the door was

He didn’t even call my

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

ease the pounding in her head. She then admitted, "I panicked. I

It would be strange if they didn’t care." After a pause, she murmured, "It is

was cancelled at Mr. Belmont’s word. He claimed there was still

next two days, Ruelle wasn’t allowed to step outside the house even to walk in

because her father no longer trusted her to stay inside

to go through the books she had taken from the witch

required her to

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

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

as she hadn’t heard anything about

had spread across the lands in search of the escaped prisoners. Bounty posters had

been four

followed the stale human scent through the narrow streets, unwashed for days. Separated from the others, he sat on the branch of a tree with a cigar between

low whine came

of the tree, nose

shifted upon seeing

shoulder as she carried bloodied stakes in her arms. When she reached the clearing beneath the tree, she dropped them into a pile

the tree and landed before her. At this, Caroline gasped and stumbled

from his cigar. "You are under arrest

of colour. "It wasn’t me—I

gaze flickered to the bloodied stakes. "And yet here

eyes. "I was forced to stick with them. Marjorie said they would help me escape. I didn’t 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 to get

air. "Why run if

whispered. "I

the street, his ears picking nothing but the sniffles of

was with you has already left you behind to take the fall for their actions." It seemed the real killers had used Caroline well, leaving her to carry the blame. He added, "Let us hope you enjoy

Caroline broke into more tears, wiping her eyes and nose with the back of

me to the gallows. I will do everything I

dragged her into the nearest abandoned building and bound her wrists and ankles with rope. Caroline’s cries broke into quiet hiccups.

sharpens the mind, Mrs. Henley," Lucian remarked, as she looked at him

me to remember?"

pulled out a vial from his coat. Pulling the cork,

entered her nose. As her mind started to feel light, she heard the pureblooded vampire then question, "When did you last see your chain