Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 174: A Predator in Love

After dinner, Ruelle returned to her room while Peyton stood right outside her door. When she stepped further inside, her eyes caught a shadow near the fireplace, where the light fell on the fur.

It was Zhenya. At the rustle of her clothes, the wolf opened his eyes and lifted his head.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Ruelle asked the wolf, making her way toward the fireplace with a smile. "Were you waiting for me?"

Hearing her speak, the door opened. Peyton suddenly took a peek inside, her eyes conducting a rapid assessment of the space before her gaze found the wolf. Her dagger was quick to be pulled out.

"He’s a pet. Don’t hurt him!" Ruelle quickly shielded the wolf by coming in between, her hands raised on either side. A low growl came from behind her, the wolf’s eyes focusing on the vampiress.

The vampiress stared at them for a long moment before finally lowering the dagger. Soon, the wolf nudged its muzzle into Ruelle’s hand with particular affection. She noticed the vampiress’s eyes moved to look at the closed window and then back at her.

Peyton took a step back away from the door, bowing her head, she closed it. But just as the vampiress, turned, she caught a figure approaching in the corridor.

"Hello there, grumpy," Dane greeted.

Peyton didn’t respond through words or by action. Her face remained expressionless, her attention unwavering. She informed,

"Miss Belmont is preparing to sleep."

"Aw, that’s alright. I am here for you," Dane’s voice came with that particular warmth that made it impossible to tell if he was being sincere or manipulative. He pulled out two cookies from his pocket, a gesture so casual it should have seemed harmless. "You will die for boredom standing here like a guard dog. Might as well enjoy some treats while you are at it."

When Carnifex’s assistant briefly glanced at Dane’s hand, he added, "I noticed you didn’t have anything to eat, as you have been following Ruelle all day long. It would be rather harsh if you were to faint when you are in the Slaters’ mansion."

"I already fed myself in the courthouse. You don’t have to worry about such things, Mr. Slater," Peyton answered, before her eyes returned to the door behind which Ruelle and the wolf were in the room. Her ears were trained on the human to make sure she was safe as well as kept pure as per the instructions she had received.

"If you are worried about turning fat, don’t mind it. Women look much better when they have meat on the bones," Dane hummed, noticing her continued silence. "Or do you think that I have... laced something in the cookies?"

He then took a bite from one of them before swallowing. But the woman remained uninterested in his gimmicks.

They could hear Ruelle talking to the wolf inside the room. The vampiress said,

"I didn’t know Miss Belmont had a wolf as a pet."

"He suits her, doesn’t he?" Dane said, and something in his expression suggested he wasn’t talking about the wolf at all. "Lucian and she brought the wolf from the forest when they were little. She doesn’t remember it so my brother raised it."

The information hung in the air before he continued, "You might be curious as to why he didn’t tell her about it."

"I didn’t ask."

Peyton’s response came defensively, as if she should have stayed quiet.

But Dane only smiled. He replied, "You don’t have to be shy about it. Lucian doesn’t want to reveal their past moments, as if the fruit would be sweeter if she remembered it herself. He could help her remember, but instead he waits. He has patience."

"Let us hope it stays the same for the next nineteen days."

Dane chuckled at that. "Aren’t you a little too on them? Feeling lonely and projecting the dissatisfaction on the kids?"

When Peyton didn’t respond, Dane stared at her as if he had found a button to push and intended to keep pressing it. "Do you know if I were in my brother’s place, I would have revealed everything and also tied the person to me."

The door opened and Ruelle looked slightly surprised to find Dane standing outside her room. She asked, "Brother Dane, what are you doing here?"

"Making sure Peyton isn’t bored," his response came with innocence.

"Mr. Slater, I am content standing alone if you think I need your company. It would be better for you to find your amusements somewhere else," Peyton didn’t look at him as she said it.

"Woe is me. Care for some cookies?" Dane asked but then said, "On second thought, maybe not. Who knows what’s in it."

He then asked Ruelle, "Why haven’t you gone to bed yet? You know, in the past, there was a time when you and your family once stayed here, just for one night, and you were so scared that we slept together."

Peyton stared at Dane before he wished Ruelle a goodnight and the young woman returned inside the room.

to the bed, Ruelle wondered...Was Brother Dane trying to woo Peyton? But at the same time, something

jump on the bed, walking in circles before curling next to her. The wolf’s warmth was comforting and she ran her hand through its thick

him?" she murmured. Hearing the wolf whine,

what she had

of the

was different. Lucian wouldn’t reject

important that they followed all the conditions, thought Ruelle to herself. She didn’t want to be torn away

is doing

return to Sexton. Where she had gotten used to watching him as she fell asleep. At the

good this time." Ruelle buried her head into the wolf’s fur, which

the Slaters’ mansion and near one of the

pay the minister and they will let Caroline off the

Mr. and Mrs. Belmont had gone to stay in one of the relatives’ houses. A temporary arrangement, they’d been told. Just for a few days until Ezekiel brought a new place. His son-in-law—who had disappeared last afternoon—had appeared

had put Caroline in the

inside the dungeon," Harold huffed, his breath escaping in fog

Slater—didn’t occur to him. Or perhaps he was so consumed by his own arrogance that he needed to imagine scenarios

to return. It was then that he noticed a shadow

in contact with his face with a force that made his thoughts pause for a few seconds. When the metal and the bone of his

felt something in his mouth. When he spat,

Belmont opened his mouth wide, feeling the pain radiate like wildfire. Blood spilt out of his mouth

eyes widened. Dark red

there holding the shovel loosely in one gloved hand, his black coat blending almost seamlessly into the night

doing here?" Mr. Belmont demanded, his lips trembling with shock and fear. "I will report your doings to the courthouse and make

know you will," Lucian answered calmly, tilting his head to the side, staring at the human with the particular interest one

wife will tell! We have told others what you did so you can’t silence me," Mr. Belmont threatened, even as he tried to scramble away from the

the cold ground, a sound that promised nothing good. Right

was a coward and his threat didn’t stand strong at the sight of the shovel. His voice cracked, "What do you want?! Why

"To kill you."

eyes widened and he looked terrified. Having already gone through pain by Lucian’s hands, he tried to stand and began to run. He

make him lose his balance and his head rang harder than before. He fell right on his face and fear had caught on to his legs which refused to move. Lucian came to stand above him, his silhouette blocking out whatever

"Let me go—Let me—"

crouched before the human, one gloved hand reaching

second, Mr. Belmont’s eyes widened from the sharp pain that erupted along with crack of the bone. But before he could scream, Lucian swung the shovel across

at Harold Belmont’s unconscious face for a long moment. Snow continued to fall

The memory of Ruelle standing at the edge of that cliff refused to leave him and the thought alone made something

the pureblooded vampire bent down and seized the human by the arm before dragging him deeper into the nearby

the heart of the forest,

end of it. The brief flare of fire illuminated the sharp lines of his face and

a slow drag, letting the smoke fill his lungs while the scent of blood and winter lingered in the air around him. For a moment, silence settled through the forest

drifting upward through the cold night while the ember at the end of

stood. Mr. Belmont stirred in pain, groaning and whimpering, while he tried to gain

between his fingers, "if you found

in

The soul bond was more than what was spoken and known about. It allowed the marker to draw in the person’s essence, to peek into dreams and he had seen and heard

thought settled inside him violently. As though something precious had nearly

in

as he tried to focus his eyes on not just one but two pureblooded

problem, of course," Dane answered with a smile that held no

get up only to end up

The futility of it was almost pathetic. "How do you think Ruelle would feel if she found out that you killed her father?! She has a soft heart, and she might

Lucian didn’t respond.

simply raised the shovel before bringing it down onto the human’s leg with enough force

caught the man by the jaw and forced the burning end of the cigar into his mouth. The sharp scent of burnt flesh filled the cold air

"Mmgh—!"

a choked, broken sound. Lucian’s hand remained firmly over the human’s mouth while smoke, ash and the taste of charred skin were forced down the human’s throat. Tears