Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 161: Marked and Sold

Outside the gates of Sexton, carriages began to arrive one after another. Each one slowed near the front before coming to a stop. Once the doors were opened, the Elites of the society stepped down from it.

One by one, they made their way towards the building while their carriages were drawn away. Polished shoes moved against the hardened ground and their coats followed, moving just above the surface of the snow.

"Sexton does know how to put on a show," one of the vampires remarked as he entered the main hall and sat down on one of the plush red seats. His gaze moved lazily and he continued, "I hear even the prince couldn’t stay away. And Mikhael has raised the value of groundlings compared to last year."

The vampire beside him laughed before responding,

"I’m surprised you returned. Didn’t you buy two groundlings?"

"Unfortunately," the first vampire replied, lifting a glass of blood without much interest, "one didn’t last. The other..." he paused briefly, almost dismissive, "barely walks now. No point keeping what doesn’t serve its purpose."

And while the buyers filled the main hall, in another building, consciousness slowly returned as Ruelle surfaced from her sleep.

Her eyelids felt heavy, but she forced them open, blinking against the pale winter light that spilled through frost-etched windows.

The sheets felt warm and that’s when she became aware of the heat source beside her. She carefully turned and found Lucian lying next to her, his face turned to her with one arm draped across his torso.

The morning light fell on his dark hair that rested across his forehead, turning the deepest black strands into threads of midnight silk.

He was devastatingly handsome. The kind of handsome that made her chest ache and her eyes shy away. From the sharp line of his jaw to the aristocratic slope of his nose. The soft curve of lips that had whispered dark promises against her skin just hours ago.

Somewhere she found it hard to believe that this person wanted her.

But the proof throbbed at her neck.

The last thing she remembered was Lucian’s lips on her neck and the molten pain that seared through her body.

She still couldn’t believe she had fainted from it.

Feeling parched, she carefully got up and her one foot touched the floor. When she got up, ready to take a step away from the bed, a hand closed around her wrist.

She turned and met his darkened red eyes that had opened with the haze of sleep disappearing like smoke in air, replaced by something intense and focused.

"Where are you going?" His voice was deep which held a faint rasp to it and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"I was going to get water," Ruelle managed feeling warmth spread through her chest.

His gaze held hers for a moment before the look in his eyes softened and he released her wrist. He sat upright and said, "You were burning last night."

Of course, with the way he had kissed her, it was a miracle she hadn’t melted like a candle on a flame right there against the door.

Even now, hours later, her lips still tingled with the ghost of him.

If someone had told her at the beginning of the year that the aloof, brooding Lucian Slater—the man whose gaze was like winter and spoke in clipped riddles, could kiss like that... she would have thought them mad.

And a hidden part of her had enjoyed it. Her eyes lowered as a blush came to settle on her cheeks.

Then she felt Lucian lean forward and rest his hand on her forehead, his cool fingers pressing against the heat that had settled into her skin.

vibrated somewhere beneath her ribs. He noticed the blood rush up to her face at his touch as

asked, "The feeding... does it always hurt like

Lucian cocked his head to the side, pulling

Ruelle denied. Though a little heads-up would help her prepare in the future. Remembering

flickered in his eyes,

pointed, "But it was

sentence. "Dane altered your blood by having you consume parsyth. It dulls

to think Dane had handed it to

to the point that vampires abduct them and keep them as prisoners," Lucian explained to her. If people thought her blood was

manipulated test results in front of an entire room full of vampires to

rise from the bed barefoot. When he opened the door,

ordered, everything has been

and closed

was walking past the mirror

at her reflection. Her eyes widened as she stared at her neck and moved closer. She had expected two punctures but instead there was a thin, inky black vine, which coiled intricately around the base of

inside

"What is this?"

"A soul bond."

as she had never heard of

it. The pureblooded vampire bites the person, like last night," Lucian explained to her patiently. "Once it is done, there’s no undoing it as the soul entwines. It lets others

to the mirror to stare at the vines. Upon closer look, she noticed the faint thorns

have this?" Because she didn’t come across people

doesn’t always show. People usually hide it behind chokers and collars. Whatever keeps it unseen. The markers can will it out of sight." When Ruelle’s brows lifted, Lucian added, "Don’t expect me

faltered when he reached for her neck and brushed the base of her neck for a shiver to run

the

groundlings’ families, where the groundlings’ family sat in the corners and

felt the same. The groundlings were dressed in fine clothes and jewellery. Some would continue to wear them beyond

life that did not quite

look absurd... even those at circus look better," Hailey muttered, staring at her

rubbing the pigment off her cheeks. She

taken back to

was fixing her hair with a hum. She sure looked calm and composed, Hailey thought to herself. The young Belmont sensing eyes on

turned back to continue twirling her hair. Last afternoon, Ezekiel had left, saying he was going to sell the house to pay for her bidding, and she hadn’t seen him

stepped out of the room when she caught sight of her roommate

up?" Blake asked,

said. Then with a small, uneasy laugh, she sighed,

vampiress gave her an apologetic smile and replied, "Forgive me. I’m hardly in a

praying and praying," Hailey sighed. She turned to Sawyer, who had been

smiled at her before answering, "I had a mind to take one I could drag about. Are you

before muttering, "No... I think not." After a pause, she

for the castle," Blake replied,

the marquis’s cousin’s nephew, whom she had danced with during

approached her, Blake and Sawyer walked away

you doing

the man said with a smile. "Forgive me for not answering your letters

that she would