Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 200: The Blood Between Us

Carnifex’s expression barely changed at the question and he walked to the stand, picking up the coat that hung there. He remarked, "For someone who doesn’t care about gossips, you seem rather interested in mine."

"I usually don’t," Lucian agreed. His gaze remained on Carnifex as the older vampire slipped his hands into his coat. "But Ruelle isn’t just another matter. I thought Sylvan had arranged the mansion. Then I realised it couldn’t have been prepared in only a few days and it would need to be approved by you."

At first, Lucian had dismissed it as another of Carnifex’s calculations. But the more he considered the treaty, the less it resembled politics. A treaty meant to unite two people had no need for a condition of chastity.

"Am I wrong?" Lucian asked, his eyes narrowing.

For a brief moment, the two men stared at each other. Carnifex looked like he regretted the decision of inviting him into his chambers. The Elder Minister then said,

"I am not obliged to tell you anything, Lucian. This is something between me and her. Also, I noticed that the scar on your neck hasn’t healed. Is something wrong?" He walked to the door with one hand on the handle of the door.

Lucian’s hand reached for the front of his neck and a slight smile appeared on his lips. "It is a gift," he replied.

Carnifex only frowned before he dismissed it. "Whatever it is, it is between Mira and me, or if Ruelle is my—"

"Achoo!" someone sneezed behind the door.

When the minister opened the door, Ruelle stood before him. She offered him a smile and said, "I—I was going to ask about Mother’s belongings... but... another time." Offering a bow, she turned and hurried out of there with her eyes going wide.

Carnifex’s face hardened and he glared at the pureblooded vampire in the room.

Lucian met the older vampire’s gaze without the slightest hint of remorse. He remarked, "It is better for her to know through your mouth than mine. After all, it is between you two." Without waiting for a response, he stepped past him. "I’ll see you later."

In the courtyard, Ruelle had climbed inside the carriage while her hands pressed on her lap. Her thoughts felt as though someone had scattered them across the snow. She would have considered it to be a joke or something she had imagined. But she had seen Carnifex’s face turn slightly startled.

She had only meant to ask about the mirror when she had overheard something that was not meant for her ears.

It didn’t take long for Lucian to enter the carriage and take a seat beside her. For a moment, neither of them spoke. To fill the silence once the carriage door closed, she asked, "Did they find Ezekiel in a... pile too?"

"Not yet, but if they don’t, a warrant will go out for his arrest," Lucian replied and when he knocked on the side, the carriage began to move. "Your sister is back and there are enough statements. With his disappearance it will solidify the case."

Ruelle gave a nod, even though her attention wasn’t completely there.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lucian asked, his gaze patient.

"About Ezekiel?" Ruelle laughed, and she replied, "No. I think it is fine. Even Caroline is on board, so it should be okay."

She felt Lucian place his hand on hers, the warmth fading the weather that was pressing around her. Her eyes briefly glanced at her hand that disappeared behind his. He then said, "I meant about what you heard at Carnifex’s chamber."

"Oh, that..." Ruelle murmured, her eyebrows slightly furrowing. "I am still chewing on it."

She was yet to swallow what she found out. She closed her eyes for a moment and then shook her head as if in disagreement.

"It is just—it’s a lot of things I found in a day. Father died. Then you said you killed him, but maybe it is a good thing you didn’t kill my father now. The actual one," she rambled while Lucian didn’t interrupt her. "How—How is it possible? I don’t know what to think..." she confessed, meeting his eyes.

She had spent years believing Harold Belmont was her father. And now that she knew he wasn’t, it somehow didn’t reduce the ache in her chest. Because the man who should have known she existed had never come looking for her either.

"If you don’t want to, you don’t have to think about it right now. Or if you don’t want to see Carnifex, that can be arranged." Lucian tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I must have some sort of bad luck when it comes to having a father," Ruelle exhaled in thought.

"I will be happy to share mine with you," Lucian answered and it brought a smile to her lips.

"Thank you..." Ruelle murmured. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she asked, "If you think about it... they had an affair, didn’t they?"

That would mean Harold Belmont had never known. Because if he had... she couldn’t imagine him raising another man’s child. Not him. He would have abandoned her the moment Mother died.

Lucian didn’t deny her assumption. He stated,

"Carnifex’s marriage was arranged for political reasons and not out of affection. The couple have never had children in their marriage, but no one knows if it was due to choice or circumstance. From what he said, I believe he knew your mother before that marriage."

It certainly seemed that way. Yet she couldn’t forget the look that had crossed Carnifex’s face. She was curious to know his reasons but not right away, as she needed time to process everything.

"If he is biologically my father, then shouldn’t I have turned into a vampiress?" Ruelle asked as she pulled her head away.

Lucian looked at her for a moment, as though he had expected that question. He noticed her eyes had turned clearer compared to when he had gotten into the carriage. He replied,

"Not necessarily. A vampire always precedes a human during reproduction. But it doesn’t have to be the same for a witch, because it depends on which lineage is stronger. There are abnormalities, but only a few cases have been known and most are hidden."

"Because humans are considered beneath pureblooded vampires," Ruelle murmured in understanding. The carriage shook slightly against the uneven ground with the neighing of the horses as it continued to move through the road.

One of the good things was that, now that Carnifex and Peyton knew, it wouldn’t be too hard to move around without being questioned. They could use the vampiress’s help.

Another thought then dropped and she said, "Maybe that is why he favours you."

"I doubt favour is the right word here," Lucian hummed while he briefly glanced at the passing trees. "He’s grown twice older since he’s met us."

Ruelle couldn’t resist the smile that touched her lips. "So that’s why he looks old. I thought that was my mother’s type," and she saw one corner of his lips pull.

"Ruelle, no matter who comes and goes in your life, you will always have me," Lucian promised her and she interlinked her fingers with his.

The words that had been said before rang in her mind and she replied, "And you will always have me in your corner."

Happy that she could finally lean against Lucian without Peyton’s watchful eyes on them now that the vampiress sat beside Claude, Ruelle allowed herself to relax into him. The steady sway of the carriage should have quietened her thoughts, yet they drifted back to Elder Minister Carnifex.

If he and his wife had truly chosen not to have children... Did that mean that her mother had his heart? To spend a lifetime beside one person while loving another... Ruelle couldn’t imagine it. She wasn’t even sure she would have been strong enough to survive such a choice.

As if sensing the unease that had crept in her mind, Lucian lifted her hand and brushed his lips against her fingers. The simple gesture drew her back, warmth spreading through her hand until it reached somewhere much deeper.

While the carriage disappeared further into the forest, far away from it, in the witch’s cottage, the witch said, "I need something that belongs to the girl. It needs to be tied to the doll."

Ezekiel slipped his hand in his trousers pocket and pulled out the handkerchief that belonged to Ruelle. One that he had taken several months ago from her house. The witch took it in her hand and threw it into the pot of the cauldron, where a fire burned brightly.

"How long will it take for it to take effect?" Ezekiel demanded, who looked frail with the amount of blood he was losing from his nose, his features pale

The witch replied as she stirred the cauldron, "Within a few minutes. Make sure you pronounce every word and thought clearly. The voodoo works exactly as you say."

Ezekiel clutched the voodoo doll and uttered, "Ruelle Belmont, she needs to stab Lucian Slater and tear his heart out. She won’t stop until it is done," and with those words, he threw the twig-like doll into the cauldron. At first, he had wanted Ruelle to come to him. But it was better for Lucian Slater to die first to end up nothing but as a corpse.

Back in the carriage, Ruelle felt a whisper reach one of her ears and a chill pass down her spine. ’Ruelle.’

Startled, she looked around and then outside the window. Lucian gave her a questioning look and she shook her head. When the dagger that she hid in her dress jabbed her side, she pulled the weapon out and stared at it.

"Give it to Claude later. He will sharpen the edge for you," said Lucian.

The horses and the wheels suddenly came to a stop. But seeing how they hadn’t arrived at the mansion and still in the middle of the road, Ruelle peered outside the window, while Claude informed,

"Master Lucian, I think the carriage Master Dane and the Belmonts used has broken down."

When Ruelle stepped down from the carriage, the first thing she noticed was one of the wheels lying several feet away from it. The other hung crookedly from the axle, its wood split clean through. Her footsteps slowed. A strange unease settled in her stomach. After everything that had happened today, her mind no longer reached for coincidence first.

Beside her, Lucian had already strode towards the coachman. "What happened here?"

"Mr. Slater," the courthouse coachman bowed quickly. "We were halfway here when both wheels suddenly gave out. We couldn’t continue. Mr. Slater decided to take another carriage from the nearby town with the women."

Lucian circled the carriage once, his eyes travelling over the shattered wheels before crouching beside the axle. He asked, "Were all the pieces recovered?"

"Everything except for the bolt lock, sire," the coachman answered. "It shouldn’t be that hard to find with the whitened ground," he sounded optimistic.

Though what the coachman said was true, from where Lucian stood, he couldn’t spot the bolt anywhere.

Elsewhere, the snow-covered forest swallowed the sounds of the road. Dane walked ahead while Mrs. Belmont and Caroline followed several steps behind. The older woman limped, and Caroline’s gaze kept drifting over her shoulder, unable to shake the feeling that the humans whom she had tagged along with were after her.

Dane continued humming softly, though his attention wasn’t on the path. He asked,

"How are you doing, Mrs. Belmont?"

"I believe I’ve twisted my ankle," Mrs. Belmont said with a weary sigh.

"What terrible timing..." Dane said sympathetically. "You can never trust the court carriages. We certainly can’t have you overworking that ankle. Best let everyone else fuss over you for a few days." As he spoke, he quietly slipped the iron bolt between his fingers into his coat pocket.