Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 227

Chapter 227: One Life for Another

The crying did not stop all at once. It weakened slowly until Ruelle was left breathing unevenly against Lucian’s chest, too exhausted even to lift her head.

Lucian said nothing.

One of his hands rested against the back of her head, careful to avoid the places where blood had dried into her hair, while the other remained around her waist. His body was unnaturally still beneath her cheek, but she could feel the tension that had never quite left him.

She winced when the fingers of her broken wrist tried to curl further and he pulled away.

"Let me help you up," Lucian offered, before helping her stand.

Her swollen eyes drifted towards the silver-black shape lying several feet away.

"He is stronger than he looks. He is our wolf," Lucian assured her and she nodded. But seeing the blood pooled around the wolf, she knew the creature needed to be healed.

Ruelle’s gaze travelled further and landed on Ezekiel. He lay where Lucian had left him, his body twisted in the bloody snow. The handkerchief remained stuffed between his teeth, muffling whatever sounds he attempted to make. His ruined legs no longer seemed capable of carrying him anywhere even though he tried to crawl.

If she were going to heal Zhenya, she would have to heal herself first. With that thought, she walked to the nearby tree and placed her hand on it. She closed her eyes and found the life force of the tree before breathing its essence into her.

At the same time, the distant crunch of boots could be heard coming from somewhere in the forest, rushing in their direction.

White light spilled from her hand into the tree beneath her touch. And as seconds passed, the tree began to turn into dust and drifted into the wind until there was nothing to hold on to.

Ruelle stared at the space where the tree had stood only moments ago. There was no stump, no scattered bark, no proof it had ever grown there at all but only a faint depression in the snow where its roots had been. She flexed her healed fingers slowly.

"W—What was that?" questioned one of the officers with their mouth wide open. "A witch?"

"A witch? That’s an angel from heaven," Edward snapped at the officers.

But the officers weren’t convinced. And one of them pulled out a dagger because witches weren’t welcome and rules were set in the courthouse. He took a step toward the witch when King Septimus appeared in front of him.

"Touch a member of the royal family and you will meet your ancestors," Septimus said with a smile.

"Father!" Edward exclaimed upon seeing him.

"I did not see anything, Your Majesty!" the officer blurted, already dropping into a bow so deep his knees nearly buckled.

"That’s what I thought," Septimus said.

Edward turned away and made a beeline to where Ruelle had turned to look, hearing their voices. "Ruelle!" but then his eyes fell on Ezekiel and he began to walk in the halfling’s direction.

"How dare you kidnap her?" The prince picked up Ezekiel by his collar, who was still groaning. He then pulled back his hand and punched right into the halfling’s face. "Why isn’t he dead yet?" he asked in irritation. "I will be happy to bury him alive. But he doesn’t deserve a burial."

"Ruelle!"

When Ruelle’s eyes shifted away from the prince, she felt sturdy arms wrap around her. It was Carnifex, who spoke,

"I was worried... to lose you after Mira. We should have found you sooner."

Ruelle hugged her father back. He then pulled back and a deep frown formed on his face. He murmured,

"Look at what he did..." Turning to Edward, he ordered, "I will kill him. How dare he hurt my daughter."

"Ruelle wants him alive," Lucian stated, coming to Ruelle’s side and noticing how a tree wasn’t enough to heal all her wounds.

"What for?" Edward asked, gritting his teeth. "He is useless!"

Ruelle walked to the next tree and placed her hand before the light shone, brightening the dark forest as if a glowing lantern had been lit. She pulled the life force from the next couple of trees before her internal injuries mostly healed and her head began to feel clearer.

"Can you bring him to where Zhenya is?"

Lucian didn’t question and instead walked to where Ezekiel lay in the snow. He bent down, grabbing hold of his foot, and dragged him across the clearing. He then dropped him beside Zhenya without a word and stepped back.

Ruelle sat down next to the wolf. When she touched the wolf’s head, Zhenya whimpered. The wolf’s head lifted from the snow, its eyes opening to look at her. She ran her hand gently through its fur and the wolf pressed its head against her palm. She whispered,

"I am going to make you feel better."

Edward, who stood not too far next to Carnifex, questioned in a low voice, "I thought one needed markings and whatnot for spells to work. Did Ruelle turn into a higher witch?"

Carnifex hadn’t seen her do any marking on the ground. But then his eyes fell on her arm. His eyebrows furrowed and he murmured, "She drew it on her..."

Edward’s eyebrows shot at the now faint marking on her forearm.

But just as Ruelle was about to begin the spell, Hermes’s voice came from a distance. "Your Highness!"

The sharp sound of horse galloping with its hooves hitting the ground got louder before they finally caught sight of Hermes sitting behind Claude. The prince’s attendant’s eyes widened upon catching everyone and he exclaimed,

"Miss Ruelle! Thank God, you have been found and are safe!"

When the rein of the horse was pulled, Hermes didn’t have the patience to wait and had dismounted quickly.

"What is it, Hermes?" King Septimus demanded, noticing the attendant fiddle with his fingers.

"That, Your Majesty—even though Mr. Dane Slater has... there are signs of threads forming in the hollow..." Hermes phrased it carefully, and the information caught everyone’s attention. "Some of them have left to gather the ingredients and missing things."

Lucian went completely still.

"Then perhaps the halfling would be better spent on Dane?" King Septimus proposed, turning his eyes to meet Ruelle’s.

Soon a carriage was arranged before it began to head in the direction of the Slaters’ mansion. Its wheels turned slow and steady over the packed snow, the lanterns mounted on either side throwing weak, swaying circles of light across the frozen road ahead. The horses’ breath came in pale clouds.

Inside, the carriage was dim and quiet, the curtains drawn to the side, while Ruelle was too tired to keep her eyes open. With Ezekiel kept to trade life with Dane, she had used the trees to heal Zhenya.

Ruelle turned to glance at Lucian, who sat beside her in silence with one arm resting around her shoulder while his gaze stared outside the window. His face revealed little, but she had come to know the difference between his usual stillness and the kind that came from holding too much beneath it.

Lachlan... he had already crossed over but there was hope for Dane.

As if feeling her looking, his eyes met hers.

Ruelle didn’t know what he saw in her face, but something in his gaze softened by the smallest degree, and the ache beneath her ribs tightened. She didn’t care how impossible it was supposed to be. She didn’t care what rules governed life and death, what it might demand of her, or how narrow the chance was. If there was even a thread still holding Dane to this world, she wanted to pull him back by it.

For Lucian, for herself and for everyone waiting at the mansion. She would bring Dane back.

By the time the carriage finally arrived through the gates of the Slater estate, lights were burning in nearly every window of the mansion. Hearing the sound of the hooves come to a halt along with the wheels, Ruelle’s eyes opened that she had briefly closed.

Seeing the carriage arrive, the people inside had appeared in the courtyard in a hurry.

Lady Ravencroft was the first to descend the stairs, with her husband and Maude stepping right behind her.

Edward and Carnifex were the first ones to step outside, followed by Lucian, who helped Ruelle step out. She placed her hand in his, allowing him to support most of her weight as her boots touched the ground.

"Oh, thank heavens," Lady Ravencroft sighed in relief.

"I will send word for the physician," Maude informed, upon noticing the amount of blood that had been spilt, before leaving the place in a hurry.

Lady Ravencroft hurried to where Ruelle was and she was about to hug her when Lucian brought his hand in front of Ruelle. He informed, "She’s healing."

The vampiress’s lips tightened, as if upset that someone had gone so far as to hurt the poor young woman as the bruises on her face remained. She said, "We are so glad to have you back, Ruelle."

Ruelle managed a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Even though several minutes had passed since they had reunited, she noticed Lucian’s corruption refused to get back inside as it usually did. And it worried her. He had refused her help to heal him and had instead asked her to keep her strength as she needed it.

"Get the medical aid prepared," Lucian ordered one of the servants, who quickly bowed and went inside.

"Isn’t it better for the physician to aid you?" Lady Ravencroft’s husband questioned as his eyes scanned the amount of blood that was stuck on both his nephew’s and Ruelle’s skin and clothes.

"It isn’t for me," Lucian turned behind and so did the older man to catch sight of the wolf being carried. "Where is Dane?"

"In the prayer hall," answered the man, and soon Ruelle and Lucian hurried inside the mansion without waiting.

When a groaning Ezekiel was put down from the top of the carriage, everyone’s eyes fell on the halfling. With his limbs now useless and his sight gone, he continued to make angry, muffled noises with the kerchief still stuffed in his mouth. Lady Ravencroft’s face twisted into fury and she stomped her way to the halfling, raising her hand before almost punching the person’s bloody face when Septimus’s hand appeared before hers, pushing it away without touching it.

"Not yet," Septimus said, stopping her hand before it landed. "We need him alive enough for the sacrifice."

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