Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 228

Chapter 228: Where Did the Mirror Go?

Far away, in one of the towns, a carriage carried Hailey and the others. The sky had begun to lighten at the edges, not yet dawn, but the deep black of night was giving way to something softer, a pale grey that crept upward from the horizon.

Hailey used the edge of her sleeve to clear the window, wiping at the fog that had settled on the glass from the cold outside. An uneven patch opened up, and through it she watched the silhouettes of mansions pass against the sky.

Her hands gripped the wooden box that rested on her lap. She wondered if the others had found Ruelle or were still looking for her.

"I can’t believe that someone like Mr. Henley could turn out to be this vile..." Hailey muttered with a shake of her head.

"Apparently, Sexton didn’t give him enough work to keep him busy," Sawyer responded with his eyebrows slightly pulled together. "There really isn’t an animal worse than a human or a vampire. We’re remarkably good at being awful."

"Not everyone is like that. Not at the same level," Hailey replied, pursing her lips. She then turned to look outside the window and said, "We have moved past five towns and one village so far. But nothing has happened."

"If it were that easy, the mirror would have reacted several days before this," Angelina remarked with a blank expression.

Hailey’s gaze lowered towards the wooden box on her lap. She opened it and saw her reflection in the mirror. "Peyton only said the mirror would react. She didn’t say how."

"I doubt she knew much about it," Angelina replied with a slight thoughtful expression. "I guess we will just know." After a pause, she added, "He will be shredded into pieces once he comes into our hands," the vampiress was talking about Ezekiel.

Hailey closed the box. For several minutes, there was nothing except the steady turning of the wheels and the occasional creak of wood whenever they travelled over an uneven snow settled in the road. Even though her eyes grew heavy, she tried to keep them wide open. Because this wasn’t a time to fall asleep when a life could be saved.

"Don’t worry," Hailey heard Sawyer’s voice. And for a moment, she wondered if his words were meant for his twin. But he was looking at her. "Lucian will find Ruelle."

Several minutes passed as they continued to travel when the box suddenly jerked, drawing everyone’s attention to it.

Upon opening the wooden box, Hailey’s eyes widened and she exclaimed,

"The mirror is gone...!"

Sawyer took hold of the box to make sure, and just like she’d said, the mirror was no longer present inside. He turned it over in his hands, checking the corners of the velvet lining, running his thumb along the seams as if to find a shard but there was nothing. His gaze shifted to the window, where mansions were lined along it on either side of the road.

"Something must have drawn it out of the box," Angelina stated, her eyes following her brother’s.

The mansions stood tall and proud against the lightening sky. This town, Hailey realised, was not like the others they’d passed through. They were the homes of the higher-standing people of the society. Old money, older lineage, the kind of families whose names carried weight and she swallowed.

"Yeah," Sawyer answered as he pushed the door open, the others following after him. "It makes sense. Ruelle wouldn’t have brought any of her things this far, and neither would the Belmonts. That’s why the mirror was still with Ruelle until now. I guess it is time to start knocking on doors."

Hailey looked ahead and noticed the four mansions standing. They were grand, older than the ones they’d passed, their gates wrought from iron that had long since turned black with age. Each one sat on its own stretch of land, separated from its neighbours by high hedges.

"Who does it belong to...?" she murmured, her voice trailing off as her eyes moved from one mansion to the next.

"There’s the Tilestones," Angelina answered, her voice quiet. "The Mortensons. The Noctics. And the Sylvans."

Hailey turned to look at the Sylvan mansion. It stood apart from its neighbours, not by distance but by presence. The ivy that climbed its walls was thick and dark, even in winter.

"Let us split up," Angelina decided, turning to her twin brother while she gestured toward the Tilestone and Mortenson mansions. "Oliver and I will take these two mansions. It will be faster that way."

Sawyer gave a firm nod. He answered, "Alright. We will take these two houses then. Let us go."

Hailey quickly hurried after Sawyer as he began to head towards the closest house that belonged to the Noctics family. She whispered,

"What are we going to say once we reach there?" Because surely, they couldn’t just barge in and look for it—

"We will sit for a cup of tea, and you can excuse yourself that you need to visit the powder room," Sawyer proposed and her eyes widened.

"That doesn’t sound ideal at all. Roam around when people can follow us?" Hailey questioned, and the guards looked at them.

"I don’t think the hour we have come is ideal either but we are desperate. Now watch and learn," Sawyer raised his eyebrows before turning to the front.

"Mr. Ravencroft," the guard offered a deep bow and Sawyer offered a smile.

"I am here to visit the family. For an invitation," Sawyer lied smoothly, wearing a pleasant expression.

The guards bowed and let them inside. They were led to the entrance, where the doors swung open.

Stepping inside, when a servant went to take her coat off, Hailey murmured, "That’s fine. I would like to keep it on."

"How about you, Mr. Ravencroft?" the butler turned to the pureblooded vampire, but he didn’t have a coat on him. He said, "Please follow me. Mr. and Mrs. Noctics will join you. Would you like to have something?"

"No," Hailey replied curtly.

"A cup of blood tea will do," Sawyer answered and the butler bowed, leaving them alone. "You are too stiff and make it obvious that we are up to no good."

Hailey couldn’t sit still as her leg shook out of stress. If they did find the mirror, she wondered how they were going to take it from here. Wouldn’t it seem odd to the family?

After what felt like days, Mr. Noctics arrived at the drawing room.

"Mr. Ravencroft," he said, offering a bow that was precisely as deep as protocol required and not a fraction deeper. "An unexpected pleasure of seeing you here at this hour of the morning. Is this about the funeral?"

Sawyer smiled, offering a polite bow to the man. He replied, "It is not. We have decided to postpone it."

"Ah, I did hear something about Lucian’s bride-to-be stolen away," Mr. Noctics responded with a grim expression. "Is the wedding being cancelled then?"

"We were worried that’s what people would think, but the wedding is still going to take place. I am sure my cousin has already found her. You know how skilled he is," Sawyer said, while the man sat down with them. "I am here to make sure about something else actually."

"Oh?" the man’s eyebrows rose.

Hailey saw Sawyer with a thoughtful expression before he asked, "What are your thoughts about a human and a vampire’s reunion?"

The man blinked before he laughed. "I believe pureblooded vampires should marry their own kind to keep the blood pure. Humans are weak," he added, while glancing at Hailey, who sat there uncomfortably. "I don’t understand what the point is when the war will keep going on. If not in the front, but at the back."

"Does that mean you have issues with the current, existing treaty in effect?" Sawyer asked.

"I don’t think my opinion matters when the head of the council has already put it out," Mr. Noctics answered, leaning back in his chair. "Even if I do raise it now, I will only be targetted. Sometimes it is better to turn a blind eye to things you don’t like."

Hailey would have excused herself in the name of going to the powder room. But seeing how the man of the mansion looked at her as if she were a vermin, she didn’t think it was wise to snoop around. But Sawyer didn’t seem to get up, as when the bloodtea was served, he sipped on it to continue to chat.

"Well, I will be glad to let the elder minister know. After all, you are the building blocks of our society. It seems your children will be required to marry to our kind," Sawyer’s voice was light, sipping the tea in between the words.

Mr. Noctics laughed at this. The man’s expression turned to something with disdain. He remarked,

"I am sure they know how not to disappoint. Else the humans pay for it."

"Mm," Sawyer nodded his head before his eyebrows furrowed. He asked, "It seems for some reason the blood tea isn’t agreeing with my stomach this morning. I need to excuse myself," he turned to the butler before getting up.

"Follow me, sire," the butler led him out of the room, leaving Hailey behind.

Hailey sat there awkwardly, unable to meet the vampire’s eyes, who drilled holes with his. She wondered how things were fairing with Angelina and Oliver on the other side of the road.

"It seems Mr. Ravencroft hasn’t collared his slave yet," Mr. Noctics murmured, but Hailey heard it clear.

If it were another time, she would have demanded the man take his words back. But she was too tired, and if he had the mirror, they would need to sweet-talk with him. She instead said,

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify