Eighteen-year-old Ruelle Belmont has learned to be useful and grateful, because in her family love is given only to those who earn it. When her father’s debts grow beyond saving, she is sent to Sexton, a prestigious vampire institution that accepts one human from every household.

But Sexton is no place for a human.

Inside its halls, humans are not students. They are Groundlings, valued for their blood and how easily they can be broken. Favour is currency and cruelty is entertainment. And failure means being sold.

Ruelle soon discovers that the cold and dangerous pureblood she once crossed paths with is here as well. Worse, she is forced to share a room with him when she is hunted by a couple of vampiresses. 

Lucian Slater watches her too closely for a man who claims to despise humans. Yet when Sexton’s predators begin to circle, he is the one who steps in to help her.

And for the first time in her life, Ruelle is learning something she was never meant to believe. That she may be worth wanting.

And in Sexton, being wanted is the most dangerous thing of all.

———————

The clock struck midnight when Ruelle heard the echo of footsteps. She tensed, the fine hairs on the back of her neck standing on end in the cool night air.

"You shouldn't be here," Ruelle whispered, her voice a breathless murmur. The silhouette finally came to stand under the moonlight, his dark red eyes watching her and his inky black hair ruffling.

"Shouldn't I?" His voice was a dark caress, and she stood there captivated by the danger he exuded like perfume.

"I haven’t seen you for the last two days," his tone low. His hand reached out, fingers brushing against the silk of her nightgown, tracing the trembling outline of her collarbone. "Tell me, were you avoiding me, or perhaps... entertaining other offers?"

Ruelle’s heart raced, her breaths shallow. She declared, "I don't belong to anyone.”

"A bold claim," he murmured, his breath a tantalising chill against her skin as he leaned in. "Yet here you are, pulse racing, your body tensed as if in anticipation of my touch."

His fingers gripped her chin, tilting her face towards his. The moonlight caught his eyes, revealing a glint of predatory intent. "Or must I remind you whose touch you truly crave?"

Heat crept up Ruelle's neck and she shook her head too quickly. 


"No. That is not—I do not…" Her words tangled between her tongue and worry. "I am not saving anything for him."


Did Lucian think she spoke with the prince to climb the social ladder? Someone desperate enough to cling to royalty? 


"I wasn't trying to do anything like that," she went on despite him never asking. "Things just happened this morning. His hair was stuck in glue, he couldn't see, and I used oil—"


The single word was enough to bring her words to a halt. His lips pressed into a thin line. Not in displeasure. He stated, "I wasn't accusing you. You don't have to explain yourself to me."


Ruelle's cheeks looked flushed as his intense gaze fixed itself on her. Yet, something quiet sat in her chest, tight and unspoken. The fear that had crawled in last night refused to disappear.


Chapter 86 - Twenty days