Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

When Dane and the others swung themselves down from their horses, Caroline didn't so much as look back. She gathered her skirts and hurried into the mansion as though another arrow might come flying through the air if she were to linger a second longer.

Still seated atop his horse, Lachlan watched his cousin disappear through the doors before turning towards Hailey. "Miss Elliot," he called, and Hailey was quick to look his way. "Would you mind keeping an eye on Caroline for me until I return?"

"Of course! Leave her to me, Mr. Hawksley," Hailey answered without hesitation, already making her way towards the entrance.

"Thank you," Lachlan looked relieved as he watched her follow after Caroline. Only once they had gone inside did he finally climb down from his horse. The moment both boots touched the ground, a sharp jolt shot up one of his leg.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Dane stride past him. The eldest Slater didn't spare him so much as a glance before disappearing inside the mansion, his long coat brushing behind him.

Lachlan sighed in relief.

When he looked down at the back of his leg, he caught sight of the arrow that had buried itself into his calf muscle.

He had worked construction long enough to know pain with splinters buried beneath fingernails. But this was different. Keeping most of his weight on his uninjured leg, he quietly made his way towards his room. By the time he shut the door behind him, the silence was almost welcoming. He lowered himself onto the edge of the couch with considerably less grace and rested his elbows on his knees.

Lachlan didn't want to call the physician, as it would reach everyone's ears and he didn't need Ruelle worrying. Besides, it was only an arrow which was hardly worth worrying everyone over. His eyes dropped to the wound again before he released a sigh.

"This prince sure is a handful."

But then he couldn't help but question that the pain he felt had come before the shower of arrows. "I just need to wrap it once I pull it out." Finding a cloth from his trunk, he tore it as if to prepare to wrap the wound from gushing out.

Before Lachlan could gather the resolve to begin, measured footsteps approached from the other side of the door, and someone knocked on the door.

The door opened and Dane stepped inside as though the room belonged to him.

Lachlan's brows drew together immediately. With a weary expression, he said,

"If you've come to talk, could it wait until later?" His eyes dropped to the bottle of liquor in Dane's hand before shifting to the wooden box tucked beneath his arm. "I'm not in the mood to drink. So if you wouldn't mind..." he gestured vaguely towards the still-open doorway.

But Dane seemed to have trouble understanding as he stepped inside and gave a gentle nudge of his boot for the door to click shut behind him. He remarked,

"You don't look very good." There was an obvious hint of amusement dancing in his eyes as he said, "Then again it's difficult to ignore a room that smells this strongly of blood." His eyes lowered towards the arrow protruding from the human's leg.

Lachlan's face hardened. He had hoped for this pureblooded vampire to not notice, but like he said, the scent of his blood must have trailed from the entrance of the mansion as the dead hares were taken from the back of the kitchen door.

"You shouldn't be too prideful when you need help," Dane remarked conversationally as he crossed the room. There wasn't a trace of hesitation in his walk. He simply set the box upon the table before lowering himself onto the opposite couch, entirely at ease inside someone else's room.

"Do you think I struck my head during the hunt?" Lachlan asked flatly. "You're the last person I'd willingly let treat me. I can take care of it."

"Aw, and here I thought bringing the first-aid box was rather thoughtful of me," Dane sounded almost disappointed. He opened the lid of the box and continued,

"You are Ruelle's precious cousin. In fact, you seem to be the only member of her family worth keeping around and I thought I should be nice. Imagine if you weren't able to walk her down the aisle? But with Carnifex in picture, it seems you might have to step away."

Lachlan didn't trust Dane Slater. Only yesterday did this person suggest killing the other people of the Belmonts, and now he wanted to help?

When Dane's hand wrapped around the other end of the arrow, Lachlan immediately caught the pureblooded vampire's wrist and he narrowed his eyes.

"Don't pull it out," Lachlan warned.

"Are you sure?" Dane asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah..." Lachlan replied before he realised he wouldn't be able to move that well without limping. He murmured, "I will have to postpone the shopping fo—fucking bastard! What are you doing?" the words escaped through clenched teeth before he could stop them.

A sudden pressure drove the arrow deeper into his leg and pain exploded through his calf. His fingers dug into the arm of the couch.

Dane looked almost puzzled, and he replied, "You asked me not to pull it out." He watched the human's face as it contorted in pain.

Lachlan cursed under his breath before glaring at the vampire. Seeing how composed and sane Lucian and Lord Azriel appeared, Lachlan found it difficult to believe this man belonged to the same family.

He questioned, "Were you switched at birth?"

Without a word, Dane held out the bottle of liquor. "Here."

Lachlan didn't argue and instead, he took it and swallowed several mouthfuls. The liquor burned all the way down, settling heavily in his stomach, while he hoped it would lessen the oncoming pain.

Dane then tore the trouser leg clean up to his calf, exposing the wound completely. The broken shaft protruded from swollen flesh, but the arrowhead itself had vanished beneath the skin.

That wasn't a reassuring sight to Lachlan and he took another sip.

"Go on," Lachlan said. "Enjoy my misery." It wasn't like there was any point delaying and it was better to get done with it.

"If you insist." Something flickered across Dane's face like a quiet curiosity. His fingers closed around the shaft of the wood and without warning, he pulled it out sharply.

The only thing that stopped Lachlan from shouting was the bite of his own teeth against the inside of his cheek. He heard the dull clink of metal landing inside the tray.

Dane hummed a soft tune as he took the liquor bottle and without a word, poured it on the wound to make the human hiss from the burn. But Lachlan didn't complain as if it would wound his pride and only glared at the pureblooded vampire, who stared right back at him.

"You must be enjoying this..." Lachlan's accusation came out rougher than intended.

Dane selected a curved needle from the box before he threaded the needle through flesh with practised precision.

"You have no idea."