Free Web NovelChapter 167: Chapter 167
"You made the wrong choice. That one human’s life is far more precious than your entire bloodline combined." freewēbnoveℓ.com
The prisoner was whimpering on the floor in pain by the time Ragnar left the cell but the rage he felt from the encounter still clung onto him even when he was already a good distance away from the dungeons.
The conversation he had with the prisoner still played in his mind on a loop and even through the haze of fury that had blinded him momentarily, one thing was made clear to him. He had to look into this Narfor and what his motives were for targeting Circe the way he had.
Ragnar had no doubt that Narfor was the same person responsible for the other previous attempts on Circe’s life. And with everything that happened, he wondered if this was more than just Circe and the bets the nobles were originally placing on how long she would last in Lamora and as his wife.
He wondered if this had all started with her, if the same people who took Luria away from him were now trying to do the same with Circe.
If so, then why?
Initially he had suspected the queen or even Hairan of sending those assassins into his chambers on his wedding night but right now, he wasn’t so sure anymore. Despite the uncertainty he felt, he wasn’t going to permanently rule any of them out until he knew the full truth.
"Narfor." He muttered the name quietly. A man who seemingly had rich nobles under his beck and call, ready to do his bidding.
He had to find out as much as he could about the man, like who his connections were, how far his influence extended, and how best to approach the situation. But while he was at it, he had to put a face to the name or he search would never truly lead anywhere.
Ragnar wasn’t able to save Luria back then. Watching the light leave her eyes, holding her limp body in his arms, the scent of her warm blood assaulting his nose as it seeped into her clothes. It had nearly destroyed him. He would not recover if it happened for a second time, if he lost another person he cared this deeply about.
Now that he had experienced that type of loss, he knew that he would rather die than let it happen all over again.
He wasn’t sure when he came to a halt in front of his bedroom door. The walk over had been a complete blur.
Eleven years. Luria had been dead for eleven now but if he was correct about Narfor also having a hand in her assassination, then it meant he had a chance to still bring her the justice she deserved. The chances was slim but it was still there regardless, shining like a beckon of hope in the darkness.
As he pushed open the door and stepped inside, he thought of what the prisoner had said about Circe towards the end of their conversation and Ragnar wondered if there were more people who thought the same way about Circe.
Did they all see her as an easy target because she was human, even despite knowing who she was married to? If given half the chance, would they try to attack her? Such hostility towards humans was the type of behavior the queen was encouraging with her reign and it infuriated him.
" Ragnar, your hand. It’s bleeding." Circe’s voice pulled him back to the present.
Truth be told, he hadn’t even noticed her in the room or anything else for that matter. He hadn’t noticed anything past his rage-filled thoughts.
He blinked at her once as she approached him before glancing down at his split knuckles. It was the same hand he used to dole out the blow. They were bruised and bleeding slightly from how hard he had struck the prisoner.
He didn’t feel any pain in his hand before she pointed it out.
He was still gazing down at the back of his hand when she stopped in front of him.
"Do you have any gauze?" She asked and right then, she took his injured hand as she tried to get closer look at it.
Her touch was soft even while the rest of her wasn’t. At least the parts she portrayed to the world.
" No need. They’re just small cuts. They heal up fully within an hour." Ragnar said, subtly reminding her that he wasn’t human. He might have not been a pure blooded vampire but he still had accelerated healing.
This only pointed to even more differences between them.
He gently pulled his hand out of her hold, leaving her standing there in favor of walking farther into the room, putting even more distance between them when all he wanted to do was grab her and pull her close until the space between them became practically non-existent. Then after that he would kiss her until she was breathless, cheeks flushed and eyes glazed over with lust.
With each step he told away from her he had to remind himself that she asked for this distance, for space from one another. This was what she wanted and he hadn’t fought her on it even though he had wanted to, even though it had wounded him when she said those words.
"How did you get hurt?" She asked after a short pause.
Ragnar answered without turning back to look at her. "I slammed my fist into a wall repeatedly." freeweɓnovel.cѳm
He heard her whirl around and could now feel the heat of her gaze boring into the back of his neck.
"I’m not sure if you are being serious or not." She said and he could hear the slight annoyance that had crept into her tone at his vague response.
Her tone made it clear that she knew he was lying.
It made Ragnar bite back a small smile. "it was a particularly dense wall."
