Claimed by the vampire prince

Chapter 405: Chapter 405

As they pressed deeper into the cave, a thick mist began to spill slowly toward them like a rising tide. It crept silently across the ground before gradually lifting into the air around them. Within moments, the haze had grown dense enough to leave several of the men disoriented.

Ragnar was the first to notice it.

The instant his eyes settled on the unnatural fog, a frown creased his brow. Even at a glance, he knew there was nothing normal about it.

He and Circe moved to the front of the group. He had his weapon already drawn in case something chose that moment to strike. Step by cautious step, they had continued forward while Circe guided them toward the place where she had sensed the captives hidden deep within the cave.

As the fog thickened, swelling larger and larger until it swallowed the path ahead, Ragnar’s panic surged. His hand shot out toward Circe, instinctively reaching to keep her close. But instead of closing around her arm, his fingers grasped nothing but empty air.

A jolt of dread tore through him.

His pulse hammered wildly at the base of his throat as he spun around in a tight circle, confusion and fear racing through his veins while his thoughts spiraled into chaos. The mist had grown so dense that his vision was completely obscured. It pressed in from every direction, a suffocating wall of pale gray that made it nearly impossible to see anything at all—not the ground beneath his feet, nor the figures who had been walking behind them moments ago.

With every passing second, the visibility worsened. Somewhere nearby, he heard the others come to a halt, their footsteps faltering as they too realized they could no longer see the path forward. They were alarmed, but Ragnar barely paid them any mind. His entire focus had narrowed to one terrifying realization. Circe was gone.

Still unwilling to accept it, he began clawing blindly through the mist, reaching into the empty air as though she might somehow materialize beneath his grasp. His chest tightened painfully as he pushed forward through the thick fog, desperation clawing its way up his throat.

"Circe!" he shouted. Her name echoed weakly into the mist. But there was no reply.

She had been walking beside him only moments ago, close enough that he could have touched her without even looking. And now she had vanished without a trace, as though the fog itself had swallowed her whole.

When Circe’s vision finally cleared, Ragnar was no longer beside her. Her heart lurched violently.

She turned quickly, scanning the area around her, only to realize that the rest of their group had vanished as well. Not a single familiar face remained. The space around her was silent and empty, devoid of the voices and footsteps that had surrounded her only moments earlier.

A cold knot of dread curled deep within the pit of her stomach.

"Ragnar?" she called out, her voice carrying sharply through the stillness. No answer came.

Her gaze swept the area again, more urgently this time, but there was nothing. It was as though they had all been erased from existence in the blink of an eye.

How could they have simply vanished when they had been walking together only moments ago?

The question lingered in her mind until her eyes drifted slowly across her surroundings and then she froze.

She was standing upon a familiar slab of rock that jutted slightly above the surrounding ground. Before her stretched the same cerulean pool she had seen countless times before, its glassy surface glowing faintly with an otherworldly light. The exact place where she always found herself when the dreams came.

The pool was even more mesmerizing now than it had been within the confines of her mind. For a moment, Circe simply stared at it, her mind racing.

But before she could begin to think of a way to find the others, a familiar voice shattered the quiet.

"How kind of you to stop by."

Circe whirled around. Her eyes landed immediately on Dena, who stood only a short distance away. The woman’s posture was relaxed, almost leisurely, as she clasped her hands behind her back. A cruel, satisfied smirk curved across her lips, as though she had been waiting patiently for this exact moment.

In that instant, the final piece of the puzzle slid into place. Everything suddenly made sense. Anger flared hot and sharp in Circe’s chest as her gaze locked onto Dena. Being separated from the others had not been an accident. Dena had orchestrated it. Perhaps it went even deeper than that. Perhaps every step that had led Circe back to this cave had been carefully arranged. Perhaps even Cornelia’s escape had been nothing more than another piece of Dena’s elaborate trap, designed to lure Circe back here in the end.

"Where are they?" Circe demanded, her voice sharp with fury.

Dena’s smirk did not falter in the slightest.

"You will have to be more specific, my dear," she replied lazily. "This cave is quite crowded, as I’m sure you have noticed."

Circe’s teeth ground together.

"Where is my husband?" she snapped. "And the rest of the group that came in with us?"

"They are all quite well," Dena drawled, her tone maddeningly calm. "Just like your brother."

Circe stiffened.

"But whether they remain that way," Dena continued lightly, "depends entirely on you."

A dangerous edge crept into Circe’s voice.

"If you have done anything to harm my brother—"

"I have done nothing of the sort," Dena interrupted smoothly. Her expression remained almost bored. "I merely took him so that you would see reason. And judging by the fact that you are standing here now, it seems that decision worked out rather well." She tilted her head slightly. "Aside from that, I have no real reason to keep him here." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"Release them," Circe said coldly. "All of them. They have done nothing to you."

Dena’s eyes glinted with faint amusement.

"You are hardly in a position to issue commands," she said. She paused, as though considering something. "But lucky for you, I happen to be feeling generous today. I will release your brother and your husband as well. They will walk out of this cave completely unharmed."

Circe’s eyes narrowed as she studied her carefully.

"And in return?" she asked.

She knew better than to believe that any kindness from Dena came without a price.

Dena’s smile widened.

"In return," she said softly, stepping closer, "you will revive my sister. And then you will follow us into the Faelands to take your rightful place."