Claimed by the vampire prince

Chapter 409: Chapter 409

"Circe, Princess of Westeria. Daughter of King Valik and Queen Thalora. Second in line to the Westerian throne." The voice was deep and resonant as it spoke directly into her mind. It seemed to bloom inside her thoughts, vibrating against the walls of her skull. The tone carried a strange balance to it, neither fully male nor female, but something in between.

"H—how?" The word slipped out before she could stop it. Circe found herself at a complete loss for anything more intelligent to say.

"I know everyone that comes here," the voice replied. "I keep track of all those who pass through my wards over the years, and I never forget such details. It is how I know that your vampire husband is currently rampaging through the tunnels in search of you. Though it is quite difficult to even call him a vampire when his mother comes from such a strong demon lineage."

Circe’s eyes widened at that revelation.

For a fleeting moment, her mind spiraled with the implication of those words. Did Ragnar know that about his mother? Had anyone ever told him? But the thought was quickly pushed aside.

He had already told her that he had not grown up with his mother, nor did he know anything about her for that matter.

"You know about my husband’s mother?" she asked cautiously. Her hands twisted together in front of her as she wrung them nervously. She still could not believe she was holding a conversation with the same cave that had tried to murder her only moments ago. "Could you tell me who she is... or where I might find her?"

"That will not be necessary," the voice responded. "Their paths will cross when the time is right. And I suspect that you have far more pressing questions to ask me than that."

It was right.

Circe blew out a slow, resigned breath. She knew better than to push the matter further. If this cave truly possessed the power it claimed, angering it again would be the last thing she wanted to do.

It had already offered her the chance to ask questions, answers she desperately needed. She was not about to jeopardize that opportunity. So, for now, she forced herself to let the matter of Ragnar’s mother go.

"Her body is no longer there. I watched it disappear with my own eyes." she said instead.

"It was my doing," the cave answered. "I sent her back to the Faelands—to the place where those of her kind who came before her are laid to rest. It is what she would have wanted. The least I could do for her now."

Just like Dena had been, the cave was hard to read. Its voice carried no emotion, no inflection. It sounded almost like the hollow whistle of harsh wind rushing through a narrow stone passage. Hence it made it difficult to tell whether it was lying or telling the truth.

"You attacked me," Circe said carefully, moving to the next thing that had been troubling her. "I would like to know why."

A violent tremor suddenly ripped through the cave. The ground lurched beneath her feet, the force of it so powerful that Circe nearly lost her balance. Loose stones rattled against the walls, and dust cascaded from the ceiling like fine powder.

She stumbled, but managed to stay upright. At the same time, she kept her hand pressed tightly against the wall, unwilling to risk severing the strange connection that had formed between her and the cave.

"You killed the guardian," the cave said simply. Its words settled over her like a heavy weight.

"My power is ancient," it continued. "Older than most civilizations that have existed upon this world. I draw my strength directly from the Veil itself. But after Marzen the Conqueror tore through the Veil and led his hordes of vampires into the human realm many thousands of years ago, the magic has never been the same." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Another tremor shook the tunnels.

"It became volatile. Unsteady and dangerous. It grows worse as the Winter Solstice approaches. That is the time when the magic of the Veil is at its weakest and its most unstable. And because of that," the cave continued, "I can only remain balanced when I am bound to another powerful being. They serve as protectors, anchors that steady my magic. Over the millennia, I have known many such protectors. Myrdena was one of them. Now that you have killed her, my power will return to its wild and unstable state. Not long after that, I will begin to fall apart. It has already begun. Your actions doomed me."

A loud crack echoed somewhere above them.

The winter solstice was close, which meant the cave’s power was already being affected.

Circe slowly lifted her gaze toward the ceiling of the tunnel she was trapped in. Cracks ran along the stone like jagged veins, and as she watched, one of them widened with a faint grinding sound. Tiny fragments of rock broke loose and trickled down onto the ground below.

Her chest tightened. There were still so many people trapped inside this place.

If the cave was already beginning to collapse, then time was running out. She had to get everyone out of here. She had to find them, free them, and lead them to safety before the entire structure came crashing down around them.

Circe found herself completely speechless.

When she had been locked in battle with Dena, her mind had been consumed by only one thought. Survival. She had fought to win, to live, to protect the others. In that moment, she had not stopped to consider the consequences of killing her opponent.

Now she knew.

She had not only slain Dena. She had condemned the cave itself.

And yet...

That same sentient cave had aided Dena in imprisoning multiple vampires within these tunnels. It had also tried to kill her.

"Is there a solution to this?" Circe finally asked. "A way to fix this."

Desperation bled through every word.

Even if she somehow survived this ordeal, she would never forgive herself if the others did not. The weight of their deaths would haunt her forever. She would not be able to live with herself knowing her actions had doomed them all.

"There is a way," the cave said.

Circe did not sigh with relief yet. Not until she heard what that way required.

But with the desperate situation she had been thrown into, she doubted there was anything she would refuse to do if it meant freeing herself and everyone else trapped within these collapsing tunnels.

"You will have to bind your magic with mine and become a guardian. That is the only way this might all end," the cave told her.