Circe's heart plummeted into her stomach.
"All—all of them?"
Jayran nodded. "All of them. Get out of here while you still can." He dropped her hand and tapped the top of the stiletto blade, pressing it deeper into her pocket. "Use this on Ragnar if he becomes a threat to you. Your survival is the most important thing right now. Goodbye, princess."
His last words stunned her. Did he expect her to use the blade to kill his half-brother?
She stumbled back from the prince and ducked her head. Circe did not need to hear his warning a second time but before she could take more than a few steps towards the exit, Ragnar was there blocking her path.
" Move." She snapped. Ragnar raised a brow. He hadn't been expecting the sharp bite in her tone.
" Where are you going?" Ragnar asked. His voice was as dark and ominous as the first time she heard him speak.
" Move out of my way." She was a hair-trigger away from snapping and shoving him out of the way with her bare hands. But despite how unsettled and upset she felt at the moment, she still made sure to keep her tone down to avoid drawing unwanted attention in their direction. The last thing she wanted was to have the eyes of the entire vampire nobility on her while she slowly spiralled.
Ragnar just continued staring at her. The look he was giving her wasn't like any other she was used to. Circe noticed it the night he brought her to the capital. He watched her like he wanted to cut her open and study everything inside her; how her mind worked, her thoughts, down to what made her tick.
It was unnerving because she was the only person he looked at like that.
He must have seen something on her face that gave away the chaos of emotions rioting within her because the very next second he was taking a step closer, his brows furrowed. " What did Jayran tell you?"
Circe took a step back. It startled her how easy it was for Ragnar to guess what happened. But then again, she shouldn't have been surprised. This was about his family after all, he knew them more than she ever will.
Circe could feel the weight of the blade in her pocket and she hoped and prayed with everything inside her that its shape wasn't visible through the fabric of her dress.
" Nothing. We barely spoke." Circe never had a problem with lying before but this time the words tasted bitter leaving her tongue.
In truth, this was far from nothing. The nobles were placing bets on her life, on how long she would survive before they decided to kill her themselves. Circe had fallen into a serpent's pit but instead of writhing snakes, she was stuck with far more dangerous vampire royals and nobles.
She had no one she could trust, not even the prince she was married to. He was her enemy. And with the amount of disdain and animosity they harbored towards one another, he might as well be one of the people out to kill her.
Circe's eyes scanned the room full of people, checking for any other possible exits but her search was fruitless as there was only one entrance. It was a wide double door entrance, the same one that Ragnar was currently blocking her path to.
It was hard for her not to flinch when he took a few more small steps closer but this time she stood her ground.
" It would be very suspicious if you just left without a word. It would only drag more attention to you. Attention we don't need." It was as though he reached into her mind and pried out her very thoughts. " Another dance or two then we speak to the king and leave."
Her eyes shone with naked distrust but she nodded when she couldn't find any sign of deception on his face.
But what if Jayran was right and she had to use the blade on Ragnar? Would she survive? Perhaps that was what happened to Ragnar's previous wife. Perhaps he murdered her the same way he murdered her family. Just as the thought took root, Ragnar was already grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her deeper into the room.
Ragnar kept to his words. He led her through two more dances before taking her to meet the king.
King Zeriel, who had been locked in conversation with prince Hairan, paused and looked up at them from the banquet table as she and Ragnar approached.
" Your majesty, we wish to retire to our chambers for the night. My wife and I are both exhausted from the day's events." Ragnar said. Circe, on the other hand, remained rigid at his side. She gritted her teeth at his use of the word 'wife' but she didn't speak a word as the king appraised her, nor did she think her input would be appreciated. Her eyes were hard as she stared at the king then at the queen.
She expected a refusal and was surprised when the king simply waved them off.
Instead of taking her back to her room, Ragnar led her deeper into the castle wing. A fresh sense of dread bloomed inside her when she realized where he was taking her.
Ragnar still had his fingers wrapped around her wrist so when she slowed her gait and stubbornly planted her feet down as she protested being taken into his chambers, he continued pulling her along as he walked.
He unlocked his chambers with a key he pulled from his pocket and pushed her through the open door before locking it behind him. She lost her footing and stumbled.
" I will rather slit both of my wrists than spend the night with you in this chamber." She said as she righted herself.
Ragnar didn't answer at first. He watched her warily, like he was studying an opponent's moves in combat.
" I'm not happy about it either but then what will the queen say if she finds out we slept in separate rooms on the night of our wedding." He drawled, stepping further into the room.
Circe shuffled away him when he came closer as though he bore the plague.
" The queen won't know. She doesn't control this."
" That's where you're wrong, princess. The queen controls everything. You will learn that fact very soon, I'm sure." Ragnar said. There wasn't a hint of jest or mirth on his face as he spoke. Just stone cold honesty.
He walked towards the table. On top of it was a pitcher full of wine and two goblets. Circe watched him pick it up and quietly carried it to the balcony facing the courtyard where he promptly tossed out the entire pitcher.
Her eyes widened at the sound of glass smashing on the ground below.
" Why would you even do that?" She looked at him as though he had lost his mind. Perhaps he had, along with everyone else in this palace.
" I don't know who brought it in. It might be poisoned."
She instantly recalled what Jayran said about people wanting her dead. Her heart pounded violently against her chest. If Ragnar was being this cautious, it meant Jayran was telling the truth.
She needed to get out, she no longer cared if the action would result in her being executed. Staying put would mean death for her as well.
Rowen. Her hand flew to her mouth. She left her brother alone with all those bloodthirsty nobles. How could she be so careless?
" I had someone escort your brother back to his room and told them to lock the door from the outside so no one can enter or leave. He is right down the hall. Safe." Ragnar said before she could even voice her thoughts. He met her gaze once more as he moved away from the balcony. " But if you want him to remain that way, I'm going to need you to do exactly as I say from now on. Starting with handing over the weapon in your dress."
Circe felt her stomach drop. He knew. He knew all along.
" I don't have anything with me." She flinched back when he began moving closer and closer into her space.
" Don't lie to me. You won't like what will happen if I have to grab it myself."
Circe felt like a caged animal the way he forced her to take steps backwards until her back almost hit the wall. She darted to the side at the last minute but Ragnar was faster. His hand lurched out and grabbed her before she could put serious distance between them. She writhed in his hold, twisting this way and that, trying to break his grip.
When she saw it wasn't going to work, she stomped her heel down on his foot so hard, it forced a wince out of him. Before he could recover, she rammed her elbow into his face.
He grunted in pain and his grip loosened slightly. It was enough for Circe to slip free. She ran straight for the balcony. The distance down to the ground made her head spin. She could break her leg if she jumped down from that height but she didn't care. Right then she was willing to do anything if it meant getting away from Ragnar.
Before Circe knew what was happening, his large arms were wrapping around her and pulling her back right as she raised her leg to jump over the railings.