Chapter 13

Freya's POV

"Adrien, a little higher." I was frustrated at his slow movements. Using my foot, I tried to nudge him all the way up there, where I needed him the most.

But he refused to be hurried and continued kissing and caressing my thighs slowly.

The sun was already up and so were we. Adrien had woken me up with butterfly kisses on my thighs, it was a pleasant way to be woken and I loved it but he was taking just too long. I knew something would interrupt this blissful morning of mine sooner than later, and I was right.

A loud knock came soon after I had that thought.

"The prince is here, Your Majesty." The announcement came. It was Killian's maid.

I groaned in frustration, but for some reason, Adrien found the whole situation amusing, I didn't!

We hurried through dressing up and Adrien granted her admittance. Killian came running to me when he finally entered the room.

"Mama." He called happily as he came and I opened my arms to lift him.

He didn't like to be carried anymore and preferred to walk on his own, so I briefly swung him around before putting him down.

His maid came trudging in after him as well. Bowing immediately she entered the room. Finding a maid for Killian had been a long procedure as I didn't want just anyone. So, she had been carefully handpicked by me after a long selection process and her name was Cara.

Cara's exhaustion was clearly written on her face and I didn't blame her. Killian had always been a lot to handle, and he was just too energetic for a little kid.

It had been a whole year since his birth, but demon children grew really fast and he was royalty, son to the singular most powerful demon in the underworld. It was no surprise that he could walk and talk perfectly already. Which was why we moved him back to his room.

After hugging me, he went to greet his father as well. He chattered away, recounting to his father how his night had gone and the exciting things that had happened in his dreams. Adrien listened attentively, captivated by the little boy's tale. This was how most of our mornings went.

After this, Adrien would leave us to attend to his duties and then Killian and I would spend the day together. We would go over books in the library; I was teaching him to read already before we would get him his personal tutor, and have snacks in between.

On some days, we would have picnics in the field and sometimes in the gardens, and some days, we would get presents from the people to their prince.

Numerous gifts had poured in day after day since I woke up and even if a year had passed, some still came. My father had given him a purebred demon horse from his personal stable, Lord Dane, warlord of the first part of the underworld, had brought him a phoenix, the first son of the sixth warlord had sent a chest filled with golden toys and many more gifts. He was a loved prince.

There were days when I took him home to visit my family. My stepmother, Helena loved him very much and she showed it in different ways, and Hella was a very excited Aunt.

Adrien hated the idea of Killian leaving the palace often; to always keep him safe, he said so our visits were limited and an envoy always went with us.

Motherhood gave meaning to my life, and every single day was happier than the last. I always went to bed each night feeling fulfilled and I woke up the same way.

Until that day.

On that day, my whole beautiful world came crashing down. It cracked, and it shattered into a million irreparable pieces.

I woke up, feeling rejuvenated and content. The air was filled with the soft rustle of fabric as I shifted in bed. Outside, the world seemed to come alive with the gentle chorus of birdsong, a melody that danced on the morning breeze. The scent of fresh flowers drifted through the open window, mingling with the faint aroma of breakfast cooking in the palace kitchens.

Then, I felt it.

An unsettling sensation began to stir gradually within me. The sense of unease suddenly grew, whispering across my body, and making me break out in goosebumps. Something was very very wrong. The feelings of contentment faded away quickly and my thoughts went straight to Killian. I had to see my son without delay.

The lingering feeling of dread crawled all over me, urging me into action. I bolted upright, my heart pounding in my chest.

It wasn't until I searched for Adrien beside me, seeking solace in his familiar presence, that I was able to pinpoint the source of my unease.

Adrien's comforting presence was no longer in my head. This wasn't a block on our bond, it was an almost total absence of it. I felt alone and naked, exposed to whatever harm might decide to come my way. The protection of my bond was gone.

The only other time I had felt this way came to mind and fear overrode every other emotion I was feeling. I trembled like a brown leaf on a windy day, holding on to the tree with everything in me. I had only felt close to this way when my mother was dying and fading away.

My questions and fear threatened to overwhelm me. I needed to find Adrien immediately.

Every muscle in my body was tensed as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, my feet landing on the cool marble floor with a soft thud.

Donning whatever I could, I ran frantically out of the room. Outside the windows, dawn was just coming upon us. The colors of the sky that day would forever be etched into my mind, a day I would remember vividly.

It was the day I lost what was dearest to me.

When morning came full, I realized that Adrien was simply just gone. There wasn't a trace of him anywhere. There was no sign at all.

Ishmael's telepathic bond to Adrien was completely absent, no sign of Adrien was in his mind. In my mind though, the bond was faint but totally out of reach.

How could this happen? How could a King be missing? With every breath I took, my hysteria gradually worsened, I could feel it slowly suffocating me. This was simply impossible.

Ishmael grabbed both my shoulders as we stood outside, maintaining eye contact.

"Search troops have been sent out as we speak, Freya. He will be found and he will be back." He reassured me. "I am sure he is fine, Adrien is a hard demon to kill. He didn't spend thousands of years to just be killed overnight, and we would know if he was dead —you would know."

"But how can Adrien be gone, Ishmael? Did he do this? Did he leave me? How can he just disappear? Ishmael do something." I wailed, tears blinding my vision. "Bring Adrien back to me."

My hysteria overtook me and copious amounts of tears poured down my cheeks. I didn't know what to think anymore, I was lost, and finding the right path seemed impossible.

"Freya!" Ishmael's voice echoed through the room, as he shook me by my shoulders. "Freya…" His tone softened, almost breaking as he spoke again.

"Freya, do not have such thoughts. Adrien could not leave you even if he wanted to, his heart belongs to you." A shadow darkened his face.

"Something twisted and sick is going on here but I promise you, I'm going to fix it. We will find Adrien and we will set things straight. For now, calm down and do not be alone, royal guards must always be with you." He tried to reassure me, cleaning away my tears.

His words did nothing to reassure. I wanted to see Adrien, I wanted to see my king and I wanted to see him right now. I wanted to touch him and hold him close to me.

But I nodded anyway, Ishmael looked like he needed to believe his own words as well.

I forced my hysteria away and my tears to the side. Killian and everyone else couldn't see me this way. I should be strong, for my son.

Killian was brought to me soon after, and with Ana and Cara, and the rest of the household, we waited.

An atmosphere of doom loomed over the palace, blocking out the warm rays of the sun. Killian was little but even his mood was broken, he knew something was wrong. His usual high spirits were low and he didn't speak a word.

His changed mood greatly annoyed me and as time passed, so did my hysteria. Slowly I became filled with terrible anger, I was seething. Who could have done this? It was definitely the handiwork of a vile person.

A king could not just vanish into thin air. That was impossible.

Who would try to hurt my family? This thought churned inside me, filling me with the poison of hate. No one should have dared to taint my happiness. Now they were going to pay. Clenching my fists, I made a vow within me that they would.

Night fell over the palace and there was no Adrien, days turned into weeks and he still wasn't found. Every day, I awoke with renewed hope that he would be found and day by day, it waned, replaced by a sense of gnawing uncertainty.

Killian's mood worsened as well, a dark cloud hovering over his life. Eventually, he stopped speaking at all, he only spoke a few words per day to me and my once bubbly and vibrant son was a memory stuck in the past.

News of Adrien's disappearance spread like wildfire through the underworld, stirring unrest among its inhabitants. The unease between the citizens grew greatly.

His disappearance meant a lot to the hierarchy of the underworld. He was the most powerful demon and now he was absent. His absence was a vacuum waiting to be filled with conspiracy and Killian was still too young to be a symbol of strength.

I had asked Ishmael to schedule a council meeting, a gathering of the underworld's most powerful leaders. With Adrien gone, things were going to get messy. I knew I needed to take charge and put things in order. There was no other way to be completely safe.

The wolves would eventually come knocking, and baring their fangs. I just had to go to them first.