The Prince's Gift

Chapter 81.

Zane's POV

"What the fuck do you mean she's gone? How could she disappear in the condition she's in? Keep looking!" I commanded as my head of security reported back what we'd already known.

I couldn't accept that this was even possible. How could this have all happened so quickly?

The second Lilith began to unravel, Ana sent word for me to come, but I hadn't arrived soon enough it seemed. I entered the room to see a disheveled healer rubbing an aching head as Ana crouched down beside her to heal her. The room was a wreck to say the least. The bedding had been pushed to the floor and my senses were immediate overwhelmed with the scent of Lilith's blood. A lot of it. The search party had followed it as far as they could, but at some point, her body must have begun to heal itself and the bleeding came to a stop.

My eyes cut to Ana's and she must have sensed my anxiety because she ushered everyone out of the room at once before closing the door and coming to my side. She hovered close, never touching me as she allowed her thoughts to push into mine to show me what happened. I felt my chest tighten as I witnessed the moment Lilith began to encounter complications.

"Zane, I'm...so sorry. This is all my..." She started but I stopped her words short.

"Don't say it." I said lowly.

Her words ended abruptly and she stood frozen in her place until I finally turned to face her. Her eyes were wide and full of guilt as she stared back at me before dropping her eyes to the floor. My hand brushed a piece of her disheveled hair from her face as her gaze slowly lifted to meet mine. Even in this mess, she was still the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen.

"Ana, this was not your fault. Do you understand?" I said, my words soft and warm.

"Had I not given her such horrible news all at once...I knew she was fragile Zane. I knew better. I should have never..." her words dropped as she let out a shaky breath. Her eyes lowered to the space between us as she tried to gather herself.

I rubbed a gentle circle against her cheek, pulling her attention back to me as I tried to ignore the knotted pit deep within my stomach. I tried to ignore the burning question in my mind as I comforted her. Ana locked eyes with me and I could see she already knew. Of course she did. No matter how badly I tried to hide my thoughts, she could penetrate any wall I built without realizing she'd even done it.

"Zane, I've searched for her. I've been searching for her. But she's closed herself off to me completely, but I can sense her energy. It's...it's only hers I feel." Her gaze held every ounce of grief that was slowly building within me.

I knew when I'd entered the room what had happened. The amount of blood she'd lost told me everything I needed to know. I just didn't want to accept it. I couldn't accept it. Not yet. But now, seeing the look in Ana's eyes...I couldn't ignore it any longer.

My son hadn't survived.

A deep ache pierced my heart, filling it with an emptiness unlike anything I'd every felt before It was all consuming. I thought losing Ana would be the hardest thing I'd ever have to go through, but I was wrong. As agonizing as that pain had been, it was nothing compared to the feeling of losing a child. Losing a piece of the future I'd grown to look forward to, in spite of the painful details surrounding it.

Ana's face changed, pulling into a downcast look, her shoulders hunching slightly as she felt my pain grow. She opened her mouth to speak, but quieted when I leaned me head down to rest my forehead against hers. I closed my eyes, breathing in her scent and allowing it to comfort me in whatever small way it could in this moment. Her slender arms snaked around my neck, brushing her hands into my hair as she leaned into me. Just feeling her close helped, but something in my mind wouldn't let her in completely, as if it knew she wasn't mine.

No matter how much I'd fought it, the mate bond still held on to me with one tiny tendril. It was like a nearly invisible little pulse poking the back of my brain. it was maddening.

I can't live like this. This can't go on this way.

I let out a tight breath and pulled away, staring down at her with a hardened gaze. "I have to do something. I can't sit here and just wait for this to pass." I stepped around her, ignoring her look of disagreement as I reached for the door.

"What are you going to do Zane?" She asked softly.

"Anything but sit through this. I can't just sit and grieve like I'm the only person who's ever suffered. I can't take it Ana." I mumbled.

She looked worried as she stared back at me, but she didn't protest. She gave me a small nod and stood silent as my emotions began to flood over me, crashing into my brain like a tumbling wave. If this was how I was feeling, I couldn't imagine the condition Lilith was in. In her already weakened state, this was enough to send someone over the edge. I let out a quiet grumble of frustration before raking a hand roughly through my hair.

"I have to go." I said gruffly before turning and leaving the room.

I followed my feet one step after another, not paying any attention to where they were taking me. The mindless movement was enough to distract me and that was all I needed in that moment. But the second I found my destination before me, I knew my subconscious mission. It had to be done.

My hand rose to knock quietly against Delphine's door and before I could finish, the door was opened. An expectant Delphine was waiting in front of me, stepping aside to let me in.

"Ana said you might be coming to me." She said in a hushed tone, as if she didn't want to spook me.

"Of course." I mumbled back before stepping through the door robotically and closing it behind me.

"Zane, I have to ask you...are you sure this is what you want to do? It could kill you." Delphine asked with warning.

I nodded shortly before locking eyes with her. "If I don't, I'll die anyway from the madness. This is the only way." My voice sounded distant, as if I wasn't all the way present standing before Delphine. I could already feel the tiny prick of insanity pushing into my mind. Was this what Lilith had endured while she was away with her father?

To be apart from your mate was one thing, but for the mind to know you'd lost not only a child, but your mate as well, was something else entirely. It was as if the moment Ana confirmed she was gone, mad even, my mind clicked into hyperdrive. I knew Lilith was all but gone to me already, and now I just had to survive separating from her.

This was the only way to ensure my kingdom had a reigning King. But I'd make sure the kingdom held on to a bright future if I didn't survive. I had to make sure this hadn't all been for nothing. Ana and our child would get their rightful future. It was the least I could do to ensure theirs was secure, even if mine was unknown.

"Tell me what I have to do." I said as Delphine nodded slowly, settling in as she opened one of her ancient texts.

"If this is what you wish." She replied, her gaze somber and serious.

"It's the only way."