“Wait,” Rocky said as he stepped further into the room. “He did what?”
Jesse was filled with sudden indignation as he spun around to glare at Rocky. A swift shadow of anger swept through him. “What in the hell does this have to do with anything?” His voice was cold when he replied.
“Just answer the question.” Rocky looked desperate, his face a little pale for his dark golden complexion. “Please, Jesse.”
A cold knot started to form in Jesse’s stomach. There was something more going on here than just Sam’s eating habits, as disgusting as they were. “Sam put peanut butter, jelly, and mustard on his waffles.”
“What kind of jelly?”
“Grape.” Jesse shrugged at the nervous look that crossed Rocky’s face. “It’s what he asked for.”
“Fuck!” Rocky started to pace back and forth, rubbing his chin with his hand.
“What in the hell is going on, Rocky?” Jesse shouted, clenching his fists at his side. He could feel his claws starting to extend, digging into the palms of his hands. It was just grape jelly. Why was Rocky freaking out?
“Is Sam still getting sick?”
Jesse nodded.
“Does he have any other symptoms besides an upset stomach?”
“He seems to be sleeping a lot.”
“Anything else?”
“No.” Jesse frowned as he thought of something else. But, it just didn’t make sense. “Well, he was complaining about his mother’s cooking this morning. He’s put on a little weight since being home, and it upset him.”
Jesse felt something clench in his stomach when Rocky rubbed his hands over his face. He narrowed his eyes at the ranch foreman. “Rocky, you know something. What is it?”
Rocky sighed deeply and dropped his hands to his side. He looked like he was about to face his own execution. “Mustard is made with mustard seeds, which are high in selenium and Omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty acids are essential to growth during gestation. Selenium helps promote less risk of low birth weight and premature births.”
“So?”
“Peanut butter has a high level of folate. Adequate folate intake just after conception helps protect against a number of congenital defects. It is also important in aiding rapid cell growth during gestation.”
Jesse’s jaw dropped. “During what?”
“Peanut butter also contains resveratrol, as do grapes. Resveratrol stimulates Sirtuin activity at low doses, like when eating grapes or grape jam. It lowers blood sugars and assists in stress reduction on the heart and muscles during pregnancy.”
“What in the hell are you talking about, Rocky?”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Jesse,” Rocky said. He looked ready to collapse where he stood. “I think Sam is pregnant.”
Sam sat huddled on the window seat, a long blanket wrapped around him. He leaned his face against the window and watched the hummingbirds outside his window flit from flower to flower. On any other day, he might have been fascinated with the multitude of colorful flowers decorating the landscape just beyond the glass, but not today.
And maybe not even tomorrow.
Certainly not the last two weeks, which was just the amount of time he had been separated from Jesse. Sam felt each moment like a knife in his gut. He ached to be held in Jesse’s strong arms again, to see his handsome face, or even just to hear him breathe. Sam was consumed with thoughts of his mate.
His mate.
If he knew then what he knew now, Sam would never have denied Jesse anything. He never once imagined he would miss the man so much now that they were apart. He would have given Jesse anything the man wanted. Being apart only brought home how much the man actually meant to him.
The beautiful, and somewhat surreal, surroundings he was in still seemed like a prison, especially since he wasn’t allowed to leave. He wasn’t even allowed outside without a guard to escort him. He was a prisoner, clear and simple.
Sam imagined if Jesse had been by his side, he would have taken great delight in the view from his quarters—the snow-capped mountains off in the distance, the crystal-clear blue lake just beyond the fancy gardens outside his windows, and even the ornate castle-like structure where he was housed. It was all very beautiful, and meant nothing when it kept him away from Jesse.
It was a gilded cage, pure and simple.
Sam turned when he heard a soft knock at his door. He knew from experience that two armed guards stood right outside his door, so there was no sense in answering the door himself. He wouldn’t be allowed to walk through it.
Sam was a little surprised when the door opened and his father walked in followed by a servant carrying a tray of food. After arguing until he was blue in the face, he had given up on his father listening to him. The man seemed to be too immersed in getting to know his mother again after being separated from her for over twenty-six years.
Sam was glad to see the happiness on his mother’s face when she came by to visit him. Although she had never said much about who his father was while he had been growing up, Sam always knew she pined for the man. Sam was happy that they were back together, or at least working on being back together.
He just wished that they would let him be just as happy.
“Good morning, Son.”
Sam returned his attention to the view outside his window without acknowledging that his father had said anything. He really didn’t have that much to say to the man. He wanted Sam to stay here instead of returning to Jesse.
“Still ignoring me, Son?”
Sam said nothing.
“Samuel, this can’t continue.”
Sam still said nothing. He knew it was petty by not answering his father, but he was angry. Well, truthfully, he had stopped being angry days ago. Now, he was just heartbroken.
“I’ve arranged a small private party for later tonight. I’d like to introduce you to some of my closest friends.”
That
Sam certainly didn’t deem worthy of an answer. There was no way in hell he wanted to meet any of his father’s friends. He didn’t even want to have anything to do with his father if this was the way he was going to be treated.
“I’ve invited some nice young men from some of the more prominent families in the area to meet you, Samuel. I’m sure one of them will make a suitable—”
“Seriously?” Sam turned to look at his father, barely able to keep his contempt out of his voice. “You want me to go meet some suitable men handpicked by you, the man keeping me prisoner?”
“Samuel—”
“I’m mated to Jesse,” Sam said in a choked voice. “What part of that don’t you understand?”
“Samuel, you’re here now. Jesse is in the past.”
“The hell he is!” He heard the bitterness spill over in his voice, but he couldn’t help it. He was aching to return to his mate, and he was being held prisoner by the very man standing in front of him. “I want to go home.”
“You are home, Samuel.”
“Jesse is my home,” he countered.
“Jesse is gone.”
Sam felt the blood drain from his face at his father’s callous words. “What happened to you?” Sam asked in a harsh, raw voice. “Did something happen to make you such an asshole, or were you always this way?”
“Samuel!” his father snapped. “I am king here. I will not be spoken to in this manner.”
“Fine,” he said tersely as he turned to look out the window once more. He really had nothing else to say to the man.
“You will attend this gathering if I have to have someone dress you personally, and you will be on your best behavior. There will be consequences if you bring shame to this house, Samuel,” the king demanded in a stern voice. “Do I make myself clear?”
Samuel had no intention of answering the man or even acknowledging that he had said anything. He was beginning to hate his father. He wasn’t the man that his mother had told him about. He was a monster, much like Desmond. He just wanted to control Sam.
Well, Sam was done being controlled. He had something to fight for, and someone to fight to get back to. If King Auryan wanted Sam to fall into line with whatever plans he had for him, the man was in for a big surprise.
Sam was done playing nice.
“I will send an escort for you when it is time for the gathering.”
Sam waited until he heard the door close behind him before turning to look across the room. A bright splash of color on the bed caught his attention. Curious, Sam dropped the blanket from around him, stood up, and padded over to look.
It was a very handsome baby-blue satin outfit edged with a dark blue and silver embroidery in an intricate knot pattern. The pants were loose and flowing. The open-necked shirt had long sleeves with the same gray and blue intricate knot embroidered around the ends. It was long enough to drop nearly to Sam’s knees.
There was also a set of dark blue slippers the same color as the thread, and a silver circlet with a large blue gem in the center. It was actually quite the fetching outfit.
And Sam hated it.
But he’d wear it if he had to. Sam walked over to the wall and pulled the cord that would call the servants to his room. When they arrived, Sam asked them to prepare a bath for him. He still hadn’t gotten used to having servants see to his every need. It was odd. But sometimes having someone to help him out with the little things was useful.
Sam took a long, leisurely bath, one of the few things he had enjoyed since his imprisonment. He washed his hair and scrubbed his body with the sweet-smelling shampoo and oils he had been provided with.
Once he climbed out of the bath, he dried off and then brushed his shoulder-length hair until it shined. He decided to tie the long curls back in a ponytail so the mating bite on the back of his neck could be seen by anyone looking.
Getting dressed was relatively easy. The loose pants tied just above his waist and the shirt fell down to his knees. The shoes fit perfectly even if they did feel a little weird. Sam couldn’t help but wonder how someone had gotten his sizes so perfectly without measuring him. Thank the gods everything was loose fitting.
The circlet was a whole different story, though. Sam knew he was supposed to wear it on his head. He just wasn’t sure how. Did it go under his hair or just settled on his head? Sam decided on just settling the solid silver circle on his head with the bright blue gem in the middle of his forehead.
Once he was done, Sam stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the bathroom. He turned one way and then the other. He looked pretty good if he did say so himself. Jesse would approve.
Sam sat on the side of the bed and waited for his escort to arrive. He twisted his hands together in his lap as he tried to calm his nerves. He was pretty sure all hell was going to break loose the moment he stepped into whatever room the gathering was being held in.
By the time he heard a soft knock at his door, Sam was so tied up in knots he was pretty sure he was headed for a run to the bathroom.
“Come in,” he said, pleased at how nonchalant he sounded considering the butterflies doing loops in his stomach. The door opened and a tall man dressed all in dark blue walked into the room. Sam vaguely remembered him, but he couldn’t remember the man’s name.
“I am here to escort you to your father, sir.” The man’s voice was oddly apologetic.
“What is your name?”
“Seldic, sir.” A lock of sunlight-blond hair fell over the man’s forehead as he nodded politely. “I am Captain of the Guard for King Auryan.”
“And you’re escorting me?” Sam smirked to himself as he stood to his feet, careful to keep his hands folded together in front of him.
“It is an honor to escort the son of King Auryan.”
Sam frowned at the odd tone in Seldic’s voice. “You like my father, don’t you?”
“He is a good king,” Seldic said matter-of-factly.
“That doesn’t answer my question, Captain.”
“Yes, I like King Auryan a great deal,” Seldic said firmly. “He has been very good for our country. He is a fair and just king and he has earned the respect of all of his soldiers.”
“Then be happy you’re not his son,” Sam replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “Your opinion of the king would quickly change.”
“You do not like your father?”
“No.” Sam’s tone became chilly as he continued speaking. “I’ve known the man all of two weeks, and I want nothing to do with him. He may be a good king for your country, but he’s a lousy father figure.”
Sam let out a very unmanly squeak when his arm was suddenly grabbed and he was pulled around. Seldic’s face was thunderous. “You speak false words.”
“The hell I do.” Sam ripped his arm out of Seldic’s grasp and spun around to continue marching down the long hallway. He could hear Seldic’s steps matching his. “He’s keeping me prisoner here. That doesn’t sound like your fair and just king to me.”
“You are not a prisoner.”
“Then why can’t I go home?”
“This is your home now.” Seldic’s voice was cold and exact, just like King Auryan’s voice had been when he said the same thing.
“Somehow I knew you’d say that.”
Sam rolled his eyes. It was the same story, just a different voice. Sure, the place was nice, but it wasn’t the ranch. And beautiful scenery couldn’t fill the hole in Sam’s heart created by the loss of Jesse.