Shifters of Grrr 2 (8 page)

They moved Henry towards the door and when I noticed he was still in the room, I ran over to him but they stopped me before I could even get a chance to speak.

"I'll find you!" I heard him shout down the corridor to me and when I managed to get out there and away from the other men, I realized that he'd gone. That was it. No where to be seen.
 

I wondered back to the now pristine room and sat on the bed.
 

Without knowing what else to do, I called a taxi. Part of me wanted to follow him back to the palace or wherever it was that he was being taken but I knew security would be high and if I was meant to stay away from him then there'd be no way they'd let me anywhere near.

If I ever wanted to see him again, the only thing I could do was beg for my job back at the palace before word got around that I was to be avoided.

Chapter Six

Four Months Later

Caleb

I lay back on my bed in the staff accommodation, hand flat on my hard and slightly swollen stomach as again, the overwhelming urge of nausea washed over me.

I'd been so bad earlier that I couldn't even bring myself to get up.

Margie, had brought me a large jug of water to drink in the hopes of flushing out the bug, but even the smell of the fresh lemon slices inside it made me almost throw up.

I rolled over and closed my eyes, allowing my mind to wonder over to Prince Henry. I hadn't seen him since the day we'd first had sex and everyday, I wondered about him, thought about what he was doing and where he was. I didn't know if he was in London or his house in Devon and all I wanted was to see him and know that he was okay, know that he still felt the same.

It was almost as though I'd suffered bereavement. One moment I had him and we'd made the conscious decision to enter into a relationship and then the next moment, he'd gone. Vanished and I couldn't quite understand it.
 

Had he led me on? Was it really his family's choice for him to disappear?

I felt another wave of sickness and I reached down for the bowl on the floor, pulling it closer just in case, when I heard the door knock.
 

I didn't want any visitors, but before I got a chance to speak, it opened and to my complete surprise and shock, Henry walked in.

He looked behind him up the hall and then closed the door quietly.

"I shouldn't be here." He whispered.

"Yet here you are." I was more than ecstatic to see him, but I couldn't shut out the feeling of being neglected now that I had him in front of me.

He looked at me for a moment.

"I tried to see you." He said eventually.

"Tried? Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? Four months.
Four months
, Henry."

I hadn't planned to sound so needy and desperate but he had to understand that I wasn't just an experimental toy, I had feelings and I needed at least some reassurance that I wasn't digging weeds in his parent's back garden for fun.

"You know, after the discovery of you and I in our penthouse love-nest, I've been under watch. I've tried and tried and I couldn't okay?"

"Under watch? You're a grown man!" I snapped.

He paced the room agitatedly.

"You don't have any idea what it's like to live in this place, to be in the royal family and have everything you do scrutinized. You have absolutely no..."

"Why? Because I'm not rich? Because I don't have money? A Big house? Men hired to shine my boots?"

I stopped, sitting up and swallowing back the sick feeling.

"That's not what I meant." He said quietly.

"Then what did you mean?"

He held his hands up in defeat.

"Listen Caleb, I didn't come to argue."

I felt bad at the tirade I'd given him, as he was completely undeserving of my bad mood.

"Sit down." I offered.

He came and sat on the end of the bed.

"Margie said you weren't well."

I nodded.

"I'm not."

"She said it was a stomach bug... feeling sick and..."
 

He glanced down at my stomach before lowering his voice.

"Have you thought about taking a pregnancy test?"

I laughed.

"What the hell, Henry?" I looked up at him, expecting to see laughter in his eyes, but there was nothing. "Are you serious?"
 

He nodded and from within his jacket pocket, he pulled one out. The smile on my face dropped.

"Why?"

"Because I have a lot going through my mind right now and I'll explain the rest after you take it."

"What, now?"

"Yes. Take it." He said, unsmiling. "Do it now while I'm here."

"But I don't need..."

"Do it now!" he demanded, getting up and pacing the room. "Shit, I'm sorry. I just, I don't... can you just take it please?"

Did he really want me to wee on a damn pregnancy test? Was he serious?
 

I got out of the bed slowly, walking gently to the ensuite and closed the door behind me.

I unwrapped it and wee'd on it before placing it on the sink cabinet and leaving it.

When I came out, Henry was looking at the photos on my dresser.

"You've got to tell me what's going on." I said coming up behind him.

"I don't know myself." He said back. "The one thing I
am
sure of is that the bear I had, the one that used to come out at night and tried to show itself the first time we had sex is gone."

"Gone?"

"Well not gone completely, but it only shows when I'm angry. Before, in the middle of the month I'd change every night, but... but it's different now."

"That's a good thing isn't it?"

He thought for a moment, running his hand through his hair.

"As a young royal, we're taught about the bear side of us and one thing that sticks in all our minds is that when you produce an heir, your bear tendencies fade. They become less frequent. So we'd all rush to grow up so we could marry a Winchester and get rid of the bear."

"So you're going to be a father?" I asked, feeling slightly crestfallen. He'd made it seem as though he'd only been interested in me and we'd bonded over the fact that we both wanted to be with men, not
women
. I'd held him as he struggled to keep his bear under control; the animal that the world didn't know existed.

Had he really come all the way down to sneak in my room and tell me he'd moved on?

He sighed and looked at me steadily.

"I don't know if I am, that's why I want to find out."

"Then you should go." I said a bit firmer than intended. I felt his fingers on the side of my face and I closed my eyes, biting the corner of my mouth.
 

All the feelings I had for him were still there, just as fresh as they were when I first touched him. They hadn't changed and I knew anyone on the outside would call us crazy, but even though we barely knew each other, the connection I had with him was unbreakable and it didn't matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stay mad with him.

I pulled his face towards mine and we kissed. Four mouths of searching and longing ending with my happy ever after, but he pulled away, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What is it?" I asked, lacing my fingers through his. He held them there for a moment before walking away.
 

"How long have you been sick?" he asked.

The question caught me off guard.

"I don't know. It's just something I've developed over the past few months. Stress I think or intolerance to certain food. I just... It's nothing to worry about."

I watched him hurry into the bathroom and I followed as he picked up the stick.

"Henry you're scaring me." I said as the color drained from his face. "What's going on, damn it?"

He sat down on the toilet seat slightly dazed and confused whilst holding the pregnancy test out towards me.

I took it, looking at the results window and let it drop from my hands. It clattered onto the floor and we both looked at it.

It was positive. I was pregnant.

My hand flew to my stomach immediately, but the thought almost made me sick and I stormed back to the room, lifting my case onto the bed and throwing my clothes in, convinced I was in a mad house.

"Caleb, wait!" He called coming after me. "What are you doing?"

He saw me packing and tried to stand between the case, and me holding onto my shoulders to try and stop me.

"Listen, I can explain it okay? Just wait. Stop and listen."

I couldn't. I didn't want to be there a moment longer.

"Caleb? Can we talk about this? It's important!"

I stopped to think about it, wondering suddenly if it had been an elaborate joke he'd played on me. Had I overreacted?

"Men don't get pregnant." I said, letting the jumper in my hands fall to the floor.
 

"Some men do." He said quietly. "What's your surname again? I saw it on the employee records, but I can't remember."

"Anderson." I said simply.
 

"Oh..." he looked confused for a moment before hurrying to the dresser and picking up the photo he'd been looking at before.

"What's her last name?"

"My mother?"
 

He nodded.

"Anderson."

"Her maiden name?"

I thought for a moment, remembering my grandparents.

"Winchester..." Even after I'd said it, it hung in the air whilst be both processed the information.

I saw the realization drop in his face and he took my hand.

"Come with me. I promise I have an answer for you."

We left the staff accommodation and hurried through the main palace until we were at the library.
 

It was cold and dark inside and the strong smell of damp paper filled my nose.

"Why are we here?" I asked, trying to breathe away the smell before I threw up.
 

He led me to a book, pulled it out and sat down. I watched as he leafed through the pages eagerly.
 

"Henry...?"

"Wait." He insisted. "Look!"
 

He pointed to a paragraph on the yellowing page and I turned it towards me to read.

'
It is written that all men bearing royal blood must produce an heir to their throne. Only a Winchester mate can continue the animal line. If you try to mate with anyone other than of Winchester blood, it will result in a void pregnancy and no heir or baby will be produced. It is a bond that has been created with time. Royals and Winchesters continuing to produce heirs that are men as strong as bears. Let it be written that when you mate and pass your seed, the bear inside may be tamed and passed.
'

I put the book down slowly and turned to Henry who was watching my face intently.

"It doesn't specify gender." He whispered. "For centuries, we've had to marry Winchesters. If I had sex with any random woman, nothing would happen."

"Okay..."

"Don't you get it?" he said, almost excitedly, "You're mother was a Winchester! You have her bloodline and when we had sex, I... well, you're pregnant. You're carrying the heir.
My
heir.

Stunned, my hand went to my stomach again and I put everything into place. It all made sense.

"I mean, has this happened before?"

He shook his head.
 

"Don't try to understand it, Caleb. There are much bigger things at work here and all that matters to me is that you and our baby are safe."

He stoked the side of my face and turned me towards him.

"I can't believe it." I said, my mouth inches from his.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Sick, scared, worried. I don't know if I can even carry a baby and I..."

He stopped me with a kiss, running his hand over my back and down the front of my body until it rested on the small swell of my stomach. He had his hand on our baby.

"What does this mean for us?" I asked, breaking away from his kiss.

He kissed my forehead.

"It means that I'm going to tell my parents and you're going to move into the palace properly. No more gardening or working. I just want you to look after our child."

"But are you happy?" I asked, worried for his answer. "You're going to have to tell your parents
everything
."

"Then so be it!" he announced, getting up. "I've never felt so content in my whole life and this news couldn't be better. I'm going to protect you both for the rest of my life." He put a hand on my bump again. "This heir inside you is a gift and I vow to cherish you both as long as I will live."

He pulled me towards him again, pressing our lips together and I felt a swell of pride and an overwhelming sense of happiness.