Chapter two: The Gilded Cage

"Get away from me! I said don't touch me!" Jasper screamed, his voice tearing through the quiet, luxurious room.

He shot up in bed, his chest heaving, his hands immediately flying to his stomach. Panic clawed at his throat as he frantically felt the slight curve of his belly.

The baby.

He let out a shaky, broken sob of relief when he felt the firm, warm swell beneath his fingertips. The baby was still there. The baby was safe.

Jasper looked around wildly. This wasn't the damp, dark basement. The bed beneath him was huge and impossibly soft, draped in silk sheets the color of midnight. Sunlight streamed through tall, arched windows, casting golden patterns on the marble floor. It was a room fit for a king.

But it was still a prison.

"Calm down," a deep, smooth voice said from the shadows.

Jasper flinched, his head snapping toward the corner of the room. Sebastian Thorne sat in a high-backed velvet chair, his legs crossed, watching Jasper with those piercing, ice-blue eyes. He was holding a glass of amber liquid, swirling it slowly.

"You," Jasper whispered, his voice trembling. He pulled the silk sheets up to his chest, as if they could protect him. "Where am I? What did you do to me?"

"I brought you to my home," Sebastian said calmly. He took a slow sip of his drink. "You were bleeding and unconscious. I had my personal doctor tend to you. You and the child are perfectly healthy."

Jasper swallowed hard. His throat was dry, and his body ached from the beating Linda had given him. But he was alive. His baby was alive.

"Why?" Jasper asked, his voice cracking. "Why did you come back? You left me there. You paid for one night and you left me to rot in that place."

Sebastian set his glass down on a small table. He stood up, and Jasper instinctively shrunk back against the headboard. Sebastian was tall, broad-shouldered, and radiated a dangerous, suffocating power. He walked to the edge of the bed, looking down at Jasper like a predator examining its prey.

"I didn't know about the child," Sebastian said, his voice flat. "If I had known, I would have come back sooner. I don't leave my bloodline in the hands of filth like Linda."

Jasper felt a chill run down his spine. "I am not just a bloodline. I am a person. I am not your property."

Sebastian's eyes darkened. He reached out and grabbed Jasper's chin, his grip firm but not painful. He forced Jasper to look into his eyes. "You are carrying my heir, Jasper. In my world, that makes you mine. You will stay here, where I can protect you. You will eat, you will rest, and you will give birth to my child."

Tears welled up in Jasper's eyes. He had escaped one monster just to be claimed by another. "And what happens after I give birth? Will you throw me back on the streets? Will you take my baby away from me?"

Sebastian stared at him for a long moment. A flicker of something, something almost human, passed through his cold eyes. He let go of Jasper's chin and gently brushed a tear from his cheek.

"That depends entirely on you," Sebastian murmured. "If you behave, you will be rewarded. If you try to run... well, I don't need to tell you what happens to things that run from me."

Jasper's heart sank. He was trapped in a gilded cage.

"I want to see a doctor," Jasper said, his voice barely a whisper. He had to think. He had to find a way out. "I need to know if my baby is really okay."

"The doctor will be here in an hour," Sebastian said, stepping back. "In the meantime, you will eat. There is food on the table." He pointed to a tray loaded with fresh fruit, warm bread, and steaming tea.

Jasper looked at the food. His stomach growled loudly, betraying his hunger. He hadn't eaten properly in days. He hated himself for it, but he reached for a piece of bread and took a small bite. It was warm and soft, and it tasted like heaven.

Sebastian watched him eat, a strange satisfaction in his eyes. "Good. You need to keep your strength up."

He turned and walked toward the door. "I have business to attend to. The guards are outside. Don't try anything stupid."

"Wait!" Jasper called out, his voice desperate. "What is your name? I don't even know your name."

Sebastian paused at the door. He looked back over his shoulder, his blue eyes burning with an intensity that made Jasper's skin prickle.

"Sebastian Thorne," he said. "And you, Jasper, are now a part of the Thorne empire. Whether you like it or not."

He walked out, closing the heavy wooden door behind him. Jasper heard the distinct sound of a lock clicking into place.

He was alone.

Jasper dropped the bread back onto the tray, his appetite gone. He hugged his stomach, rocking back and forth. "It's okay, baby," he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I won't let them take you from me. I promise."

He spent the next hour exploring the room. The windows were sealed shut, reinforced with some kind of unbreakable glass. There were no phones, no sharp objects, nothing he could use to escape.

The door suddenly swung open. Jasper spun around, expecting Sebastian. But it wasn't Sebastian.

A woman walked in. She was stunning, with sharp cheekbones, perfectly styled blonde hair, and a face twisted in pure contempt. She wore a tight, expensive red dress and diamonds glittered at her throat. She looked at Jasper like he was a piece of dirt on her shoe.

"So," the woman spat, her voice dripping with venom. "You're the freak carrying Sebastian's bastard."

Jasper's blood ran cold. He stepped back, his hands protectively cradling his stomach. "Who are you?"

The woman laughed, a cold, cruel sound. "I am Victoria Sterling. Sebastian's fiancée." She stepped closer, her eyes dropping to Jasper's belly. "Did you really think a man like him would want a broken, pregnant whore? He belongs to me. And I will not allow some freak to ruin my reputation."

She reached into her small, designer purse and pulled out a small, silver syringe. The liquid inside was a sickly yellow.

"Don't come any closer!" Jasper screamed, backing away until he hit the wall.

Victoria smiled, a terrifyingly beautiful smile. "Don't worry, Jasper. It won't hurt you. It will just take care of the little problem in your belly."

Jasper opened his mouth to scream for Sebastian, but Sebastian was gone. The guards were outside, but no one was coming to save him.

Victoria lunged forward, the needle aimed directly at Jasper's stomach.

"Get away from me!" Jasper shrieked, his voice echoing off the marble walls.

And then, the bedroom door exploded inward.