The Queen's Forbidden Love

Chapter 2

Claudia's POV:

"Why is it we aren't teleporting there?" Bella asked as we drove the long drive towards Pennsylvania.

"You need to be able to visualize where you are going but also because I don't want to be without a car. I am also limited with how many supplies I can take with me if I teleport. This way, I have an entire trunk full." I told her with a smile as I looked over at her.

"I just haven't got to practice it enough yet to not get so sick afterward," She told me as she looked out the window.

"Trust me, you will get more than enough practice once you learn to make the potion yourself," I told her.

The rest of the drive we drove in silence. It is a long drive and wouldn't be able to do it all in one go so we stopped off in North Carolina for the night. I was already getting exhausted from the drive and didn't care where we crashed as long as it had a bed.

"Wasn't there a few of the sperm donor possibilities in this state?" Bella asked me as we carried our bags into the room of the hotel.

"I think so but I'm too tired to consider any of them or to look to see what city they were in," I told her as I plopped on my back onto the bed and closed my eyes as I let out a long slow exhale.

"So, how do you know if you find one?" She asked me and I took a deep breath.

"I will just know when I see them. Just like if they were to see me, they would know that I'm the royal head witch. It's in our blood to help with the process of creating the next heir." I informed her as I exhaled slowly again, allowing my aching muscles from the long drive to relax.

My eyes shot open when I felt her jump on the bed next to me and lie down. I looked over at her with a glare as she smiled at me.

"I know I've been a bit of a pain since we left Florida..." She started to say but I couldn't keep my sarcasm to myself.

"You have no idea," I told her as I turned my head back and closed my eyes again, hoping that she would take the hint and leave me alone.

"Hey!" She snapped playfully and tapped my shoulder with a slight push, causing me to slowly open one eye to look at her.

"The thing is, I never thought my destiny would have me cross paths with the current royal witch. Then, to be able to learn from you! You have no idea how crazy that still sounds to my ears! Even though it's been two months, I still feel like I'm living in a dream and seeing stars! Not to mention, to be able to be a part of your life during a huge milestone...I'm still trying to wrap my head around it and keep the stars out of my eyes!" She said with way too much enthusiasm for my tired body, yet I was still able to look over at her and see her huge smile.

"I'm just so excited for you!" She continued to say as she looked over at me while she rested on her side with her head in her hand and yet, I was nothing but miserable about the idea of having a baby.

I still have a good 60 or 70 years yet to think about having the next heir. I understand that I almost died a couple of months ago and it sort of freaked the first witch a little but I still don't see why I have to do this before I reach a century and a half in age. My mother was 324 years of age before I was finally born. She had a few close encounters with death, almost every royal witch has and the first witch didn't get all up in her face about it like she is mine.

"You're never going to let me rest until we at least see if we were to run into any of the men?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"You need to stay close to me at all times," I snapped in tiredness and frustration, not so much at her but mostly at my life, as I pushed my tired body into a sitting position.

My life right now is just so frustrating and exhausting! Sometimes I find myself snapping at her for no reason and I blame it all on this mission to have a baby.

"You won't regret it! I promise!" She said excitedly as she jumped off of the bed with so much energy.

"I am certain I will," I told her as I also stood up from the bed but with a whole lot less energy to waste.

---

I sat at the bar with a martini in my hand as I watched Bella dance with one of the men who were at the bar. It was a rather small bar that we were in. The area we traveled to wasn't really all that big so there wasn't much to choose from. I was glad to see her having fun even though I was tired and didn't want to go out. We've been busy the last couple of months training that we haven't had a lot of time to just kick back and relax.

She may be a crystal witch but she didn't know much of the craft so I've spent this time getting her caught up. She was only taught what her coven felt she needed to know for the mission. She had one task, get Keyara, the demon hybrid away from the vampire king and prepare her for the battle with the Enchantress. She was never expected to fight or help with the fight so at the age of 20, she is a little behind on her skills. Powerful, yes, but a very much beginner and not fully in touch with her skills and powers. It will take a few years to get her up to speed with her power.

"Am I the only one who appears to have noticed that nice piece of a man over there who has been watching you all night?" She asked me as she sat down beside me, out of breath as she requested a water from the bartender.

"No, I've just ignored his persistent stares," I told her as I kept my eyes off the man.

"Why not have some fun with him? Go dance, talk...relax...have some fun for once," She told me as she sipped on her water.

"Because he's only watching me because he's one of the sperm donors and knows who I am just as I can feel who he is without even looking at him," I responded to her before I sipped on my drink, causing her eyes to widen.

"Really?" She asked in a higher-pitched voice and I slowly nodded, keeping my gaze at the rest of the patrons as they talked and danced.

"Why hasn't he come over here yet? To introduce himself?" She asked, her curiosity rising.

"They are taught to wait for me to make the first move. It is not their choice when I am to have a baby." I informed her.

"Well, you're now looking so why not go talk to him? What's wrong with him? I'd take him if I could." She told me as she stared at him.

"Because, I'm not interested in him. He's not my type." I told her and she set her glass down on the counter next to her and folded her arms over her chest as she gave me a glare.

"Claudia, there is nothing wrong with that one He's tall, very handsome with more than enough muscles to make your eyes drool..." She started to say as she trailed off when her eyes looked him over again.

"I don't like the way he smells," I told her as I took another sip.

"The way he smells?" She asked and I just nodded my head, not wanting to feed into this conversation.

"Oh, I see!" She said in sarcasm, causing me to look over at her.

"What?" I asked her as if I had no idea what her problem was.

"It has nothing to do with the way the man looks or what he smells like....does it?" She asked me and I just looked at her as if she had no idea what she was talking about.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I told her as I set my glass down on the counter and slid off of the barstool to walk away.

"Yes, you do!" She said as she caught up with me.

"It's because it isn't him!" She snapped.

I ignored her and continued to walk out of the bar with her following me quickly behind.

"It has nothing to do with him, if you must know," I snapped at her and she rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"I really don't like the way he smells," I told her and she picked up her speed and stepped around me, stopping me in my tracks.

"That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard! Don't like the way he smells! He was at the other end of the bar! It's not like you're looking to marry! Just f**k him and get it over with so you can move on with finding your lover!" She snapped back at me.

"Even if I did, I wouldn't be looking for my so-called lover. I would have a baby to raise and teach to take over. I wouldn't have time nor would I want to with a vampire." I told her as I stepped to the side and continued to walk to the car.

"If they are all from the bloodlines then they must all be approved to create the next heir so why are you being so stubborn and picky about this unless it was because of him?" She asked me in a raised voice and she walked after me.

"It has nothing to do with..." I started to say but stopped when I abruptly stopped walking as I listened.

"It has everything to do..." She started to snap back but I quickly raised my hand to stop her in mid-sentence.

"Shh," I told her as I slowly started to look around.

"We aren't alone," I told her, causing her to step closer to me as fear swept over her.

"Do you know what it is?" She asked me and I slowly nodded.

"Every supernatural has a scent," I told her.

"I can't smell it," She responded as she also looked around.

"You can, just focus like I showed you," I reminded her as I continued to listen to the creature in the nearby trees.

I quickly spun around and moved my hand out front of my body quickly, sending an invisible burst of power from my hand and into the charging vampire that took off in her vampiric speed. Less than a second before she would have bit into Bella, the burst of power hit her in the chest, blowing her into thousands of little pieces. The force of the powerball forced the little bits to explode in the direction away from us.

"s**t, Claudia!" Bella exclaimed in surprise.

"How did you do that from your hand? What was that and how did you know they were going to come from that direction?" She asked as she looked over at me, still in complete shock of it all.

"The royal head witch is more than powerful enough to create magic without potions or other magical objects like wands or crystals. Their senses are stronger and are able to smell, hear, and see things that others can not. Their reaction time is also much quicker, giving them the speed to stop the quickest of beings like a vampire," We suddenly heard behind us, causing us to turn and look at the man who was walking in our direction.

The man from the bar whom I was doing everything that I could to ignore, apparently had followed me out of the bar. More than likely with only one thing on his mind, the chance to get me in bed.

"And your name?" Bella asked, clearly wanting to keep chatting with him even though I had clearly told her I wasn't interested and he obviously didn't get the hint when I walked out of the bar without acknowledging him.

"Bella! Let's not entertain the man," I snapped more at him than at her, doing what I could to try to show him again that I wasn't interested.

I quickly turned on my heels, grabbed her arm, and pulled her with me to head back into the bar so we were with others to keep a scene from happening, hopefully.

"Claudia! I know why you're here, we all do. So why don't we just do what is expected of us so we can get on with our lives!" He continued as he walked up next to me.

"Regardless of what I am looking for, it doesn't mean I have to go with the first piece of meat that I see," I snapped at him.

He quickened his step so he could get in front of us, stopping us from entering the bar as he looked down at me. I would have to admit, he was a nice-looking man and no, he didn't smell bad but that doesn't mean I have to jump the first one that I see. I have a few months, I can be picky and take my time...sort of.

"I'm sure I'm not the first one you've seen or met." He told me with a cocky smile and I just gave him a hardened glare.

"Come, Bella, I think it's time to leave," I told her as I quickly turned and headed back into the parking lot in the direction of my car.

"Claudia!" I heard the man shout my name, causing me to turn around quickly, holding my hand out in front of me as I placed an invisible barrier between him and us, causing him to step into it.

"Look, i***t, since you apparently only think with the head between your legs and don't have the brain capacity to understand when someone isn't interested, I guess I'm going to have to force you to leave me alone," I told him as he stood there, unable to move from where he was standing as the barrier wrapped around him, holding him in place.

"The barrier will disappear in ten minutes," I told him as he looked around himself as if he was going to find a way out of it.

"I will do worse if you follow me," I threatened him as he looked back at me.

"You're not allowed to harm us, Claudia!" He shouted as I turned and walked away, grabbing Bella's hand in the process.

I just lifted my hand in a wave as we walked back to my car and got in. It only took a few seconds before I had the key in the car and was driving out of the parking lot to go back to our hotel room.

"He was kind of an ass," Bella said as she turned and looked back at him as we drove away.

"Now you see why I haven't done this yet?" I asked her and she nodded as she turned back around.

"Are they all like that?" She asked and I nodded.

"Mostly. Even though they are human and they do have everyday lives like anyone else in this world and in most cases are even married with other children, because they know what they are here for, they just assume they are entitled to be between my legs. They act as if I shouldn't be allowed to turn them down. It's frustrating!" I informed her.

"Will it stop once you're pregnant?" She asked and I nodded.

"Yes, this circus will end once I complete this stage of my life," I told her.

"I'm sorry," She told me and I looked over at her in question.

"For what?" I asked and she shrugged.

"I don't know, for practically making you come out here with me." She told me and I gave her a comforting smile.

"It isn't your fault. This isn't the first time I've come across one of them. You should see it when there are more than one at the same time." I told her with a laugh, causing her to smile back at me.