The Queen's Forbidden Love

Chapter 12

Claudia's POV:

I fell to the floor on my knees, placing my hand on my lower stomach as I let out a soft cry of pain. Jovian was quick to my side and he grabbed ahold of my arm to help keep me from tumbling the rest of the way to the floor. It's the last of the pain that I'm still feeling the following day after the Enchantress tried to strip me of my essence.

"Claudia, something isn't right," He told me as he helped me back to the bed.

"I'll be fine," I snapped at him through clenched teeth as I tried to keep my pain to myself as I laid back against the headboard.

"I think more than we think happened when the Enchantress tried to strip you of your essence," He continued as he sat on the bed next to me.

"I smelt the internal bleeding the first day. I can't smell it anymore but I think it is linked to the pain you are feeling. She did something to you in the process," He added in more of his thoughts.

I exhaled slowly with closed eyes as I slowly shook my head.

"Taking one's essence doesn't injure anything in the body," I told him, trying to reassure him and of course, myself because I was starting to get worried about this pain.

I felt him take my hand and hold it in his. I opened my eyes and looked over at him. He was looking down at my hand as he softly rubbed the back of it with his fingers.

"What makes you so sure?" He asked without looking up at me, almost as if he was scared to look at me, scared to see my reaction.

"Because one's essence is like their body's energy. It isn't something physical. You can't just grab it and pick it up. It must be absorbed. The Enchantress taking my essence wouldn't do anything to my physical body. As it is getting pulled from my body, it will just weaken me until what makes me alive is gone. It's as if you are taking one's soul from their body." I told him and he looked up at me, still in question and uncertainty.

"Wouldn't weakening you cause injury to your organs?" He asked, causing me to think.

It made me wonder if what he was thinking could be right and maybe when she was stripping me of my essence, it weakened something inside of me that is now causing this pain in my lower abdomen. Hopefully, if that's the case, it will heal on its own in time.

I shot up out of my drunken sleep with bile threatening to expose itself in my mouth with my stomach turning the remaining mixture to be expelled. I quickly placed my hand over my mouth as I threw the blanket off of my body and took off towards the attached bathroom. I didn't have time or the thought to turn the lights on. I was down by the toilet, throwing up everything that was still in my stomach. I felt like I couldn't stop like it was never ending. My stomach wouldn't stop contacting and producing more vomit as I continued several times into the bowl.

I felt cold hands slowly and carefully grab my hair and pull it back out of my face. I had already done what I could to keep myself from throwing up into my hair by placing my arm around the seat and resting my forehead on my arm. My head was pounding and my body was covered in sweat. I was shivering and couldn't stop my body from shaking.

When I thought I was done, I leaned back into his cold embrace yet somehow, it didn't make me feel any colder. I took a deep breath and placed my hands over my face to try to keep the room from spinning.

"The room...it won't stop spinning," I moaned in discomfort as I turned and pushed my face into his chest.

"The pounding!" I continued into his shirt as I held my head in my hands to try to help with the migraine.

"It's the hangover. Bella told me how much you had at the bar," I heard his rumble in his chest as he spoke.

"Ah, s**t!" I whispered as I pushed off of him and put my face in the toilet again as I started to throw up.

Just like before, he stayed next to me as he held my hair back so it wouldn't get soiled.

---

Jezabella's POV:

"Is she going to be alright?" I asked Jovian as he stepped out of the bedroom.

It had only been six hours since we got back to the cabin when she first ran into the bathroom. Claudia drinks from time to time but never like this. I've never seen her drunk before. She's always preaching about how you can't do magic if your mind isn't clear and free of alcohol and drugs. She said that magic will be just as sloppy if you are drunk or high as a human is when they are trying to walk.

"Yeah, she passed out again on the bathroom floor so I got her a pillow and covered her with a blanket to help with the shivers," He told me as he walked over to the bar counter and sat down.

I walked around the counter when I heard the whistle of the tea kettle. I poured it into the cup that I had sitting there waiting and dipped the tea bag several times in the boiling water.

"Do you want any tea?" I asked him over my shoulder, hoping that I could keep away from the topic I'm sure he wants to talk about.

"What's going on, Bella?" He suddenly asked me without answering my question.

I just shrugged my shoulders. I didn't know what to tell him or how much I should tell him. I don't think Claudia wants him to know anything let alone why we are here. She would kill me if she found out I ever told him.

"I'm not stupid, Bella," He snapped at me and I turned around and looked at him as I leaned my back on the counter.

I took a deep breath and sighed, nervous and scared. Scared of her if she found out I told him anything and scared of him if I were to not say anything at all. I don't know Jovian from any other vampire. I've only met him a couple of times. I can't imagine he isn't much different than any other vampire and all vampires I have ever heard of have a very short fuse. It would be so much easier to talk to him and answer or not answer his questions if it was through text instead.

"She wanted to go out. That was it," I confessed to him and quickly put the mug to my lips to sip on the tea as I looked away from him.

I don't think he believed me. When my eyes fell back on him, still with the mug to my lips without drinking any tea at all, his glare felt like it could bore through my skull. Out of fear of him getting up and hurting me if I didn't start talking, I set the mug down on the counter and took a deep breath so I could get some words out.

"She's been under a lot of pressure and stress. She needed something to help her to relax," I told him but his glare of ice didn't melt.

"By drinking herself to death?" He asked in frustration.

"Well..." I started as I tilted my head, "...Yeah," I finished with another shrug of my shoulders.

I quickly turned around and faced the counter so my back was to him. I grabbed the mug quickly, splashing some of the hot liquid on my hand. I cussed in pain as I quickly wiped it off before placing the mug to my lips to try to keep my lips sealed.

"What I saw a few hours ago and now is a little more than a little pressure and stress, Bella," He said to me sternly but all I could do was set the mug down and push it off to the side.

"Well then, maybe that isn't what is stressing her out that caused her to drink herself silly!" I snapped back at him as I turned around and glared at him.

"Maybe, just maybe it's whatever you did to her last night!" I continued as I waved my hand at him and nodded as if I was trying to prove what I had said even though I was just throwing anything out to get him off of the topic of the Grand Witch and what it is she wants Claudia to do in less than a year.

"What is it you are implying?" He said as he stood up, causing me to slide down a little from my tall posture that I was trying to push even taller to make myself more intimidating.

I think I was failing at being big, strong, and intimidating considering the moment he stood, I was back to my slumped state and sidestepping to the side as if I was trying to sneak away from him unnoticed.

"Not implying, just suggesting..." I started to say as I took a quick glance at him to make sure he was still on the other side of the island counter and hadn't moved.

"Suggesting...what?" He asked as he took a step to the side, causing me to quickly change my direction and go the other way.

I couldn't stop myself from looking around frantically for something I could use to defend myself or look for a quick exit. I know I would never be able to fight him off or outrun him but that didn't stop me from looking around for hope.

"You know...you were the last one with her..." I said as I quickened my pace to the other side of the island, only to suddenly stop right before running into him.

My heart jumped out of my chest from his sudden movement. I almost stumbled and fell back from my sudden stop. It shouldn't have surprised me like it had, him moving as fast as he did to get in front of me. It's not like I don't know what all vampires can do. I was raised like all witches are, to believe vampires to be murderous creatures with no humanity. I was raised to believe that a vampire could never care for or even fall in love with a human. However, I have seen with him and Claudia that what I was taught may not be completely true. His sudden movements put me on edge even if the first time I ever saw him I appeared more confident in my actions. That's because I had an end goal and a plan. Right now, I have none of that and I don't have my crystals!

"Don't do that!" I snapped at him in a loud voice as I put my hand to my chest and walked away from him, casually looking back at him to make sure he hadn't moved again, doing what I could to hide my fear and uneasiness of him.

"Just because I was the last one with her doesn't mean I'm the reason for her sudden behavior," He responded also in a louder voice as if his anger was starting to rise.

"She was fine when I dropped her off here early this morning," He continued to try to convince me but I shook my head in disbelief.

"She was not fine and I know there's more between you two," I told him, keeping myself at the opposite side of the counter than him.

"She's a royal witch, Bella, and I'm a vampire. Do you really think something more than acquaintances or even friends would be even possible?" He continued to snap, causing me to roll my eyes at his pathetic try at lying.

I knew all too well that even if he or she doesn't want to admit it, there's definitely something there. Something a lot more than just friends with benefits.

"Do you honestly think I don't know more than you think?" I yelled at him just as motion in my peripheral vision caught my attention.

Jovian noticed the direction change of my eyes causing him to look to the side as well.

"I don't particularly care for the two of you to be talking about me behind my back," Claudia snapped in exhaustion and uneasiness as she walked out with her hand to her forehead.

"We weren't..." I started to say but she waved her hand quickly in the air, hitting me with a gust of air and forcing me to take a step back.

It didn't hurt, it just felt like a strong gust of wind that caught you off balance and made you step to the back or the side.

"If I didn't have this migraine and feel like f*****g s**t! I would kick all your asses from here!" She shouted as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Neither Jovian nor I said anything or moved. I mostly didn't out of fear of her and her hangover state. Jovian, well, he's probably scared of her too, well maybe. As I looked over and glared at him, he just looked back at me as he stood there trying to pretend to be unaffected by her anger. He was pulling it off a lot better than I was.

We stood there and watched her as she walked into the kitchen, stumbling a little and causing Jovian to want to move with his little motions in her direction to help her but you could tell that he knew that she didn't want him near her so he kept stopping his movements. I felt bad for him, actually. I know that there is something between them, I know that she cares for him and wants him but she won't act on it. She won't embrace what she has with him and I'm honestly not really sure why that is. Why she won't go for it? She's never told me anything more than him being a vampire and her being a witch. I can't imagine that is what is causing her to reject him like she is.

She walked over to the cabinet, pulling her hand partially away and squinting her eyes from the lights of the kitchen. She pulled out the bottle of aspirin and popped a few of them in her mouth. Without looking at either of us, she just turned and started back towards her bedroom, saying nothing.

"Claudia..." Jovian started but she cut him off.

"You can see your way out!" She snapped.

I looked over at Jovian, unsure of the look on his face. I couldn't tell what he was feeling. He did a good job hiding his emotions and looking as stoic as possible. I wanted to stop him from leaving but I couldn't seem to bring myself to say anything while she was still in the room and by the time she reached her bedroom door, he was already out of the house.

"Claudia!" I shouted as I ran after just as she slammed the door closed and locked it.

"Why won't you give it a try with him!" I shouted in after her but she didn't respond.

"I know you like him, maybe even care for him! You've told me before! I understand that we are different species from them but there are several mixed species out there!" I continued to shout and slammed my fist into the door but she still said nothing.

"What's your f*****g problem! Why are you being such a b***h to him!" I screamed and just as I was about ready to hit my fist on the door again, it swung open with a very angry hungover Claudia on the other side.