The Queen's Forbidden Love

Chapter 8

Claudia's POV:

His lips were softer than I thought they would be. Even the coldness of them didn't appear to be bothering me like I thought they would. It wasn't until he asked for permission to take over the kiss and run his tongue over my lips that I realized what I was doing. I was kissing a vampire! My hesitation from him leaning over and kissing me for the first time after waking up from the fight with the Enchantress was enough for him to think that I wanted the kiss. I took him by total surprise when my hand rested on his chest and I pushed as hard as my weakened body could push.

"Do you realize how easy I could end your eternal life?" I snapped at him as he pulled away from me with my hand still pressing against his chest.

Even laying in this bed, weakened from almost getting all of my essence drained from my body by the Enchantress, I would still have the power to rip his head off without touching him.

"You wouldn't," He said with a half smile that practically melted my heart but did what I could to keep him from knowing how he was making me feel.

"Do you realize how many vampires I have killed in my life just because they looked at me?" I asked him.

"That doesn't mean you will kill me," He told me, still holding his half smile.

I felt my hand relax but before I could pull it away, his was over mine, holding it in place. I looked at my small hand that was enveloped in his large hand. I wasn't sure what was happening or why he was correct about the fact that I wouldn't kill him. I don't know what it is about him that causes me to feel what I do for him.

"Just because you feel I won't kill you, doesn't mean whatever it is you are hoping for can ever happen," I told him as I looked back at his gray eyes.

"Nothing says it can't," He told me, clearly knowing what it was that I was talking about as he pulled my hand away with his.

He leaned back on the bed and softly placed his lips over mine. This time, I didn't stop him. I didn't want him to stop. This time, I kissed him back and this time, I allowed him to enter.

I slowly opened my eyes, pulling me from the dream that was replaying a past event. I could feel the heat and hear the crackling of the nearby fire. I slowly looked around, noticing right away that this was not the cabin that I rented. I quickly sat up, realizing right away that it was a huge mistake. My hand went to my head quickly from a pounding headache along with noticing pain all through my body.

"You should take it a little easy," I heard his voice, causing me to turn quickly in his direction.

He was sitting in a chair along the wall of the small room. He looked the same as he did in my dreams. The same as he did during those few days in the cabin a couple of months ago.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped at him as I reached for the blanket to take it off, only to see all the bruising all over my arms, reminding me of what had just happened with that demon.

"I didn't heal any of them, not even your back even though I really wanted to," He told me, causing me to look behind me and see the bloodstained sheets.

I looked over at him and saw that he was still sitting in the chair. He hadn't moved from that spot even though I was now awake.

"How did you control yourself with this much fresh blood?" I asked him.

"I'm over two thousand years old, Claudia. It may be difficult at times but even with fresh blood, I can control myself. The control of a vampire of my age is like one you have never seen before," He informed me, giving me at least an idea of the time he was turned, as he stood up and walked over to the side of the bed.

"I need to get back to Bella," I told him as I moved to the other side of the bed, away from him.

I felt the pain in my entire body as I moved. The pain in my back was the worst and it caused me to close my eyes and hiss under my breath. It made me wish that I could heal my own wounds instantly like I can someone else's. I can't do my job when I can barely move, which means I will have to use a different avenue to speed up my healing...even if it is one that I don't want to travel down...again.

Before I had a chance to attempt to stand on my feet, he was kneeling in front of me, looking up into my eyes, keeping me from standing up. I know that his gray eyes are the same as all the others of his species but there's just something about his that makes it hard for me to not look at them. They really were beautiful.

"Let me help you," He whispered.

"Jovian, we can't do this," I told him softly.

"You're in pain, Claudia, a lot of pain. I can't let you be in this much pain," He told me, causing me to look down and away from him.

"I will be fine," I whispered as I sighed.

"You can barely move. How are you going to protect yourself like this?" He asked me but I didn't look at him.

"I'm just sore, that's all," I responded to him a response that even I didn't believe.

"Look at yourself. There is almost not an inch on your body that isn't black and blue," He continued but I refused to look at what he was telling me to see.

He reached over and placed his fingers under my jaw, causing me to close my eyes and wince in pain as he slowly turned me in his direction.

"I can't even softly touch you without causing you pain," He told me.

"I almost lost you," He continued to say softly and I slowly shook my head.

"You can't lose something that you never had," I said softly.

"Except, I have had you, even if it was for one weekend. Like it or not, that changed our relationship," He told me as I did what I could to not let the tear fall down my cheek.

He raised himself a little and leaned forward so he could place his lips on my forehead, kissing me softly before kneeling back down. He didn't even have to say anything, I suddenly felt like I had to explain myself as I looked down at my hands.

"I thought he wouldn't do anything. We were in a club full of humans," I tried to tell him, thinking that would keep him from being disappointed in me by thinking I was being reckless.

"I knew better than to put myself in that position, to put Bella in that same position," I continued as another tear fell from my eye.

I kept my face down, refusing to look him in the eye for fear of seeing the disappointment in his eyes.

"I could have killed her," I continued to tell him.

"Shhh..." He whispered as he placed his hand on my cheek, causing me to look over at him as another tear fell.

"It's over now, Bella is fine and so are you," He told me as I held my gaze on his.

"Where is she?" I asked softly.

"Back at your cabin. I made sure she got back safely," He informed me.

"I must go," I suddenly told him sternly.

I moved to the side and stood up but when I did, I felt the pain increase in my body, causing me to cry softly in pain as I lost all strength to stand. Jovian was quick to grab me, lifting me off of the floor, and holding me bridal style as he carefully laid me back down on the side of the bed that still had clean sheets.

"You stubborn woman," He growled deeply in his throat as he slowly pulled away from me, keeping his eyes on mine as he slowly sat on the bed next to me.

I couldn't believe the amount of pain I was in. It takes a lot to break the bones of a royal in any species but that doesn't mean it's harder for us to feel pain. My bones may not have broken while that demon tossed me around like a ragdoll but that doesn't mean he didn't do a number on my body in the process.

"You will stay here until you are healed enough to leave. Either you heal naturally, or you allow me to help you heal instantly." He told me with a stern look in his eye.

Healing naturally would be the safer route but it would also be the longest route. I don't have the time to wait for my whole body to heal. I have to get back to what I was doing and back to Bella. The other way would be by using herbs to create a paste. The last way is for him to heal me. The only problem is, if he were to heal me, I can't say for certain that more than just healing wouldn't happen. The feel of his lips on my body again would be hard to keep myself from losing control. I can't lose control like I did that night that was actually the whole weekend.

"I will only allow you to heal my back but not the way you think," I told him and he just looked at me in question.

"Your mouth isn't coming in contact with my body. Not again," I told him as I pushed myself more into a sitting position, wincing in pain as I moved.

"If you're not going to allow me to heal your back, then how are you going to do it? With how bad your back is, that will take weeks if not over a month to heal," He informed me, letting me know how bad my back really was.

I knew my back was in bad shape. I could feel the intense pain in it. It's mostly the cause of my lack of moving. Sure the soreness and the bruising all over my body were hurting a lot too but my back was the bulk of it. My back is what was stopping me from doing anything at all.

"Herbs," I responded to him, causing him to just sigh as he slowly nodded his head.

---

It didn't take Jovian very long to collect the ingredients that I needed. Once I had everything, he helped me in a better sitting position so I could grind the herbs together in the wooden bowl before I added the potion. Unfortunately, I won't know the quality or strength of this potion since it isn't one of the ones I've made. He had to pick it up at one of the local herbal stores in the area. Even if it is low quality, it will still work. It will just cause the paste to be weaker and take longer to heal the area.

"The cloths are soaked in the antibacterial liquid," He said as he walked back in with a bowl and the lint-free cloths that I also had him pick up while he was out.

"Thank you," I told him as I carefully mixed the potion with the herbs.

I took the mixture and set the bowl on the side table. I carefully pulled myself away from the headboard, hissing in pain as I moved. Jovian moved to try to help but I put my hand out and stopped him. I just shook my head no, causing him to hesitate before he slowly sat back down in the chair that he had pulled over next to the bed.

"Claudia..." He said softly but I just glared at him.

"Jovian," I told him sternly, stopping him from continuing with his thought.

After a moment of silence, I moved the blanket and realized that the only way he was going to be able to put the mixture on my back was if I took my top off. I breathed in deeply and sighed in irritation, mostly at the situation that I was somehow in.

"Would you mind turning around so I can get undressed for you to put the mixture on my back?" I asked him as I looked over at him.

He slowly nodded. He stood up from his seat and turned around so his back was facing me. I carefully crossed my hands over my body so I could grab the top from the sides. I closed my eyes tightly as I slowly pulled the top up. I did what I could to not cry in pain as the fabric pulled on the dried blood, pulling at the wound in the process. I could feel each little strap that crisscrossed over my back along with the section of fabric that wrapped around my back as it lifted across my back before I had it over my head. I was surprised that the blows from the demon didn't destroy the back of this top.

I glanced over at him as I tossed it to the floor. Noticing that he wasn't in any way, trying to look at me as I undressed. That's the one thing I noticed about him when I first met him, he truly is a gentleman. I carefully turned my body and positioned myself on my stomach. I turned my head on the mattress so I was facing him.

"I'm ready," I said softly.

He turned around and the first place his eyes landed was on my back. I could tell just by looking at him that the damage was extensive.

"Just take the cloths and carefully clean the area. It must be free of any blood, debris, or bacteria before adding the herbal mixture," I told him.

I watched him as he reached over and grabbed one of the cloths from the bowl, ringed out the excess water before bringing it over to my back. I closed my eyes in pain the second the cloth touched my back. I pulled my arm closer to my face and pressed it into my arm to try to keep myself from screaming in pain. Instead, I screamed in my throat. The pain was excruciating! The soft cloth felt like sandpaper! It felt like hours of him taking the cloths over my back, carefully cleaning the areas. I had so many tears in my eyes that my arm and the bed were soaked.

"If you would have just let me..." He started to say but I cut him off in irritation.

"Don't!" I hissed in pain as he moved the cloth over my skin.

"If you want to help, just do as I had asked," I reminded him and he slowly nodded his head even though he wasn't really agreeing with me.

"Okay, it's all cleaned up," He told me as he put the blood-soaked cloth in the bowl.

I took a few deep breaths to try to calm my nerves. I hadn't realized how tense I was from the pain till he was done and the coolness of the room cooled the heat of my back. That fire explosion that demon did on my back was one of the strongest I've ever had to endure! Nothing I did back to him seemed to faze him! The power he had was one of the strongest I've ever come up against!

"Take..." I started to say as I took a deep breath and pulled my arm away from my face.

"The herbal mixture in that bowl and carefully smear it onto the damaged areas. It should cool the burn that I feel on my skin and relieve some of the pain. It will also heal the wound so I don't have any scarring," I told him as he grabbed the bowl and sat on the side of the bed next to me.

"Claudia, we need to talk," He started off the one conversation I've been trying to avoid since that weekend as he took the mixture and started to put it on.

"There isn't anything to talk about, Jovian," I told him sternly, causing him to sigh in frustration.

"And your reasoning isn't a valid reasoning," He told me.

"Not a valid reasoning?" I snapped back at him, causing him to look over at me.

"I'm a witch, the royal witch and you're a vampire! What happened those nights never should have happened. I told you then and I'm telling you again, we can't be anything more than what we were before we met." I told him in anger.

"So, what you're telling me is that you would still kill me just because I'm a vampire?" He asked me and I just looked up at him.

I didn't know what to say to him. He knows that I wouldn't kill him, not anymore. Not like I would have done before I met him, before that event. I just turned my head away from him and closed my eyes, forcing the few tears to moisten my eyes as I ignored him for the remainder of the time he was applying the mixture.