The Queen's Forbidden Love

Chapter 18

Jezabella's POV:

It didn't surprise me any that Claudia wanted to spend some time alone last night once we got back to the cabin. She did appear to be frustrated and maybe even a little upset. I could see it all over her face before I even asked her if she was able to complete the deed that she hadn't.

I just wasn't exactly expecting her to spend all night out there. Even after I had looked out the window and saw just a little bit of Jovian standing over her on the bench from behind, I knew that she was going to be out there longer than originally expected. I couldn't see a lot. The way the trees were and the steepness of the hill behind the cabin was too great to get much from what I could see so I didn't try to look more than I could to start with.

I didn't know what they had done, at least not until I walked out there this morning and saw her panties on the ground, torn. Even though my sense of smell is weaker than hers, I could still smell the s*x all over her. I didn't need to see torn panties to know what she had done. She may act like she wants nothing to do with him but I know otherwise. This time, we're going to talk and she's going to admit everything. Well, at least, I'm going to try to get her to admit everything.

She's actually a very closed-off person and doesn't open up about her personal self to anyone. I do believe that part of her personality is because of the time she was born in. It's not like women back in her time, in Egypt, had much of an opinion let alone spoke about anything intimate with others. Being outspoken would have been rude and disrespectful. Not to mention, anything intimate spoken out loud would've been indecent.

I watched her as she walked back into the house, not giving me any eye contact as I stood against the counter with my cup of coffee in my hand. I couldn't tell if she was embarrassed that I had caught her or knew what she had done last night or not. She doesn't let on how she feels through her expressions very often and she can be hard to read if she doesn't want you to know. I wasn't sure if she was hoping that I wouldn't find out that she was still sleeping with him and if that is the case, then she is wrong. She is very wrong!

I don't know why she wouldn't want me to know or find out. It's not like I don't already know about the first time they had s*x in that cabin in Maine. As I told her once before, I would sleep with a vampire if I knew he wouldn't eat me afterwards. It's not like in my mind it is that taboo. I find the idea of it exciting and mysterious, I just don't feel it's possible to find that many of them that wouldn't feast on me after. The unknown of what it would be like to be with a creature of the undead is exciting all on its own and honestly, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often with other species.

After several minutes and a few cups of coffee that I'm sure I'm going to regret later, Claudia finally emerged from the bedroom with wet hair and dressed in a clean skirt that dragged along the floor due to her being barefoot and a nice off-the-shoulder top. She may keep herself pretty covered and stay for the most part true to her roots with her hair snoods and scarves but even with that, she manages to incorporate a more modern look while keeping to tradition. She's very beautiful with her high cheek bones, dark flawless skin and hair. I can see why she caught the eye of an ancient gladiator.

I watched her as she walked over to the coffee machine and poured herself a cup of coffee before taking it over to the counter and sitting on one of the stools. Still not giving me any eye contact and not saying a word. I placed my mug to my lips and watched her as she stared at her coffee and stirred it with the spoon.

"I find myself more attracted to Jovian than I thought I was a couple of months ago. I can't seem to stop wanting him." She suddenly said as she continued to look down at her coffee.

"I lose all control over myself whenever he is around," She continued and even though I wanted to stay silent and let her talk, I was worried she wouldn't continue if I didn't help the conversation along.

"Do you love him?" I asked her as my curiosity rose and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. How do you love someone you only met a few months ago? Someone you hardly know?" She asked as she looked up at me and all I could do was shrug my shoulders.

I watched her and she got up from her stool, obviously uncomfortable with this conversation due to her constant moving around. She walked over to the counter on the other side, opposite where I was standing, and kept her back to me.

"I don't exactly have much experience with men," I reminded her as if I was trying to keep her talking and to try to get more out of her but she just sighed before taking a small sip of her drink and saying nothing in return.

"Is it possible that you are his true mate?" I asked her and she shook her head definitively with no hesitation.

"No, it isn't possible," She said as she set her cup on the counter, a little harder than it was necessary, and leaned her back against it.

"Why? I mean, we may be witches but even witches can be turned into vampires. It's not like it hasn't ever been done before. Multiple times, actually. How is that any different than a human?" I asked her, feeling quite confused about the topic. It's not like I studied much of this when I was younger, my coven claimed it wasn't necessary because of my destiny.

"It's possible for you, but not for me because I'm of the royal line," She told me and I felt like all she was doing was giving me excuses and the run around just so she could continue to try to live in denial about the whole thing even though she's starting to open up more to the idea of being with a vampire.

"That's bullshit, Claudia!" I snapped at her and her eyes shot in my direction with anger filling them.

I could tell that she was feeling that I was overstepping my position and status with her. Even though these modern times are different with how people speak to others, that doesn't stop her from still living as if it was still during the times she grew up in from time to time. More than once she has yelled at me for my behavior towards her and sometimes I do agree with her that I was a little out of line but I don't feel that I am at this moment.

"I have never spoken a lie to you, Jezabella!" She snapped as she pushed herself from the counter and started to walk away from me.

"I'm not saying that you are lying! All I'm saying is I think you're wrong!" I shouted at her, trying to get her to open her mind up to the possibility of it all, causing her to stop and turn so she could glare at me.

"For one, I'm forbidden to ever let my body be turned into anything other than what I was born to be," She snapped in an angered tone as her royal aura started to fill the room with a soft warning, telling me that she was having about enough of my back talk.

"It is written in the royal history books of my family by the Grand Witch herself that no royal witch from her bloodlines will ever be destined to be with anything other than a human or one of her own kind. The fact that it is in the first book of the family line is more than enough proof that I could never be mated to Jovian or any other supernatural species that isn't of my own. It is also more than enough to tell me that what I am doing with Jovian is forbidden." She continued to inform me in a strict voice.

"I see...I understand," I told her softly and she just looked at me, still with a hardened glare before finally turning and finishing her walk back into her bedroom, slamming the door in her wake.

Okay, so I wasn't expecting that. I thought maybe she was still just stuck in the old times and refused to allow herself to open up to the modern world and possibilities. With the way the world is nowadays, one wouldn't think it was a bad thing to test the waters with one of a different species. It's not like I haven't had dreams of what it might be like to be with a vampire, werewolf, or even one of the mermen.

In a way, it's just one of my fantasies but that doesn't mean any of those fantasies need to ever come true. I'm not strong enough to handle the strength of a vampire or werewolf intimately, it would kill me, but Claudia? She's more than strong enough to handle either of those and survive to tell about it. Okay, maybe not exactly tell about it because we all know she won't but still, even with an intimate relationship, she would be okay and safe. I never thought that the rules about relationships for her would differ that greatly from my own. It's not like I am forbidden. I can be with whomever I want, at least, I think. It's not like the elders of my coven ever filled me in on any of that.

After all, my destiny was just to make sure the demon hybrid was in the right place at the right time. Maybe they never thought I would ever live through it. Maybe that's why there was never a plan for me to ever return. The more that I think about it, the less I believe anymore, that my coven ever thought I would survive. They never believed I would which is why there was never a way for me to go home.

I walked over to the couch and plopped down on it, releasing a sigh as I hit the cushion. I crossed my arms over my chest and let out a depressed sigh. It took me practically three months to finally figure out or realize that my coven, the only family I ever knew, expected me to die that night.

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Claudia's POV:

Once the bedroom door was closed, I locked it, walked over to the bed, and knelt down. I looked under the bed for the bag and when I found it, I reached and pulled it out from underneath. I grabbed it and set it on my bed. It was a bag that was filled with several of the books from my family line. I sat on the bed next to it and started to go through the books, looking for the one that I was hoping that I had brought with me. When I found it, I pulled it out and leaned against the headboard.

Maybe a part of me, the deeply romantic part that is always wishing for a fairytale come true was hoping that Bella was correct and Jovian was my true mate but the other part of me, the realistic sensible part of me knew for a fact that she was wrong. I know for a fact that I read in this book back when I was first studying the history of the royal line, that it was written by the Grand Witch herself that a relationship like that would be forbidden.

It took me a while to go through the pages to find the part of the book that I was looking for. The part of the book that spoke about the reproduction of a royal witch along with how she would be taught and live her life as the royal witch. As I read through the ancient language, I was reminded of how different times were back then compared to how they are now. Of course, the main teachings in this book still stand true but it was still a bit of a shock to reread the differences.

The part of the passage I was looking for was towards the end. It was very clear how the Grand Witch wanted her bloodlines to live. My eyes traveled over the language as I read:

My bloodlines will stay pure with one heir being created by the destined bloodlines of a barren sorcerer, who is unable to produce a magical bloodline without the bloodlines of the Grand Witch. No multiple births will be possible and the child will always be female to continue the line with the barren sorcerer. Once the royal witch has given birth to the next royal heir, she too, will become infertile and barren. Any pregnancy created by someone other than a barren sorcerer will be terminated naturally by the royal blood before the end of the first trimester to ensure the strength and power of the bloodlines.

There is no supernatural law against whom the royal witch chooses to give her body to, however, I forbid her to love any creature outside her species. She will also keep her body pure and true to her kind and will not allow another supernatural to permanently change the body I have created for my family line.

I closed the book and set it off to the side of my body. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes so I could think. The relationship I have with Jovian isn't forbidden in itself but it could never go any farther than what it is we already have. The problem with continuing with what we have, and I fear that it has already started, the way I feel for him will increase. I already fear that I have let my heart feel more than it is allowed to feel and I fear that if I don't stop what we are doing, the harder it will be to leave him once I am with child.

**I'm sorry for the lack of updates, I'm struggling currently with writer's block and hope to be getting out of it soon so I can get more chapters written and back on schedule!