A/N: Okay I know this isn't exactly a good chapter, and that the tone/writing doesn't quite match up to how it did before. But I did my best, it's kind of long considering my recent chapters, and someone out there might enjoy it, so here it is.

Chapter 9

After another long trek through way too many halls, they finally arrived at the kitchen. Didyme simply suggested Athenodora sit next to Bella at the counter while Didyme attempted to cook with Heidi's help. She wisely didn't mention how lacking Athenodora's bond was with Bella, even when the blonde queen grumbled about how she would certainly figure out how to cook, grumpy about being "left out" of providing for their mate.

Once she was seated next to Bella, all of her complaints vanished. Despite how much Bella clearly was unhappy even being so close to Athenodora, Athenodora reveled in being so close to her mate.

There were so many things Athenodora wanted to do to her. She wanted to talk to her about things too, but of course she had already learned how shit she was at that. So Athenodora just took a moment to stare, committing every bit of Bella's side profile to memory. How the hell could she get this adorable little human to love her?

Bella, all too aware of how Athenodora was watching her, was doing everything she could not to show how awkward Athenodora's attention was making her. Torn between being uncomfortable and irritated, irritation soon won out.

"What do you-?" Bella started to demand as she turned to glare at the queen, only for her voice to stop working as she realized how much closer the queen had gotten. But what really caught Bella's attention was Athenodora's eyes, and the emotion behind them. Bella had no idea what that emotion was, but it caused Bella's heart to twist painfully in her chest.

"Isabella," the word slipped out of Athenodora's mouth before she could stop it, her desire getting the better of her. If the human could at least look at her with some kind of positive emotion…

Bella couldn't help it. Something about the way Athenodora said her name made Bella gulp. All of her irritation towards the queen disappeared, and as Athenodora leaned closer, Bella felt trapped. She was caged by Athenodora's closeness, by the electricity between their bodies, but for some strange reason, Bella didn't mind.

Both Didyme and Heidi had been quietly preparing a meal to give Bella and Athenodora a sense of privacy, but at the new development, both had paused in their work.

"Take over," Didyme ordered Heidi in a low murmur. Heidi nodded in confirmation, giving one last uneasy glance at where Bella and Athenodora sat. She really hoped she wouldn't regret turning her back on the pair; she was just so worried that something else was going to go wrong. Despite her worry, Heidi focused on cooking a human meal, as it was all she could do, and the only way Heidi could help.

"Tell me, Isabella," Athenodora commanded as Didyme uneasily drifted closer, ready to intervene. The low purr of Athenodora's voice caused a strange shiver in Bella's stomach, and it took everything she had not to look away. "What do I have to do to make you love me?"

Bella couldn't answer, didn't know how, wasn't even sure if she heard what Athenodora was saying. All she was aware of was how having Athenodora so close to her, for some reason, was suddenly messing with her mind, making her thoughts muddled. It didn't help that Athenodora leaned even closer, her eyes serious and earnest. What Athenodora might have said earlier, "Kissing you" bounced around Bella's head like a ping pong ball. Why couldn't Bella get a hold of herself? Was this some kind of vampire magic? Now Bella was getting lightheaded too, Athenodora had to be doing something.

Didyme couldn't hold her alarm back any longer. She only just managed to resist the urge to pound on Bella's back. "Isabella, breathe!"

At Didyme's words, the strange whatever it was mood that was going on between them was broken. However, thanks to Didyme, Bella remembered the very important detail that her lungs needed oxygen. The human gasped, finally tasting oxygen again after who knows how long...only to fall backwards out of her chair.

"Damn it!" Athenodora snapped, flashing forward to right her human and make sure she wasn't at risk of toppling over again. "Why the fuck did you do that?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Bella snapped, glaring defensively into Athenodora's eyes. Suddenly realizing that the blonde queen between was her legs, arms wrapped around Bella to steady her, was way too much for Bella. All three vampires became alarmed at the way Bella's heartbeat suddenly sped up, especially when Bella desperately pushed at Athenodora, shouting, "Get away from me!"

So stung from the rejection, Athenodora let herself be pushed away. Didyme and Heodo were so concerned for Bella and Athenodora that neither of them took note of Bella's blush under her hoodie.

Desperate to reverse the rejection, Didyme put a hand on Bella's shoulder. "She was just trying to help you, Bella."

"I didn't mean to scare you!" Athenodora, unable to stop the anger from leaking into her voice, even if that anger was directed at herself.

"I know." Bella wanted to apologize, but for some reason, she couldn't. She hadn't felt fear or disgust or pain when Athenodora had touched her, but something else, something foreign that made her feel self conscious and alert and so damn uncomfortable, yet good at the same time. Just what was wrong with her? Why did Bella have to react like that? "I'm not hungry anymore," Bella mumbled, needing to get away. She didn't care that she had only just woken up, she felt so exhausted she was sure she could sleep for a week straight.

Both queens and Heidi became alarmed, giving their mate a frown of utter concern.

"Isabella, you need to eat," Sulpicia said as she glided into the room, having heard the commotion. "I have checked and found that it is necessary to have three meals a day. I will not allow you to skip a meal."

Bella looked up at Sulpicia, about to argue that she had never had three meals a day in her life. However, after what happened the last time someone found out about her less than perfect life, she decided to stay quiet about it. Instead, she just looked down at her hands and mumbled, "I'm just not hungry."

"You will eat, even if I have to stuff it down your throat myself," Athenodora announced as Heidi brought the food to the table, hoping the stench of the cooked food would actually be pleasant to the human and tempt her into eating. Athenodora snatched up a fork and speared some egg with such strength it broke the plate under it in half.

"You can try," Bella challenged. Finally able to glare at Athenodora now that the queen was acting more normal, Bella did just that, crossing her arms over her chest defensively as she dared to meet the aggressive queen's eyes.

"What Athenodora meant is that she will worry if you don't eat," Didyme tried to intervene as the human and Athenodora glared at each other, both refusing to back down. If only Athenodora could just punish the human how she wanted, she would have had Bella eating from the fork in seconds. Hadn't she once been good at seduction? Where had that gone, and why couldn't she properly seduce her mate now?

"Eat, Isabella," Sulpicia ordered. She believed that the pressure of her command would make the human obey, but of course, Bella didn't budge.

Unable to witness another potential explosion between the queens and the human, Heidi just had to intervene. With vampire speed, Heidi piled food on a new, unbroken plate and put it in front of Bella with a fork and knife. Bella turned to glare up at the new interloper, now just ready to argue so as not to lose, but her gaze softened the second she realized it was Heidi who had set the plate in front of her.

"Please, Bella. You don't have to eat it all. None of us want to see you go hungry." That was all Heidi had to say as she put a hand over Bella's, and Bella's resistance crumbled.

"Fine," Bella mumbled, taking the fork with her free hand and starting on the eggs. "For you." With that, she took her first mouthful. The food wasn't exactly good, but Bella had never been picky, so she kept eating without making a single face.

The relief in the room as Bella cleared her plate was palpable, even as the queens couldn't stop themselves from scowling. Not just because Heidi still held Bella's hand-until the glares got to be too much and Heidi had to pull away-but because of how helpless they felt. Heidi had been able to convince Bella in seconds when the queens could not. In fact, the queens had clearly been making the situation worse despite their intentions.

Once Bella was done, she shoved herself away from the table, desperate to get away from the ancient vampires who had done nothing but watched her eat in silence. "I want to go to my room," she said, expecting the queens to immediately deny her.

"Of course," Sulpicia said immediately. "We shall bring you there now."

"Alone," Bella stressed, but still took Heidi's hand. Clearly alone simply meant without the queens.

Again, all three queens frowned, but instead of arguing like Bella expected, Didyme took the other queens' hands, giving them a warning squeeze to tell them to stay quiet. "Of course, Isabella. If you need us, you know what to do."

"Like I'll ever need any of you," Bella grumbled under her breath, unknowingly causing the three ancients' dead hearts to twist in pain.

Heidi, aware of how much the queens were suffering, couldn't help but speak up once they were far enough away and behind the door of Bella's room. "You know, the queens really love you." Bella scoffed in disbelief, but still, Heidi persisted. "I mean it Bella. I guarantee you that any of the queens would do anything for you." Bella opened her mouth, and Heidi could already tell what she was going to say. "Aside from a few requests like allowing you to leave, that is. I know that you don't have a good opinion of them, especially with how your first meeting with them went. All I'm asking is that you give them a proper chance."

With a sigh, Bella threw herself on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She just couldn't imagine any of Heidi's words to be true, it just didn't make sense. But Heidi was Heidi; the only person in the world Bella had ever trusted.

"We'll see," was all Bella could promise, but it meant more to Heidi and the eavesdropping queens than she could have guessed.

"Thank you Bella," Heidi murmured as she sat next to Bella on the bed. All it took was stroking her hair, and despite having woken up so recently, Bella once again fell into a dream filled sleep.