The Claiming

Chapter Nineteen

I just stare at it. The hunger is gone, and all I feel now is queasiness in my stomach. "I'm fine," I say.

"No, take it. You need it. I want you back to your curvy self," he says with a chuckle.

Have I really lost that much weight over three days? I highly doubt it. I sigh and let Alec drop the granola bar into my hand. After the first couple bites, however, I scarf it down with the realization of how hungry I am.

Next thing I know, I'm running to the bathroom to throw up.

What the heck is wrong with me?

Alec holds my hair back the entire time I'm leaning over the toilet. After I know I'm empty once more, I sit back and cry.

I hate this.

I hate all these issues I have to deal with now.

I wish we could go home.

Bayfell wasn't that bad.

But it was.

Alec wraps me up in his arms as we sit on the bathroom floor together. Words can't describe how stupid I felt. My stomach seems to writhe in pain as hunger sets in once more. I have a horrible taste in my mouth, and poor Alec has to deal with it all.

"I'm so sorry," Alec whispers to me.

I shake my head and say in a blubbering voice, "No, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. All of it."

"No, it's not. Come on, stand up."

He lifts me to my feet and then continues to help me wash the taste out of my mouth half a water bottle he's stashed in his backpack along with toothpaste and a brush. Alec then lifts my puke-stained sweater over my head and starts to wash it in the sink with the rest of the bottle. I stand against the bathroom wall watching him, biting my nails to keep from bursting again.

"You just need some sleep," Alec says once he finishes. He steps out of the bathroom and hangs my sweater on a hanger in the closet to dry overnight. "I'm sure you haven't had a single good night's sleep."

I shrug.

He takes my hand and walks me over to the bed. I lie down on the floral blanket with a fantastic amount of relief as my back and stomach start to settle. I roll over onto my side and face the wall. Alec sits next to me on the other side and covers us both with another blanket. Once he lies down, he takes me around the waist and pulls my bare back to his chest. "You were amazing today," he says quietly into my ear. "I saw you fighting the prince with all you had—you were so brave to do that."

"I was scared out of my mind," I say, gripping his arms.

"Being brave doesn't mean you aren't scared. It means you are but are willing to do whatever it takes. And Belle, you're the bravest person I know. You were raised in the Facility, a place that shows no sympathy for orphans. You stood up on that stage at the Claiming and looked each man in the eyes before you chose me. You chose me in front of all those people without blinking an eye. You were willing to break those other guys' hearts just to get where you are today. And then when the prince took you away, you did what your gut told you to do and you gave in—but eventually you fought back and won. We won, Belle."

I close my eyes and let out a long sigh.

"You were the one who really saved me. Without you, the prince probably would have killed me after raping me."

"But because you fought back, that gave me time to come in and whack him upside the head! We're a team, Belle. We always will be."

I shift over and face him, my hand on his chest. "We need to get married again. Right now, we're divorced."

Alec glances down at the ring on my finger. "Then this time, we'll have a proper wedding. My parents will be there, and you'll wear a white dress."

"Where are we going to get that?" I ask with a laugh.

He shrugs. "Wherever we can find a home. We'll get there."

"Do you want the ring back?"

He kisses the tip of my nose. "Consider it an engagement ring."

I smile. "Is this your way of re-proposing to me?"

"Not good enough?"

I giggle. "I don't even care at this point."

Alec uses his thumb to trace the dark circles under my eyes. "Sometimes I look back and wonder what my younger self would think if someone had told him that he would end up with Isabella Reyes—his best friend."

"I wonder the same thing," I whisper.

"Go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a much easier day. Less creepy dudes, that's for sure."

I laugh and then kiss him on the lips. He holds me tighter and presses the kiss longer and longer. When we part, I give him one last peck before turning back around and curling up into Alec's arms.

The cold settles around us much stronger now that we're lying still. Wind outside whistles against the windowpane and through the cracks in the glass. It won't be long before the window gives way and glass flies in, creating a new habitat for the outside world to invade.

For now, though, it is still ours.