The Belladonna

Chapter 33

Isabella's POV:

I stood with my arms by my side, staring at Captain Bradwr as he arranged the food on the table. He wanted me to eat with him tonight for some reason, even though I knew I couldn't reject his offer. That'd be a pretty stupid move on my part.

Also, I was just afraid that if I disagreed, I'd be punished. My body still shook at the memory of the water and I felt sick with the thought of me ever going back underneath those cold, dark waters. It would be the most painful thing to go through again.

"Isabella?"

I shake my head, looking up with a start as I see Captain Bradwr staring at me with a small smile. "Someone is spacing out." he chuckles and I swallow. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." I say and he raises an eyebrow.

"I didn't think you'd break so easily. Not with all the rumors I heard about you." he says and I swallow again, not wanting to say anything. "Well, Isabella, come and sit. You should eat." he says and I nod very slowly, not sure why he would let me eat so willingly. Why isn't he chaining me up and torturing me?

The very thought made me pause, shocked at what I was thinking. Was I really breaking that quickly? Tears came to my eyes as I sat down in the chair he had for me, looking at the food in front of me. It actually looked good, and my stomach grumbled loudly, making me realize that it had been awhile since I've eaten. 

Captain Bradwr chuckled, sitting across from me and gesturing to the food. "By all means, eat." he says amused and I nod to him, reaching my arms out towards the food but stopping, seeing the burns that covered my arms from my struggle against the rope. 

I stared at the marks on my arms, the familiar burning pulsating throughout my body where burns that were just as painful spiked and I felt a tear fall from my eye, hitting my outstretched arm. 

Bradwr cleared his throat, breaking the trance I was in and making me jump. I blinked a few times before reaching forward, taking a piece of bread, an apple, a piece of meat, and a small potato. I didn't know if I would eat all of it but the growling in my stomach was telling me otherwise. 

Bradwr just stared at me with an unreadable expression and I felt intimidated by his gaze. 

"How recently have you married this Captain?" he asks me as I eat and I give him a confused look. "Just recently." I answer and he forces a grin.

"So it won't be too hard on you when I kill him. You're still young, you can find someone else. Unless we kill you too." he says with a laugh and I grit my teeth together, eating my food in silence and trying to ignore his cruel words.

If Harry was dead? No...no that couldn't happen. Harry wasn't going to die. 

It stayed quiet as we ate, which was torturous for me because the thoughts in my mind were like a disease; multiplying and getting worse every minute that passed. The pain in my heart moved down to my stomach, wondering if Harry was going to be alright. He would survive this, wouldn't he?

I dropped the piece of bread on my plate, unable to finish. I clutched my stomach, wincing as the pain kept growing and growing. I looked up at Bradwr in pain, seeing him raise an eyebrow at me confused. 

A nauseating feeling swept over me in an instant and I covered my mouth, trying to suppress my gag. I jolted from my chair and rushed out of the room, stumbling through the ship until I made my way up the stairs, all the time covering my mouth and holding back my gags.

I got onto the deck and ran to the railing, leaning over and vomiting up everything I just ate. I continued to vomit and vomit until there was nothing left for me to throw up and I dry heaved a few times, coughing and gagging as I tried to get my breath back.

Tears were falling down my face and my throat burned. The pain in my stomach was still there, but it had ceased. However, the rocking of the boat was more apparent than ever and I felt sick to my stomach again. 

"Oh? What's this?" 

I turn around, seeing Captain Bradwr looking at me mildly amused. "I wouldn't of thought this." he says and I raise an eyebrow. "What?" I ask and he stares at me for a few moments like he was contemplating something, before a grin came to his face.

"I didn't imagine the poison would work so quickly on you. I thought you were tougher." he says and my eyes widen. "You poisoned me?!" I gasp in horror and he laughs. "I can't exactly have you healthy whenever you fight, can I?" he questions and I grit my teeth together, wiping my mouth. 

"You're a sick man." I growl and he chuckles. "I could be returning the compliment. You're really sick, as of now, Miss Isabella. I'm sure you'll be having a few more episodes just like this over the next few days." he muses and I spit on the ground. 

He fumbles for something in his pocket before pulling out a rag, tossing it at me. I caught it with my right arm, wiping the waste from my face and hands. 

"What was poisoned?" I ask and he grins. "The meat. Why do you think I didn't eat any?" he questions and I try to think back to dinner, but my memory seems hazy for some reason and I don't remember him even grabbing anything at the table. 

"Is the water safe?" I ask and he laughs. "Of course it's safe! I couldn't risk poisoning the water, now could I?" he sneers and I grit my teeth together. I make my way over to one of the water buckets and dip my hands in it, grabbing a handful and bringing it to my lips, sipping it, rinsing in my mouth, and then going over to the edge to spit it out.

I did this three to four times until the vile taste was out of my mouth. I then drank a lot of water, gulping it out in hopes I would be able to rid the poison from my body in that manner. 

"Maybe I was wrong." he murmurs and I look over at him, seeing him giving me a small grin. "Maybe you aren't as easy to break as I thought." he says and I swallow hard, staring at him as the moon shone in the sky.

The reflection hit his face and lit up most of the deck, the shadows dancing off of his clothes and my eyes widened at the sight. It was familiar...I recognized that stance...that look in his eyes...it made me shiver to even think about where I knew it from.

He must have noticed, because he narrowed his eyes, walking over to me and grabbing my arm, pulling me up. "I know what you must be thinking, Miss Isabella. But let me make this clear. If you say one word that goes against my policies on this ship, you'll be experiencing more pain than just drowning." he warns and my eyes widen, fear piercing my heart and I swallow hard, nodding to him.

He releases me and I stumble, regaining my footing before looking back at him. He was walking away from me and standing at the end of the ship. There's no way... I thought, blinking a few times before his voice broke me from my thoughts.

"We'll be landing tomorrow, Isabella. I hope you're ready." he says,  turning slightly so that he was facing me, a stony look on his face. "Captain Styles has only two days to get to you. And whenever he shows up," he pauses, a smirk coming to his face.

"He'll finally be mine." 

Sorry for not updating in a while! Things have been a bit hectic. Haha, I was supposed to be writing my presentation but lol no. That wasn't happening. So I gave you guys a chapter! I hope you like it! Please tell me what you think, even if it isn't as long!! Love you guys!