Page 11 of Of Fate & Forbidden Desire

“No problem, I’ll be right back,” I explained and left.

“Urg men,” I grumbled, shoving inside the kitchen and dropping my plates next to the sink.

“Pig-headed jerks again?” Oscar asked, raising one of his thick eyebrows that looked like a hairy caterpillar.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I smiled back at him, “They don’t want dessert.” I told him, making his smile grow as he announced they could finish cleaning down.

“That’s right lass, don’t let ‘em get to you,” he told me as I pushed back into the restaurant. Printing off their bill, I walked back to the smarmy lad and his friends.

“Is it card or cash?” I asked sweetly, placing their bill folder down in the middle of the table.

“Card, please,” the dark haired lad answered before his obnoxious friend could speak. Nodding, I spun on my heel to collect the card machine, and returnedas the blonde caressed the dark one’s arm. “Would you like to split it?” I asked, ignoring as her hand slid lower.

“I’ve got it,” Slimeball retorted with another wink in my direction.

“Fantastic, that’s £36.50 please.” I answered politely, typing in their total amount and holding it out to him so he could tap his bank card against the top. I waited patiently for the beep, “great that’s all gone through, have a lovely evening.” I smiled at the group and left them alone to grab their things and leave.

“How about you come join us, you look like you need a good time?” Slimeball’s voice called to my back. Resisting the urge to shudder I looked over my shoulder, running my eyes up and down his body. He was obviously a guy who took pride in working out.

“You’re not my type,” I threw at him with a tight smile, leaving him slack jawed and amazed at the refusal.Definitely not used to being told no,I laughed in my head and re-joined Emily and the ever growing pile of cutlery.

“Well you certainly told him,” Emily giggled quietly, as I picked up my tea towel and got back to work.

“They never learn,” I muttered under my breath, as they walked past the bar and out the door.

An hour later, my fingers hurt from polishing but I was finally pushing through the door into the cold October air. “You heading home?” Emily asked, rubbing her arms as the chill took hold.

“Yeah,” I answered around a yawn, “You?”

“Nah, I’m meeting Harmony and some others,” she said nodding in the opposite direction I was going, “you want to join?”

“Nah, my feet are killing me.” I told her, wiggling my toes that were burning.

“Fair enough, get home safe,” she wished, turning away and walking towards the nearest bar just before the bridge.

Breathing in the frigid air, I held it in my lungs for as long as I could before beginning the walk back towards home. I’d never really been bothered withsocialising, it had always felt like too much effort, but this evening I wasn’t looking forward to returning to my empty house.

Watching the ground pass under my feet, I followed the now familiar route home. I'd just turned into the Shambles, an historic street with small wonky looking tudor houses that had been turned into businesses over the years as they leaned over the thin cobbled road. Tourists absolutely loved this area of the city and I could see why. It was quaint, historical and had a magical feel to it. Almost as though you could close your eyes and be transported back in time while walking the tiny winding street and the market square behind it.

A shuffle and muffled groan to my right snapped me out of my daydream. I was certain it had come from somewhere among the empty market stalls, stopping dead. I strained my ears to hear anything and was about to walk on when I heard the low groan come again.

“Hello?” I whisper shouted, feeling like the idiot everyone screams at in horror movies. You know the one that follows mysterious sounds before ending up dead. “Is anyone there?” I continued, just to have some noise in the quiet streets. Tiptoeing around the first row of market stalls I glanced underneath and found them empty. Another groan, this time further away to my right. Picking up my courage and pace, I walked briskly towards where the food vendors trucks would be and froze.

My mind whirled at the sight before me;; a man in a navy tracksuit, who was sorta sitting on the cobbled floor, his legs twitching every now and then as someone with dark hair seemed to be fastened on the side of his neck.No, No, No, Not real!My mind screamed at me, my eyes tracking the thin line of red liquid which ran from beneath the second person’s head, down his neck before disappearing beneath the man's shirt. His greyish blue eyes looked distant as another weaker groan left his lips and he tried to shuffle away.

“What in the world are you doing?” my horrified voice shocked me as it rang clearly through the abandoned marketplace.

The dark haired one shifted as if I'd slapped them with my voice alone and when they looked up, I couldn't contain the scream that had been lodged in my throat, as I met Dina's beautiful face. However, her beautiful dark eyes were gone, replaced by red ones that almost glowed. Protruding from her mouth, were a pair of fangs with blood dripping off the tips, before she ran her tongue over them capturing the man's blood.

Slapping my hands over my mouth to stop myself from screaming again, I turned and fled, running without paying much attention to the streets racing by, until my palms slapped against my blue front door. A sob finally escaped me as I shut it behind me and slid down the smooth wood, until my bum hit the floor and I realised I was shaking.

It can't be real?I silently repeated to myself.It couldn't be! People didn't do that, they didn't bite other people and suck their blood. That was a thing of story books not reality.My thoughts went round in circles as I fell apart sitting on our shared doormat and let my tears coarse over my cheeks.

Chapter Five

How can you lose everything in a matter of minutes?- Dina

“Adrina?” Tilly's voice makes me jump as I carefully let myself back inside my hotel room as the sun finished rising after my night with Charleene. I was still reeling from the fact that Charleene was a bloody witch.

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