Page 28 of Of Fate & Forbidden Desire

“Well merry met Charleene, and may we meet again.” Deborah said, with a smile and a wink.

“Same to you,” I smiled back, before nodding my head and joining Dina at the door.

“Do you want to go back or continue looking around?” she asked when I drew close and pushed open the door with its cheery bell.

“I would love to look around some more if we can,” I replied, beaming across at her.

The sun beat down on us as we casually meandered from shop to shop, until we reached the giant mansion at the bottom. It stood proud at the top of a gravel driveway and stretched from right to left, dominating in its grand beauty. Each section looked like it had been added at different times, using whatever style had been favoured at that time. Until the patchwork of different coloured bricks and styles merged to make an architectural masterpiece. Manicured gardens surrounded the house, palace, whatever you'd call it, almost giving it an English cottage feel as riots of coloured plants took over the neat beds they'd been planted in.

“That's the London Vampire Coven.” Dina informed me as I stood gaping at it.

“It's...it's...massive,” I finished, the word not really doing the building justice.

“It is,” Dina agreed, before nudging my shoulder with her own to get me moving again.

Flashing her a smile I followed her nudges and seconds later we followed the paved path beyond the building, where my mouth dropped open again. Before us was a huge green space, with majestic trees and a winding path. The only thing separating the busy road from the park was a small fence with a gate in the centre. “What's this?” I asked, mystified.

“It's Hampstead Heath National Park.” Dina explained.

“It's beautiful,” I said in wonder, my gaze flicking from the street behind us, to the park and back again, “is it warded like the rest?”

“No, once we pass through the gate, we return to the regular human world.” Dina explained as she leant against the fence beside the gate. “Do you want to take a walk around it or go back to the hotel?”

Indecision weighed on me as I gazed longingly into the park, but the wind rustled the bags I was holding, finally making my decision for me. “Maybe another time, when we don’t have so many bags with us.” I answered, dragging myself away from so much green and turning back the way we’d come. I gave the huge mansion another appraising look as we passed by, my mind pondering what the meeting would be like tomorrow.

It had just passed lunch-time when we returned to the hotel and my stomach announced it was hungry by filling the lift with a massive rumble that even had Dina stifling a laugh behind her hand. Taking my bags into my room, I wasn’t surprised to hear Dina begin talking and ordering lunch. With aching cheeks from the smile I couldn’t shake, I emptied each bag and organised my new clothes into the wardrobe, before flopping backwards on the bed with a happy sigh. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so free from responsibilities. Closing my eyes on another sigh I let myself drift towards sleep.

“Charleene? Babe?” Dina’s soft voice made me stir enough to crack open one eye-lid and look at her. She stood in the doorway, her hip and shoulder leaning on the wooden frame, with a small smile playing on her lips. She looked beautiful. “Lunch is here,” she informed me, pushing off the doorframe and turning back into the main room of our joint suite.

Shaking my head I let myself wonder if giving her a second chance would be so bad. I’d had a fantastic morning, she’d been so patient while I’d darted in and out of shop after shop, and spending time with her was easy. I never felt like I needed to fill any silences with words or that I wasn’t good enough for her. Smiling like a goon with my mind made up, I stretched and went to see what Dina had ordered for lunch.

The afternoon passed pleasantly. I left Dina at the small table speaking on the phone checking in with Tilly and her hunt in York, and grabbed a small blueleather bound book from the tall thin bookshelf. ‘Romeo & Juliette,’ the shiny silver title informed me as I settled on the sofa. The dusty scent rushed up my nose, making me smile, as I carefully opened the old pages and began reading. I was just up to my favourite part when Mercutio curses Tybalt and Romeo, when Dina’s hand landed softly on my shoulder, making me jump and yelp, seconds before a knock came from the door.

With my hand pressed to my chest, I reluctantly placed the book down, marking my place with a thin coster, as Dina went to answer it. She stepped back to allow a young lad who was pushing the silver wheeled trolley I now associated with hotel room service inside. He was halfway towards the dining table when I leaped from my seat, startling the poor lad in my haste. My mouth watered at the scent of melted cheese, rich tomato bolognese sauce, beef and herbs, and like a woman possessed I stared intently at the domed tray he placed before one of the chairs. Sliding into the seat and tapping my fingers on my thigh, I waited for him to place cutlery down and remove the lid. My barely there patience was rewarded with the most delicious looking lasagne I’d ever seen.

Without waiting I grabbed the knife and fork, carefully cutting off a small section and placing it into my mouth with a sinful moan. The cheesy goodness coated my tongue as it revelled in the tastes of the beef mixing with tomato, thyme, basil and oregano. Quickly cutting off another mouthful, I almost came in my pants when the heavy scent of garlic joined the cacophony of delicious smells and the lad placed down two long thick slabs of homemade garlic bread that were dripping garlic butter.

“The food here is going to make me fat,” I mumbled at Dina around another mouthful of lasagne and garlic bread. I was in heaven.

Her amused chuckle was my only answer as she watched me eat my food in delight. Once my plate was wiped clean, she handed me the last plate on the trolley with a devilish wink before sitting back in the chair opposite, watching me as I lifted the lid. Tears filled my eyes as I stared down at the four perfect, tiny Italian Cannelloni which sat on the plate dusted in icing sugar and filled with creamcheese icing. My eyes flicked up and back down quickly, “how did you know?” I gasped, feeling suddenly like I was going to cry.

“Know what?” she asked, genuinely looking shocked at my intense reaction to the dessert.

“That Cannelloni is my favourite?” I managed to get out through my closing throat.

“I didn’t.” She answered, her brows rising and her eyes widening, “I just asked them to surprise you with something sweet and light for dessert.”

Lifting one of the thin pastry rolls to my mouth I closed my eyes and savoured the crisp, buttery pastry and the sharp tangy lemon cream cheese icing as it coated my tongue.

“If you keep making noises like that I’m going to…” My eyes snapped open at Dina’s words and almost made another obscenely inappropriate noise from the heat she was looking at me with. Slowly my tongue swept out capturing an errant blob of the strawberry cream cheese icing from my bottom lip and I watched her eyes darken as I let a low moan slip past my lips.

“You’re going to do what?” I whispered, reaching for another of the amazing desserts. But before my fingers could touch the pastry, Dina was around my side of the table, with it between her own fingers. I gasped as she gently smothered my bottom lip in the icing, before pressing the cannoli into my mouth.

“Bite.” She demanded quietly. Following her orders silently, my teeth bit through the delicious treat. The sharp crunch of the pastry breaking seemed almost too loud in the room, as Dina watched me intently. “Show me how much you like it.” She growled as I stopped my eyes from rolling back in my head. Giving in, I let my tongue dart out capturing the leftover cream and moaning as my thighs clasped together. “Good Girl,” Dina praised, making the heat that had been pooling low in my belly shoot south as a moan that had nothing to do with the food left my mouth.

When my eyes opened again I couldn’t drag them away from hers. My top teeth pressed against my bottom lip as dirty thoughts of crushing my lips to hers racedthrough my mind. Just as I was about to lean forward, following those thoughts, a loud bang split the heavy silence apart.

“What was that?” I gasped, my hand pressing over my racing heart and my eyes darting frantically around as another loud bang came from outside. With a soft growl, Dina scraped her hand—the one that moments before had fed me cannoli— through her hair and went to the window.

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