Alpha Dhampir~ On Hold

Chapter 14

Rose Hathaway

I walked around the marketplace. For a small town, Portofino was picturesque. Such a quaint fishing village, with its pastel-coloured houses, high-end boutiques and seafood restaurants fringed by the Piazzetta and a small, cobbled square overlooking the harbor, which was lined with super-yachts. A path led from the Piazzetta to Castello Brown, a sixteenth century fortress and museum with art exhibitions and panoramic views of the town and the Ligurian Sea.

It was safe to say that I hadn't seen anything like it. It was beautiful, the waters were crystalline green, great for swimming, diving, and boating. When we had arrived, a tour guide had suggested several of the town's must-see places, such as 'The medieval castle Castello Brown' that was on the top of the hill. It had a charming view over the Gulf of Portofino and the harbor. I was told that the castle dated from the sixteenth century and was surrounded by a Mediterranean garden featuring a wealth of flowers and rose-gardens and offered a great view of Portofino. Hearing about it, I was so excited to visit it, and loved everything about it until I heard that the location was frequently used for marriages. There was then the Museo del Parco, a terraced sculpture garden near the castle overlooking the harbor and filled with modern artworks. The Church of San Giorgio laid almost in the centre of the promontory and was built during twelfth century but was rebuilt after the damages of the last war. A tombstone reminded that St. George's relics were brought by the Crusaders in the eleventh century. I had never been a history buff, but I had found it rather interesting. The last place I had wanted to visit and found myself loving was the Abbey of San Fruttuoso. It was built in the eleventh century and was situated on the other side of the peninsula, reached from Portofino by boat or by a two-hour walk. It was the perfect place for a romantic lunch. Nice beach and crystal-clear waters. The mere thought of such a romantic place made me physically ill; but that didn't take away the beauty of it.

I could imagine Sparky and Lissa getting married in a place like this. Hell, there was once a time I would have dreamt myself getting married with such a beautiful scenery behind me as I smiled into the camera. Speaking of smiling into a camera, Lucas stood in front of me, taking several pictures of our surroundings.

"Rose, get in there!" I looked up and saw that he was motioning me to move slightly to the left. I shook my head in exasperation but happily did as he asked. Just as the flash of the camera went off, I felt weight on my back as Ivan leapt onto my shoulders as he laughed at Lucas.

I couldn't help but laugh with him, he was nothing but a giant goofball. Several more flashes went off as the two of us smiled at one another, poking our tongues out until gravity decided to screw us and we fell over in a tangled mess. Of course, Lucas thought that was photo worthy as he took several more shots.

"These are so being sent to Adrian, he'll get a kick out of them." He called out to us walking away to find where Moira was. That left me struggling to detangle from Ivan's ridiculously long legs.

"Seriously somebody needs to chop you off at the knees." I huffed out, rolling my eyes as Ivan pissed himself laughing, the sound of his laughter grating my ears as his head was buried into my neck.

"You love my legs Printsessa!" He retorted, as he shifted about, groaning as he found himself even more tangled.

"Stop moving for God's sake." I scolded him before screeching for Lucas. "Get your butt back here and help us LUCAS!"

Lucas and Moira came running and their faces were priceless. They laughed so hard that they buckled over to their knees with tears running down their faces. I found the situation amusing despite my positioning, but it didn't seem that Ivan saw the humour in it. Growling at the married couple, he yelled for them to help us.