47__Encountering old nemesises

Kamilla stalked into her chambers as Charming hurriedly followed her in.
“My lady, hear me out,” he insisted.
Kamilla spun around, making him sharply halt to avoid collision. “No!” she whispered fiercely.
Charming’s mouth twitched and Kamilla lifted a finger. “This isn’t funny, Charming. We can’t go out there, especially not with her! One wrong word and she’ll suspect—”
“Don’t worry! I can easily pretend to be Viktor,” said Charming.

Kamilla scoffed and crossed her arms. “Right. That’s why you gave two people from enemy Kingdoms your blessing on their marriage and nearly caused us a war.”
Charming blinked. “I did? Really?” Kamilla tilted her head. Charming waved a hand. “Well, that’s in the past! I assure you that today…” He grinned. “I will be deserving of an actor’s trophy!”
Kamilla sighed. “An Oscar?”
Charming’s smile dimmed. “Pardon? Oscar who?”

Throwing her head back, Kamilla groaned and walked further into her chambers. After the disbelief at his question had worn off, she found herself unable to fight the grin. He actually said ‘Oscar who?’. Kamilla leaned over her dresser in a fit of laughter.

Charming looked confused. “My lady, are you alright?”
She waved a hand back at him, her chest too thick with laughter to speak.
Shrugging, Charming walked across the room. “Well… I don’t mean to be less of a gentleman, but… will you permit me to go through your closet to find clothing charming enough to throw that young lady off her high horse? We haven’t much time.” queried Charming, already eyeing Kamilla’s closets with interest.

Straightening, Kamilla dabbed at her eyes, her mouth still curved in a grin as the last chuckles died off. “What?” she asked him. “Why?”

Charming smiled mischievously. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Kamilla… but I sense something a little unfriendly between you and the purple-haired woman.” He narrowed his eyes in conspiracy. “She’s your nemesis, is she not? Over Viktor, I mean.”

Kamilla snorted with laughter. “Like hell! I don’t see why I should be nemesises with someone like her!”
Charming squinted. “Nemesises isn’t a word, Kamilla.”
Kamilla waved it away. “It is now. What did you want to say about her?”

“Ah, yes! So, it is clear to me that she challenges you for Viktor’s attention. While I am here, and Viktor isn’t, how about I help her understand that you and you alone are his mate?” Charming inclined his head, grinning evilly at Kamilla.

Kamilla gasped. “Charming! How sly and devious of you!” She scoffed and slowly shook her head in disapproval. Charming’s expression didn’t change. Very slowly Kamilla’s own grin widened to match his and she winked one green eye. “Let’s do it!”
*******************
Demetrius’s mouth dropped wide open when he saw Kamilla as she and Charming appeared in the dining hall where he was seated with the Legion and Sasha.
“Holy shit…” muttered Xavier, causing the others at the table to turn around to see.
Kamilla grinned as she approached, her bottom tucked in skin-tight black slacks and her top, an off-shoulder, cropped Hispanic style floral top that covered her arms, but left her neck, shoulders and mid-section tantalizingly bare.

Charming leaned over as they walked. “See? I told you. The secret is neck, neck and more neck. Vampires go nuts for it.”
He then giggled, making Kamilla’s grin grow wider as she tried to hold back her own laughter. Who would have thought she’d ever hear a giggle out of Viktor’s mouth?!
“My Queen,” said all the guys at once as they stood, all trying very hard to not ogle her in their King’s presence.

Kamilla smiled sweetly at a glaring Sasha and patted the sexily messy bun on top of her head as Charming snapped a finger before the staring group.
They jumped and turned to him, all bowing apologetically. Murmurs of “Good morning, King,” spread across the group.
Kamilla glanced up at Charming and was amazed to find the most stern, uninterested, Viktor-like expression on his face.
“Where’s Damon?” he questioned.
“Uh, h-he’s in… your office. Doing work,” answered Demetrius his eyes still on Kamilla. “You look amazing, my Queen,” he told her with a smile.
Charming tilted his head. “That’s enough staring.”
Kamilla almost cackled aloud. He sounded just like Viktor!
Charming looked at Sasha who looked like she was shooting laser beams out of her eyes. Very deliberately, he wrapped an arm around Kamilla’s waist, pulling her closer.
“Uh, Sasha?” he called to her.
Her angry gaze snapped up to him and quickly softened. “Y-yes, Viktor?”
“Let’s go. Kamilla wants to be back before three pm.”

With that, he tugged Kamilla and began to lead her away as Sasha followed from behind.
Kamilla was vibrating with supressed laughter.
“Were we too cruel to torture them that way?” Charming whispered with a chuckle. “The chap with the red eyes had his mouth hanging open!”

At that, Kamilla laughed out loud, covering her mouth with her hand. “That’s Syre. He’s a sweetheart. Did you see her?”

Charming snickered. “She resembled someone having difficulty defecating.”
Kamilla burst out laughing. He’d just said in the most English Lord-ish manner that she looked like she was taking a hard shit. Kamilla was in stitches.

“I do hope,” interrupted Sasha as she caught up with them. “That you will refrain from such an extreme show of amusement once we’re in public.” She looked at Kamilla and barely smiled. “You might be Queen, but you’re still new here. Onyx is a Kingdom of class.”

Kamilla’s grin didn’t waver. “Is that so? I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”
**************************
The boutique was large and luxurious, making Kamilla wish she’d come sooner. Luckily it was empty because of the weather so she didn’t have to worry about someone finding Viktor’s behaviour strange.
She just had to go and be mates with a Vampire. Now she couldn’t even say he was suffering from a fever, thus his strange behaviour. She’d have no excuse! Kamilla looked around as they walked through the store, Sasha sashaying ahead of them, hips swinging from side to side like a church bell.
Kamilla snorted at the sight.

She gasped at the display of shoes that took up one entire wing of the building, biting her lip when her gaze landed on a red pair as sexy as sin.
With Charming faithfully at her side, Kamilla walked into the section, heading straight for the shoes.
The smile on her face froze into a grimace as she watched Sasha suddenly appear and scoop up the shoes with a smirk of triumph.

Charming gasped. “Did she just do that?!” he whispered.
Kamilla glanced at him with a nod, nearly laughing at the outraged expression on his face. “Yup,” she murmured, turning to look at Sasha with narrowed eyes. “She just did. How childish.”
Sasha looked back at Kamilla and blinked. “Oh. Did you want this pair?” A smile curved her black lipstick-coated mouth. “Sorry, I’ve been after these for months.”
Kamilla closed her eyes and released a heavy breath. It’s okay. She was keeping it together.
“Oh, Viktor?” called Sasha.
Kamilla opened her eyes to see Sasha sitting on a cushioned stool, her dress riding up her porcelain-skinned thighs. “Would you mind helping me try this on?”
Kamilla raised a brow. Really?

Charming looked her dead in the eyes and put a hand to his chest. “Me? You want… *me*… to get on my knee and assist you with your shoes?”
Sasha’s expression grew uncertain. “Uhm… y-yes?”
Charming squinted. “Why would I do such a lowly thing when you aren’t even my Queen?”
Kamilla nearly gasped. She slowly looked back at Sasha to see her stiffly pull her dress down and stand, regarding Viktor with a pout. “Viktoooor….” She whined. “Don’t be that way!”

Kamilla blinked in surprise. What was she dealing with here, a five year old? “Just put your own damn shoes on,” she told Sasha. “Or get a helper and stop embarrassing yourself.”

She turned away from Sasha’s glaring eyes and wandered off into the store, Charming following closely behind.
“Does Viktor put up with her childish antics?” he questioned in genuine curiosity.
Kamilla shrugged as she looked through expensive coats that looked like they were inspired by the very first ever Dracula film. “I don’t know. I guess he tolerates her. Let’s her do and say what she wants, really. It secretly drove me crazy when he did that.”

Kamilla sighed and turned to face Charming. She froze. Then burst out laughing.
“What are you doing?” she asked him.

Charming grinned as he adjusted the bright yellow hat on his head and pulled on the blue fake fur around his neck. “How does this look? Dashing, isn’t it?”
Kamilla threw her head back and laughed as he did some bizarre shimmy dance move with his hips.
“Take it off!” she told him as he avoided her grabbing hands. “Did you get this in that party section? You look like a parrot!” laughed Kamilla as they grappled about for the items.
“Oh, please!” said Charming, holding her arms away from his accessories. “This is all the rage these days! I’m with the cool kids, Kamilla!”

Kamilla went weak with laughter and fell against Charming. He lost his footing and they tumbled back, accidentally bumping someone behind the tall coat racks.
Charming jumped away from the person, holding onto his yellow hat. “Oh, my apologies. We didn’t see you there. Apologies.”

The woman rose and smiled at him. “Oh, that’s alright, young man." She tilted her head. "Still in his body, I see?”

The laughter froze in Kamilla’s throat. With a gasp, she pulled Charming back to see who he was talking to.
Kamilla nearly gave up the ghost.
Rena.