Forbidden Desires : The Immortals Book One

Chapter 7

"You two looked very happy together."

His glass squeaked under his grip. He didn't need to be reminded of the happiness that was snatched from him. He was drowning her out when his ears perked up at the name he never thought he'd hear again.

"Henri?"

It defied physics how fast he spun around on the bar stool. "Quoi? What did you say?"

"Your wife. She called you Henri a few times; I thought your name was Gaspard. Is it a nickname or something?"

There it was again, on the lips of that damned vampire.

"...It's my middle name, after my father. Only she ever called me that." As he went around the back of the bar he added, "I'd like to keep it that way, if you don't mind."

Awkward...

"Your daughter..." She scratched her cheek. "She looks like her."

He nodded. "She's all I have left, so you understand why this has to be done."

"You have the heir, you have the power." Nathalie stepped towards the bar and Gaspard's nostrils flared as her scent enthralled him; damn jasmine again. His eyes followed her as she sauntered towards him, looking at the assorted bottles. He should've paid attention to what that salesperson was grabbing; tight black leather pants that hugged her hips and a gray sweater with exposed shoulders. His gaze averted to the window, cirrus and nimbus clouds flying by.

"I take it you have experience with these sorts of things?" Gaspard asked, placing a glass on the counter for her.

Nathalie nodded. "I'm all too familiar with it. My eldest son with my ex." She pointed to the absinthe on the wall behind him. If there was ever a time to have a few, being a prisoner of war would be one of them. "Could you...?"

He handed her the green bottle and watched her pour a glass. "You have children?"

"Had." she corrected, polishing off the drink as if it were water. Her eyes remained fixed on the counter as she poured herself another one. "Four sons and two daughters." She'd only mention the ones that lived, otherwise they'd be there all day.

Gaspard whistled low. Six! "You and your husband must have gotten on like a house on fire." He often wondered what he and Marie's second child would've been.

Nathalie gave a wry chuckle. "It was a royal match; we did our duty."

So she used to be a queen; that's how she looked familiar! "So who was he?"

"...Ramses; you may know him as 'Ramses the Great'."

"Hmph," Gaspard leaned against the bar, amused. "Remarkable man, from what I've read."

Nathalie shook her head. "History is written by the victors, however embellished."

He raised an eyebrow. "You never cared for your husband?"

She made a face before shaking her head, thinking back to when things were less complicated, when the world was small and life was simple.

"There was love...in the beginning."

He took note of her thousand-yard stare. "So what happened?"

A knowing grin curled her lips. "Let's just say absolute power corrupts absolutely." She couldn't stand the pitying looks when she divulged the truth about her marriage. All of the temples and shrines he'd built for her, an attest to his "great love for her" were nothing but the offerings of a guilty conscience.

He nodded, intrigued. "Indeed it does. Your life must have been very exciting." He rubbed his chin in thought. "So how did you...?"

She looked at him in confusion. "How did I what?"