Fate Forgotten (4 page)

“Oh.” That idea hadn’t even occurred to her. “No, that wouldn’t matter to him, I don’t think. He knows I can’t suffer any serious harm. Certainly not from childbirth. I will always be well, just as he will, even if I were sick with something he wouldn’t worry for my health.”

Not that she’d ever been terribly sick, either. Food poisoning, now and again, of course, but she hadn’t yet died from disease, in all her years, or even been seriously crippled by it for any length of time. Plagues came and went, but what she caught passed quickly enough, when she caught it at all. Drug overdose was a misery, though, and if she had her way, she’d never take any kind of mind-altering medication again. Those kinds of prescriptions didn’t take into account telepathy, or the discipline of mind it took to keep from invading the privacy of the community around her.

“I suppose I should be grateful that he’s absented himself.” Garrit came to stand beside her in the sun of the window, Alex asleep now against his shoulder.

She slid under his free arm, closing her eyes and reveling in the warmth of family. “Will your family make as much fuss over a girl as they do over little Alexandre?”

“Almost certainly. Alex will inherit the estate, but our daughter will inherit the family. That she’s of your blood, too, will make her all the more important to them. The stories tell us that we have always honored above all else our connections to you.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever live up to the legend you DeLeons have made of me. I must’ve been away too long.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Then I guess in the future you’ll just have to come back to us more often.”

“I begin to think I’m more trouble than anything else.” It was the first time, really, that she’d ever come back home for love. Every other life, she’d been running away from something, and even in this time, it had only caused the family distress, with Adam hunting her. And now married to her sister. How it must gall them to have to give him hospitality. To be tied to him at all, when they had spent so many years devoted to keeping him away. “Certainly more than I’m worth.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Abby.” He pulled away from her and forced her to look into his eyes. “I love you. I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”

“What about for honesty? For a wife who you didn’t have to keep things from?”

He frowned, searching her face. “And how many husbands have you had that you could be wholly yourself with? How many marriages allowed you to tell the truth?”

She dropped her eyes to the sleeping baby in his arms, and tried not to think of Thorgrim. Thorgrim who had been haunting her dreams with a frequency that disturbed her. She felt closer to him now, somehow, though he was three thousand years dead. Ever since Michael had come, Thorgrim had felt ever more present. She hoped it didn’t mean she was losing her sanity.

“Too few,” she finally said, just to stop herself from ruminating along those lines. “Not even a handful.”

“Then enjoy it,” Garrit said. “Let it be a life you remember with joy, not with guilt for what I might have had with someone else, because I can promise you I would have had just as many secrets to keep, and it’s not possible I would’ve found someone I loved more than you.”

She had no trouble believing that as truth. It was impossible not to notice how easily good men fell in love with her, how completely. She shook her head and turned away, disturbed by the thought. Had Adam even had a chance? Was it because of how she had been made that he wanted her so badly? Poor Mia. But if Adam hadn’t loved Mia, he wouldn’t have left. He wouldn’t have wanted to avoid causing her pain or distress. They wouldn’t be living together in London now, still married, would they?

“Abby?”

She sighed. There were so many answers she couldn’t find. Questions she couldn’t ask. Even about herself. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just tired. I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“Go take a nap. I’ll take care of Alex.”

She kissed his cheek. “Wake me before dinner, would you?” But she didn’t wait for his answer before she left the library.

As she curled up in the large bed, she found herself wishing that Ryam were still alive, that she could ask him how he’d known of Adam’s coming and why he hadn’t seen fit to warn her. Ryam she could have shouted at, demanding to know the truth. Beat on his chest with her fists until he told her everything and why he had kept it from her.

It was more frustrating than surprising that while she slept, she dreamt again of Thorgrim.

Chapter Three: Future

Adam stepped out of the car, adjusting his suit jacket and brushing a fleck of fuzz from his arm. He had spent the past year traveling the globe with the help of the incredible wealth which had been part of his agreement with the gods six hundred years ago. He smirked to himself at the use he had put it to. Not exactly what they had meant it for, was it? Then again, he hadn’t behaved the way they had wanted from the start.

He waved his driver to stay and set off on a leisurely stroll down the sidewalk. It wasn’t exactly the best part of Montreal, but it wasn’t the worst either, and some of the most interesting shops sprung up in these in-between places. He loved antique stores and second hand shops. Not as a collector, but because he found that the oddest things brought back memories of times long past and longer forgotten. Not that he would find anything for sale that would bring back the memories he wanted most. Somehow he didn’t think there was anything material left in the world from Creation, aside from himself and Eve.

He frowned, staring into the window of a small tobacco shop. Once cancer had been cured, smoking had come back in vogue. With the need to filter out the carcinogens gone, the sale of loose leaf tobacco had become a booming industry. This shop was like many others he’d seen. Shelves and shelves of aromatic leaves along with a few other varieties of smokable vegetation. Not that he had worried about cancer even before it had been cured. He had never seen the sense in limiting himself out of fear of what might happen in the future, even before he had realized his immortality.

A bell on the door tinkled softly as he stepped into the shop and inhaled deeply. It was heady and rich and almost overwhelming to the senses. He couldn’t imagine spending hours in a place like this, day after day. Although it would certainly give a person a new appreciation for the crisp, clean air outside. The smell of the place hung like a curtain across the threshold.

A girl at the counter hummed softly to herself as she refilled and reorganized containers, restocking the plebian cigarettes for those who were too cheap to pay a premium for the loose leaves. Her hair was dark, almost but not quite black, and fell loose to her waist. She glanced over her shoulder at him, and he thought he caught a flash of brilliant emerald-green eyes.

The humming stopped at once, and she turned. “Can I help you?”

He stared at her face for a long moment. Her eyes were so striking. “Do I know you?”

She looked away, back at the stock, shuffling some of the cartons. “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t?”

He stepped around a display to get a better view of her face. Her skin glowed with an olive complexion. Still, there was something familiar about her profile. Not exactly the same, of course. How could it be? But definitely similar. And her eyes…

“What’s your name?”

She hesitated, her fingers hovering over the cartons. “Renata.”

“Renata,” he said, studying her still. She was lovely. Maybe it was just the richness of her skin that set off her eyes and made them look that way. But her age was right. There couldn’t be more than a year or two between them, if at all. And he was going to be in town for some time. It might be worth cultivating a friend. “That’s a pretty name.”

“Thank you.”

“My name is Jeremiah,” he said, leaning against the counter. “I’m in town on business.”

“Oh?”

He could feel her interest, reluctant though it was. And her eyes were too close to Eve’s to ignore. He couldn’t afford to let her slip away. Not yet.

“I know this is terribly forward, but would you like to have dinner with me tonight?” When she looked back at him in surprise, he gave her one of his most charming smiles. “It’s just that I don’t know the city very well. But you must, surely.”

She didn’t quite frown, but her forehead wrinkled for a moment. “I’d be happy to suggest a restaurant for you, but I’m not sure if dinner is such a good idea.”

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, smiling apologetically. “That I’m only interested in you because you’re so beautiful. That the kind of man who would ask you to dinner so quickly isn’t the kind of man you’d like to get to know. I assure you that it isn’t anything of the sort.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And how do you know that’s what I’m thinking?”

He shrugged. “I’m sure men come in here and hit on you all the time.”

“Maybe,” she admitted. “Well, if that isn’t the reason, then what is?”

He studied her face again, her eyes, her nose, the line of her jaw. There was no way to be certain really. But he thought he would feel her, if he were in her presence. Know her mind if they were in the same room. “You remind me of someone.”

“Do I?”

He smiled. “Let me take you to dinner. I promise I’ll be a perfect gentleman. What harm could it be, really?”

Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “There’s a restaurant around the block. An Italian place called
Mangiamo
. I’ll meet you there.”

“Seven o’clock, then.” He tried not to let his disappointment show. Not that she wasn’t lovely. Not that she wasn’t worth his time, regardless. But he was sure Eve would refuse him when he did find her, finally, in this new life they were living. “A pleasure to meet you, Renata.”

The bell on the door chimed again as he showed himself out.

At least he wouldn’t be eating alone.

He arrived early to secure a table and was pleasantly surprised by the ambiance of the restaurant. It was something above a pizzeria and something below fine dining, though he didn’t feel terribly out of place in his business suit, and there were several other people scattered around the dining room dressed similarly. Human servers gave it even more appeal, but then Montreal was known for the strides it had taken to preserve its history. He made sure that he was given a table with a view of the door, and sipped from his water glass.

Renata entered the restaurant at precisely seven o’clock and he stood to catch her attention. She was dressed in a simple black dress, nothing fancy, which nevertheless could be made to fit any situation from a wedding to a trip to the grocery store. More than likely, the only one she had; the shop she worked in didn’t appear to be all that impressive. The fixtures had all been well used, and the cash register was positively antique when most people paid with a tap of their e-vice.

He smiled and let his charm and confidence filter into her mind. Just a touch, nothing forceful or shocking. He wanted her comfortable and willing, but not a drone.

“You look even more lovely than you did this afternoon.” He seated her and then took his own chair. Across from her, of course. All the better to meet her eyes if she would ever look up.

“Thank you.” She fiddled with her place setting. “Did you have any trouble finding the restaurant?”

“Not at all.” He nodded to the menu. “I assume you’ve eaten here before. Is there anything in particular you’d suggest?”

She dimpled when she smiled, giving him a glimpse of what she must have been like as young girl, just slightly mischievous, but never malicious. “I love the golden veal, but I’m afraid I’m not often able to order it. It’s battered and fried and served in an amazing wine sauce with mushrooms.”

The waiter arrived and Adam handed him his menu. “Two orders of the golden veal, please, and a bottle of whatever wine the house recommends to go with it.” There was no point letting the night go to waste. Maybe he wouldn’t have to sleep alone, either.

“Very good, sir,” the waiter said, collecting the menus and leaving them alone again.

Renata frowned slightly. “They’re bound to bring the most expensive bottle on the menu.”

“As long as it pairs well with the meal, I don’t see why they shouldn’t.” He shrugged and sat back in his chair. “Even their most expensive wine is going to be well within my budget, regardless—I got a fantastic exchange rate at the airport.” A simple thing, really, to find someone going in the direction he’d come from, and cut the bank out of it altogether. And he had been more than fair, even if he had nudged the man into doing it against his better judgment.