Lost Hearts E-Book

Héca Riou

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Erotik
• Sprache: Französisch

Seitenzahl: 57

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Scarred by a cruel past, Amon and Sati have always adhered to the same philosophy: Never get attached. But when the heart wants to express itself, is will enough to stick to one's convictions? After all, there's nothing wrong with doing yourself some good. Immerse yourself in ancient Egypt, in the middle of the streets of Thebes, in this historical and erotic romance.

Leseprobe

I hope my mother doesn't find out about this.

Sommaire

Sati

Amon

Sati

Amon

Sati

Amon

Sati

Amon

Sati

Amon

Sati

Sati

He was everything to me. After he took me in, my whole world revolved around him.

He taught me everything. Every trick, every technique, and above all, how to survive in a world made by men, for men. I'd grown up beside him, sometimes imagining him more as a father than a mentor, and he'd looked at me with the same benevolence that drove me to surpass myself every day so as never to cease impressing him.

I had become his greatest asset, his disciple, and so he took me everywhere with him, making me travel the country in search of all its hidden treasures, of which he was so avid. He cared for the unfortunates in our path, using the art of medicine to perfection, as well as that of persuasion, offering us ever more opportunities.

I had entrusted him with my life, which had so little value until I crossed his path, me, the nameless orphan, just good at stealing grain from merchants' pockets, with a hope blinded by the legend he represented. He intimidated me, no less than he fascinated me. He was my tutor, my role model, and had graced me with his indelible mark on the back of my neck, as proof that my trust in him was reciprocated.

But from one day to the next... I was nothing.

He'd gone, without a word, leaving me alone and unconscious in the middle of the desert, probably in the hope that I wouldn't survive.

Had I finally let him down? Was I too weak for his taste? Or had he simply lost interest in me over time?

All I could remember was the sweltering heat as I awoke, lulled by the lascivious march of the camel on which my "saviors" carried me, and the throbbing pain in my heart as I realised that the man for whom I had been willing to sacrifice everything had finally abandoned me.

I was Sati, a brilliant pupil of the healer Shaa-em-uas, destined for a great future in the court of the greatest in the land. Now I was just Sati. Nameless, and former apprentice to one of Egypt's now greatest criminals.

And that, I can tell you, on a CV, wasn't looking too good.

It took them months, between preventive detention and harsh interrogations, before determining that I was not a danger. And "worse" still, that I could give them little information about my mentor on the run, however violent their tortures might have been.

But all those days of suffering, without seeing the light of day, and without knowing when the next crust of bread would come along to feed me, were nothing compared to the emptiness I felt inside, lost in memories that wouldn't come back, appalled to discover that the man I'd admired so much had nothing in common with the one I was now being described as, and devastated at the idea of no longer having a single goal in front of me.

Or maybe one.

To see the bottom of that infamous jug of beer, which I was sipping quietly, sitting on the heights of Thebes.

Alcohol had become my best ally, since I'd been allowed to resume a "normal" life. I more than regularly drowned my failing memory in a jar, and when I finally crossed that holy boundary between reality and intoxication, I was fine. So fine...

I was just about to reach that sweet moment, when a weary voice, yet so sexy to my ears, pulled me prematurely from the intoxicating flavour of "one sip too many".

— I didn't think the place was already taken," apologised the man responsible for my incipient annoyance.

— I didn't know it was assigned to you, Amon," I retorted, in a scathing tone, forgetting any form of decorum demanded by my meager rank.

— That's not what I said," stressed the dark-haired man with an annoyed sigh, but not without sitting down beside me.

— Do you really intend to stay here and spoil my moment of personal happiness? I'm off duty here, in case you've missed it.

— Making a fool of yourself again? Don't expect me to take you home this time. And do I really need to wait until you're on duty to talk to you?

Well, at least I know how I got into bed last time... and probably all the times before. It's true that of all my customers, he was the only one who hadn't even looked at me. Yet he paid the keeper of the brothel to which I'd been relegated after my release dearly, just to pull up a chair and talk to me about various things, or read me entire papyri of stories he said he'd written. It was strange, but at the same time, how could I complain, since he was giving me a bit of peace and quiet in an environment where they didn't hesitate to overexploit you?

- Did you come all this way to lecture me?

Silence. He was once again immersed in one of his damn parchments. Where was I? Ah yes, my heneqet!

As the last drop rolled down my throat, a new sigh spoiled the flavour of this final moment.

— What now?" I breathed, deeply annoyed.

— You really should stop this bullshit.

— I don't see what it's got to do with you. I'm fine with it as it is," I grumbled involuntarily, under the effect of the alcohol that was fogging my brain less than I'd hoped.

— You're right, it's none of my business. But for your information, your reputation goes far beyond the walls of Thebes.

— And it's not as if I've got anything to make it better.

With that in mind, I stood up, wobbling as I caught myself on a block to keep my balance. Discerning a movement from Amon's side, I caught myself smiling. Beneath his air of indifference, I knew he was ready to catch me if I fell. He was like that. Distant and benevolent at the same time. Sometimes he pretended not to care, with his air of a dreamy storyteller, living in the opulence of high society, but the truth was that he couldn't bear the idea of seeing anyone hurt, no matter how low-born the person might be.

I then let myself slide up to his face, frozen in a grimace after being caught wanting to play the hero once again, strutting around in a balance that was more than precarious given the intoxication that continued to win me over, every second more and more.

— Ask me out.