Absinthe…the
drink they call the Green
Fairy…addictive and deadly,
destroying sanity.
Absinthe…a
beautiful young man, as seductive and habit-forming as the liqueur
for which he’s named…amoral and beguiling, once he’s tasted, he
can never be forgotten.
A marquis’
son raised in a New Orleans whorehouse, ripped from his lover’s
arms and thrust into the world of French nobility, Absinthe strives
to be what his father wishes. He may escape his past but his voudou
teachings follow him, causing death and madness to those he loves.
Absinthe
…behold, a beautiful monster.
Unlike some
of my characters who arrive full-fledged onto my computer screen,
Absinthe developed along with his story. I had intended a “simple”
tale of love gone wrong, thwarted by magic. What I got was the story
of a man raised to have no conscience, only to be destroyed when the
glimmerings of morality begin to develop.
Absinthe
lives his life in an ambiguous atmosphere. He’s a whore…yet
because of his very obvious physical charms, can pick and choose his
patrons. This beautiful young man,
believed by most of his clientéle
to be the child of a slave, is actually the son of a marquis,
given in calculating revenge by his abandoned wife to his mistress to
raise as a putain de garçon.
Abused, subjugated, kept in a
life of debauchery through the threat of magical punishment, Absinthe
has one true love: Rouge Meurtrier. It’s Rouge to whom he gives his
heart though others possess his body but it’s Rouge’s heart which
is broken when Absinthe’s father learns of his existence and
rescues his son, taking him to
France and his rightful place in the nobility.
Étienne
Delafée has no idea what he’s about to unleash upon his world…
No
doubt some readers will view Absinthe as the villain of the story, a
manipulator and a calculating schemer who gets what he deserves. Some
may view him as a victim, a casualty of circumstance, someone to be
pitied and the story of his life a tragedy. He’s all of those
things but most importantly, he’s a very human character who tries
to do what he believes is right in the face of the most difficult
choices. I hope most will see him that way.
EXCERPT:
From
the moment Célestine left l’Hirondelle
Blanche a short time after her
husband, Geneviéve and the Marquise
had no further contact. The madam considered Célestine’s suicide
as cancelling their bargain. After all, she’d done what she agreed
to. She made Étienne’s son into a whore. The Marquis
would never return. He’d
never know of his child. Other than Geneviéve, no one alive, not
even Mathilde, knew of the boy’s origins. They all believed him a
foundling, so life would go on as it had, with Absinthe whoring for
her forever.
And
now, Étienne was back, and in Absinthe’s suite. As a customer. Now
what Célestine wished was about to happen, if Geneviéve didn’t
prevent it…a latent speck of morality flared to life in the madam’s
breast. . “Oh, God, I hope I’m not too late.” He
mustn’t touch Absinthe. He mustn’t. Please, God, don’t let it
happen.
She
was panting by the time she opened the door and stepped into the
corridor. She could see Absinthe’s door at the end of the hall,
couldn’t run toward it fast enough. Her legs seemed leaden, her
skirts and petticoats wrapping around her calves, conspiring to
hobble her. Oh, dear God…
Geneviéve’s
flight was stopped by her body striking the door. Her fists pounded
the dark wood. When there was no answer, she pushed open the door and
rushed in.
In
the center of the room the two figures started, jerking toward her.
Her frantic eyes took in Absinthe in Étienne’s embrace, the heavy
flush of their faces, the way their bodies were pressed together.
“Get
way…from him,” she gasped, puffing so deeply she could barely
speak. “Don’t…touch him.”
“Why
not?” Without releasing the boy, Étienne swung toward her.
“I
mean it. Get away from him or I’ll kill you!” She raised a
clenched fist, making a stabbing gesture.
Her
ferocity seem to amuse him. “I daresay there are many who believe
he’s worth dying for and I may be another after I’ve had him.
Just now, however, I’ll ask again, Why
not?”
She
didn’t answer, couldn’t,
just stood with one hand pressed against her heaving bosom. Absinthe
shifted his weight. Étienne tightened his grip.
“I’ve
paid for his ass and I intend to enjoy this sweetmeat and decide for
myself if his reputation’s deserved. Either kill me or leave,
Geneviéve, so I can get on with it.”
“Étienne…don’t.”
She tried to put as much threat into that one word as she could.
His
answer was to turn away. “Do you
want me to leave, Absinthe?”
“It’s
your
franc, Peridot.”
Absinthe’s shrug was indifferent as he looped an arm around
Étienne’s neck. “But it’s my
ass. How much do you really
want it?” He looked past him to Geneviéve. “Mamère,
go. My reputation’s at stake
and he mustn’t leave until I acquit myself.”
“Absinthe
has spoken.” With a satisfied laugh, Étienne slid his hands upward
to bury them in the thick ringlets.
“Come,
Peridot…”
Absinthe raised his head, mouth slightly open, lips inviting
invasion. His tongue peeked out, tip beckoning.
Étienne
bent for his initial assault.
“He’s
your son.”
Étienne’s
head whipped around. So did Absinthe’s. For a moment, both stared
at her, two pair of identical pale green eyes widening in disbelief.
ABSINTHE: A
TALE OF MAGIC, LOVE, AND REVENGE will be released by Class Act Books
on February 15, 2014. It will be available from the publisher and on
amazon.
