Aleksey's Kingdom (28 page)

That place was where nature warred with itself: water, land, and the falling of one to the other as no water should go unto its death. It was not a place for men.

Perhaps we all just went a little mad for a while, living alongside the falls.

But now I really must go. I get called only so many times before I am punished.

I have a feast to attend.

We are to have our binding, just the two of us with Xavier and Freedom, Boudica and tiny Blueberry—I call him Blue; I am a man, after all—and Grace.

Laugh if you want, but what banishes horror?

What makes the world a good place to be in if not love, however you find it and however you celebrate it?

I have found it here in this wild country where water plummets beyond the human ability to comprehend and where blueberries are laid by the Great Spirit who sees and understands us all.

I must go.

I am loved.

I love—
adore.

All is well.

A Royal Affair

A Royal Affair: Book One

By John Wiltshire

Doctor Nikolai Hartmann represents himself as a learned man of science who believes wholly in the rational and scientific above all else. In reality, he is a man haunted by an unusual past and running from his own nature. While the Reformation transforms much of Europe, it has yet to touch Hesse-Davia; this is a land mired in superstition with cruel punishments for crimes such as witchcraft and sodomy.

While traveling to the dying king’s bedside to offer his medical expertise, Nikolai is set upon by a bandit. Reaching the king’s ancient stronghold, he discovers his mysterious brigand is the beautiful, arrogant Prince Aleksey. Aleksey is everything Nikolai is not: unguarded, passionate, and willful. Despite their differences, Nikolai feels an irresistible desire for the young royal that keeps him in Aleksey’s thrall.

But Hesse-Davia is a dangerous world for a newly crowned king who wants to reform his country—and for the man who loves him.

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J
OHN
W
ILTSHIRE
spent twenty-two years in the military, perfecting the art of looking busy whilst secretly writing. He left as a senior officer when his tunnel was ready for use. He is now living in New Zealand until he can raise enough money to leave. Although he has no plans to return to the army, he can occasionally be caught polishing his medals.

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://johnwiltshire.co.nz

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