Author Archer Kay Leah and Other Worlds Ink drop by on the Soulbound (The Republic #4) blog tour! Check out the exclusive excerpt and giveaways! That's right plural! The author is giving away THREE $10 Amazon gift cards! Good luck!
Archer Kay Leah has a new MM/MMF fantasy romance book out:
In a relationship that violates rules and expectations, Mayr and Tash have found their perfect match in each other. Despite their fears and difficult pasts, they hope for a shared future with security and a family. When Mayr's secret first love, Arieve, proposes they create that family with her, it seems dreams could become reality.
But life is complicated, and so is the delicate balance between duty and love. While Mayr protects the Dahe family at all costs, Tash is determined to succeed as a priest. Both positions require sacrifice, forcing their relationship into painful choices. To make matters worse, criminals lurk in the shadows, seeking revenge on them and those they guard.
The life they want risks losing everything—including Arieve and each other. Even if they can have it all, keeping it may take more than they can give.
Warnings: "Soulbound" contains some explicit content, references to self-harm, suicide, and mentions of suicide-related behavior and intent. This story also contains instances of graphic violence, references to rape and domestic abuse, and depictions and mentions of depression.
About the Series:
With the right people and the right price, the Republic of Kattal can be brought to its knees. But for every line crossed, someone waits on the other side, ready to push back.
Armed and ready to defend their lives, these heroes are not afraid of the fight. They stare adversity in the eye and dance with the darkness within. But in their justice, there is wisdom. In wisdom, there is protection. In it all, there is love. Sometimes it’s a matter of saving a village; sometimes it’s a matter of saving the one they can’t live without. Sometimes it’s just about doing the right thing and learning to love oneself.
Magic may lurk in the shadows. Crime may never sleep. But love doesn't back down.
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Giveaway
Archer is giving away three $10 Amazon gift cards with this tour – enter to win via Rafflecopter:
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Excerpt
Silence fell, deep with meaning conveyed by long gazes and soft smiles. Why had he expected Aeley to say anything different?
Three loud knocks rapped the door, scaring them both. Cursing under his breath, Mayr opened the door.
Arieve.
Every foul word tumbled back down Mayr's throat. "Hey." He leaned against the door, one arm sliding up the side.
In an instant, he tripped on his own feet and stumbled into the door, swinging it open further.
"You can't possibly be drunk already." The corners of Arieve's eyes crinkled with her smile, her glossed lips painted pink like her cheeks. Dark curls and plaits cascaded over her shoulders, the firelight lending a golden hue to the white-blonde streaks in the fringe of hair across her forehead. She held a silver tray, presenting two glass goblets filled with a bluish-purple drink and fragments of gold leaf sprinkled on top. "Otherwise, this might be a bad idea."
"What's a bad idea?" Mayr grimaced, his mouth suddenly dry as if filled with pillow stuffing. Quick to recover, he smoothed his shirt, resettled his belts, and slicked back his hair, pretending he meant to be clumsy.
"Your after-dinner drinks. Lira was going to bring them, but I thought I'd save her the trip. She's having fun trading stories with your mother." Arieve cleared her throat. "I didn't want to interrupt your conversation."
The tray rattled in her hand. The drinks threatened to slosh over the rims.
Mayr steadied the tray. "Thanks for that. This. These." He offered her an awkward smile and took the goblets. "I'll let you get back."
So you won't see me kick my own ass for being completely inappropriate.
"Thanks, Arieve," Aeley called from her desk.
"You're welcome." Arieve hesitated as she lowered the tray. She swayed gently, the rich green layers of her tiered, ruffled skirts moving with her. "I'll let you finish."
Before Mayr could say anything else, Arieve hurried down the hall and around the corner.
"I wonder what the mix is this time." Aeley snatched one goblet to sniff it. "Hint of gaffa nectar, soured pamolea extract, and a bite of fulore. Plus maybe, probably—" another sniff "—syrup from the Sailor's Sweetheart bush." She took a sip and nodded. Flakes of gold leaf clung to her top lip. "Not as fun as last night's concoction, but I could get used to it."
"That's what you always say." Mayr brushed the flakes from Aeley's lips with his thumb.
Aeley wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "Not always, just a lot. Cook knows her stuff. To be fair, she's known me since I was three, getting into her puddings and tarts anytime she turned around. I trust that when she serves up a hodgeypodgey drink, it's got personality." She tapped her goblet against his. "I'm heading back to our guests. You should, too, considering it's
yourparty. We can resume this conversation later."
After a kiss to his cheek, Aeley flounced out the door and through the corridor, humming to herself.
Mayr stared into his goblet, watching the gold swirl in an abstract pattern.
My stomach. My head. I can't even…
He set the goblet on Aeley's desk. He needed Tash's forgiveness more than he deserved a fancy drink.
As he exited the room, questions assaulted him hard enough to drown the sound of the door latch as it caught. One question practically shouted above all the others: how much had Arieve heard of his conversation with Aeley?
His heartbeat faltered. He was mortified. The door was not impervious to sound. What would Arieve think of him had she heard…
Hey, stupid! It doesn't matter.Mayr grumbled and hooked his thumbs around the back of his belts.
It still comes out to you're taken and happy, so shut up.Dragging his heels, he wandered through the corridor and turned into the next, towards the ballroom.
Around the corner, Arieve leaned against the wall, head bowed, with her face hidden by her hair. She twined the trailing black laces of her bright green tunic around her fingers and pulled taut, then released them only to repeat the process. The empty tray rested beside her, abandoned against the wall.
"Hey." Mayr stopped, careful to leave two foot lengths between them. "I thought you went back?" He toyed with his marriage ring, twisting the band nervously. Memories of Tash surged forward, the airy weight of his kisses almost real enough to feel.
"I wanted to wait for you." Arieve raised her head and offered a tender smile. "I probably won't get a word in the rest of the night given the company, so I thought…"
She was in his arms before he could reply. Her hug stole his surprise, shredding it until all that remained was stunned.
"Congratulations," she murmured, her forehead tucked beneath his chin. "He's got a good heart, solid. You've found your match. If the Four could grant me one wish tonight, it'd be for you two to have everything you desire."
Mayr hesitated, his hands hovering over Arieve's back. Touching was a bad idea, especially while he kept Tash from the truth. "Thank you." Quick as he could, he embraced Arieve and pushed her away, feeling worse than the coward he was. "Let's go back. I need to stop my mother from revealing every baby story she has or everyone's going to hear about my naked backside and trailing diaper crowns."
Arieve picked up the tray and started up the hall. "I'm sure Tash is soaking them up as we speak." She laughed, the joyous sound digging up a dozen memories.
Memories he needed to lock up and burn down.
He followed Arieve and cast his gaze to the ceiling.
Please, Reverent Goddesses, get me through tonight. Then let's talk about strength of will, because one of these days I'm going to have to confess everything and it'll hurt more than scorching my pride.
Exclusive Excerpt
Welcome, everyone! I'm Archer Kay Leah, author of LGTBQA+ romances with a love for fantastical worlds where anything is possible. My heartfelt thanks to Boy Meets Boy Reviews for hosting me today and to all of you reading along!
Excerpt: Tattoo
Giggles tumbled from Mayr as he rolled onto his stomach and hugged his pile of pillows.
Once Tash spread Mayr's legs and kneeled between them, the laughter stopped. When Tash splayed his hands over Mayr's back, Mayr flexed and shifted into Tash's touch. Unable to tear his gaze from the tight, tan skin adorned with black and red tattoos, Tash glided his palms up Mayr's spine. A shiver wracked Mayr's body, small bumps rising along his neck and shoulders.
To behold the beauty before him was one thing, but to touch was altogether divine. He cherished the scent of sweat and perfume that wafted around them. Even more, he took immense pleasure in curling the ends of Mayr's hair around his fingers.
Leaning back, he released the coils, delighted as Mayr's hair pooled in an ebony cascade between his shoulders. Tash pulled gently on the soft tresses, straightening them to their full length past the midpoint of Mayr's back. The faint aroma of soap clung to his hands, the scent of dew and raw honey reminding him of dawn on a mid-spring morning. Fresh, enticing, addicting… He hummed while he combed Mayr's hair with his fingers.
Mayr sighed into his pillow. "You're playing again." He peered over his shoulder, one brow arched. "Will you ever tell me what my hair did to get this kind of attention, or is that the best kept secret on this side of Dahena?"
A smile crept over Tash's lips. "No secret, just a private moment."
"Ss. Moments. You realize I'm growing it longer for you, right? You and your private, secret-keeping self. I think that deserves a—"
Mayr groaned from the kiss Tash planted at the centre of his back, in the dip around his spine. "And I thank you for it," Tash whispered over Mayr's skin, "but it's still not a secret. It's a memory wrapped around a memory, a vision of beauty on beauty. A reminder of when I was a child, easily distracted by lovely things."
Tash laced the black tresses around his fingers. "I was in the back of my parents' shop, practicing my terrible writing skills. In all of the ungainliness of a frustrated seven-year-old, I knocked over the ink well—straight onto the fabric leaning against the table. It hit the floor before I could do anything, ebony-black ink all over snow-white silk." He shook his head, fighting a smirk. "It was terrifying, knowing the cost of that bolt; knowing how angry my parents would be. But when I scrambled to sop up the ink, sunlight hit it and bits of silver glimmered in the silk. It was the black of night cuddled up to a blanket of untouched snow. From the right angle, it looked like the stars had been plucked from the night sky and planted in the snow like glass flowers—breathtaking and awful in all meanings of the word.
"You, however, are awful in only the one sense," Tash said, leaning over Mayr to kiss his neck. "You inspire much more than desire in me. I feel such awe for you my heart aches."
Mayr whimpered as Tash slid his splayed hands down Mayr's back. He paused on each tattoo then followed their lines with a steady caress. On Mayr's left shoulder blade was a pair of black songbirds. Entwined by their feet with their wings unfurled, they carried a crown of red, bell-shaped flowers between their beaks. On his right shoulder blade, twin bearcat cubs joined at the hip, with identical snarls and small tails up in the air. The birds represented Mayr's parents, the cubs his brother and sister.
Towards the middle of his back, on his left side near his ribs, was a detailed arawolfe on the prowl in honour of Aeley. Ears up, black snout down, and long, thick fangs bared, the wolfe looked menacing… Until one's gaze drifted to the right, onto the image that represented Lira: a second wolfe, dressed in the furs of a red doe, which sat on its haunches with one paw up to tap the first wolfe on the nose.
Tash held back a laugh. When Mayr had suggested he would add the tattoo in all its humour, Lira doubted his sincerity. She had been equally horrified and honoured to see the completed design.
His hands continued downwards to the vine that meandered over Mayr's right hip. The vine was as long and wide as his hand with slender leaves and four red buds—a mark to remember Betta and Iliane by. Mayr had wanted the rest of the vine to go over his ribs and up his chest with flowers that progressed to full bloom as Iliane grew up. The last flower would have been tattooed over his heart, a symbol of Iliane's eighteenth birthday. After Betta left him, however, those plans had been thrown away and the permanent image left behind.
As permanent as the bird that occupied the bottom half of Mayr's back.
Tash held his breath. The ink was still dark, only weeks old. The painstakingly detailed work resembled the image on Tash's back, merely a smaller version. The mark had not been there before his previous meeting with the Sacred Assembly. It was only after—on the night he returned to Dahena—that he discovered what Mayr had done in the four days Tash was away. His place in Mayr's life had been staked, his significance etched into Mayr's skin…
And on that note, here's the end of today's post! Thank you so much for reading. I love hearing from readers, so feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or comments. :)
Author Bio
Archer Kay Leah was raised in Canada, growing up in a port town at a time when it was starting to become more diverse, both visibly and vocally. Combined with the variety of interests found in Archer’s family and the never-ending need to be creative, this diversity inspired a love for toying with characters and their relationships, exploring new experiences and difficult situations.
Archer most enjoys writing speculative fiction and is engaged in a very particular love affair with fantasy, especially when it is dark and emotionally charged. When not reading and writing for work or play, Archer is a geek with too many hobbies and keeps busy with other creative endeavors, a music addiction, and whatever else comes along. Archer lives in London, Ontario with a bigender partner and rather chatty cat.
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