Book Title: For the Clan
Author: Archer Kay Leah
Genre: Science fiction romance
Release Date: May 25, 2016
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Canada, 2165 AD. The Water Wars and a decimated economy have taken their toll. Anyone who doesn't live in a military-patrolled metropolis lives in a clan. But being in a clan doesn't mean safety.
And for a Ven like Roan Lee, it doesn't matter where he lives. Safety is a luxury. So is freedom.
Roan is desperate to escape the governtary's exploitation and torture. He is nothing to them but 54σK1, an artifact born from a genetic mishap. When the chance to escape arises, he makes a run for it—and encounters the lover from his past, twisting his future into a second chance he never expected.
As leaders of Clan Teach, Jace Ama and his wife, Cayra Diega, have enough difficulty keeping their people safe. When Roan is thrown to their feet as a prisoner, their marriage becomes an additional challenge. Jace still loves Roan, but where does that place Cayra?
Roan ignored Jace's gesture and pulled himself up with a grunt. Silent, he took the sunglasses from Jace and slipped them on.
"I'm sorry," Jace whispered, hoping Roan could understand it wasn't just about how the sentries treated him; it was over things for which Jace could never apologize enough.
Behind the sunglasses, there was no hint of emotion.
Jace's breath hitched. This was what they'd become: one man without emotion and the other with only part of a heart.
He hated the governtary more than he ever had.
"Here, drink this," Cayra demanded, her voice breaking through Jace's seething thoughts. Her tan hand thrust a metal bottle towards Roan. She'd run back to their tent without him noticing, Jace realized.
Roan remained still.
Cayra held the bottle further. "Go on. Won't kill you. It's water. You need it more than I do."
After a moment of silence, Roan accepted the bottle. "Thanks," he muttered before taking a drink.
"What are you doing here?" Jace asked.
Roan grunted, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "What are you doing here?"
Jace blinked. What kind of question was that?
"Last I knew, you were up on Lake Huron," Roan continued. "Oh, wait, that's when you all sold me out. Guess a lot changes in fifteen years."
"Roan…" Jace looked at the ground. There was no mistaking the sarcasm in Roan's tone, not that Jace blamed him. It was the sound of Jace's guilt, wrapped up in words he couldn't bring himself to say. But not here. Not in front of everyone gaping at the two of them as if Jace had lost his mind. Behind him, clan members whispered. They wanted to know everything.
They would have to settle for knowing nothing.
Jace spun towards the crowd. "This man is not a prisoner," he announced, "and he will not be a prisoner. He once was part of our family; a dedicated member of Clan Teach. Through no fault of his own, he was ripped away from us. So we'll show him the same courtesy as we did then." The whispers stopped as he raised his hand. "And just to make sure we're all on the same page, I'm invoking Clan Leader Privilege."
The shocked expressions told him all he needed to know.
He hated being leader.
"Maybe we should get you into the tent," Cayra suggested, pulling Jace back. When she touched Roan's shoulder, he flinched and curled away from her. She recoiled without a hint of surprise. "Just to talk. Come on… Roan."
"You can yell at me in there," Jace added, hoping it wasn't a true incentive.
Part of him was dismayed the moment Roan relented and followed them to the tent. Maybe Roan hated him more than he thought. Maybe the sunglasses were a saving grace, hiding years of rage behind a tint of indifference.
"I'm sorry," Jace whispered as they entered the tent.
"Heard you the first time," Roan answered, his flat tone saying almost nothing.
Except how much he doesn't want to be here, and how much he doesn't want to see me.
Stopped in the middle of the tent, Jace spun towards Roan, bringing him to a halt. Cayra pulled the tent flaps shut, their clasps swaying with the canvas. To Jace's disappointment, Cayra's expression was too difficult to decipher. She had yet to ask him questions. Who was Roan? Why was Jace acting weird? Why? What? He would've entertained all of them.
Cayra didn't ask, not even as she took her place by Jace's side.
No one was talking to him. Not his former lover. Not his wife.
Fuck.
Themes:
Hurts – Blood, Tears & Gold
Hurts – Somebody to Die For
Hurts – Unspoken
Hurts – Wonderful Life
Jetta – I'd Love To Change the World
Tove Lo – Scream My Name
Portishead – Roads
Rest of the Playlist!
Accost – Warsaw Pact Yard Sale
Chumbawamba – Outsider
Chumbawamba – The Good Ship Lifestyle
Cinephile – Comatose
Deuce – America (explicit)
Duran Duran – Come Undone
Eivør Pálsdóttir – Is It Cold Outside
Eklipse – In the End
Eklipse – Wonderful Life
Ellie Goulding – Hanging On
Five Finger Death Punch – Far From Home
Hurts – Blind
Imagine Dragons – Nothing Left To Say
James Newton Howard (feat. Jennifer Lawrence) – The Hanging Tree
Madonna – Live to Tell
Marina and the Diamonds – Lies
MS MR – Bones
Plumb – Damaged
Radical Face – The Gilded Hand
XOV – Animal
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 same-sex partner and their cat.
