Forbidden Letters Read online

  Books in this series

  CHAPTER 1

  Last Breath

  CHAPTER 2

  Shining Object

  CHAPTER 3

  Answer from the South

  CHAPTER 4

  Alerting the Authorities

  CHAPTER 5

  Making Plans

  CHAPTER 6

  Getting Intel

  CHAPTER 7

  Rescue Mission

  CHAPTER 8

  Intruder

  CHAPTER 9

  Tea with Wilma

  CHAPTER 10

  Don’t come

  CHAPTER 11

  The Beginning

  CHAPTER 12

  Best Idea Ever

  CHAPTER 13

  Criticism

  CHAPTER 14

  A Few Ideas

  CHAPTER 15

  Kama Sutra

  CHAPTER 16

  Bloody Hell

  CHAPTER 17

  Breakfast and Plans

  CHAPTER 18

  Woman in Disguise

  CHAPTER 19

  Bathroom Break

  CHAPTER 20

  Emergency

  CHAPTER 21

  Dreams

  CHAPTER 22

  Mating

  CHAPTER 23

  Wilma’s Wedding

  CHAPTER 24

  Letting Go

  CHAPTER 25

  No Time for Bed

  CHAPTER 26

  Constant Stream of Letters

  CHAPTER 27

  Editing

  CHAPTER 28

  Publishing

  CHAPTER 29

  Cut Off

  CHAPTER 30

  Killing a King

  CHAPTER 31

  Best Seller

  CHAPTER 32

  The Mind of an Author

  CHAPTER 33

  Head on a Spear

  CHAPTER 34

  Last Letters

  CHAPTER 35

  King Slayer

  CHAPTER 36

  Magic Words

  Epilogue

  Seven Years Later

  What’s next?

  Excerpt from The Protector

  By the Border

  About the author

  Copyright © 2019

  By Elin Peer

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, excepting brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

  ASIN: B07R33196Q

  Letters from the North – Men of the North #0.5

  First Edition

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons or organizations is coincidental and not intended by the author. Recommended for mature readers due to adult content.

  Cover Art by Kellie Dennis: bookcoverbydesign.co.uk

  Editing: www.martinohearn.com

  Books in this series

  To avoid spoilers this is the recommended order to read the books in.

  Men of the North

  The prequel

  Forbidden Letters – Men of the North #0.5

  Box set with books #1-5

  Box set with books #6-10

  The Protector – Men of the North #1

  The Ruler – Men of the North #2

  The Mentor – Men of the North #3

  The Seducer – Men of the North #4

  The Warrior – Men of the North #5

  The Genius – Men of the North #6

  The Dancer – Men of the North #7

  The Athlete – Men of the North # 8

  The Fighter – Men of the North # 9

  The Pacifist – Men of the North #10

  To be alerted for new book releases, sign up to my list and receive a free e-book as a welcome gift. www.elinpeer.com

  PLEASE NOTE

  This book is intended for mature readers only, as it contains a few graphic scenes and some inappropriate language.

  All characters are fictional and any likeness to a living person or organization is coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  To all the fans who asked for more books in the Men of the North series.

  This book is proof that messaging an author pays off.

  Elin

  CHAPTER 1

  Last Breath

  Year 2236

  Devina

  What do you say to someone who is dying?

  As a writer, I’m good with words, but not when my throat feels like an iron band is tightening around my neck and I can’t breathe from the sorrow in my chest.

  “Nana…” My voice broke and I could no longer hide the impending emotional breakdown that had been building up since I came back home three days ago.

  My grandmother’s eyes were hooded as she lay in her bed. “I know, my child.” Her caress of my hand was slow and weak, just like her speech. “I hate to leave you like this.”

  With a loud sniffle, I buried my head against her gray hair.

  “I know, sweetheart. I know.” Her old hands patted my head. “If only they had developed the vaccine sooner.”

  Being twenty-eight, I hadn’t lived with my family unit since I moved out seven years ago. There were no universities in our small rural area and I’d wanted to pursue a career as a writer.

  Despite the distance, we were a close family and I had always talked to them daily. It had been only two months since my youngest sister, Maria, told me she wasn’t feeling good. I’d teased her that she just wanted to be pampered for a day. With symptoms similar to the common flu, we had all thought Maria would get better, but then her school sent out a warning that it could be a potential epidemic and that kids should stay home.

  At first, my sixteen-year-old brother, Justin, was excited to have some days out of school, but then the News began reporting about an outbreak and when a girl from Maria’s class died, we all got scared.

  Every day I called my family hoping for good news, but within a week, seven out of the eight of them had all contracted a fever and they made me promise to stay away.

  The media named it the Triple D virus, which was short for Deceptive Death Disease. The Press came up with the name after a pattern emerged of victims showing signs of complete remission only to die of sudden cardiac arrest. Doctors specializing in infectious diseases spoke of the danger of infected people thinking they were well and going out to infect others. They theorized that the outbreak stemmed from a waterborne virus and kept promising a vaccine was close.

  Most of the green area where my family lived was placed in quarantine, making it impossible for anyone outside the infection zone to get in and help. With hopeless despair, we were left to watch how, in the span of eight weeks, seventeen thousand people died. Among them were my three sisters, brother, dad, and both my mothers.

  I waited seven hours in a long line to be among the first to get the vaccine when it came out seven days ago. Four days later the quarantine had finally been lifted and I’d hurried to my family’s home up north. But by then, only my grandmother had been left

  With all my heart, I wanted to believe I could heal her back to life, but her symptoms were different from the Triple D virus. From the sound of her strained breathing, it was a matter of time before I lost her too.

  “Don’t die, Nana,” I cried.

  “I gave everything.” Her words were low, but I knew what she meant. Nana was a healer and trying to fight off the sickness of seven family members had drained her life-force. I’d seen her get tired after healing sessions all through my childhood.

  “Take some of my energy,” I offered even though I knew it didn’t work like that. She closed her eyes as if she’d already given up.

  “No, don’t leave me alone.
” My speech was unclear from the sobbing.

  “Devina, dear.” My grandmother’s voice was shaky and her cough made me lean in to support her head. Thinking these might be her last words, I sniffled hard and looked deep into her eyes.

  “You shouldn’t have come back here.”

  “I had to.” Using the back of my free hand, I dried my tears to see her better. “The vaccine will protect me.”

  “Mmm… don’t let our family die out.” The dark circles under her eyes and the grayish color of my nana’s skin made her look much older than her seventy-four years.

  “Oh, Nana, let me save you. Tell me what to do.”

  She closed her eyes for a second. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.” I sniffled.

  “A child...”

  Her voice was so low that I had to move very close to hear her. “What child?”

  “Your child.”

  I wrinkled my forehead, not sure what she was talking about.

  “I don’t have a child, Nana. You know that.”

  “Family. Is. Everything.” Every word was forced out like her lungs didn’t have enough air to both breathe and talk.

  My head bobbed up and down in agreement. “Yes. Family is everything.”

  “Never forget us.”

  Raising her wrinkled hand to my heart, I assured her with my tears running down my cheeks, “I’ll never forget any of you. Hannah, Maria, Caro, Justin, Mom, Dad, Mama… and you. You’ll live in my heart forever.”

  Her eyelids kept getting heavier and there were long moments when she had to rest before saying a few more words. “Have a... child.”

  “You want me to have a child?”

  “Mmm…” She gave a tiny nod and closed her eyes again.

  It made sense that my grandmother would want me to join another family unit and be part of a community, but didn’t she understand that I couldn’t bear to lose any more family members? What if a new epidemic came? My soul was already in shreds from the massive grief that filled me.

  “You must!”

  I squeezed her hand a little.

  “Children are the greatest gift. They bring new hope.”

  “But Nana…”

  “Have a child,” she repeated and coughed again. “Promise me.”

  I had no choice. Stroking her hair, I gave my dying grandmother a promise. “You have my word. I won’t let our family die out with me. I’ll have a child and if it’s a girl, I’ll name her Andrea after you.”

  The tiniest tug of her lip was the only indication that she had heard me. After that she closed her eyes and continued her strained breathing.

  I sat with her, holding her hand, while Nana fell into a deep sleep. Several times, I thought she’d taken her last breath because there were long seconds between them, but then she heaved in another breath, and kept going a little longer.

  I shared some of my favorite memories with her.

  “Remember when you let me dress up in your clothes? You had that red dress that I loved so much and even though it was much too big for me, you said I looked beautiful.

  “I’ll miss your baking, Nana. The delicious smell of fresh baked bread and cakes that always made me feel loved and spoiled.” My voice kept cracking as I spoke of childhood memories and my love for her.

  Twenty-eight amazing years of my life, I had been loved by this woman, and then on this rainy day in July 2236, my beautiful, strong, and caring Nana took her last breath.

  “Nooo,” I let out my soul-wrenching despair in a desperate sobbing that made Nellie, our family dog, come and place her head on my thigh and whine herself.

  The pain in my chest made it impossible to breathe, and I reached for Nellie and cried into her fur.

  My family is gone.

  They’re all gone.

  Just three months ago we’d been sitting in this house, celebrating Maria’s twelfth birthday. My brother had given her a large and beautifully wrapped present and laughed hard when it turned out to be a tiny framed picture of himself. Justin had loved pranks and in his sixteen years he’d played a lot of them.

  My body felt heavy, as if the sorrow of losing eight family members was measured in bags of lead that would be mine to carry for the rest of my life.

  Lifting my arms or getting up from my chair was impossible. All I could do was slide down on the floor and cry my eyes out.

  This isn’t happening.

  Please let me wake up from this nightmare.

  Make it stop.

  I was exhausted when I curled up in a ball wrapping my arms around my knees.

  I need to call the authorities and let them know Nana died.

  The thought of them removing her body and leaving me alone in this house made me cry harder. I would be all alone to sort through all the memories, and then what?

  If only I’d died with them.

  The thought was so strong that my crying slowed down.

  It could solve my problems. No more grief, sorrow, or loneliness. What good do I have to look forward to anyway?

  Nellie whined again, as if she understood my sinister thoughts.

  Reaching out for her, I whispered. “I’ll make sure you have a nice family before I leave.”

  And then my grandmother’s last words came back to me. I had promised her that I wouldn’t let our family tree die out.

  Pressing both heels of my hands to my eyes, I cried again. Why in the world did I make that promise?

  CHAPTER 2

  Shining Object

  Devina

  I used to run through this forest and chase butterflies and fireflies with my siblings when I was younger. Back then my heart was light and my smile wide.

  A memory of my sister Caroline pointing up and whispering, “Do you see the fairy?” made me walk a bit faster. It’d been four days since Nana died and it was like the ghosts of my family members were all around me.

  Each room in the house was filled with memories, and after two days of packing things into boxes, I’d come out here hoping to get a break.

  But there she was again, my mind’s eye showing me Caroline as a seven-year-old girl running from tree to tree searching for fairies. She turned to smile at me, a beam of sunlight playing in her dark hair. “Come on, you slow snail. The fairies will be gone before you make it over here.”

  The pressure on my chest filled me with regret that I hadn’t hurried back then. What I wouldn’t give to share more memories with Caroline now, but with nine years between us, I’d been sixteen and felt too old for fairies. It was ironic, since today I was an author using my imagination to create my art.

  In front of me, Nellie was panting. She was a protective old sheep dog and showed it by barking aggressively at a large group of crows who were flying around over our heads. The birds looked as black as my soul felt and the awful screams they made hurt my ears.

  Another memory assaulted me of my sister Maria. She had been afraid of birds. Once when she was four, she’d been frozen in fear and unable to pass a tree because of two crows watching us. Birds never scared me and I would have ignored the noisy group today if it weren’t for Nellie, who chased after them.

  “Nellie, no, stay here.” With a sigh of resignation, I trotted after her, trying to ignore the drops of rain on my head.

  “Nellie, come back here,” I ordered, feeling worried that she was running toward the border area because unlike me, she wouldn’t be able to read the big signs saying “no trespassing,” “danger,” and “mines.” “Nellieee.” I was running now and felt relief when she stopped where the forest ended and the no-trespassing zone began. Her barking mixed with the shrill caws of the twelve crows that were surrounding a shiny object.

  What is that?

  My vision of the object was blocked by the birds fighting to be the lucky one to lift the thing with their claws.

  It’s a bottle.

  I shooed the crows away, curious to see why the bottle was so sparkly. Most of the black crows took off, but the brav
est two stayed and flapped their wings as if to challenge me for this incredible jewel.

  Making a mock attack, I clapped my hands and shouted at them. Spooked, they hopped backward giving loud protests, but I ignored them and picked up the bottle, which was made of a thin, hard material and wrapped in a glittery surface. Turning it around, I studied it, wondering what kind of material it was made of. It was heavier than the biodegradable bottles we had here in the Motherlands. My eyes lifted to the wall in front of me.

  Could it have come from the other side?

  There weren’t many brave enough to live this close to the Northern border. Not even the century-long peace treaty between our two nations could make people forget how the savage Men of the North used to hunt down and kidnap women here.

  Except for a bit of trade there was no contact between the men living on the other side of that wall and us regular people living in the Motherlands.

  From what I knew, our Council had meetings with their changing leaders every few years, but for the most part, it was like the world ended at that wall and it was imprinted in us to keep our distance.

  I put the light bottle down again and stood back up. Still, my curiosity wouldn’t let me back away from it. What if it really was from the other side?

  Don’t pick it up.

  I looked around but saw no one.

  There was a security camera on the wall. I only knew that because I’d walked here since I was a child and seen the wall before the thorn bushes overgrew the wall and camera. Now the whole area looked forgotten and neglected.

  Nellie lay down next to me, her tongue hanging out and her eyes fixed on the two brave crows who were still on the ground watching us.

  “We should leave the bottle to them,” I told Nellie, who had been my sole companion for these last days. “Right?”

  The only sound from her was her exhausted panting from chasing off the competitors to this foreign object.

  “I think there’s something inside it. Look.” I pointed to the see-through bottleneck. “It looks like a letter.”

  For the first time in days, I wasn’t thinking about my loss, but felt excitement at finding something unexpected.