Publisher's Synopsis
13th Century Devon.
Demons roam the earth, looking for prey to create half demon children, called cambions. They transform their victims' bodies and do unspeakable things to them. Brother Gilbert of Buckmoor Abbey is one such man.
After his brutal attack and subsequent postpartum psychosis, Brother Gilbert is sent to his cousin's castle to recover. While there, Brother Gilbert's cousin puts him under the care of Thierry, a noble and incredibly handsome knight.
Thierry doesn't really know what to make of the emotionally and physically scarred monk. Brother Gilbert suffers from melancholy and disgust at his new body, causing him to lash out at those around him. Even so, Thierry is determined to help Gilbert heal from the mysterious and horrible demonic attack he suffered less than a year ago.
However, Gilbert's feelings regarding Thierry are complicated. And they are made even more complicated when he knows what he did to the last man he loved...
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Thierry either didn't notice or didn't care about the stares. Instead, he prattled on cheerfully about the River Dart and what they were likely to see.
"If the current and weather allows it, we will visit the sea monks' little abbey," Thierry said. "Would you like that?"
"I suppose so, yes."
"Then we shall!" Thierry went to clap the monk on the shoulder, but stopped before touching Gilbert. "Ah. My apologies."
Gilbert bit the inside of his cheek. He clutched his prayer rope tighter. Did Thierry not want to touch him because of what he had done? Or because he was considerate about what had been done to him? Another haunting thought entered Gilbert's brain: did Thierry see him as a woman?
The monk resisted the urge to run to the top of the keep and throw himself off it.
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Decessit Vita Matris takes place in the Tales From the Monastery Universe. The Tales From the Monastery Universe is a set of interweaving stories about various monks and nuns living in a very magical medieval Europe. They mostly take place in 9th to 10th century England, but some take place later. There, humans live amongst demons, fae, merfolk, and a variety of other magical beings. Sometimes the humans and supernatural beings get along. Other times they do not. However, the greatest threat to the humans are the demons...right?
