Thorns Beneath the Bread

In the stone-walled village of Saint Mireille, Father Aldric is the newly appointed priest-young, composed, and devout. His mission: restore the fractured faith of a people weary of plague and famine. But as he settles into his role, one man disrupts the calm he wears like a second skin.

Thomas is the local baker-sun-warmed, rough-handed, and always smelling of fire and dough. He feeds the people not with scripture, but with sustenance, and for that, they love him.

When their paths cross too often-first in charity, then in quiet confessions, then in moments neither can name-a slow-burning bond forms. But love between men is a heresy, and Aldric has sworn vows that bind more than his heart.

In a world of watchful eyes, whispered sins, and bread that rises even as souls fall, can two men find grace in each other-or will desire damn them both?