Drained
Destined for War…
DRAINED is a dark, thrilling fantasy debut filled with powers, sizzling romance, rivals-to-lovers, and unforgettable characters that will leave you breathless and wanting more. This is the first of a trilogy series and ends with a massive...
Ruel Valore was never meant to survive.
Not the creature that attacked him, not the powers inside him, and definitely not Aetheria War Academy—an elite training ground for people gifted with psionic abilities which was rebuilt atop the ashes of its own dark past. Forty years ago when the three kingdoms of Kogarah united, the king's conceded that all psionics were to be executed. They invaded Aetheria War Academy and murdered every last psionic in cold blood. It was a massacre. A genocide. Because to be a psionic was to be guilty, whether or not they had ever used their powers for good or evil, and to be guilty, was punishable by death.
But Ruel is still breathing, if only barely.
Now conscripted into Aetheria after it was rebuilt, he finds himself in a world full of powerful students and professors, brutal training, and secrets buried so deep they have begun to rot. With his best friend, Alora, by his side, and his powers barely controlled, he is placed into the Infantry Quadrant, where power is everything, and being weak is a death sentence. Then, there is Kaidian Lostone, a blatantly honest, infuriatingly attractive, second year student. Ruel doesn't trust him and Alora despises him. But, Ruel can't seem to stay away... and neither can Kaidian. As students and professors disappear from the academy, and rumours of a secret society grow louder, Ruel is forced to confront two truths far more dangerous than he is ready for.
There is something inside of him that wants out.
And there is someone, or something, coming for it.
Troupes
Enemies-to-lovers
Slow Burn Romance
Morally Grey Love Interest
Fantasy Setting
Close Proximity
Magical Creatures
Dark / Grim Academia
Epic Battles
MLM Romance
Found Family
Favourite Excerts
There are only three reasons to watch someone when they think they’re alone. Revenge. Love. Or the guilt of knowing you weren't there the last time they needed you.
Ruel Valore knew exactly which reason brought him out here into these woods. He was watching her. The kind of watching that would prickle her skin and make her glance over her shoulder, half-expecting to catch a glimpse of something, or someone, just out of sight.
Kaid's finger trailed gently across his cheek. His voice, soft yet firm, broke the silence. ‘I will drop to one knee and beg the heavens and the earth for you to live through this. I can’t bear to remember you longer than I’ve known you. It would kill me. Please, Ruel. Stay alive. Long enough for us to actually have an us. I love you.’
Kaid's smirk widened, eyes gleaming with dark amusement that set Ruel’s teeth on edge. ‘Someone like me? That’s cute, really. Let me guess,’ he leaned in slightly, close enough that Ruel caught a waft of the musky leather and sandalwood. ‘I scare you. Don’t I?’
He remained strong, rebelling against the accusation, even if something deep inside him wanted to flinch. Scared? No, he wasn’t scared. He was furious, unsettled… confused, maybe. But fear? He wouldn’t give Kaid that satisfaction. ‘You’—his words caught in his throat. ‘You don’t scare me.’
Kaid tilted his head slightly, his smirk deepening into something almost predatory. ‘Good,’ he said softly. ‘Fear would just make this boring.’”
When Kaid pulled away, Ruel could still feel his touch, the warmth of his lips, the taste of him.
A soft chuckle rumbled in Kaid's chest, the corners of his lips curling into a smirk that sent warmth spreading through Ruel’s entire body. ‘I don’t mean sex. Don’t get me wrong—I do,’ he said, eyes twinkling with playful mischief. ‘But when I said I need you, I meant it. If needing you makes me weak, then let me fall to my knees. Let me beg. Strip me down to nothing but skin and I’d still crawl to you—still reach for you, still want you. If needing you makes me a fool, then consider me one. If it makes me broken, then call me broken. Because I'd rather be ruined by you than untouched by you. Heavens Ruel, I’d burn this whole world down if it meant we could be together.’”