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 beginning of a trilogy 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.


Set in a world of dark academia, telekinesis, and off-the-charts MLM romance, book one of this stunning fantasy duology will leave readers burning for more.

• Enemies-to-lovers

• Slow Burn Romance

• MLM Romance

• Found Family

• Close Proximity

• Morally Grey Love Interest

• Fantasy Setting

• Dark / Grim Academia

• Epic Battles

• Magical Creatures

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.

He watched from behind the thick trees, behind a shroud of leaves catching gently in the chilled breeze. He knew she didn’t know how close he was. How could she? But the way a stiffness settled over her shoulders, the way her eyes looked into Blackpine Forest’s darkness, the way her steps quickened told him she could feel it.

Feel him watching and waiting.

Ruel's boots crunched over the crisp autumn leaves coating the ground, every step taking him deeper into the heart of Blackpine Forest.

Skeletal branches reached out like claws as he stalked her every step, though none caught him as he passed.

She moved as though the earth beneath her feet might give way at any moment. And her hair… Her hair was beautiful, catching the sun’s touch and flowing like a river of faded lilac.

What would it feel like to touch it, to tangle his fingers in those loose strands. Would it feel like silk? Would it carry her scent, that cinnamon floral fragrance he caught whenever passing too close—

The sharp snap of a stick broke the stillness behind him.

Ruel’s heart gave a violent thud like it had tripped over itself, and his hand flew to the hilt of his dagger as he whorled to face the source. But only tall trees with gnarled, twisted trunks and, in the distance, the faint outline of an old well draped in moss and shadows stretched before him.

He exhaled shakily, knuckles white against the blade’s leather hilt. When he was sure it was nothing, he turned back to the girl, Lyra, his younger sister.

‘You know you’ve got half the forest in your hair?’ he said with a light chuckle.

Lyra paused, turning her head just enough to throw an irritated glare over her shoulder, the kind that curdled milk and silenced a room. Her dark grey eyes burned into him, but he refused to meet her stare.

‘Well, if you didn’t have us going over and under every branch like our lives depended on it—I wouldn’t,’ she quipped, raking her bony fingers through her shoulder-length, wisteria-coloured hair.

He only smirked, closing the distance until he passed her. ‘Well,’ he mocked, ‘when you know these woods like the back of your hand, then by all means, you can take lead.’

Training consumed his existence, his sole purpose in life, and the key to his family’s survival. Lucian had spent years shaping him, honing his skill to hunt, to look for patterns, to look for weaknesses in strength, to look for the moment a prey blinks and gives the hunter that one chance to attack.

That’s why Ruel should have seen it coming.

He should have been better.

A primal snarl howled through the forest.

He barely had time to turn before black force slammed into him, knocking the air from his lungs and hurling him backward. He hit the ground hard, shoulder taking the brunt of the impact, and nearly swallowed a mouthful of damp earth.

Stars burst and exploded at the edges of his sight, the world tilting dangerously as his eyes swept the forest around him trying to find the cause.

Another growl, sounding far too animalistic for his liking, roared through the forest. It wasn’t a scream of anger or pain.

No. It was a scream born of pure terror…

“Oh. My. Gosh. I was OBSESSED with this story! I need the next book RIGHT NOW!!!”

- Emma @emmas.little.wonderland

“Some souls are destined to find each other, even if only to say goodbye”

OMG!! What an amazing debut. Ruel Valore has his flaws, but wow, I didn’t think I would see myself in him. He’s strong, confident (at the end) and a character who I fell in love with. And Kaidian 🧑‍🍳🤌🏻 absolutely fell in love with. You NEED to get this book. It had everything I wanted in it and so much more!! Honestly I can't wait for the second book.”

- Danny

"Absolutely unreal..."

Drained pulled me in right away with that opening scene and did not let go. I’m obsessed with the whole vibe—telekinetic powers, secret academy, found family vibes but also trauma and secrets. Ruel’s journey is so emotional, and Kaid?? His sass, his loyalty, his pain—I love him. Some parts were a little slower, but it all builds up to such a satisfying (and gut-wrenching) ending. I need the sequel. Like, now.”

- fncReads

“I honestly didn’t expect Drained to hit me so hard, but wow. The writing? Stunning. The world? Dark and intense. But it’s the characters that really got me. Ruel is such a mess (lovable, of course), and Kaid—don’t get me started on Kaid. Their slow-burn relationship had me screaming. The tension, the betrayal, the softness?? I’m unwell. Also, the way the academy feels like a character in itself? Incredible. 10/10 will be forcing my friends to read this.”

- Eviemreads

I need book 2 like right now! Think Fourth Wing meets Vicious with a dash of The Atlas Six. That’s Drained. The worldbuilding is rich without being overwhelming, and the concept of Psionic powers is so fresh and eerie. The dynamics between Ruel, Alora, and Kaid are brilliantly layered, and the emotional stakes only get higher the deeper you go. I highlighted half the book and cried twice. Thanks a lot Jack.

- Bookishfaelight