Ruined: A Guest Post by Kinley Baker

Shadow Shifting, Warriors and Healers

Ruined is a story set in the Realm of Shadows. In their kingdom, the Shadow Shifters use the shadows of their Ancestor gods to shift at lightning speeds. They can’t shift during broad daylight. Their power is not without limits. But I love the idea of being swept away by magic, literally.

The Shadow Shifters commune with the shadows, hang out and live in the darkness. In the darkness, motivations are muddled. Not everything is as it seems which makes sense because the world of the Shadow Shifters isn’t exactly what it seems on the surface. Every member of the Court has their own motivations and Vale, as the king, and Jessa, as the Senior Healer, constantly battle to do what’s best for their people against malicious characters and unlikely odds. Their love battles against the shadows: the shadows of their history, the shadows of individual pasts, and the shadows of ancient secrets.

In addition to shifting, the Shadow Shifters also have four spiritual gifts that travel through their bloodlines and originated from their Ancestors. After a Shadow Shifter dies, they add to the power source of their people by joining the ranks of their Ancestors. Although the gods don’t speak to them anymore, their power can be seen in other ways in the novel. The gifts blessed from their Ancestors are Warrior, Healer, Seer and Sensitive. A Warrior is born to fight with extra strength. A Healer is born with the ability to save lives. Seers can see into the future. Powerful Sensitives can be Truth Tellers, beings with the ability to tell if another living being is lying or being truthful.

I hope you’ll travel across the shadows of Ruined with me for a romantic, fantasy tale of Vale and Jessa’s strong bond of love that will be tested, but never broken. All in a realm where passions lead, evil lurks and shadows rule.

EXCERPT of RUINED

"You." Fury burned hot under Jessa's skin as she glared at Vale. "Who do you think you are, demanding I come live in this castle? You can't just order your guards to enter a woman's home and pack up her things."

"Well, I did." Vale came around the desk and propped one hip against it, more of a threatening than casual movement. "Someone tried to kill me. It makes sense that I have my Healer close by."

She released a pent-up breath. "Why couldn't you have explained that instead of mandating?" Silly. Her imagination had run away with her. The king needed his Healer. But the realization he didn't want her made her angrier.

"Because I didn't want to give you the option of saying no."

She most definitely would have said no.

"If you would have explained your reasoning, I would have complied. Your safety and health come first, even if I--"

"Eve if you what?"

"Loathe you." She bunched her fingers into two fists, seriously tempted to hit him. For all the nonexistent pain it would inflict upon him.

"Do you?" His tone deadened with calm. "Because I can't stop thinking about you."

"That's normal." She brushed off the claim. "I saved your life."

He moved in a blur. A true Shadow Shifter. One second he stood near his desk, the next he had her in his arms, one locked around her waist and one hand tangled in her hair. Their lips almost brushed.

"I can't stop thinking about you." His murmur played down her spine, leaving a tingling trail. His scent invaded her. His voice embraced her like bare skin against satin sheets.

Her heart beat fast, her pulse jumped.

She disliked him, but she didn't want him to let her go.

"Have you been thinking about me?" His soft tone feathered over her flesh.

"Only how much I dislike you." Lust pulsed in her belly.

He pulled her head back gently by her hair, so they looked straight into each other's eyes. Their bodies pressed tightly together. "Liar."

BLURB OF RUINED

Jessa is one healing away from death. Under the thrall of her gift, the Court's Senior Healer risks giving her life in exchange for her patient's.

Vale is a rebel ruler. When his brother is killed, he's given the throne and the decree from the Court to produce an heir or lose his family's hold on the land--and his deceiving advisors aren't afraid to use murder as a weapon if their directive to stay away from the Senior Healer goes unheeded.

But Vale burns to possess Jessa. The heat between them leaves a wake of smoke, and even the powerful forces above want to bind them in a union that lasts forever. Vale taking another would be a betrayal neither could survive.

Their enemies fear a child born of such a powerful Healer and Warrior, but the true threat lies in the bond forged in shadows and fused in fire.

Bio:

Kinley Baker read her first romance novel at the age of thirteen and immediately fell in love with the hero and the genre. She lives with her husband and her dog, Joker, in the Pacific Northwest. As a firm supporter of all supernatural lifestyles, she writes fantasy romance, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy. You can find Kinley at http://www.kinleybaker.com/.

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