Title: The
Chosen
Author: Rae
Z. Ryans
Genre: Romantic
Fantasy
Hosted by: Lady Amber's Tours
SYNOPSIS:
What happens when the heart and soul divides?
Chosen by the Myst, her royal prophecy traces back over a
thousand years. Leader of the Valkyrie, part human and part supernatural,
Auriel bridges the invisible gap between Earth and Midgard demanded by the Laws
of the Nine. She alone prevents Ragnarok from wiping away those she loves.
There’s only one problem: he forgot.
Liam Skyland is a hybrid with a death warrant. The bastard
son of the lycan King narrowly escaped death as an infant. Something happened
though and Liam loses four years of his life. All he remembers is that she is
coming.
Tick Tock
Two former friends remember them both. With time running
shorter every day, it’s up to them to reunite the fated lovers. But what
happens when their own pasts haunt their waking moments? Can they overcome the
love they once shared or will their bond destroy the world?
Will all become a distant memory, a whisper in time, as
Earth burns?
Blinded by love and compassion each finds themselves lacking
the courage to overcome fear. There remains but one choice and one direction
the Chosen can take, but time quickly burns dry for the Nine Realms.
Can the Chosen rise together and save Midgard?
Excerpt:
New York City, NY 2014
Shades of death encircled my world. Tawny feathers floated
from the sky. A gasp pinched my chest. Fire flashed on the horizon, bathing
over the city, and then progressively swallowed the Nine Realms of the Myst. My
eyes flew open, closed, reopened, and I drew my dream journal from the
nightstand drawer.
“How can I stop myself from burning the world into cindered
ash if I don’t understand this darkness tearing my light away?”
Each line and page filled with my prophetic visions. More
than one existed and like those journals, this one reflected the darkness of my
secret. Every night another nightmare assaulted me as the light inched from of
my soul; they grew bolder, and the death toll rose. White cleansing fire coated
the world as if it were air. I blinked the weariness away.
The visions always came true, no matter how hard I tried to
change the fate of those I loved. Auburn hair brushed the page and deft fingers
swept it aside. Dry and wet golden splatters marred the white surface. I prayed
for answers, guidance, and a ceasefire without the universe blowing up in my
face.
“Gods, what have I done to anger you?” Why did I destroy
when all I wanted was love?
As usual, the Gods offered no response. I sniffled and wiped
my face. Blank lines taunted, daring me to write the mysterious secrets of my
worlds. This journal would be different. I would alter the future or die
trying.
Pages as bare as the future I ran away from four years ago
awaited my thoughts. Bacon fried downstairs; Momma whistled a tune. Where
did I go wrong? My hand trembled, scribbling the words I didn’t want to
admit. Twenty-one years was a piss in the ocean, yet little ol’ me managed to
destroy the world. Daddy knocked on my bedroom door, and it creaked open.
“Mornin’ Aurie,” he said, stepping over the threshold
carrying a mug of coffee. Timeless features chiseled his chin, elven ears
pointed upward, and two blue eyes smiled as he set the cup on my nightstand. I
forced my lips upward, returning the smile, and thanked him.
Daddy didn’t loiter and closed the door behind him. I waited
as his footsteps pattered across the hardwood floor downstairs before I
continued.
If someone asked me who would end the world, I would’ve said
the humans. Before I ran, my job was protecting magic. All high mages enforced
the Laws of the Myst. I was a Phoenix and master of elemental fire. At least I
used to be before my family ventured into hiding.
The supernaturals I worked for turned on me. I tossed the
pen down and refrained from chucking it across the bedroom. Knuckles cracked
and my neck followed as I released the tension within my bones. The Council of
the Nine despised my kind: hybrid. Hunted us down like rabid animals, all
because we refused to live under their tyrannical control. I rolled from my
bed, shuddering at living under the oppression of the Nine, and slipped into my
favorite bunny slippers.
Hiding and fleeing were two things I learned at a young age,
and it’s possible that I didn’t understand what normal meant, but I wanted it
right alongside love. The doorbell chimed, and I glanced toward the bedroom
door. Supernaturals were not normal. Shoulders slumped, I sipped my coffee and
listened to the soft voices fluttering below. For one day, all I wanted was
normality.
Truth settled in and chilled my bones. The warmth of the
coffee penetrated my soul as I stared up at the white washed walls on our
brownstone. Empty shelves lined my personal prison. Anything of importance fit
into my duffel bag. Hot coffee, human television, and countless e-books filled
my doldrum days. We rented the furniture and used delivery services for
groceries. If I couldn’t order it and have it delivered, I did not need it. The
pages of my journal flipped closed, as the chilly breeze swept through an open
window.
My talisman warmed against my skin. I reached for my pillow
and the muffled cries died as the stone swung away from my skin. The Algiz,
runic symbol for protection, glowed as the amulet increased in strength, and
the stone flared with life.
Ribs and heart ticked like a bomb waiting to explode. Eyes
whipped around, searching for anything or anyone, to explain the sharp sear
over my skin. I dropped my jaw, but nothing came out.
Shouts sounded in the distance, but the foreign words
sounded muffled by the early Upper West Side noise. Voices rose from below as I
tiptoed toward my closet and dragged my emergency bag from the shelf.
The Nine came for me; they found me. Pain and thinking
didn’t mix. I paused, heart pounding within my ears, as the stairs creaked.
Eyes glanced between the window and the door. Three sets of footsteps echoed
their cadence.
The bag slung over my back, I wiggled my fat ass out the
window and I crept down the rickety fire escape adhered to my bedroom window.
My stomach flipped with each sway or groan from the metal as my sweaty palms
glided over the railing. Did I stick to our plan, or fetch my parents first?
This marked the first time in four years that I’d had to move; the first time,
I’d ran as an adult.
The pendant scorched my skin as I descended the ladder that
lead below into the alleyway. I winced and gnawed on the inside of my cheek as
the tears built in my eyes. No supernatural was immune to pain.
Feet landed with a slight scuffle. The thumping of my heart
vibrated through me, and breathe came in shortened gasps. Again, I gathered the
talisman away from my skin. My gaze swept over the trash in the alleyway for
signs of momma or daddy. Another shout drew my attention, and I struggled again
to hear over the city noise. As the decibel grew stronger, I recognized the
voice of my momma.
“We don’t know where she is.” Momma’s tone borderlined on
hysterical, shrieking as if she were a sidhe.
Another voice matching hers resonated inside my head. “Run
Auriel,” the voice commanded, but I froze.
Author Bio:
Rae Z. Ryans currently resides in Tumbleweed, Alabama, with her family and
belongs to the Romance Writers of America. She has lived all over the east
coast and was born in Fairbanks, Alaska. Published since the age of fourteen,
Rae enjoys writing romantic, erotic,fantasy/paranormal stories and poetry. Her
name pays homage to her brothers: Specialist Ryan D. Rexon and Zachary U. Berthot.
She is currently working on Beyond the Brothel Walls #2: Altered. This
post-apocalyptic, erotic paranormal romance is emotionally driven, dark
fantasy.
Author Links:
Author website: www.raezryans.com
Goodreads: TBA
Author Facebook: www.facebook.com/RaeZRyans
Author Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorraezryans
Author Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/raezryans
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Chosen-Valkyrie-Rae-Ryans-ebook/dp/B00KV1E8DI/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404132245&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=The+chosen+by+Rae+Z+Ryans
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1 comments:
Thank you for hosting me :)
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