Human Frailties, Human Strengths — Jaye McKenna

Ashnavayarian is a god in exile, sentenced to live as a human in a world that his own manipulations have pushed to the brink of war. His only way out is to learn compassion for the human creatures he so casually toys with.



Ash, however, is far more interested in escape than redemption. Furious at the way he has been trapped, he vows to break his exile by whatever means he can. The only problem is that his power has been crippled, leaving him only two choices: bow to the demands of the goddess who exiled him, or find some other way to raise the power he needs to escape.



Tor MacAran has been alone all his life. There's a darkness in his soul, an emptiness that has haunted him for as long as he can remember. When an encounter with an old woman and an ancient book pulls him through the Void Between Worlds and dumps him at Ash's feet, Tor thinks he's found the answer to all his problems. Not only is Ash the embodiment of every fantasy Tor has ever had, but when the man touches him, the dark empty places inside him are filled with light, and for the first time in his life, Tor feels complete.



All Ash sees in Tor is the answer to his own problem, for a hidden power slumbering deep within Tor may well be the catalyst Ash requires to effect his escape. Ash risks far more than the wrath of the goddess in his bid for freedom -- for both Tor's life and the future of the world are endangered by his plans.



Acceptable losses, as far as Ash is concerned.



Or are they?



Note: Human Frailties, Human Strengths is a stand-alone novel (~90,000 words) that takes place in the same world as Human Choices.