Blood of the Night Flower

Contents Contents Copyright Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Guide Contents Start of Content Copyright © 2023 Stacy Stover All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Cover Design by Stacy Stover Please Visit: Http://authorstacystover.com/ “I found it, but he found me.” Wrapped in the arms of a vampire is not how Sylvia Ott thought she would die. Drained and discarded, her only salvation was the rare Night Flower. The magical plant resurrects her from the edge of darkness, but the price may be more than she bargained for. Altyr Wymer can’t believe the girl he killed still walks. But she’s not just alive, she’s in danger of becoming a Hollow, a ghoul stuck in-between life and death who hunts vampires and humans alike. His only choice? Take her home with him to ensure she chooses the correct path of undeath. Forced into servitude, Sylvia learns to live with her mortal enemy. What begins as animosity turns into something more, and eternity doesn't seem as daunting by his side. But the clock is ticking - they only have one moon cycle to choose her path before she succumbs to her ghoulish ways. The moon is rising, but the shadows it cast are ever-growing. Dangers lurk just outside the gates, threatening to stop her from welcoming the darkness as a vampire herself. Trigger Warnings: Blood of the Night Flower does feature mentions of sexual assault and violence. Blood itself is also mentioned in this novel. This book wouldn’t have been wrote if it wasn’t for my group of writing moms who pushed me to finish this. If you ever have a chance to get some buddies who share your love of a hobby, hold onto them tightly! They’re worth their weight in gold! Thank you so much ladies! You’re the best! Chapter 1 The dark fog of night was pressing in, blurring the world from normal eyes. The tension of the rope pressed against my back was tight and heavy. My breath caught in my throat, stuttering its way down as I tried to calm my nerves. Listening for their footsteps, I pressed myself further into the darkened corner as my heart pounded away in my chest. Escaping the walled city was the last thing I thought I’d be doing. I was sneaking around at night like some criminal. Which I wasn’t… not usually anyway. The clinking of their boots echoed off the empty alley. I hid behind the hay-filled carriage as I tried my best to slow my breathing. If they didn’t hear me, they didn’t see me. The two men were gossiping about a new barmaid down at the nearby pub. They weren’t even aware I was there. Rounding the corner, they finally got far enough away that I felt comfortable enough to pry myself out of my safe spot. Looking behind me, I saw the bustling street full of patrons readying themselves for an evening of fun. The hum of life was like a blazing fire, pulsing and vibrant only a few feet away as I scanned the darkened area ahead. The guards would patrol the top of the wall soon to keep that throbbing life safe inside the city. Even more importantly, they were charged with keeping the darkness out. In reality, everyone knew they weren’t really that keen on doing their jobs anymore. There had been no vampire or hollow attack in ages. Their actual job was to keep out who the Lightbringers deemed as undesirables. We rarely even saw these so-called undesirables anymore, so really their jobs was just being glorified guards. Tonight I was going to be fleeing the safety of the city, not seek it out as so many have done. Dodging the patrols was easier than I had thought it would be. I don’t even know what they were truly looking for and I highly doubted they did either. I passed by another patrol earlier in the evening as they were gabbing about produce prices, they were never the wiser I was even there. If anyone wanted to actually invade Silver City, it wouldn’t be that hard to accomplish with this sort. Looking back down the alley, I waited to see if anyone else was going to invade my space. Picking this area of the city was a strategic move. I had been scouting it out for weeks. The lighting was poor, the nighttime travelers mostly ignored the path, and the guards didn’t even bother to walk down it too often most evenings. It was the perfect spot to make my escape. Swinging a rope around my head, I threw it with all my might. Letting the weight of the hook pull itself through the air, I tossed it over the top. I heard a clatter and pulled with all my might to secure it into place. The heavy hook came crashing down, nearly hitting me in the head as I scrambled away. I never claimed to be the best at adventuring. This was the first time I was attempting anything of this nature. I read about it and I wrote about it. Actually doing it? That was entirely new to me. Luckily for me, no one was around to nearly see me impale myself before I even left. With more determination, I threw the hemp rope over the stone edge again. Hearing the clink of metal, I tugged on the rope and heard the clatter as the heavy hook caught on something. It didn’t