Of Lavender and Ash

Of Lavender and Ash Book 1 of THE ASCENSION RISING SERIES Copyright © 2023 K. R. Rainbolt No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover design by Artscandare Book Cover Design Editing and Proofing by Ashley Oliver at Enchanted Author Co. Formatted using Vellum ISBN (paperback): 979-8-9863026-2-1 ISBN (ebook): 979-8-9863026-3-8 ASIN: B0BC52XT2M Contents Authors Note Important Characters 1. Osiris 2. Aaliyah 3. Adrian 4. Prince 5. Aaliyah 6. Fallon 7. Aaliyah 8. Eirik 9. Aaliyah 10. Osiris 11. Adrian 12. Aaliyah 13. Eirik 14. Adrian 15. Fallon 16. Aaliyah 17. Osiris 18. Eirik 19. Aaliyah 20. Fallon 21. Aaliyah 22. Adrian 23. Aaliyah 24. Eirik 25. Fallon 26. Osiris 27. Aaliyah 28. Fallon 29. Aaliyah 30. Unknown 31. Aaliyah 32. Osiris 33. Aaliyah 34. Prince 35. Adrian 36. Aaliyah 37. Prince 38. Osiris 39. Aaliyah 40. Fallon 41. Aaliyah 42. Eirik 43. Aaliyah 44. Aaliyah 45. Prince 46. Osiris 47. Adrian 48. Aaliyah 49. Aaliyah 50. Prince 51. Osiris 52. Aaliyah 53. Eirik 54. Fallon 55. Prince 56. Aaliyah 57. Eirik 58. Aaliyah 59. Adrian 60. Fallon 61. Osiris 62. Aaliyah A Note For You, Dear Reader Acknowledgments About the Author Glossary To my momma. Thank you for always having my back and believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. I love you. To all the readers out there who just need a second away from the real world, I hope you can find that here. Authors Note Hey, all you tortured souls. I'm happy to have you here, and I have a few things to note before you dive in. This is a slow-burn, dark-themed, paranormal, 'why choose' novel. This book and the others in this series contain content that may be triggering to some people. If you think you may need a bit more information on the cautions/triggers of this book, please check my website or Linktree. * * * If you're ever confused about something or just want to know what something means, I've included all translations and general information at the end of the novel. I've also added a list of important characters that were mentioned in book one after this note, so if you're looking for a reminder on who's who, give that a read. I'm also a lover of lore, and if you ever want to know more about the Natural world than you can find in this novel (random stuff that isn't necessary to the plot but is fun to learn about) then you can also find that on my website. That's all from me! Kick back, relax, and enjoy the read. Important Characters Aaliyah — The main character. Prince — Aaliyah's best friend/first love, also a ghost. The Vivas Crypt — The main MCs. Vampires from different eras. Osiris — Also called: Rex interfectorem (Kingslayer). Eirik — Also called: The Emperor's Shadow. Adrian — Also called the following: The Collector. Fallon — No additional nicknames. Nero — The Vivas Crypt's lost brother. Eliza Barlow — Aaliyah's friend, the one who is trying to help her figure out who/what she is before Aaliyah meets the boys. She's a Siren. Dezen Lal — Eliza's husband. He's a Hemomancer. Carter Halsen — Eliza's husband V2. He's a Dragonkin, and one of the many sons of Eternal Teviticus. Grigen Barlow — Eliza, Dezen and Carter's young son. Assumed to be a Dragonkin. Curtis Hadfall — The one who stole Ali off the street to sell her at auction. Also, one of the many sons of Teviticus. Darius Verslini — The owner of The Devil's Details. He's a Vampire and the one who officially sold Ali. Axandre (Xander) — Also called the Keeper; he's a hoarder of information and a Dryad. Chapter 1 Osiris He may have turned you, Osiris, but you'll always be mine. Even Sebek knows you make a better pet than a man. That day, and those abhorrently cruel words, were permanently etched into my memory, trapped in the cracked parts of my mind that I couldn't get rid of. I remembered it so clearly, even now, thousands of years later. Kali, with her disgusted gaze—pointed and cold—to the snarled expression that had twisted her red lips. The way she'd pouted as though someone had stolen her favorite toy. That was what Sebek had done when he'd turned me, wasn't it? Stolen me from them, from Kali and Darius the Great. In a twisted way, despite all the wrongdoing Sebek had done since, I still saw him as my savior for that. I slid into the house that my brothers and I had made a home with a soundless poise. I kept my head high and eyes forward, never daring to glance toward the red oak kitchen table where I knew Kali to be. The tense slogging weight of a teleportation spell still