His grand entrance was marred slightly by the absence of her visitor chairs in front of her desk, which interrupted his smooth transition from swaggering in to lounging handsomely across one of them. Instead, he had to reverse direction and pull a chair over from a bookshelf before settling his lanky form into it.
Lily hid a smile, trying to look stern instead.
“Sebastian, how many times do I have to tell you, you’re not supposed to be wandering around campus. This is a women’s college, and private property.”
“Pish.” Sebastian waved a hand unconcernedly. “If you’re so worried about it, call security.”
(Don’t want to stop reading? You can continue the story HERE)
Afterword
Thanks so much for reading this short story. It isn’t my usual style, but sometimes your mind goes somewhere dark and there’s no turning back. You can only follow the story through till you find the light again.
If you’d like to hear about my other books, subscribe to my newsletter at www.lydiasherrer.com/subscribe for new release alerts, behind-the-scene sneak peeks, book giveaways, and chances to help me out in the story-making process.
Reader reviews are essential to a book’s success by helping other readers discover stories they might enjoy. Plus, they are a great way to show support for your favorite author! Please consider taking a moment to leave a review on your favorite ebook retailer.
If you want to explore more of my writing, then come join my motley crew on Patreon www.patreon.com/lydiasherrer. You’ll get awesome rewards like exclusive monthly short stories (found nowhere else), snarky swag, and series spoilers.
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Also by Lydia Sherrer
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Universe
* * *
The Lily Singer Adventures:
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Book 1: Beginnings
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Book 2: Revelations
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Book 3: Allies
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Book 4: Legends
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Book 5: Betrayal
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Book 6: Identity
(Book 7 coming in 2021!)
* * *
The Lily Singer Adventures Novellas:
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: A Study In Mischief
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Cat Magic
* * *
Dark Roads Trilogy (Sebastian’s Origin)
Book 1: Accidental Witch
* * *
Other Works:
* * *
Ashes of Hope: A Post Apocalyptic Dark Fantasy Short Story
Acknowledgments
Many overflowing thanks to the people who made this book happen. There were my faithful beta readers, who never complained about my ridiculous deadlines. My good friend Reggie Van Stockum, who first told me I should publish and lent me his copy of Writer’s Market, is also to blame (he had no idea the maelstrom he was unleashing upon the world). Then there are all the wonderful people over at Almond Press publications who picked this story to publish in their anthology, Apocalypse Chronicles. They proved to me that I had no more excuses not to publish. Most special thanks to my wonderful family who have spent hours reading and editing my attempts at writing, never once discouraging me from doing what I love.
About the Author
Award-winning and USA Today-bestselling author of snark-filled urban fantasy, Lydia Sherrer thrives on creating characters and worlds you love to love, and hate to leave. She subsists on liberal amounts of dark chocolate and tea, and hates sleep because it keeps her from writing. Though she graduated with a dual BA in Chinese and Arabic, after traveling the world she came home to Louisville, KY and decided to stay there. Due to the tireless efforts of her fire-spinning gamer husband and her two overlords, er cats, she remains sane and even occasionally remembers to leave the house.
Ashes of Hope: A Post Apocalyptic Dark Fantasy Short Story
2nd Edition
(previously published under title “Hope: A Short Story”)
Copyright © 2019 by Lydia Sherrer
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-950267-99-6
Published by Chenoweth Press 2019
Louisville, KY, USA
No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is co-incidental.
Cover design by Meg Cowley www.epicfantasycovers.com
Ashes of Hope Page 4
