Mortal Sin

• FOREWORD
  
• CAST OF MAIN CHARACTERS
  
• DEDICATION
  
• CHAPTER ONE
  
• CHAPTER TWO
  
• CHAPTER THREE
  
• CHAPTER FOUR
  
• CHAPTER FIVE
  
• CHAPTER SIX
  
• CHAPTER SEVEN
  
• CHAPTER EIGHT
  
• CHAPTER NINE
  
• CHAPTER TEN
  
• CHAPTER ELEVEN
  
• CHAPTER TWELVE
  
• CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  
• CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  
• CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  
• CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  
• CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  
• CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  
• CHAPTER NINETEEN
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  
• CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  
• CHAPTER FORTY
  
• CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  
• CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  
• CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  
• CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  
• CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  
• CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  
• EXCERPT FROM NOTORIOUS
  
• EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM COMPULSION
  
• BOOK LIST
  

MORTAL SIN

SEVEN DEADLY SIN SERIES

ALLISON BRENNAN

MORTAL SIN Copyright © 2014 ALLISON BRENNAN

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Allisonbrennan.com

Cover design by
The Killion Group

Interior formatting by Amy Eye,
The Eyes for Editing

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

You may not use, reproduce or transmit in any manner, any part of this book without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews, or in accordance with federal Fair Use laws. All rights are reserved.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only; it may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to your eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

“Seductive, suspenseful and exquisitely written… 
Original Sin
is the perfect read for any fan of the supernatural/thriller genre, or any reader in search of a fantastic escape.”

—
San Francisco Examiner

“Brennan shows a deft command of all things both normal and otherworldly in crafting one of the best tales of its kind since Dean Koontz and Stephen King were still writing about monsters. There’s no shortage of those here and the result is a new genre classic.”

—
Providence Sunday Journal

“An exciting supernatural adventure.”

—
Mindful Musings

“Top-notch character development…  equally top-notch plot at work…  Allison Brennan outdid herself. ORIGINAL SIN delivers all the supernatural chills and thrills in an edge-of-your-seat story that you need to read late at night for full effect.”

—
Leontine Book Reviews

“Darkly powerful [and] shiver inducing!”

—
RT Book Reviews

“An action packed thriller, filled with demons and evil witches that will have your spine shivering…  A nice introductory [paranormal romance] if you are a fan of thrillers. Fans of horror, authors like Koontz and King should take a look.”

—
Blog with Bite Reviews

“A Perfect 10!”

—
Romance Reviews Today

“
Original Sin
is the start to what promises to be an amazing paranormal series…  I’m pretty sure that Moira will be on my list of top five heroines of 2010. She’s that good… So far, this is the best book I’ve read in 2010.”

—
Book Binge

“A terrific mixture of suspense, mystery and a lot of action with a hint of romance…  I found myself repeatedly surprised by the turns in the plot. I have definitely been pulled into the world of the Seven Deadly Sins and I cannot wait until
Carnal Sin
releases later this year.”

—
Fantasy Dreamers Ramblings

Dear Reader:

I first had the idea for the Seven Deadly Sins series in 2003. I began writing
Original Sin,
but ended up selling a romantic suspense novel, and my publisher wanted me to write more romantic suspense. Half done, I put my supernatural thriller aside and delivered twelve romantic thrillers, all of which hit the
New York Times
bestseller list.

Fortunately, my books did well and my publisher then wanted my supernatural thriller series. I was so excited to write them! The first two books,
Original Sin
and
Carnal Sin
, were published in 2010—seven years after I conceived of the idea. The books didn’t sell as well as my romantic suspense titles and my publisher didn’t want anymore. I was upset because I loved the series, but as the sole breadwinner for my family, I had to consider all my options.

It’s easy to pass blame around or think about what I should have done or what they should have done. But the end result was the same: I had to write books for which I could get paid, and
Mortal Sin
, the third book of the Seven Deadly Sins series, was shelved.

I never thought I’d be able to write this book, but over the last four years, I’ve received more email about this series and this book than all my other books combined. Those emails gave me the heart to open the file and finish writing
Mortal Sin
. I wrote this for you, my faithful reader, as much as for me. I’m hoping that you’ll enjoy this story as much as the others.

If you need a refresher, the Foreword is a summary of the events leading up to
Mortal Sin.
I’ve also included a “Cast of Key Characters.”

Mortal Sin
is a labor of love—
your
love. Without you, I would never have finished this book. Thank you.

Happy Reading,

Allison Brennan

Six months ago, a massacre at Santa Louisa de los Padres Mission, the “Lost” Mission of California, took the lives of twelve priests and left psychologist and former seminarian Rafe Cooper in a coma. Demonologist Anthony Zaccardi from St. Michael’s Order—an isolated and clandestine monastery that specializes in battling supernatural evil—travelled to Santa Louisa to find out what happened and stop a demonic ritual that would have Earth-shattering consequences. He partners with Sheriff Skye McPherson, who doesn’t believe in anything she can’t see, and the two must work together or they both will perish.

The novella, “Deliver Us from Evil” in the anthology
What You Can’t See,
introduced three of the four main characters in the Seven Deadly Sins series. I had not planned for that novella to be connected to the series, but when I started writing
Original Sin
, I realized that I’d unconsciously set up the back story for the series. This novella doesn’t have to be read to understand the events in the Seven Deadly Sins series, but it does introduce Anthony Zaccardi and Skye. While they solve the puzzle of how the twelve priests were slaughtered in a locked room, they didn’t realize then that a portal to Hell had been opened.

Moira O’Donnell had been raised in the dark arts by her mother, Fiona, who planned to sacrifice her on her twenty-first birthday in order to serve as a liaison with Hell, the Mediator to the Underworld. Moira had been a powerful witch, wanting to please her mother, until she witnessed a human sacrifice that terrified her—and saw her mother’s end game. Moira ran, and ultimately ended up protected by a clandestine monastery designed to battle supernatural evils.

But Moira didn’t realize that even though she began to use her powers for good, those same powers could lead her mother right to her. When a demon possessed her, she killed the man she loved, and vowed never to use magic again.

She left St. Michael’s in Sicily for training at Olivet in Montana, a secluded enclave of warriors against evil. For seven years, she has been training, battling evil, and searching for her mother…  and in
Original Sin,
she finds her, ten weeks after the portal to Hell opened.

By following paranormal bulletin boards and more subtle supernatural signs, Moira was led to Santa Louisa, a fictional California town on the central coast—think somewhere between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. She knows her mother is up to no good, but she has no idea just how bad her mother has become.

Fiona O’Donnell planned to release the Seven Deadly Sins from Hell. They are not ordinary demons, but instead incarnate fallen angels, as old as Lucifer himself. Her goal is to control them in order to lead her to the Tree of Life, necessary to gain immortality. She’s united disparate covens across the globe in a successful attempt to build her power.

The ritual to release the Seven was halted by former seminarian Rafe Cooper, who woke from a coma with knowledge he doesn’t understand how he possesses. While he stopped Fiona from controlling the Seven, he couldn’t send them back to Hell, and they dispersed, partly free to roam the Earth and claim souls for the Underworld.

Original Sin
focuses on the demon Envy, and how his touch infects those pre-disposed to being envious. There’s a murder mystery, car chases, and old-fashioned forensics as well as good witches and bad, demons who seek destruction and souls, and battle magic. Anthony despises Moira because the man she’d loved and killed while possessed had been his brother, but to battle the Seven, they must learn to work together. Rafe and Moira each save the other and find a connection that is both fearsome and comforting. Allies and enemies are made, and one of their own falls.

In
Carnal Sin,
two weeks after
Original Sin
ends, the demon Lust turns up in Los Angeles, and Skye’s medical examiner thinks he has a clue as to how the Seven infect humans. Rafe and Moira work with—and against—disbelieving Detective Grant Nelson, who becomes infected by the demon Lust himself. So far, everyone infected eventually dies, and the only way to stop the spread of the Deadly Sin is to trap the demon.

Moira and Rafe uncover a coven of female witches who worship a powerful succubus, but instead of bringing forth that demon, they accidentally trap the demon Lust, who they can not control. One of the witches was part of Fiona’s coven that fled Santa Louisa, and she plans to capture and turn Moira over to Fiona. A charismatic minister, a popular nightclub, the murder investigation of a cheating husband, astral projection, human sacrifice, and a ghost at the morgue all haunt this book. Rafe and Moira find themselves wondering if the demon Lust has infected them… or if they truly have something special.

As Moira and Rafe battle the demon Lust, others in St. Michael’s Order are wondering how the two have been so successful… and why Moira’s blood seems to be poison to demons.

The novella “Ghostly Justice,” which was originally published in a charity anthology
Entangled
, is now available as a stand-alone. This story has the same characters as
Carnal Sin
(Moira, Rafe and Detective Grant Nelson) but is separate from the series as they don’t battle one of the Seven. Rafe and Moira go back to L.A. to help Grant with a “woo-woo” case—he’s identified a Jane Doe at the morgue, and she was ex-sanguiated. More than half her blood was drained from her body, with two vampire-like marks are prominent on her neck. Jane Doe is a ghost at the morgue and Rafe is able to see her and talk to her—a skill he never had before his coma. They learn that a club catering to wannabe vampires is practicing human sacrifices in order to call forth a powerful blood demon.