Terror at the Gates (Blood of Lilith, #1)

by Scarlett St. Clair

Our role in this world is to reinforce the power of faith, my mother would say. Faith in what? I asked. It’s our magic, not God’s. My mother had jerked me by the wrist. It wasn’t painful, but I still remembered the fear that had unfurled inside me as I met her severe gaze. When my mother was angry with me, she became a different person, a monster. You are Elohai, she had said between her teeth. The blood of God is in your veins. It is God’s magic. It has always been God’s magic. Never forget.

I hadn’t forgotten her words, but I also didn’t understand why my mother, who was strong, determined, and more independent than any of the other family matriarchs, gave her power to this institution that had done nothing but harm me.