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

by Scarlett St. Clair

To the women who were told they must submit to the dominance of man.

Forgiveness was an invitation to sin. I witnessed it every week, which was why I’d decided a long time ago that I did not care to be forgiven. I’d rather be a sinner than a hypocrite.

Except that was all really bullshit, because the blood of the Elohai—the blood of God—only gave magic to women. It made us powerful, a power we could not even utilize because we were subservient to men.

My magic was the downfall of my obedience. It wasn’t until then I realized everything the church had tried to say about women was a lie. We were not responsible for lust in men. We existed, and they desired.

rarely yearned for partnership. I didn’t like the idea of answering to someone or having to make decisions with someone, but when I witnessed the gentleness between these two, I thought maybe, if it was like this, I wouldn’t mind.

Maybe it was because in all the time we’d known each other, I’d never been this vulnerable with him before. Or maybe it was because I wanted him to touch me. Not in a sexual way. I just wanted to be held by someone who actually cared.

had hope in a world that punished me simply for existing, yet I’d been under the delusion I could somehow escape the consequences.

liked the way he tempered dominance with tenderness. I needed both.