Sins of the Lost

Praise for the Grigori Legacy novels

“Extraordinary . . . Poitevin’s world-building is superb . . . It has everything I love in a novel—a fascinating mythology, plenty of twists and surprises, a tormented hero on a mission and a courageous heroine . . . I’m already looking forward to the sequel!”

—Christina Henry, author of
Black Wings

“Strong storytelling and a pair of intriguing characters make this title a strong draw for urban fantasy readers.”

—Library Journal

“A dark urban fantasy novel like you haven’t read before. It is electric, thrilling and extremely intelligent. Linda Poitevin’s world building is rich and layered and her writing is excellent. A fantastic new series which will appeal to urban fantasy, paranormal romance and thriller fans!”

—Ex Libris

“Urban Fantasy deeply infused with a richly developed mythology, excellent world building, characters you’ll love, and villains you’ll love to hate.”

—The Qwillery

“Dramatic and wrenching.”

—Night Owl Reviews

“[Poitevin] is an engaging new talent.”

—RT Reviews

“Those who like a darker Urban Fantasy will eat this up.”

—Paranormal Haven

“This is a new series to watch.”

—Monsters and Critics

“A gritty thriller that will keep you on the edge of the seat and up all night!”

—Romancing the Dark Side

“Absolutely engrossing.”

—Fiction Vixen

“An epic battle story of good and evil with so many scrumptious twists and turns . . . Using scintillating character development and fast-paced action, Linda Poitevin has crafted an amazing series in the Grigori Legacy. If you’re a fan of paranormal romance of the supernatural variety, you should definitely read
Sins of the Son
!”

—Fresh Fiction

“It’s got sexual tension, angels, Lucifer, and amnesia. What more can a girl want? Oh! A kick ass storyline that keeps on moving even when your eyes try to close and go to sleep. Definite late night read!”

—Heroes and Heartbreakers

Also by Linda Poitevin

Sins of the Angels

Sins of the Son

Sins of the Lost

The Grigori Legacy

Linda Poitevin

I
NTER
M
IX

INTERMIX BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

USA • Canada • UK • Ireland • Australia • New Zealand • India • South Africa • China

penguin.com

A Penguin Random House Company

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.

SINS OF THE LOST

An InterMix Book / published by arrangement with the author

PUBLISHING HISTORY

InterMix eBook edition / October 2013

Copyright © 2013 by Linda Poitevin.

Excerpt from
Sins of the Angels
copyright © 2011 by Linda Poitevin.

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ISBN: 978-1-101-63526-1

INTERMIX

InterMix Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group

and New American Library, divisions of Penguin Group (USA) LLC,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

INTERMIX and the “IM” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC

Dear Reader,

When I began writing the first book in the
Grigori Legacy
series, I had no idea that I was starting a series—or even that I was writing an urban fantasy.
Sins of the Angels
, you see, was supposed to be a single-title paranormal romance. But you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men . . . and, apparently, of writers.

As I was writing the first draft of the story, a chance conversation with a friend led me to do a little research, which led to a lot more research and a little more conversation, and so on. Befo
re I knew it, what had begun as a relatively narrow idea had grown and evolved beyond anything I had ever expected. I had taken the rich mythology of angels, built an entire Heaven and Hell around them, and then, in
Sins of the Son
, brought them into conflict with our already fragile human world.

Now we find ourselves here, at book 3.
Sins of the Lost
is by far the darkest of the three novels, and if I’ve done my job as well as I hope, the most heart-wrenching. The war between Heaven and Hell is upon us, and the choices that have to be made—by Alex, by Seth, by Aramael . . . even by the One—are nothing short of awful. The consequences, equally so.

And where does that leave you, dear reader? About to embark on one hell of a ride, I hope, so hang on tight . . . and enjoy!

Warmly,

Linda

P.S. To find out more about the Grigori Legacy series, including some of the mythology used, be sure to visit my website at www.TheGrigoriLegacy.com

Prologue

“You want me to
what
?”

The Archangel Mika’el stared at his Creator. For more than a week he had awaited her summons. He’d been prepared to endure her wrath, her bitterness, her disappointment . . . but this?

Nothing could have prepared him for this.

The One gazed back at him with equanimity. “I want you to convince Seth to take back his powers.”

Her words made no more sense the second time around.

“You can’t be serious,” he said, because it wouldn’t do to tell his Creator,
“You’re insane.”

Steel formed in the silver depths of her eyes. He held himself rigid against the desire to look away. He’d earned his place as Heaven’s greatest warrior through strength and counsel, not by folding at the first sign of the One’s displeasure. Straightening his shoulders, he met her glare with his own.

“Two weeks ago, your son’s instability damn near cost us the mortal realm,” he said. “We have no reason to think he has changed, so why would you give him his powers back?”

The One sighed. “I’m not giving them back.”

“You just said—”

“I said I want you to convince him to
take
them back.”

Mika’el’s irritation stilled. As her words sank in, he let his mind sift through to their underlying meaning. To what she wasn’t saying. Understanding glimmered.

“The earthquake,” he said. “In Vancouver.”

The One stared out the window, her gaze unfocused. “When Seth chose the mortal woman over his destiny, the energy he discarded put the entire physical world in flux. I’ve been dealing with the consequences ever since. Earthquakes, storms, tsunamis. They’ve been manageable so far, but if we don’t contain what he released soon, it will destroy the planet. Perhaps the entire universe.”

Mika’el’s blood turned cold. He’d seen the consequences of Seth giving up his power in the first place: buildings reduced to rubble, an already earthquake-prone city made more unstable. If the One was right, they’d removed one threat posed by her son only to have it replaced by this, an entirely new problem. And if her proposed solution was to have Seth take back his powers, it could only be because—

He whirled to face her. “The energy. You can’t control it.”

“I can’t so much as touch it.” Bitterness laced the Creator’s voice. “Every time I reach for it, I make it more unstable. Its very nature makes it reject my presence.”

As much as he’d expected the confirmation, it still stunned him. Still made his universe drop from under his feet. “You’re certain?”

You’re certain that you—the All-powerful, the Creator, Mother of everything—cannot control this? Cannot contain an energy that is—should be—so much less than your own?

Raw honesty gazed back at him, piercing deeper than any steel might have done. “The energy is not mine to hold, Mika’el. It was created by my union with Lucifer. It belongs only to the product of that union. I wish it could be otherwise, but—yes, I’m certain.”

“If he does this, if he takes back his powers, how strong will he be?”

If something goes wrong, if he chooses not to return to Heaven, can you stop him?

“I don’t know.”

Her answer, he knew, encompassed both questions, spoken and unspoken.

He pivoted on his heel and stalked the width of the room in one direction, then the other. “There must be another way.”

“We tried your way.”

The words held no recrimination, only a statement of fact, but they stopped him in his tracks. She was right. He’d created this mess. He’d let himself be ruled again by the arrogance that had separated him from her side all those years before, and in that arrogance, had loosed an unknown, unquantifiable force upon the world when they could least afford it.

When war between Heaven and Hell already threatened humanity with Armageddon.

He cleared his throat. “One—”

The tiny, silver-robed figure by the window held up a hand. “What’s done is done. There is no point in belaboring the issue. I just need you to convince Seth. I’ll hold things together as best I can, but I don’t know how much time I can give you.”

“He will never listen to me.”

“No. But he might listen to the woman.”

The Naphil. Of course. After choosing her over his own destiny, Seth would almost certainly listen to her. Still Mika’el hesitated. He wanted to ask what would happen afterward, if Seth did take back his power. Wanted to know . . . and already did. The measures he’d taken—the risks—none of it had changed her mind.

“You know we’re not ready to lose you,” he said gruffly.

Infinite sadness gazed back at him from silver eyes. “Loss isn’t something you’re ever ready for, my Archangel. It’s something you survive.”