Shadows of the Seven Sins by Emily Colin




Here's a little teaser excerpt from one of the short stories from my upcoming collection, SHADOWS OF THE SEVEN SINS, set in the universe of my Seven Sins series. I'll be sharing some more excerpts from the book as we get closer to release date, so stay tuned!

“Lean on me, Kilían. We can do this,” Kennett whispered as they went. “Remember, ‘the race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong.’” These were the words that the Mothers read to them each night, along with the parables of the sins that had led to the Empire’s Fall.

Kilían bit his lip so hard it bled, trying hard not to let his reaction show. To contradict the Mothers when they spoke of such things was heresy—but he believed these words to be lies. Perhaps they held true for the Commonwealth’s citizens at large, but certainly not for the bellators whose ranks he aspired to join. “There are many kinds of strength,” he whispered back.

It was a simple statement—but when Kennett’s hand tightened on his waist, he imagined that perhaps the other boy was reveling in the sensation of this unexpected intimacy, just as he was. For the ninety seconds it took for them to reach the finish line, he let himself imagine things that were beyond verboten: lying in the meadow beyond the vineyards with Kennett, his head on the other boy’s chest, looking up at the clouds that drifted across the sky; pressing a kiss to Kennett’s lips under the watchful eye of the sickle moon.

Something was terribly wrong with him. Kissing was forbidden, let alone kissing another boy. Not that it mattered who you kissed, he supposed; getting caught doing it only ended one way: on your knees in Clockverk Square, with your neck bared for a bellator’s sverd.

Kilían had always expected to be the one wielding the blade. He had no plans to find himself on the receiving end.

Shadows of the Seven Sins




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