House of Saints

By A.C. Mason

In 1890s London, young Simone Baden is left with responsibility of her two brothers. Being a woman of color with very little experience, she cannot provide for them through honest means and is soon desperate. From the women at the boarding house, she hears of a brothel that caters to the unusual—supernaturals. With the ache of hunger growing in her brothers’ bellies and the threat of eviction looming, she has no choice but to barter her body and freedom.

Eravas Lilu is an ancient spirit of desire who excels at what he does—teaching the arts of pleasure to women—but Simone is different. With a male and female helper, decadent instruction follows to mold his charge into Magdalene. Enthralled by her inner beauty, he finds himself at a crossroads.

Shall he let her new profession take her soul, or give up his own in exchange for hers...?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Decadent Publishing
• Release date: Feb 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781613332337

Book preview

House of Saints

By

a.c. Mason

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 by a.c. Mason

ISBN: 978-1-61333-233-7

Cover art by Fiona Jayde

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Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

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Also by a.c. Mason

Surrendering to the Right Man

Firestorm

A 1Night Stand Story

~DEDICATION~

Luke 15:7

Author Foreword

As always with my supernatural creatures, House of Saints came from research I’d been doing. I couldn’t help my esoteric nature. I came across Lilith, often referred to as the mother of vampirism. She goes back to Sumerian/Akkadian times: 2000 to 3000 BC. There is a wide range of beliefs around her. She is often found mentioned with Lilu (male) and Lilin (female), sometimes noted as the succubus and incubus. In my mythology for House of Saints they are part of an ancient race that incites lust, obsession, and desire.

Glossary

Barrister – A lawyer who is qualified to represent clients in the higher law courts in England and Wales.

Solicitor – Prepares legal documents and provides legal advice. Some may also represent clients in court.

Waist – A woman’s blouse was referred to as a waist in the Victorian period.

Chapter One

Sins of Desperation

October 1, 1890

Simone Baden held her brother Charles’s hand with a vise grip. The dreary London downtown street bustled with pedestrians. A bitter nip from the damp, cool air gusted through her worn cloak. Due to the heavy overcast, barely a shadow appeared.

I’m going to be fine, Charles repeated to her.

Worry tensed her shoulders. Since last week, when a man had kicked her younger brother and told him to get a job in a workhouse, she hadn’t been eager to agree to let him perform. She’d intervened and had taken the man’s umbrella blow to her back, but she feared not getting to him in time. What if someone hurt him again? But this time more gravely than the last? She was the eldest, at one-and-twenty, and couldn’t provide for her younger brothers. Not a single position she had sought reaped a steady flow of income to feed and house her brothers and herself. It had been days since they’d had more than stale bread. However, none of that mattered at this very moment; she needed to be sharp to ensure Charles’s safety.

I know, because I won’t let anything happen to you. That was a promise she wouldn’t break. Not to her father, to whom she had sworn on his deathbed. Not to God, to whom she prayed to for the protection of Charles and Louis. Nor to herself. Charles was the youngest, and gents and ladies would spare a coin for a performance of his soprano voice. His pitch was like that of a seraphim. At least it brought her to Heaven whenever she heard him sing. It was a blessing he should be using in a school choir, but that was another item she couldn’t manage to provide for her brothers.

Charles smiled up at her. She scurried to hide by the building, no more than a few feet away, so she might reach him with haste.

Her brother began to sing and passersby smiled. The sun gleamed through thick clouds just for him. He danced along to the tune and the crowd seemed pleased. When he finished his song, a well-dressed lady in a red cape approached and handed him a few pence.

They didn’t dare get greedy. He slipped out the back of the gathered group. She heard the whistle of a Yard Man. She’d yet to meet a kind one or one with intelligence, though she did hope such law enforcement existed.

The uniformed man took Charles by the collar and lifted him.

She ran to them. Please, sir, he’s a boy.

He took the money from her brother’s hand. Charles prepared to fight back. However, when her brother saw the look on her face, he squeezed his lips closed tightly and folded his arms across his chest.

Is this here riffraff your responsibility? The large man’s beady eyes examined her as he released her brother.

Charles moved to her side and clutched her skirt.

Yes, sir. She retreated, pushing him to relative safety behind her skirt.

He licked his lips, wetting them. If you give me a kiss, I’ll give the boy back his coin. He moved in closer. As he opened his mouth, the pungent scent of liquor blew over her face. She shivered in disgust. If she didn’t