Touched By Sin

Touched by Sin SINS OF THE FALLEN BOOK ONE HARLEIGH BECK This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Copyright © 2022 by Harleigh Beck All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Cover design: 3Crows Author Services Editing/Proofreading: Spooks Proofs & Passion Author Services *Not suitable for readers under 18 For the readers out there who support me on my writing journey. You’re all amazing! I love you, and I hope you enjoy this sprinkle of darkness. Contents Trigger Warnings Author’s note Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Also by Harleigh Beck Acknowledgments About the Author Trigger Warnings This is a dark PNR romance, and it contains scenes that can be incredibly disturbing to some readers. I trust that you know your triggers. The warnings include but are not limited to dub/non-con, sexual violence, sexual power games, humiliation, degradation, kidnapping, blood play, breath play, cheating, stupid decisions, and graphic murder. Please read responsibly. Author’s note Thanks for being here on this journey with me. If this is your first time, welcome. There are a few things I would like to point out before I shove you down the rabbit hole. Firstly, you won’t find your Prince or Princess Charming within these pages. These characters are not meant to be likable. They’re selfish, volatile, and have a knack for making stupid decisions. I mean, you’re about to take a trip down to Hell, where morals technically don’t exist, right? The sexual content in this book is dub and non-con throughout. There’s also a lot of it. If you’re not into that, you won’t like this book. You also won’t like this book if you’re not into male characters who finish on your face and call you a slut. Just saying. Now with that being said, enter at your own risk. Love, Harleigh Prologue AURELIA The tall, golden gates shimmer in the afternoon sun. Beyond lies the unknown, a world of misery and pain. Or so I’ve been told. Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve been curious about what lies on the other side. Eden is perfection; it’s Heaven, and the elders tell me I’m one of the lucky few born in paradise. They’re right. Everything here is beautiful. The tall trees sway in the wind, and the sweet fragrance from the colorful flowers drifts on the warm summer breeze. Eden has never known pain and misery. Us angels live a sheltered life here, which makes me curious to find out what’s on the other side. Back when I was younger, I used to climb the trees near the gates to peek at the landscape beyond the tall walls. The Garden of Eden is surrounded by a dense, dark forest with tall, spindly trees and a penetrating silence you can sense beyond these walls. Even now, I can hear it calling me, urging me to scale them. “Aurelia, what are you doing?” Freya, my best friend, asks, causing me to startle and snap my white wings shut behind me. She laughs. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” My heart is still in my throat as I drag my gaze away from the tall gates. “I thought I heard something.” Freya follows my line of sight, and her throat jumps before she circles her fingers around my arm, steering me back to the path that leads to the village. “You know we shouldn’t be out here.” “I know.” “You can’t tell anyone I let you talk me into coming along. The elders won’t be happy.” “No one will find out,” I reassure her. She hates it when I sneak out to the gates, but she’s too kind to stop me. “We shouldn’t lie,” she says, her white wings fluttering with unease behind her. “The elders have banished angels for lying.” “We’re not lying to anyone.” “You’re trouble,” she tells me, but then she smiles, and we giggle nervously. “Why do you always come out here?” she asks as I tuck my blonde hair behind my ear. Freya doesn’t understand why I feel so drawn to the gates. I don’t, either. It’s a deep-rooted curiosity. Ever since I was a little girl, the elders have told us stories about a place called Hell, where the fires never stop burning and cast out angels like us, with dark wings and sharp fangs, torture human souls. Their lands lie beyond the dark, sinister woods. It’s a place of misery, sin, and depravity. I’m curious, and it makes no sense why Freya is not. “I want to see for myself what’s beyond the gates.” Freya stumbles to a halt, and her wide eyes land on me. “Are you crazy? Why? You have everything you need here. Why would you wish for such a thing? It’s dangerous, not to mention foolish. You’re an angel, Aurelia. You live in heaven, the highest ascension. Why would you want to jeopardize it?” We’re close to the village now, and a group of angels, sparkling with light, walk past us. I wait until they’re out of earshot before replying, “Aren’t you curious about what’s beyond these walls?” “No!” she exclaims like my question is absurd. “The thought has never crossed my mind. I’m happy here. How can I not be when I live in a place of eternal happiness and unconditional love.” I step closer and lower my voice. “You speak