The Sinner and the Scholar

Blurb Amidst darkness and sin, two unlikely souls find themselves twisted in a forbidden affair that could cost them everything. Ripped from an orphanage for her wicked ways, Thea was trained as a seductive assassin for the nuns of the Hildegard Sisterhood and given a purpose as a Sinner: to bring balance to a world designed by men. She never expected to be brought to her knees by the arrival of an arrogant scholar from the all-male Team Saint. Wesley is a relentless demon hunter for the most mysterious entity in the world—the Vatican. His mission is simple: destroy evil wherever it may hide. But when he meets the sassy and smart Thea, he can’t resist falling into temptation. She's the one he’s searched for his entire life, but she belongs to an organization he’s sworn to destroy. Danger, deception, and desire collide when they discover a lost prophecy has the key to saving a loved one in each of their lives—but it will only work for one. “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned… I killed a man.” The Sinner and the Scholar The Sinner Sisterhood Book One Lana Pecherczyk This is a special promotional copy of The Sinner and the Scholar and is not available for purchase through retailers or wholesalers. Copyright © 2023 by Lana Pecherczyk Outer Cover Art Designed by Carlos Quevedo Inner Cover Art Designed by KD Ritchie 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. www.lanapecherczyk.com Contents Prologue Chapter 1 Thea Chapter 2 Thea Chapter 3 Thea Chapter 4 Wesley Chapter 5 Thea Chapter 6 Thea Chapter 7 Thea Chapter 8 Thea Chapter 9 Wesley Chapter 10 Thea Chapter 11 Wesley Chapter 12 Thea Chapter 13 Thea Chapter 14 Thea Chapter 15 Thea Chapter 16 Thea Chapter 17 Wesley Chapter 18 Thea Chapter 19 Wesley Chapter 20 Thea Chapter 21 Wesley Chapter 22 Thea Chapter 23 Thea Chapter 24 Wesley Chapter 25 Thea Chapter 26 Wesley Chapter 27 Thea Chapter 28 Thea Chapter 29 Wesley Chapter 30 Leila Chapter 31 Thea Chapter 32 Thea Epilogue Want more in The Deadlyverse? Envy Excerpt Get more on Patreon Also by Lana Pecherczyk Prologue Rain drizzles in Cardinal City. Gloom bathes the streets, but citizens still go about their day, ducking and weaving around a lone figure ringing a bell and wearing a signboard with the words Judgment is Nigh written in shaky handwriting. A hoarse voice shouts to anyone and everyone, “The lambs are breaking the seals! First, Pestilence will bring disease. Second, War will spread dissent and revenge. Third, Famine will unfurl starvation. Fourth, Death will ride a white horse and cleave a path so that Fifth, the Antichrist will rise to claim the earth for the Sixth, when the Heavens fall.” The lone figure turns, revealing the back of the sign: Have you made peace with your sins? One Thea Across the street from a nightclub called Purgatory, I check my cell phone and confirm my location. Yes. Right place, right time, but the wrong outfit. I glance down at my black dress. The neckline is too high, and the hem is too long. It’s almost midnight, and the club is pumping. I unclip my dagger from my thigh holster and use it to shear off a good two feet of fabric. Then I slice down from the center of the neckline, freeing my breasts from captivity. Well, almost. A lace bra stops me from completely exposing the world. Once satisfied with my alterations, I sheath my weapon and fluff up my hair. Lastly, I poke the silver crucifix on a necklace deep into my bra. Business time. Walking like I live in stilettos, I strut across the street, tossing my long dark hair and swaying my hips. As predicted, the bouncers are too busy checking out my goods to bother with ID or, I don’t know, the fact that I just cut the line. The trick is to look like you’re expected and unhappy about being late. Once inside, I hold that persona and move down a rabbit hole with thumping music vibrating the walls. Cigar smoke keeps what happens inside the seedy club hidden. I crest the foyer and take a moment to gather my bearings. High-class women in skimpy clothing tend a bar to the right. A sunken dance floor is perfect for lusty voyeurism from wealthy businessmen sprawled in booths around it. I have no doubt the women dancing between lascivious men are hookers or wannabe sugar babies. I continue hunting until I find what I need—the man with the fattest ego, copious women on his arms, and men groveling at his feet. He’s bald, wears a gold chain, and sits on a throne with a vantage point of the entrance. He’s not my guy. He’s just in my way. With my eyes on the prize, I stalk toward him, chin high and shoulders straight. As I pass the bar, a handsome man widens his eyes and opens his mouth. He takes a step toward me. “No.” I hold my right hand near his face and keep walking. He shuts his mouth and slinks back to the bar. I don’t have time to play tonight. Besides, ignoring every other man making eyes at me right now is part of the plan. Never once removing my gaze from the target, I walk across the dance floor. Perhaps it’s my confident carriage, devilish outfit, or God-given good looks, but dancers part like the red sea. When I hit the opposite end of the floor, I feel my target’s eyes groping me. I climb the steps and stop at his table. His gaze deliberately walks across my body, lighting up with every inch he covers. The women on either side of him pout. Their need to scratch