Free Original Sin by Allison Brennan Page A

didn’t need a human host, though they could take one easily if they wanted. God put them in Hell for a reason, and dammit, they should stay in Hell!
    The Conoscenza gave these dangerous incorporeal creatures an opportunity to escape. Humans, playing with matches and lighting the eternal fire. Manipulating demons with magic took extreme power and fine control, which few witches possessed. It would be far too easy for the demons to break free of restraint and gain the freedom they desperately wanted.
    Fiona had been so certain the evil book still existed. She had lusted for it, obsessed over it.
    If it existed, great, untold evils would be unleashed on unsuspecting humans. There would literally be Hell on earth until the End Times.
    Heat rose from the ground, dark fog swirled around and around and Moira nearly screamed. But Skye and Anthony were still talking off to the side, and they didn’t see anything, didn’t feel the heat that saturated Moira. Sweat rolled down the back of her neck, her skin burned, and in the dark she saw the eye of evil itself, staring at her, marking her. Beneath her feet the river of fire returned, its flames reaching out for her. Her mouth opened in a silent scream …
    … then it disappeared. She fell to her knees, caught her breath, and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she stood over Hell itself.
    “Moira?”
    She jumped up and whirled around, fists on the rise until she realized that it was McPherson, who had approached so quietly that Moira questioned her own instincts, her training, her will to live.
    “Sorry.” Skye assessed Moira and frowned. “Are you all right? Are you sick?”
    She must look like crap for the sheriff to sound so concerned. “Fine.” Her voice was rough. She cleared her throat. “I’m fine. So what are you doing now? Did you call Jared Santos, verify that everything I told you is the truth?”
    Skye didn’t answer her question directly. “The crime scene team is on its way; I need to ask you to leave. I shouldn’t have let you stay here in the first place. I’ve just been used to letting Anthony help …” Her voice trailed off as she glanced over at Anthony, who was inspecting something on the ground.
    “I understand,” Moira said even though she didn’t. Anthony aiding the police?
    But Moira could learn nothing more here. She needed to make sure Lily was safe, find out if Jared had found her. She pulled out her cell phone and texted Jared:
    When you find Lily take her to my motel room. Tell no one. Do not let her out of your sight. Call me!
    She sent it, then deleted all her messages with three quick strokes, just in case the cop wanted to look.
    Skye looked at her suspiciously. “You and Anthony have a history.”
    The cop’s face was blank, but Moira could read her eyes. The sheriff believed everything Anthony told her, and she now had complete disdain for Moira. It angered and embarrassed her. She reacted with sarcasm.
    “Yeah, we go way back,” she replied, adding with a wink, “but he meant nothing to me.”
    Skye was not amused. For a moment, Moira saw a hint of jealousy, which the cop quickly covered up. Anthony and a cop. That was one for the record books.
    “Tell me what happened. Start at the beginning. Why are you in Santa Louisa?”
    “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
    “You might be surprised.”
    Anthony stood only feet away. He was listening, pretending to examine one of the symbols painted onto the ground. Jerk . He could have made this so much easier if he’d just vouched for her.
    If Skye McPherson was involved with Anthony, she wasn’t ignorant of what was really going on in, above, below, and through the world.
    Moira couldn’t exactly tell the complete truth. Anthony knew enough to be dangerous to her, but he didn’t know everything. “I investigate supernatural phenomena. I believe that the fire here a couple of months ago opened a gateway from Hell. A back door of sorts. And a particularly dangerous