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Take a bite out of Scarlett St. Clair ’s newest fantasy series.
After all, the Hades X Persephone Saga author is ready to take summer by storm with Terror at the Gates , out July 8. The first installment of her The Blood of Lilith series, St. Clair’s feminist retelling of the myth of Lilith takes readers on an epic journey of rage, romance, and resilience .
So just who is Lilith Leviathan as depicted by St. Clair? Well, she is a tenacious female leader seeking autonomy over her life. Estranged from her powerful family she rejects societal standards and finds refuge in Nineveh, a district in Eden devoted to sin where she uses her magic to steal for a living. After Lilith encounters an unusual blade , matters take a turn for the worse , leading her to seek assistance from the only man who can help her: Zahariev, head of the Zareth family and ruler of Nineveh. Together, they embark on a mission to discover the true power running their world.
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St. Clair skillfully weaves a web of high fantasy world-building elements into a beautifully crafted novel relevant to modern day conversation. And fans can look no further than E! News' exclusive excerpt to see how.
“This was one of the first scenes I wrote for Terror at the Gates ," St. Clair explained to E! News. "The dynamic between Abram and Lilith is reminiscent of a mentor, except everyone in Nineveh is out for their own gain. This scene is the pivotal moment when Lilith’s fate is determined.”
Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt from Terror at the Gates .
The shop name was displayed in a gilded arc across a large window, but windows were risky in Nineveh, so it was barred and blacked out from the inside. His door was rotting, the green paint peeling, and when I opened it, a bell dinged over my head.
Abram was standing behind a polished wooden counter that looked a lot like a bar, especially because a mirror served as his backdrop, but I knew he used it to keep an eye on his shop when his back was turned. Abram was an older man with white hair and a matching beard. He had a round face and a stout body. When I entered, he looked up at me over his half-moon glasses and grimaced.
“You again?”
“Don’t pretend you aren’t happy to see me,” I said.
He slipped his glasses to the top of his head. “All you do is clutter my shop with junk.”
“You pay for it.”
Abram huffed and returned the coin he’d been inspecting to a tray before moving the entire thing to the counter behind him.
“What useless thing have you brought today?”
“What have I brought you that you haven’t been able to resell?” I asked.
He paused and then bent, heaving a large, wooden crate full of random s--t I’d sold him over the last two years.
“Hey, those are really nice sunglasses,” I said, reaching for them.
Abram moved the crate out of my reach.
I met his sour gaze. “You have to admit, I’ve gotten better.”
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Arriving in Nineveh was a lesson in survival, and it had taken me a few months to get my feet under me. In that time, I’d had tons of my own stuff stolen. Apparently everything I had screamed Hiram, and it made me a target for a while, until Zahariev threw his credit card at me and told me to buy new clothes, which seemed counterintuitive, but in Eden, fabrics equaled status.
The clothes had helped me blend in, but nothing acclimated me like time.
I rose onto the tips of my toes for a closer look at the box.
“I don’t see that relic I brought you two weeks ago,” I said. “Or the cross from the week before.”
The relic was a necklace with a plait of hair encapsulated in glass. It was said to belong to Saint Sebastian, a man whose life I knew nothing about, save that the church had canonized him. I doubted the hair actually belonged to him, but who really knew. In any case, people paid good money for a piece of a saint, no matter how small. I’d taken the cross from a priest. It was solid gold, set with rubies, and had dangled from his belt—a belt he’d been willing to remove without any encouragement from my magic.
Though other than creation, celibate priests were probably the biggest myth in Eden.
“Lying is a sin, Abram,” I said.
“Sin is our currency, girl,” he said, shoving the box under the counter. “Well?”
“Don’t call me girl ,” I said, drawing the blade Ephraim had given me from my pocket. I refused to say steal. I set it on the counter. Beneath the light of Abram’s antique shop, it looked a little less stunning, but I thought that was intentional. He wanted everything to present poorly so he could lowball his customers.
His expression changed, bushy brows rising as surprise flashed in his eyes, though he managed to put a cap on his interest when he spoke, not a hint of wonder in his voice.
“Where did you find this?” he asked, picking it up to examine it closely.
“Around,” I said. Usually, I would get straight to the point and demand a sum of money, a few hundred dollars more than I wanted in hopes that Abram would negotiate down to what I needed, but this time, I was actually curious about the blade. Plus, if he gave me details, perhaps I could get more than just a few months’ rent out of him. “So? What is it?”
“A dagger,” he replied.
I rolled my eyes. “I know that, a--hole. It’s special, isn’t it?”
He didn’t answer me but paused to open a drawer. He pulled out a jeweler’s eyepiece, using it to scan the stones.
I didn’t like his silence and crossed my arms over my chest as I waited, tapping my foot. After a few seconds, he tossed his eyepiece into the drawer and closed it before resting the blade on the counter.
“Two hundred,” he said.
I couldn’t tell what I felt more keenly: anger or shock at his offer.
“ F--k you. That blade is worth at least three thousand, and you know it!”
Abram chuckled. “Might be what it’s worth, but I have to make a profit.”
I glared at the old man. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll just pay my rent with the f–king dagger.”
I went to snatch it back, but Abram grabbed it first.
I reached for my gun, furious. I had done business with this man since I’d moved to Nineveh, and this was how he treated me? F--k ing blade must be worth a small fortune, but when I met the old man’s gaze, I froze.
The whites of his eyes were red.
The color drained from my face, and for a moment, I ceased to breathe.
“Abram?”
He blinked, and a trail of blood raced down his cheek.
He lifted his hand, touching his face. When he pulled it away, he rubbed his fingers together, brows furrowing, as if he did not understand what was happening.
I didn’t understand what was happening.
The old man lifted his bloody gaze to mine. His face had turned a garish color. A low, strange whine came from his mouth, like he was a balloon leaking air, and as he made that sound, he seemed to fall in slow motion, hitting the ground with a hollow thud.
For a few seconds, I stood stunned, unable to process what the f--k had just happened.
“Abram?” I called and then jumped, resting my stomach on the counter as I peered down at the floor. He lay on his back, eyes pools of blood.
He was definitely dead.
“What the f--k ,” I muttered under my breath.
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I dropped down from the counter. My body felt weird, like my bones were shaking, but then I realized I really was shaking as I drew my phone out of my pocket to call the only person I could think of—my emergency contact, Coco.
The phone rang and rang.
“Come on, come on, come on,” I murmured under my breath. When she didn’t answer, I hung up and called again. Then the bell rang, signaling someone was entering the shop. I bolted for the door, shoving my weight against it. Whoever was on the other side shoved back.
“We’re closed!” I shouted, fumbling for the lock. I clicked it into place despite my trembling fingers and put the phone back to my ear.
“Lilith?”
“Coco, thank f--k! ” I said. Relief descended through my body like a cooling wave, though it did nothing to ease my racing heart.
Someone punched the door.
“ F--k off!” I yelled.
“Lilith, what is going on?”
“Coco, something bad has happened.”
“Where are you?”
“Raphael’s Relics,” I said. “Look, Abram is dead.”
“Dead?”
“Yes! I don’t know what to do!”
I couldn’t think. It felt wrong to leave him, but he also had cameras everywhere. I realized I wasn’t exactly responsible, but I also didn’t trust the enforcers to believe me, even with video. They worked for the church, and I was a woman. It was likely, being the daughter of Lucius Leviathan, I wouldn’t have to serve time, but they would definitely use any excuse to send me back to my father, and I’d do just about anything to avoid that.
“Hold on,” Coco said.
There was a sound like static and the distant echo of music. I waited, my throat feeling tighter and tighter.
“It’s Lilith,” I heard Coco say. “She’s in trouble.”
There was a pause, and then I heard Zahariev’s voice.
I almost groaned. Of course she would go to him .
“Lilith.” He said my name and nothing else.
“Abram is dead, and I don’t know what to do,” I said.
There was silence on the other side. I wondered what he was thinking, what he looked like. Was he clenching his jaw or pursing his lips? He did both when he was frustrated.
“I’m coming,” he said and then hung up.
Slowly, I let my hand drop to my side, clutching my phone. It was the first time I realized how loud silence could be. I looked around, feeling crowded by everything in the cluttered shop. After a few seconds, I crept around the counter. Abram lay still, and despite the lack of movement, I called his name. I don't even know why. I didn't expect him to answer.
There was silence.
Copyright © 2025 by Scarlett St. Clair
Terror at the Gates releases on July 8 . Keep reading for more new books to check out this summer.
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