Free Dominion of the Star (Descendants of the Fallen Book 1) by Angelica Clyman

“It’s
superstition, remember? Sure, the masses will freak out and cause the
destruction they’re afraid of, but you’re here with us now. No one fucks with
the Spheres.”
    “So it was a coincidence?”
    “I dunno. Doesn’t matter.”
    Kayla’s brow tightened. “No…it
does. Sebastian wanted you to be an Arch because you’re a Saros child. That
same thing other people hated you for — he finds it valuable. He was looking
for me and I have a relic; you know that. That’s tied to the story of the
Angels, inhabitants of Heaven, realm of the sun. He wants to change the world.
You said it yourself in Kittie’s room! And there’s a sense of urgency here… I
know you can feel it. Something is going to happen during this next Eclipse.”
    “Shit happens all the time,
Kayla.”
    “He didn’t tell you, did he?”
she murmured.
    “Of course Za’in has something
planned,” Jeremy snapped. “He always does. But I don’t care what happens when
the sky darkens. I don’t live under its shadow anymore.”
    Kayla cringed. She didn’t know
how she hoped this would go, but she didn’t mean to keep hitting his sore spots
like this. “I’m sorry. I’m talking about things I don’t understand. I’ll ask
him about Kittie; I’m sure she’s okay—”
    Jeremy roughly grabbed her
wrist, stopping her from fleeing. “Hey, relax. This got weird quick. Forget it.
And you’re right, even though you don’t know it… Kit always ends up on top.
She’s a tough girl. It wouldn’t be the first time Za’in went for her. He knows
she’s different, and he doesn’t like people to keep their own secrets.” There
was a trace of a smile on his face. “But he doesn’t know what he’s getting into
with her — she always gets her way. I’m the one that’s having a hard time with
it. She’ll come back laughing and I’ll just be glad she’s my Ophan.”
    Kayla watched him visibly
relax. The pain, rage, and fear in him had boiled to the surface, and then sunk
beneath his cool exterior again as quickly as it arose. Jeremy seemed cleansed
by the rapid-fire release of those emotions. He glanced back at her a few times
when her gaze was fixed on the stars, and something about the quality of his
attention made her feel as though he recognized her place in that process
tonight.
    She was moved by a strange
sense of belonging. This wasn’t what she expected when she ran away in search
of answers, but wasn’t she finally uncovering truth? The feeling first emerged
in Sebastian’s studio. Each day under his tutelage she became stronger and more
able to express herself through her Intercessor. She was told a few stories
about her father, and there was still the promise that Asher Serafin would be
here soon. She wasn’t troubled by Jeremy’s ominous statements. Sebastian was a
leader, and she knew that required him to make difficult choices. Whatever
those actions were, it was the Earth’s welfare he had in mind, so couldn’t his
sins be forgiven? Even now, her lingering resentment towards Jeremy was being
washed away by her new understanding of his circumstances.
    As she watched the clouds
moving past the stars, Kayla could feel the vastness of the heavens and the earth,
and the pressure of the two of them sitting right in the rift. She thought of
the empty spaces she still needed to fill between the past and the present, and
she wondered if her father had ever been in this same spot before.
    “Jeremy, you’re the Arch of the
Second Sphere, right?”
    “Mm.”
    “Do you know which Sphere my
father commanded?”
    She could feel the tightness
return to his muscles. “I thought you didn’t know anything about that.”
    “I don’t. Not really.”
    Jeremy wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“First Sphere. Now don’t ask me any more of those kinds of questions.”
    Kayla let out a frustrated
sigh. “Fine, I’ll just ask Sebastian.”
    His hand closed over hers
instinctively, as if he was going to pull her away from harm.