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

“Don’t. You’re
playing a dangerous game with him, Kayla.”
    Her voice raised a little,
defensively. “What else am I supposed to do? You brought me here and then left
me alone with him.” She looked down at their hands, hers almost completely
obscured by his long, calloused fingers and heavy knuckles. His touch was
gentle again, like it was that night… “How long has it been since I’ve seen
you?”
    He didn’t let go. “There were
things I had to take care of. Besides, I thought it would be better if I stayed
away.”
    She understood what he meant by
that, and she closed her eyes in embarrassment. “Can you blame me for not
knowing what I wanted?”
    “Look, you’re lonely. Stay with
me until Kit comes back.” He kept his face turned from her. “But if you don’t
know what you want, then you still won’t be able to tell if I’m trapping you or
saving you.”
    “Either way, I can see now that
you’re lonely too.”
    Jeremy’s features were hidden
by the shadow of his dark hair. Kayla could only see his smile, both resistant
and resigned. He stood up suddenly, pulling her with him. Led by her wrist, she
stumbled in the sand, catching her balance against his chest. He looked down at
her, grinning. “Even the stars look peaceful from a distance, right?”
    He didn’t let go of her hand as
they walked silently over the desert floor and through darkened corridors,
beneath the shadows cast by the crisscrossing iron bars above.

 
    8
     
    Jeremy had quietly left the room before dawn, careful not to
rouse her, but Kayla had noticed him leaving her side. She could hear him slide
into his boots, and softly pull his shirt down over his head. The next sound
was the gentle tug of his body armor being tied into place. He moved like
someone used to taking extra care to be silent, even now in his own room. It
was just another sign that pointed to Kittie.
    Without her, Jeremy seemed ill
at ease. Last night’s display of vulnerability was the proof that a piece of
him was missing. Kittie’s constant presence at his side was natural,
unobtrusive, and something he had maybe even taken for granted. For the first
time, Kayla saw clearly that the energy for each of his relaxed movements was
circling around empty space, and his simple consideration for her was routine,
as she served as a substitute in the void that Kittie left behind. As he lay
beside her in those early morning hours, Kayla noticed how effortlessly he kept
to his side of the small bed; it was natural to not disturb a companion beside
him.
    Now that he was gone, she
recalled the image of him stretched out on his back, his eyes closed, one arm
lying limp beside him while the other draped across his forehead. With both of
them protected by the darkness, he was able to say the words that weighed so
heavily on him.
    “Kit…we’ve never been apart.
Almost twelve years together, more than five of those with Za’in, and she’s never
been afraid of anything. Before I met her, I thought I was tough — I didn’t
know any better. It’s weird thinking about it now. I was just a little kid, but
I can’t remember a moment of innocence. I always felt like me. Even then, I
didn’t want to admit that it hurt…everyone in that place calling me ‘Saros’
every god damned day, no one letting me forget what I was or teaching me
anything at all. Some of them were too young to even know why they should hate
me. Maybe the world is fucked now, but I don’t know if I believe things were
ever really better. Not really. Not that I would know. But then Kit came.”
There was a smile in his exhalation. “And with her, it was never about escape,
and she thought things were beautiful. Sure, when we got outta there things
were even harder for a while, but I felt free and clean, no matter what I had
to do for us to get by. I never thought it was strange that she didn’t get any
older. Kit was Kit. She was right as she was. I knew there were things about
her that she hid