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

benefits and this
allows us to grow even further.” Sebastian paused. “We can start your training
tomorrow. Here. You know already if you have what it takes to embrace your
destiny.” Again, he was looking at the pocket that held her Intercessor.
    Kayla hesitated for a moment,
overwhelmed by the intensity of this vague and serious offer. She thought of
her father, of Asher’s return…and of how, without control, she both wounded and
protected Jeremy with her weapon. “Please teach me.” Her reply reached her ears
before she realized she had made a sound.
    Sebastian’s eager smile eased
the burden of the decision. He stood quickly, pulling her up with him. “Keep
this between us. Saros and his Malak don’t need to know; I don’t offer this to
just anyone.” His gaze was solemn.
    “Yes, Sebastian,” she said
quietly. Her heart was still beating fast, but no longer from apprehension.
    He led her back the way she
came, but before they reached the door, he stopped. “One quick lesson before
tomorrow…why wait?” The corners of his mouth were still upturned, but something
was different about his manner. “Draw your weapon.”
    She felt reluctant to bring it
out into the open. Her gaze fell nervously to her feet as she fumbled with the
strange object, but when she looked up again to present her Intercessor, she
gasped at the mass of twisted bone that gathered around Sebastian’s hand. Kayla
thought he might also possess this type of weapon, but this was not what she
expected. Her hilt was small, and the shape seemed natural, as if it came from
the skeleton of some exotic animal. In contrast, Sebastian’s looked like a bone
that was set haphazardly after a fracture, covered in spurs, and grafted to
other similar bones. It was a monstrosity.
    He responded to her stare. “If
you want to understand and master your Intercessor, you must have true
knowledge of yourself. Nothing can be ignored or glossed over just because you
don’t like what you see.”
    Kayla nodded. She felt certain
that he wasn’t going to hurt her now, but she was suddenly afraid.
    Sebastian noticeably relaxed,
and it was then that she recognized his earlier tension. “Even in an
uncontrolled state, your Intercessor is a part of you and may respond in
situations when you need protection. When you learn to creatively channel this
energy, it can be expressed as an extra surge of power in desperate moments.
But now, while you have not yet mastered it, you may call upon its strength to
preserve your life.” He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
    Kayla stifled a cry as she felt
his body expand, radiating a heat that reached out for her. The room now seemed
small and constricting, stuffed with warm air that clung to her skin.
Sebastian’s Intercessor vibrated before it expelled a stream of more twisted
bones, fusing with each other to form a giant, brutal sword. She realized what
had changed about his easy grin — this expression relished its own wickedness.
    “So do you have it in you?” he
murmured, “or if you can’t use your weapon, should I just take it from you
instead?” He moved in closer, his shadow falling over her.
    She held her hilt with both
hands, willing it to become a blade, a shield, anything that could protect her.
Nothing happened. She thought of Asher, even of Jeremy, but knew she was alone.
Kayla couldn’t breathe as she watched Za’in’s sword descend. She let out a
strangled cry, skidding to her knees out of the path of his blade as her
Intercessor engaged, shooting out a shower of bone shards, shattering the end
of his weapon. Kayla closed her eyes, turning her head to avoid the shrapnel.
    After a few quiet moments, the
girl knew the violence had passed and she looked down at the hilt still held
tight in her grip. It rattled between her trembling hands. Her palms and
fingers were pleasantly warm, weak with some unfamiliar, blissful ache. This
feeling smoothed away her earlier fear, her ragged breaths now hot