Commanding Flame And Shield

COMMANDING FLAME AND SHIELD GRAYSHELL RISING BOOK 1 S.J. BARNETT Copyright © 2022 Flame And Fiction LLC All rights reserved. ISBN: Paperback: 979-8-9868143-0-8 E-Book: 979-8-9868143-1-5 Cover Art: Seventhstar Art Editor: Melissa Kaylor No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Therefore, the stories and characters in the novel are fictitious. All names, characters, companies, places, events and occurrences are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or actual places or events is purely coincidental. Public bodies, institutions, or historical figures mentioned in the story serve as a backdrop for the characters and their actions, but these are wholly imaginary. AUTHOR’S NOTE “A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.” - Jo Goodwin This book is intended for adult audiences and is not suitable for readers under 18 years of age. Your mental health matters. This book contains content that may not be suitable for all readers, including, but not limited to: blood, gore, and death, gratuitous violence, torture, explicit sexual thoughts and scenes, reincarnation, alcohol use, mention of drug use, vampirism, soul groups, fantastical romanticization of the nephilim, psychic activity, elemental magic, decapitation, implied suicide, death of a loved one, mention of rape, hostage situation, panic attacks, demonic ceremony, possession and exorcism, resurrection, christian themes, prayers, and religious traditions, anti-religious rhetoric and discussion, and eternal mates/ideals that mimic purity culture… If any of the listed elements may negatively impact your mental health, thank you for considering Commanding Flame and Shield, and deciding instead to honor your own well being. Grayshell came to me in a dream in 2009, and in the more than decade since, the visions of this world poured out and solidified into life and color, and I’m so grateful they’re finally on paper. The characters in this book are predominately (though not exclusively) Christian, and while they’re incredibly flawed people, who love and make mistakes like the rest of us, they make a valiant effort to fight for that paradigm, all while other characters, the world and their circumstances challenge their faith. Some religious themes are naturally interwoven in their world (they are half angel, after all). If you have religious trauma, know that we do too, but this piece of them was so integral it had to stay. I know how deeply those wounds can go, and did my best not to allow my own history with church hurt to overshadow the adventure of their world. That being said, throughout the Grayshell series, we will also meet clans from all over the world that don’t share this set of beliefs, and come with all of their own flavor, traditions, and natural conflicts. If indulging in a wide variety of beliefs and thought processes isn’t something you’re comfortable with, this series might not be for you. If, however, your mind is open to watch this wild world, I am pleased to introduce you to the Grayshell Rising series. Xoxo-SJB This one is for my mama bird. You made me promise to dance, even if I was breaking. To get up…just one. More. Time. Ten years after you earned your wings, I’m doing the damn thing. Loving you always. Until we meet again. CONTENTS 1. Lost Soul 2. Just A Dream 3. Summoning 4. Crawlers 5. Sire 6. Ascended 7. A Beautiful Ascension 8. Alec 9. Flight 10. Anointed 11. Lightning Bearer 12. King Calloway 13. Honey 14. The Cabin 15. Guardian 16. Confession 17. Training 18. Tracking 19. Brimstone 20. Burn 21. Storm 22. Stitches 23. Two Commanders 24. Tequila 25. Estelle 26. The Pub 27. Sarah 28. Bound 29. Witching Hour 30. All Saints’ Day 31. Trial By Fire 32. Play 33. Bullets And Balls 34. Pizza 35. Westerlunds 36. Sun’s Up 37. Vampires 38. Foreplay 39. Lorenzo’s 40. Brothers of Renown 41. Prophecy 42. Battle Call 43. Race 44. The Gala 45. Daughter Of The King 46. Firestorm 47. Snow 48. Reapers 49. Bones 50. Ultimatum 51. Broken Ward 52. Soul Bound 53. Lemons 54. Traditions 55. Working Theory 56. Sanctuary 57. Soul Nova 58. Outmatched 59. Melting 60. Little Nova 61. Retribution 62. Dancing With Devils 63. Bargain 64. Jump 65. Proof Of Life 66. Death Dance 67. Blood Wolves 68. Prayers 69. Lamb 70. The Wraith 71. Broken 72. Last Stand 73. Catch 74. Blade 75. Chasm 76. Reckoning 77. Waiting 78. Regression 79. Aftermath 80. Lake House 81. Family 82. Lost 83. Allies 84. Porcelain 85. Sisters 86. ONE LOST SOUL ALVARA My temples ached as I scoured the broad room, searching for his scent. His energy. Anything that could lead us to him. But this cluttered shop, with all its musty aromas, was full of distractions and secrets—just not the ones we sought. Dust glittered in a ray of sunlight that sliced through the gloom, but my attention caught on something beyond it. There was blatant age in the honey-colored wood of the piano, the worn keys looking so loved that they might break under my touch. I walked to the corner where it sat, a smile on my face before my fingers even connected with its weathered surface. My favorite part of my clairvoyant existence was my gift to read history within objects. I pulled my long hair back into a bun at the nape of my neck and took a cleansing breath. The instant I caressed the intricate Victorian design engraved on the instrument’s side, my eyes were forced closed, and they plunged me into the piece’s demanding energy, witnessing flashes of its story. Dozens of balls, pirouetting figures vanishing into smoke on either side...A grandmother’s foyer, where her children and grandchildren gathered to watch, enamored, as her wrinkled hands flew across the black and white