Chapter 6 - Above Cursed Winds

Being an air Elemental had its perks.

On top of his ability to fly, become invisible to the naked eye, and stop bullets with a wave of his hand, Jeremiah effectively became a turbulence killer whenever the plane he was on threatened to dive or shake.

Subconsciously, his abilities monitored the wind flow and air currents just outside of the plane, nullifying any gust before it could jostle it. Even without his conscious intent, the gifts Mother Nature bestowed on him ensured a smooth ride and quelled any queasiness his fellow passengers might’ve had.

And just as easily, he could down the plane if he chose to.

Though he could’ve ridden the wind from Iowa, the trek would’ve taken an inordinate amount of time, and time was a luxury they didn’t have. Hopping on a plane to Hawaii was the next best option.

As soon as Isaiah had teleported them back to Paracel, Jeremiah had stalked off, unheeding any of their calls to stop him. He didn’t want the Raeth sovereign to teleport him to Oahu. He needed the time to clear his head, and if he’d spent any more time in Isaiah’s company, he might be charged with murder. Instead, he’d locked his door, bought a plane ticket, and threw a bag together with the bare necessities.

Regardless of how many times Gideon knocked on his door or blew up his phone, he didn’t answer his monarch’s call. Why should he? The earth Elemental would only attempt to analyze once more why he lacked the capacity to move on. Jeremiah had had enough of his actions and feelings being scheduled by other people.

While Rukia had taken Gideon’s death just as poorly as he had, she’d found refuge in the arms of her mate. When Gideon had come back to life, she seemed to chalk the entire incident up to lessons learned and skipped on about her merry way, as if nothing had happened.

Jeremiah had a different story.

The image of Gideon’s blood pooling beneath his motionless body, executed only yards away from him, would never leave him. The memory had spread across his mind like a pervasive miasma of frustration and incompetence, poisoning every part of him that was once healthy.

And as much as Gideon implored him to move forward, Jeremiah simply couldn’t seem to escape the mire. He remained rooted in the memory where he’d watched his best friend die.

All of it, because Jeremiah hadn’t been able to save him. His failure had been eating away at him for the better part of two years. To see someone else make the same mistakes—mistakes that would eventually cost someone their life—was unacceptable.

He’d been cruel to Zia; he could admit that much. But she was responsible, and someone had to be punished.

Jeremiah opened his eyes. Overhead, the captain welcomed them to the islands and said something about local weather. Passengers stood before the plane even stopped moving, too anxious to escape the metal confines.

While Jeremiah was certainly in a rush, he waited and was the last one to leave.

Finally standing, he reluctantly grabbed his backpack from the overhead compartment and slung it over his shoulder before stalking off the plane, barely noting his surroundings.

Nero’s clan lands would be easy to find. Though he hadn’t been there before, his sense of direction was unparalleled, and he’d gathered the coordinates before he left.

Jeremiah could always listen to the whisper of the wind for guidance. As if sentient, the breeze seemed to call him, tugging him toward his destination. It had never failed him, though occasionally it developed a will of its own, yanking him toward places unknown. That call had been eerily quiet for a while.

Once he’d escaped the confines of the city, the Elemental commanded the air particles around him to reflect rather than be transparent, rendering him immediately invisible. It was a trait only half of the air Elementals ever mastered, and Jeremiah found it extremely handy.

Letting the air coil around his form, he became weightless, rising into the sky. Air whipped around him, sending him shooting into the sky as he allowed his element free reign. The trip to Nero’s territory would take only minutes.

What little light the cityscape below him offered fractured suddenly across a giant pair of wings.

Instinctively, his gifts sought out the creature ahead of him, sending waves of reassurance and benevolence. To his great surprise, it was unreceptive.

When he drew closer, he realized why.

Hovering high above the treetops, magnificent wingspan holding her aloft, was Zia. Iridescent ivory wings, tinged a soft violet near the tips of the feathers, were spread wide in all their glory. She held herself perfectly still in the air, her control exquisite.

He’d never seen anything as resplendent. Each perfect feather rippled against the others, one piece of a whole, blending together to shimmer like an otherworldly diamond. She was a creature of the air just as he was.

Every beat of her wings sent a current against his skin, and something in his chest tightened. There was something oddly alluring about a woman who commanded his element as freely as he did—forcing it to bend to her whim. She wasn’t simply an angel; she was a goddess.

While he gawked, her innocent features were trained on his general direction, eyes searching for where he’d halted mid-air, invisible.

“I know you’re there.” Her voice was a bare whisper, but the threat beneath them was clear. “Show yourself or I’ll take offensive action.”

Jeremiah commanded the air to become transparent. “What a welcome.”

Zia’s eyes widened a bare fraction before she erased the surprise from her face. “You’re on the edges of clan territory, unannounced. What did you expect? A gift basket?”

“Shall I bring a confetti cannon next time? Perhaps an air horn to let you know I’ve entered your airspace?” Unable to resist a chuckle, he floated toward her soundlessly and watched her expression grow wary. “You’re not accustomed to guests arriving by air, are you?”

She fronted well and gave him a schooled response. “While Flight is a common ability, few Raeths can turn invisible. We rarely see Raeths with both.”

“A flying ability named Flight? How original.” He peeked at her wings once more, but kept his awe tightly contained. “Where were you keeping those hidden while we were having our lovely chat this morning? How did you manage to sit in a chair?”

“A man of many questions.” She raised an eyebrow, then proceeded without answering them. “Thank you for coming, Jeremiah. I appreciate your … willingness to help on such short notice.”

Not that I had a choice, he thought.

“Since you took the trouble to wait here for my arrival, I can only assume you were lost without me.” He gave her a mocking smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll clean up your mess.”

“I wasn’t waiting,” she replied. “I was doing a surveillance run when I sensed your arrival.”

His eyebrows tugged together. “Too little, too late, don’t you think?”

A twitch started in her jaw. “I’ll be happy to comply with your investigation and help in any way possible. No one is as keen to see this resolved as I am. But, given the lateness of the hour, we can start tomorrow, first thing.”

His snarky grin caught her off guard. “Good. I’ll be happy to jump in and figure out exactly how you managed to lose the address list of hundreds of our homes, princess.”

“My name is Zia.” Fire lit behind her eyes.

“What kind of a name is Zia?”

“The kind that’s short for Danzia.”

His ridiculing chuckle made her bristle. “I can see why you stuck with the nickname, Z.”