Epilogue - Above Cursed Winds

Excitement pooled in Zia’s gut. Today, she and Jeremiah would do a fly-over of the clan together, and it would be the first time they would take Myko with them.

Though she’d attempted several times to take her son with her in the air before, they’d all been at night, and she’d been petrified that she might drop him, or they’d be sighted no matter what precautions she took.

With Jeremiah’s ability to make them invisible, they didn’t have to worry about humans being able to see them, and she knew Jeremiah would never let Myko fall. Zia trusted her mate with more than her life.

The couple had discussed the possibility of taking Myko with them soon after they’d mated. They hadn’t left anything to chance: they’d tried out their plan with Nero first. The sovereign had been skeptical, but as soon as they were in the air, he’d had a blast, and even thanked his newest clan member for the experience.

Myko had chatted nonstop for the last two days about flying with them, and he’d learned all he could about aerodynamics. Zia had found a pilot Halloween costume he could wear, and he’d loved it at first sight.

For the past few weeks, her son had been training with Isaiah, and the differences were already obvious. He was able to control triggering the visions a lot better, and in some cases, even stop them after they’d already begun.

Another consequence of Myko’s lessons was that Isaiah and Jeremiah had been spending copious amounts of time together. Much to his chagrin, Zia’s mate had come to admit he enjoyed the other man’s company. The Raeth sovereign had even been there when Jeremiah’s fear vision had changed, from the memory of Gideon’s death to a potential future danger affecting Myko and Zia herself. Though he’d fronted well, Isaiah could tell it’d shaken him, and had offered him consolation when he’d needed it most.

Likewise, Zia and Rukia had also become thick as thieves. Once they’d finally spoken without the threat of the Citizens hanging above their heads, an instant camaraderie had unfolded. Zia had even transfigured Rukia’s hair in the same oil-slick colors as her own.

As she walked down the stairs in her home, she heard her son and her mate in the living room.

“Hey, little man,” Jeremiah’s voice was slightly muted through the door. “You ready for today?”

“Yeah, but … I’m just scared you’ll drop me.”

“Never.” The raw emotion she heard in his voice made her eyes tear. “I love your mom, and I always will, but Myko, you mean just as much to me. Remember: it was me and you that first day. The whole reason any of this happened was because of us being friends—that’s never gonna change, little man. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Myko sniffed. “You’re my best friend, Jeremiah.”

“And you’re mine. I’m so proud of you, kiddo.”

Zia’s emotions got the better of her, and she let out a shallow sob. Clasping her hands over her mouth to prevent another from slipping through, she stilled. The damage of her eavesdropping, however, was already done.

“Besides,” came Jeremiah’s snarky next line, “I have to keep you safe because your mom could never beat me in Mario Kart. You alone hold that privilege.”

“I am King of the Kart.”

“All hail the Kart King!” Jeremiah chuckled. “Come on, let’s go. I have a feeling your mom is ready.”

The grinning pair joined her in the foyer, where she was dutifully pulling on her shoes. “Ready Boo?”

“Prepared for takeoff!” he laughed. “Jeremiah has promised he won’t drop me.”

“Well, that makes two of us.”

Five minutes later, the trio was standing on their lawn. Zia’s wings unfolded from her back, the feathers spreading out as she stretched each limb. The weight was familiar and freeing. Myko, no stranger to seeing them, absently ran a hand along her primaries.

“Okay, little man. Your mom and I are going to take your hands, and we’ll lift off,” Jeremiah coached. Myko dutifully grabbed their hands, squeezing them for dear life. “I’m going to make us invisible now. If you get scared, just know that we’re right here. You might not be able to see us, but you’ll always be able to feel us.”

Wings flaring out on both sides, Zia gave her son one last smile before Jeremiah’s abilities turned them invisible to the naked eye.

Then, they were soaring. High above the treetops, the three of them flew hand in hand. The Elemental’s abilities kept Myko’s body supported, in addition to holding his hands for reassurance. Myko’s giggles, which started the moment they took off, had progressed to full-on laughter.

“Mommy, look! Look at the waves!”

The excitement in Myko’s voice made her giddy. “I know! Aren’t they beautiful?”

“And the people!” he shouted. “They look like ants, dad!”

Zia’s breath caught in her throat, and her eyes instantly misted. Jeremiah’s wind flowed around them. The breeze—cool and refreshing in the heat of the day—drafted downward toward the island below. When the pair of them had started flying reconnaissance missions for the clan, it’d become one of his favorite pastimes: giving the people on the ground some relief from the sun.

A whisp of wind caressed her cheek, and even though she couldn’t see him, she knew it was Jeremiah. Everything he did reminded her of how cherished and wanted she felt.

I love you, Jeremiah, she whispered to him telepathically. Today is a dream come true.

The same sense of happiness funneled through their mating bond, and she clung to his positive emotions. His loneliness and anger had vanished almost at the same time as her crushing anxiety for the future. Their matehood gave him the support he needed to work on the relationships he had with his closest friends and mend them, and Jeremiah no longer needed the palliative of the self-destructive behaviors he’d numbed himself with. It was a heady freedom for both of them, a new lease on immortal life they eagerly filled with love and appreciation for what they had earned.

Zia’s previous life had been spent fearing her mate’s fall. What she hadn’t know was that she’d fall for him—and keep happily falling every moment thereafter.