Chapter 11 - Above Cursed Winds

Zia’s heart swelled at the prospect. A grin that matched the rare one on her son’s face swallowed her features as she looked at him. “Of course your friend can stay, Boo! I have fresh breadsticks for you two, fresh from the oven!”

“Okay!”

Her heart caught in her throat at the merriment in Myko’s voice, her son happier than she’d heard in ages. Setting the tray down, she slipped off the hot pads and rounded the corner to peek her head toward the porch.

And then gaped.

A tall, red-haired Elemental was crouched down at her boy’s level, beaming at Myko’s excited chatter.

Happiness effectively doused, Zia’s spine straightened as she stiltedly walked toward the door. She knew the second Jeremiah recognized who owned this house, whose child Myko was. And darned if she didn’t take pleasure in the panicked expression on his face when she glared at him.

“Mom! This is Jeremiah, my new friend!”

The look of intensity she’d given Jeremiah transitioned seamlessly to affection when she glanced down at Myko. “Yeah? And where did you guys meet?”

“We played soccer together! And then we walked around the ter’tory and talked about dinosaurs and the new babies and the lighthouse.”

Softening at the notes of pure joy in Myko’s voice, Zia gently cupped a hand to his cheek, brushing her thumb across his soft skin.

“I’m so glad, baby.”

“And guess what?” Myko’s eyes rounded, those beautiful indigo eyes locked on hers, her son bouncing on his heels in his excitement.

“What, Boo?”

“I accidentally showed him his vision and he didn’t get scared away!”

Startled, Zia’s hand tensed slightly against Myko’s cheek, but he didn’t notice. While he launched into his narration about dinosaurs and soccer, Zia straightened and found Jeremiah’s gaze.

In one look, she tried to convey the gratitude she suddenly felt for the Elemental, the appreciation she had for the fact that he’d taken the day to listen to Myko’s ramblings. But she couldn’t voice it—not until she knew Jeremiah better.

While she’d never coveted frivolous companionship, certainly wouldn’t settle on a mate, she couldn’t deny the same thing for Myko.

“Eat dinner with us, Jeremiah.”

For a beat, he didn’t respond, searching her eyes for any hint of artifice. Finding none, he merely said, “I can go if you want. I didn’t realize he was your son.”

By now, Myko had already trotted into the kitchen, grabbing cups and utensils to finish setting the table. Keeping her voice low, Zia shook her head.

“Please. If you did what he said you did, I owe you. He’s—he doesn’t have many friends.”

Something softened in Jeremiah’s gaze, and Zia found herself looking at him anew. For a man who’d recklessly broken Nero’s nose not twenty-four hours before, she hadn’t expected any form of empathy from him. Had she misjudged him?

“Mom! The spaghetti!”

Wincing, Zia swiveled on her heel and jogged back into the kitchen just as the water boiled over. Muttering a curse, she grabbed the pot’s handles and shifted it off the burner, shooting an apologetic smile to both her son and the Elemental who’d wandered into the room after her.

Without asking, Jeremiah grabbed a colander from the hanging pans above the island and set it in the sink, then grabbed the plates from a box near the unfinished cabinets while Zia drained the pasta.

It felt so surreal, this. Not uncomfortable, per se, but not casual either.

Ten minutes later, all three of them were seated around the table, listening to Myko’s portrayal of the ‘epic soccer game’ he’d had with Jeremiah only hours before. Zia listened, enraptured, as her son gushed about how the Elemental had given him tips on his form and even helped him position his feet better when hitting the ball.

By the time dinner was over, Jeremiah had happily promised another afternoon of soccer practice and a trip to the local museum to look at their dinosaur skeletons.

Zia did her best to stay composed.

It’d been too long since anyone but Nero had taken real interest in her son, and too long since another person freely remained in Myko’s presence. Though it was completely unintentional, the nature of his gift made people avoid him, and the worst thing was that Myko was fully aware of it.

The devastating gift made for an isolated—and lonely—childhood.

“Go up and get dressed for bed, Boo,” Zia instructed after dinner. “You know you’re extra sleepy when your power is active.”

Myko grumbled an agreement, stomping up the stairs that were only partly finished, with random carpet hairs that shot out from the sides.

“I’ll be up in a few minutes, Boo.” Turning back to Jeremiah, she gauged his mood. “Let me walk you back to your condo.”

They strolled outside into the warm night air. Jeremiah’s hands slipped into his pockets, eyes gazing upward, toward the starlit heavens.

The silence between them stretched, somehow comfortable despite everything. It was as if they’d called a temporary truce, a white flag thrown into the ring, on Myko’s behalf. They still maintained an impersonal distance between them and seemed to hold on to things they both wanted to say. Well, she hadn’t expected miracles.

“Myko’s a good kid.”

“The best,” Zia admitted. “I have no idea what I did to deserve him.”

“He’s brilliant. I swear I’ve learned more about dinosaurs in the last eight hours than my entire life up until this point,” Jeremiah chuckled.

“He’s very fond of them,” Zia hummed. “Fair warning, though: don’t get him started about the Jurassic Park movies. Once you do, you’re in for a three-hour lecture.”

“About what?”

“About how poorly they portrayed the Velociraptors. He thinks it was a great disservice to his favorite dinosaur.”

There was a smile in his voice when he said, “Well, I can’t wait to hear it.”

“You—you’re good with him,” she blabbered, the words spilling out of her mouth like an awkward train wreck, despite her best intentions towards this walk. “Thanks. For today. With, you know, everything. With Myko. He can’t control his power. Not yet. I’m just saying that it was good of you. That’s all.”

“Hopefully, tomorrow will be even better.”

She studied him out of the corner of her eye, weighing his words. They weren’t sharp or sarcastic, another oddity for him, but it seemed like he was making light of her attempt at being grateful. He noticed her confusion.

“Look, Z, nobody needs to be thanked for being a decent person.” Jeremiah rolled his shoulders as they approached his condo. “Plus, he’s a cool kid and I enjoyed today, too. You’ve raised him well.”

Whatever Zia had thought he would say, that wasn’t it. As they reached the door to his condo, she pondered the diametric difference between the man he’d been when they first met and the one standing before her. She couldn’t help but wonder which one was the truth.

“Night, Z.”

As he opened the door, both of them gagged.

The smell of raw sewage wafted out the door with such potency that Zia fought the urge to retch. Her fingers pinched her nose just as Jeremiah slammed the door shut. The Elemental had turned a shade of green but still broke into a smile at the look on Zia’s face.

“I swear I didn’t do that!”

Choking on a laugh at his expense, Zia shook her head. “That’s a burst sewer line. No way you could’ve done that by yourself. Oh, fates. I can’t think straight.”

With a chuckle, Jeremiah’s element shifted in the air around them, and the air purified within moments. She dragged a fresh breath into her lungs and briefly closed her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m afraid there’s nowhere else for you to stay, Jeremiah. We don’t have any more houses or condos you could borrow.”

“It’s fine,” he shrugged, the gesture truly ambivalent. “I’ve slept beneath the stars more times than I could count.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Her gaze swept over him once more. “Come on. You can sleep on my couch.”

Jerking her chin back toward her house, she kept her eyes on him to weigh his response. Something hardened behind his eyes before he dropped his chin, but he took one last rueful look at the condo behind him.

Satisfied, she squared her shoulders. “Nero asked how things were coming along today. I said I wasn’t sure where you were in the process.”

Jeremiah stiffened. “I ran the diagnostic. The heavy lifting starts tomorrow.”

Saying nothing further, they continued to walk back toward her home. Her psychic senses brushed against his mind almost without her intent, shying away initially before sensing no danger.

While the rage was still barely concealed, his mind felt lighter, less intense. The pressure from his turmoil had receded, becoming currents below still waters. It was almost as if today had been just as good for Jeremiah as it had been for her son.

Walking back into her home, they saw Myko jump up from where he’d started playing Mario Kart. “You’re staying?”

There was such hope in the boy’s eyes, any trace of Zia’s reluctance instantly melted. “The condo Jeremiah was in had a problem. He’s going to sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Guess you can’t get rid of me, little man.”

Beaming, her son bounded up to the pair of them and wrapped his arms around Zia’s waist, whispering, “Thank you, mommy.”

“Off to bed now, Boo.”

Forty minutes later, she tucked him into his multi-colored dinosaur bedding and kissed him goodnight, once, twice, three times, as was their tradition. Zia descended the stairs to find Jeremiah flipping through his phone.

Clutching the pillow and blankets tighter, she launched into the disclaimers. “My house isn’t finished, as you can tell. We’ve only just moved in, and we only have one working bathroom.”

Summer-blue eyes met her own. “Myko was telling me that. Why did you move?”

“Easier to move an eight-year-old than an infant.” She lifted a shoulder noncommittally, glancing at the blankets once more. “Our previous home was finished and comfortable, ready to live in. We had people who needed it more than we did.”

“Awfully nice of you.”

She expected to find sarcasm in those jaded eyes, and she found nothing but truth. Thrown off kilter by his honesty once more, Zia cleared her throat. “Anyway, only my bathroom on the second floor works. The others don’t have running water yet.”

“Good to know.”

“Well, I guess that isn’t true.” She shrugged. “Myko’s toilet works, too, I guess.”

Jeremiah’s little chuckle sounded across from her. “Also, good to know.”

Awkward silence followed, Zia shifting uneasily while she continued to clutch the blankets. Focusing anywhere but him, she cleared her throat once more into the silence between them.

She was making this unnecessarily weird and awkward. Anyone in her position would’ve done the same. Besides, she was Nero’s second, and she had a responsibility to see to Jeremiah’s hospitality. Her Sovereign would’ve been aghast if she made the man who was working to save them all sleep under the stars.

It didn’t hurt that her guest was the spitting image of Adonis himself, every sculpted line of his face a study in perfection. His proximity made her flush, her treacherous heart pounding a staccato song that betrayed just what she’d felt about his closeness.

While she’d been having an internal meltdown, Jeremiah had approached, gently reaching out for the blankets she’d clutched like a lifeline.

“Thank you.”

“Sure,” came her response, finally loosening her death grip on the bedding and holding it out to him.

When he took it from her, the warmth of his hand gingerly passed over hers, and a shock of sensation rioted through her nerves. Carefully, she schooled the reaction from her features.

The Elemental, having betrayed no similar sensation, gave her an appreciative nod. And then he asked, “When is his father coming home?”

“His father doesn’t live here.”

Based on the tone of her voice, it would be apparent to the Elemental that they weren’t together. A thousand theories appeared the simmer in Jeremiah’s gaze, but instead, he asked a question she had known was coming.

“What is Myko’s ability?”

Zia’s teeth worried over her lip, biting deeply at the quiet question. “We don’t have a name for it yet; no other Raeth has had the gift in remembered history. The closest we can identify is that it’s a mix between Vision and Psyche—he inadvertently pulls your worst fears from your subconscious and brings them to light in a vision.”

Her face fell, the anguish shadowing her features. “He’s born of destruction, like his father. While everyone is pleasant around him, they intentionally avoid touching him or hanging around. Most families won’t let their kids play with him because he might scare them. For a youngling, that’s damaging, and his ability has only grown since he’s started maturing.” A rueful shake of her head. “He’s lonely.”

Jeremiah’s expression mirrored hers. “That’s awful.”

She could only nod in agreement as he set down the blankets on the couch, his eyes spearing around the room for a moment before Zia decided to speak what was on her mind.

“I meant it before, during our walk. Thank you.”

Frowning, Jeremiah’s attention returned to her. “For what?”

“For not shying away from him. Treating him normally. It makes him so happy.” Zia looked him square in the eye, making it known just how much she appreciated what he’d done. “Whatever your fear is, whatever he showed you, thank you for working through it enough that you didn’t run away.”

“I’ve already lived it,” came his barely audible response. “Nothing could be worse than that.”