Chapter 17 - Above Cursed Winds

Passionate and demanding, Zia’s mouth crushed against his, reading his body language and taking the leap she’d wanted to since he’d waltzed into her home. Jeremiah responded eagerly, gripping the back of her neck possessively and bringing her closer.

Greedy for more, her fingers splayed across the expanse of his chest, against the soft material of his T-shirt and working over the hard muscle. The Elemental growled into their kiss, hungry for more and demanding she give it.

It’d been so long since she’d felt genuine interest from someone. Jeremiah had stepped into that role so naturally, it felt meant to be. Connected like this, Zia’s mind barely functioned, lost to the bliss she’d dived into without looking for a safety net.

Only the sound of Myko’s rapidly ascending footsteps yanked her back to sanity.

Jerking away, she caught sight of Jeremiah’s bewildered stare. His summer-blue eyes searched hers for a reason—or for regret. She gave a single shake of her head, her voice not yet functioning, just as Myko rounded the corner.

“Hey Boo!”

The wavering in her tone was barely perceptible, and she hoped the running water would cover the pounding drum of her heart and explain the flush of her cheeks.

Thankfully, Myko didn’t notice.

“You fixed it!”

A childlike laugh erupted from her son as he rapidly turned the water on and off. He blinked those beautiful indigo eyes up at Jeremiah.

“You’re my best friend, Jeremiah!”

When her eight-year-old wrapped his arms around the Elemental, Zia’s heart was torn. On one hand, Jeremiah had earned her son’s affection, eagerly spending time with him without cringing every time Myko’s gift slipped and indulging all the childish enthusiasm of a lonely soul.

On the other, Jeremiah was a true unknown, and Zia was aware he’d leave someday soon. Ultimately, once he’d done what he came here to do, every moment spent here would take a conscious choice on his part.

“You’re my best friend, too, little man.”

Unbidden, tears fell from her eyes, twisting her soul in knots as the Elemental returned Myko’s gruff hug and flipped the water off behind him with a gust of air.

“Come on!” Myko’s excited voice betrayed his innermost thoughts. “We gotta finish up our tournament!”

“Okay, but let me finish up here first. I’ll be down in a minute and then you can continue beating the snot out of me, King of the Kart.”

Hooting and leaping into the air, Myko raced out of the bathroom and out of his room, his steps beating down the stairs before Jeremiah turned back to face her.

As those summer blues connected with hers, she faltered in her decision to resist him and everything he offered. The intensity of his stare unnerved her, the heat that lingered from the prior passion shadowing his gaze. Below his desire, however, there was a question meant for her.

It was as though he was waiting for something inevitable, like someone who’d been burned and couldn’t fathom anything else but the fire.

“Jeremiah,” she began, but her voice trailed off, unable to speak the rest.

His belabored sigh signaled the end of it before it even began. “I get it. I’ll get out of your hair, Z. Just thought I’d finish Myko’s bathroom at least.”

At the thought of his departure, a dagger lanced her heart as it fluttered pitifully in response. Sure, the Elemental had become one of her son’s very small friend group, but the slight was deeper than that. His sudden aloofness gutted her.

Turning his back on her, he checked the water once more, then crouched below the sink to fiddle with something out of sight. Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

“What can I make you for dinner?”

The sound of a heavy tool clattering onto wood cabinetry met her ears, and Jeremiah jerked back into view.

“If this is some half-hearted attempt to pay back whatever debt you feel you owe me, forget it. I’m not asking you for your gratitude. I was here. I had time. It’s done. If it makes you feel any better, I’m doing it for Myko, not you.”

His hostility had taken only moments to kick back in full force. It hadn’t reared its ugly head for days, and she’d allowed herself to hope that it’d dispersed. His relentless anger still obviously churned beneath calm waters, and when he disappeared again below the sink, Zia took her cue.

Each step away from him solidified her decision and compounded her regret for how the interaction had played out.

She’d experienced more passion in those scant two minutes that she’d ever had with any other lover, and the fire he’d stoked continued to burn through her veins. Regardless, Zia couldn’t allow it to continue. Sehrin was the only man Key had ever told her was immune to her curse. Any other relationship she would be willing to enter into could always end in heartbreak.

The eyes of each plastic dinosaur stared at her in disappointment as she walked out of Myko’s room. Her chest tightened with an indecipherable feeling, as if each stride away from Jeremiah was cleaving her soul in two.

Zia found herself seated on the lowest stair.

Myko’s video games pinged in the living room, and the sound of tools echoed from upstairs. From where she sat in the foyer, no one could see her or hear her cry.